nationals

Adam LaRoche getting hitting tips from ... Chipper Jones?

April 29, 2013, 2:21pm

ATLANTA - It was a strange sight, really. A pretty cool sight, but a strange one. There was Chipper Jones in the visiting clubhouse here at Turner Field, the park that he called home for 19 years, dishing out hugs and chatting with Nationals players. There Jones was, the former Brave and future Hall of Famer talking shop with his good buddy and former teammate Adam LaRoche. There the two men were, sitting in a hallway adjacent to the Nationals' clubhouse, watching film and breaking down...

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Johnson talks plans for Ramos and a strategy for Strasburg

April 29, 2013, 2:58pm

Nationals

Johnson talks plans for Ramos and a strategy for Strasburg

ATLANTA - With Wilson Ramos getting activated from the disabled list today and Kurt Suzuki having gotten a heavy workload recently, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to expect Ramos to get the start tonight against the Braves. Instead, it's Suzuki behind the plate again. Nationals manager Davey Johnson explained his decision to sit Ramos, saying he's taking a better-safe-than-sorry approach with his catcher after his recent left hamstring injury. "I treat hamstrings anything but...

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"Bryce Begins" to air on ESPN on Tuesday, April 30

April 29, 2013, 3:57pm

Nationals

"Bryce Begins" to air on ESPN on Tuesday, April 30

What were you doing when you were 19? Chances are you weren't roaming the outfields of major league ballparks like Bryce Harper was. Harper, the young Nationals phenom, skyrocketed to superstardom during his rookie season. His accomplishments include earning a trip to the All-Star Game and winning the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year Award. His play helped the Nats win the NL East for the first time since the franchise returned to Washington D.C., in 2005. ESPN will air a one-hour...

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"Bryce Begins" - A film document Bryce Harper's journey to stardom - debuts Tuesday, April 30 on ESPN

April 29, 2013, 3:59pm

Nationals

"Bryce Begins" - A film document Bryce Harper's journey to stardom - debuts Tuesday, April 30 on ESPN

"Bryce Begins," a one-hour film documenting Harper's journey from a teenager through the present day, will debut Tuesday, April 30 at 9:00pm ET on ESPN. A collaboration between Major League Baseball Productions and 3 Penny Films, "Bryce Begins" features extensive behind the scenes access with Harper and his family and rare footage from the years leading up to his Major League debut. The film also features new interviews with Harper, his father Ron Harper, Nationals General Manager Mike...

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Ramos activated, Suzuki behind the plate again (with lineups)

April 29, 2013, 11:48am

Nationals

Ramos activated, Suzuki behind the plate again (with lineups)

ATLANTA - The Nationals have activated Wilson Ramos from the 15-day disabled list, but Ramos is not in today's lineup against the Braves. Kurt Suzuki will start again behind the plate, marking the 15th time in a 16-game span that Suzuki has gotten the nod. He's played every inning of those 15 games. Ramos was sidelined the last 15 days with a left hamstring strain. Jhonatan Solano was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Ramos on the 25-man roster. Solano appeared in three...

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LaRoche determined to claw his way out of deep slump

April 28, 2013, 2:51pm

Nationals

LaRoche determined to claw his way out of deep slump

Following this afternoon's 5-2 loss to the Reds, in which Adam LaRoche went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, making him 0-for-his-last-26, a frustrated LaRoche was asked how he feels at the plate right now. "Probably about as good as it looks," he said. Yeah, LaRoche is upset at himself for how he's been playing lately. He has 13 strikeouts in his last eight games and doesn't have a hit in more than a week. But he's going to keep fighting, trying to claw out of this deep slump and get...

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Nats head to Atlanta in search of some revenge

April 28, 2013, 8:08pm

Nationals

Nats head to Atlanta in search of some revenge

I'm off to Atlanta, ready for some quality National League East baseball and a city that doesn't have a ridiculous pollen count. I forgot to take my allergy pill yesterday and probably ripped off 150 sneezes in a 12-hour span. My apologies to everyone near me in the press box. When the Nationals last saw the Braves back at Nationals Park a little over two weeks ago, they got their butts handed to them. Not much other way to put it. Atlanta outscored the Nats 18-5 over that three-game...

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Nationals reinstate Wilson Ramos, option Jhonatan Solano to Syracuse

April 29, 2013, 11:32am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated catcher Wilson Ramos from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned catcher Jhonatan Solano to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ramos, who missed the last 14 games with a left hamstring strain, is batting .300 with two homers, three RBI, three walks and three runs scored in six games this season with the...

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Marty Niland: For Harper, here's hoping best is yet to come

April 28, 2013, 3:49pm

Nationals

Marty Niland: For Harper, here's hoping best is yet to come

Of all the red-letter days in Washington's baseball history, Nationals fans may well look back on April 28, 2012 as the most important date of all. It was on that date that a 19-year-old rookie named Bryce Aron Max Harper made his major league debut, amid the media spotlight of Los Angeles. He singled and drove in a run for a Nats team that was struggling offensively, and while Washington would fall to the Dodgers, both Harper and the Nats would soon heat up and not look back. Harper...

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Johnson recaps Nats' 5-2 loss

April 28, 2013, 2:38pm

Nationals

This afternoon's game officially lasted three hours, 27 minutes. It sure felt a good bit longer than that. The Reds beat the Nationals 5-2 today, salvaging the final game of this four-game series and avoiding a sweep at the hands of their hosts. It wasn't a pretty ballgame to say the least, especially from the Nationals' side. Ross Detwiler allowed 11 hits and four runs over five innings, Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa made errors, Henry Rodriguez threw four strikes in a 17-pitch outing...

