nationals

Owings goes yard, Young happy with his progress (Nats win)

March 14, 2013, 12:08pm

VIERA, Fla. - Micah Owings' power is as advertised. Owings crushed a grand slam way out to right field in the seventh inning, his second home run of spring, giving the Nationals a 6-3 lead. A former pitcher attempting to make the transition to a position player, Owings has really impressed with his bat this spring. He now is batting .368 in 19 at-bats, and five of his seven hits are for extra bases. Owings needs to work on his defense at first base and the outfield, and prove that he can...

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Young's done, Werth homers, Zimmerman continues to impress (Soriano update)

March 14, 2013, 10:53am

Nationals

Young's done, Werth homers, Zimmerman continues to impress (Soriano update)

VIERA, Fla. - After his last spring outing, his first in a Nationals uniform, Chris Young called his performance "erratic," saying that he would follow up a solid string of pitches with a handful of disappointing pitches in a row. Young was a little better today, bouncing back from surrendering a leadoff homer to open the game and throwing four solid innings. The veteran right-hander leaves with a 2-1 lead. He allowed four hits and two walks, striking out three. Young threw 72 pitches, 43...

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Johnson discusses Rendon's role this season, other cuts

March 14, 2013, 6:53am

Nationals

Johnson discusses Rendon's role this season, other cuts

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals officially sent seven players to minor league camp today, a group that includes infielders Anthony Rendon and Matt Skole and right-hander Nathan Karns. None of those three had a legitimate chance to make the Nationals' 25-man roster out of spring training, but all three still made good use of their time in big league camp. Rendon was the one who turned the most heads; the 22-year-old - who is the Nationals' top prospect - hit the cover off the ball this spring,...

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More on the catching competition

March 14, 2013, 9:15am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Earlier today, I wrote about Wilson Ramos working his way back into the conversation about who should be the Nationals' starting catcher on opening day. Until recently, it hadn't actually been much of a conversation. The job was Kurt Suzuki's, both because of the way Suzuki performed down the stretch last season and also because Ramos wasn't expected to be ready to handle a starting workload on April 1, less than 11 months after he tore the ACL and meniscus in his right...

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Perez, Karns, Leon and Rendon among Nats' cuts from spring camp

March 14, 2013, 7:03am

Nationals

Perez, Karns, Leon and Rendon among Nats' cuts from spring camp

The Washington Nationals today optioned outfielder Eury Perez to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns, catcher Sandy Leon and infielder Anthony Rendon to Harrisburg of the Double-A Eastern League. Additionally, the Nationals re-assigned left-handed pitcher Pat McCoy and infielders Will Rhymes and Matt Skole to minor league camp. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. The...

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Ramos putting himself in the conversation for opening day starting job

March 14, 2013, 4:10am

Nationals

Ramos putting himself in the conversation for opening day starting job

VIERA, Fla. - Chris Young will get his second start of spring this afternoon as the Nationals host the Astros at Space Coast Stadium. Those in attendance this afternoon will also get to catch Rafael Soriano, Henry Rodriguez and Tyler Clippard, all three of whom are scheduled to take the mound today. Young will be throwing to Wilson Ramos, who will be behind the plate for the second straight day. This will mark Ramos' first time catching back-to-back games since tearing the ACL and meniscus...

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Rendon among Nats' cuts (updated with more cuts)

March 14, 2013, 5:46am

Nationals

Rendon among Nats' cuts (updated with more cuts)

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals sent four more players over to minor league camp this morning, according to a team source: infielders Anthony Rendon and Matt Skole, right-hander Nathan Karns and left-hander Pat McCoy. Update: In addition to the four players listed above, infielder Will Rhymes, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez have also been sent to minor league camp, manager Davey Johnson announced. Rendon, Karns and Leon were optioned to Double-A Harrisburg, Perez was optioned to...

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Harper not getting carried away by red-hot spring

March 13, 2013, 1:55pm

Nationals

Harper not getting carried away by red-hot spring

VIERA, Fla. - It would appear that Bryce Harper is as locked in as locked in can be right now. The Nationals left fielder has 16 hits in 36 spring at-bats, good for a .444 average. After pulling a three-run home run over the right-center field fence today, Harper has three homers, two doubles and a triple this spring. He's slugging a ridiculous .806 in 13 games played. Ask Harper about his approach at the plate, however, and he'll manage to find something that irks him. "I don't know. I...

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Johnson on Storen, Harper, Ramos and more after Nats' 8-5 win

March 13, 2013, 1:13pm

Nationals

Johnson on Storen, Harper, Ramos and more after Nats' 8-5 win

VIERA, Fla. - So much for that dead-arm phase that Jordan Zimmermann was going through. Two days after notching a hole-in-one during a team par-3 team golf tournament, the first ace of his life, Zimmermann found a pretty good groove on the mound against the Mets, allowing just one earned run (three runs total) over 4 2/3 innings, with six strikeouts. "Jordan threw the heck out of the ball," manager Davey Johnson said. "Threw the ball great. Threw some good change-ups. Got 80 pitches in, I...

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Harper still streaking in spring (Nats beat Mets 8-5, beat Astros 9-7)

March 13, 2013, 9:58am

Nationals

Harper still streaking in spring (Nats beat Mets 8-5, beat Astros 9-7)

VIERA, Fla. - Not that kind of streaking. Take it easy. Bryce Harper continues to hit the cover off the baseball this spring, only elevating expectations for what could be to come in his second major league season. Harper crushed a three-run homer off Mets right-hander Matt Harvey in the first inning today, smoking a ball over the advertisements above the right-center field wall. It was Harper's third home run this spring and made him 15-for-33 during the Grapefruit League season. That's a...

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Stephen Strasburg named Nats' opening day starter

March 13, 2013, 6:48am

Nationals

Stephen Strasburg named Nats' opening day starter

VIERA, Fla. - In no way is this a surprise, but Stephen Strasburg will be the Nationals' opening day starter for the second straight season. It's been clear for some time now that Strasburg was lining up to get the ball for April 1 against the Marlins at Nationals Park. Strasburg's spring training pitching schedule has him set to be on normal rest come April 1, and the right-hander has looked sharp in his four spring starts to this point. Manager Davey Johnson finally made the announcement...

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Gonzalez lining up to start WBC title game, cuts looming for Nats (plus notes and lineups)

March 13, 2013, 7:30am

Nationals

Gonzalez lining up to start WBC title game, cuts looming for Nats (plus notes and lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - Should Team USA advance to the championship game of the World Baseball Classic, Nationals manager Davey Johnson says Gio Gonzalez will get the ball. Johnson said today that he's been informed that Gonzalez will be in line to pitch the title game, if Team USA does indeed get that far. Gonzalez would be pitching on six days' rest, two more than pitchers are used to, but Johnson likes the way Team USA manager Joe Torre has things lined up, saying that if Japan is the other team...

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Werth talks tracking pitches, improved strength in wrist

March 13, 2013, 4:20am

Nationals

Werth talks tracking pitches, improved strength in wrist

VIERA, Fla. - It's been a little more than 10 months since Jayson Werth broke his left wrist sliding for a ball in right field during a game against his former team. Since that May 6 game against the Phillies, Werth has rehabbed the wrist, returned to a major league diamond and shown that he can still produce at a high level even without being 100 percent healthy. Following his return last season, Werth hit .312 with two home runs, 16 doubles, 19 RBIs and a robust .394 on-base percentage in...

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Gonzalez leads Team USA to WBC win over Puerto Rico

March 12, 2013, 7:35pm

Nationals

Gonzalez leads Team USA to WBC win over Puerto Rico

VIERA, Fla. - It certainly doesn't compare to the intensity level of his two starts in the National League Division Series last October, in which he allowed five runs and 11 walks in 10 innings. But in his first true competitive outing in nearly five months, and in a pretty big spot on an international stage, Gio Gonzalez delivered a stellar performance. Gonzalez pitched five scoreless innings against Puerto Rico tonight in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, allowing just three...