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A much different picture in the series finale (Nats lose 5-2)

April 28, 2013, 11:14am

Nationals

A much different picture in the series finale (Nats lose 5-2)

A lot went right for the Nationals over the last three days. They pitched incredibly well, allowing just four runs and 11 hits in that three-game span. They brought the bats, scoring 15 runs after putting up just four through their previous four contests. They played sound defense, for the most part. All three of those games resulted in wins. Today, it's been a different story. Ross Detwiler has allowed four runs and 10 hits over his first five innings. He had surrendered four earned runs...

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LaRoche dropped to sixth in Nats' order

April 28, 2013, 8:37am

Nationals

Mired in an 0-for-22 slump, Adam LaRoche has been dropped to sixth in the Nationals' batting order. In an attempt to get his first baseman going, manager Davey Johnson has bumped LaRoche down a spot in the lineup and moved Ian Desmond up to the five-hole. This is the first time LaRoche has hit as low as sixth in the order since April 11 of last year. Typically a slow starter (he's just a .215 career hitter in March/April), LaRoche is really off to a rough 2013, batting just .143 through 21...

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The one-year anniversary of a special beginning

April 28, 2013, 6:34am

Nationals

The one-year anniversary of a special beginning

A year ago today, Bryce Harper threw on a Nationals jersey for the first time. The then-19-year-old started his big league career by going 1-for-3 with a rocket of a double, tossing his helmet to the Dodger Stadium dirt as he made a violent turn around first base and sprinted for second. Since his highly-anticipated debut, Harper has played 162 games. His numbers look more like what you expect out of an eight-year veteran than a first-year player who can't legally buy a beer. Harper has hit...

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Hearing from Haren, Span and more

April 27, 2013, 2:20pm

Nationals

Dan Haren put up his best start as a National this afternoon, allowing just two runs over six innings in the Nationals' 6-3 win over the Reds. With his patented brutally honest perspective, however, Haren couldn't help but take a jab at himself when discussing his outing with reporters after the game. "It sucks it's taken so long to have a good outing, but I finally feel like part of the team," Haren said. "I've got to be like this or better the rest of the year. There's no excuse for...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 6-3 win

April 27, 2013, 1:39pm

Nationals

Over his first four outings this season, Dan Haren had failed to record an out in the sixth and had surrendered 32 hits and four walks over 18 1/3 mediocre innings. This afternoon, Haren turned things around, holding the dangerous Reds at bay. The veteran righty allowed two runs on six hits over six strong innings, walking none and striking out five. "That was more like him," manager Davey Johnson said. "Just like what we were talking about before, he was still throwing with plenty of...

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A quality start for Haren (Nats win third in a row)

April 27, 2013, 11:21am

Nationals

A quality start for Haren (Nats win third in a row)

Five outings into his Nationals tenure, Dan Haren has his first quality start. After a rough start to the season, Haren bounced back with a nice outing today against a high-powered Reds lineup. Haren went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out five, throwing 88 pitches, 56 for strikes. With Haren's pitch count still fairly low, manager Davey Johnson could've opted to send his veteran right-hander out for the seventh, but Johnson is a fan of having his...

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Johnson has confidence in starters for the long haul

April 28, 2013, 4:18am

Nationals

Johnson has confidence in starters for the long haul

Manager Davey Johnson has an early season philosophy of not riding his starters too long in games. His reasoning includes wanting the rotation to be fresher as the season goes on, the ability to get the starters ramped up as each start passes and protection for the bullpen after some shaky outings to start the season. But if the starter can pitch well enough into the late innings and keep his pitch count down, Johnson will go with you, especially if in the past the starter has shown the...

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Suzuki relishes games like Zimmermann pitched Friday night

April 26, 2013, 6:20pm

Nationals

Suzuki relishes games like Zimmermann pitched Friday night

Catcher Kurt Suzuki loves being a part of a game like Friday night. He worked with his pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann, as the right-hander allowed a leadoff single by Xavier Paul in the third inning and nothing else in a 1-0 complete-game shutout for the Nationals. Suzuki had a feeling early on that Zimmermann could do this. It was Zimmermann's second complete game of the year, matching his effort April 15 at Miami. "You can kind of tell," Suzuki said. "It was similar to the game in Miami....

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Haren looking sharp, helping his own cause (Harper into Nats record books)

April 27, 2013, 10:10am

Nationals

Haren looking sharp, helping his own cause (Harper into Nats record books)

So far, so good this afternoon for Dan Haren. Haren has faced the minimum through three scoreless innings today, striking out three. He's thrown just 35 pitches thus far, and came out of the gates attacking, firing first-pitch strikes to five of the first six hitters he faced. Manager Davey Johnson has said he'd like to see Haren worry less about velocity and more about control and mixing his pitches. For much of the first three innings, Haren was bringing his four-seam fastball in at 88-89...

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Johnson talks Espinosa, Haren and Zimmerman

April 27, 2013, 8:28am

Nationals

Johnson talks Espinosa, Haren and Zimmerman

Danny Espinosa has hit sixth or seventh in the Nationals lineup every game that he's played this season. Not this afternoon. Espinosa will bat second against the Reds today. Manager Davey Johnson has Anthony Rendon back in the lineup playing third base today, and Johnson would rather have Espinosa in the table-setting No. 2 spot than Rendon, who is appearing in just his fifth big league game today. "I want him to think about line drives, getting on base, that kind of thing," Johnson said...