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Nationals prospect updates on pitchers Cole, Jordan and Meyers

March 12, 2013, 7:41pm

Nationals

The Nationals' accelerated development program has two weeks in the books in Florida. This week, I will have some updates of a few of the pitchers in the camp, starting with A.J. Cole, Taylor Jordan and Brad Meyers. Right-hander Cole is making good progress in his first camp since being trading back to the Nationals from the Oakland A's. The 21-year-old Cole had a rough start last season at Oakland's high Single-A team, but then settled down at low Single-A and dominated again. Sometimes,...

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Not many negatives to be found during Nats' first month in Viera

March 12, 2013, 5:11am

Nationals

Not many negatives to be found during Nats' first month in Viera

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals have their second off-day this spring today, which allows the players a chance to play in their annual golf tournament. I'll try and pass along who won at some point tomorrow, but we do know it won't be Davey Johnson. The Nationals manager - a scratch golfer who plays as often as he can during spring - joked that the players didn't invite him this year. I wouldn't if I were them, either. I wouldn't want the skipper taking any of my money. Now the guys just...

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Suzuki on Strasburg, Strasburg on the stretch

March 11, 2013, 1:24pm

Nationals

Suzuki on Strasburg, Strasburg on the stretch

VIERA, Fla. - There isn't a stadium radar gun at Space Coast Stadium, but Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki said he was pretty sure Stephen Strasburg was throwing in the 95-97 mph range today in the right-hander's fourth start of spring. "Easy," Suzuki said, indicating Strasburg was bringing heat without using much effort. "So easy." Strasburg dominated through his first five innings of work today before struggling in the sixth. He retired just one of the five hitters he faced in the sixth,...

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Johnson on Strasburg, Duke and Rodriguez after 7-2 loss

March 11, 2013, 12:51pm

Nationals

Johnson on Strasburg, Duke and Rodriguez after 7-2 loss

VIERA, Fla. - Outside of a Carlos Rivero RBI groundout and a Tyler Moore solo home run in the ninth inning, the Nationals were shut down today by a group of Braves hurlers led by Paul Maholm. Maholm held the Nats scoreless over five strong innings, striking out five, and the Nats fell to Atlanta 7-2. Had Stephen Strasburg been pulled after five innings, he would have finished with a dynamite stats line with a big zero in the run column. Because his pitch count was so low to that point,...

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Strasburg totally locked in vs. Braves (Nats lose 7-2)

March 11, 2013, 10:19am

Nationals

Strasburg totally locked in vs. Braves (Nats lose 7-2)

VIERA, Fla. - When I looked at Stephen Strasburg's stat line before today's game, I was surprised how inflated it was. Through his first three outings this spring, Strasburg had a 5.19 ERA, having allowed five runs in 8 2/3 innings, with 11 hits, three walks and 13 strikeouts. That's why spring stat lines mean almost nothing. Strasburg had been much better than his numbers had indicated this spring, and today, the in-game results started to match how good his stuff has been. Strasburg has...

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Karns to get X-ray on leg, Garcia getting closer to throwing (plus lineups)

March 11, 2013, 7:20am

Nationals

Karns to get X-ray on leg, Garcia getting closer to throwing (plus lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - When Davey Johnson sat down for his pregame session with reporters late this morning, the Netherlands was tied with Cuba in the bottom of the ninth inning of its elimination game in the World Baseball Classic. By the time Johnson's session had ended, the Netherlands had won on a walk-off sacrifice fly. Johnson, who managed the Netherlands in the 2004 Summer Olympics, was told of the win as he headed out to get ready for batting practice to start. "All right!" Johnson yelled,...