nationals

Rachel Levitin: Racing Presidents bring something extra to Nats' fan culture

April 18, 2013, 5:17am

Last Friday night, I found myself surrounded by native Chicagoans and fellow D.C. transplants at a bar near Union Station when a group of Braves fans walked in. I hadn't been able to watch the Nats-Braves game that night and didn't check my iPhone for any scores, so I decided to do the easy thing and ask those Braves fans, "Who won the game?" They cheerfully obliged my question by saying, "The Braves," with a smile on their faces. My group grabbed a table by a few folks donning Nationals...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

MASN hires Julie Alexandria as new Nationals sideline reporter

April 17, 2013, 11:51am

Nationals

There's a new member of MASN's Nationals broadcast team. MASN has hired Julie Alexandria as its new sideline reporter for Nationals broadcasts, the network confirmed this afternoon. Alexandria will begin appearing on-air as a part of MASN's in-game broadcasts as well as the "Nats Xtra" pregame and postgame shows sometime during the next homestand. Alexandria most recently worked as a sideline reporter for FOX Sports, covering college football. She was part of the broadcast team that...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko julie alexandria masn nationals frontstory_nationals2

Taking a closer look at two struggling veterans

April 16, 2013, 8:59pm

Nationals

Taking a closer look at two struggling veterans

The Nationals were on the losing end of an 8-2 ballgame in Miami last night, but that's one game of 162. Of bigger concern right now are the struggles of two Nats veterans, guys who appear to be battling some confidence issues at this point. Let's start with Dan Haren. The 32-year-old right-hander, who signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Nats this offseason, was facing a Marlins team that had scored just 1.8 runs per game entering Tuesday's contest, by far the fewest in the...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko nationals ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1

Harper returns to Nats lineup; Span, Espinosa still out

April 17, 2013, 1:08pm

Nationals

Harper returns to Nats lineup; Span, Espinosa still out

The Nationals get the reigning National League Rookie of the Year back in their lineup, but their leadoff hitter and starting second baseman are still sidelined. Bryce Harper returns to the Nationals lineup tonight after missing yesterday's game with flu-like symptoms. Center fielder Denard Span (flu-like symptoms) and second baseman Danny Espinosa (right wrist) will not start tonight's series finale against the Marlins, however. This will be the third straight game that Espinosa has missed...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko danny espinosa denard span lineups marlins nationals frontfeatured_nationals

David Huzzard: For starters, Nats battling tougher early schedule in 2013

April 17, 2013, 4:52am

Nationals

David Huzzard: For starters, Nats battling tougher early schedule in 2013

Through 14 games last season, the Nationals were 10-4 coming off an 11-4 loss to the Houston Astros in their 14th game of the season. It was a hot start - and an important one, as the Phillies were missing key pieces, the Marlins weren't playing up to expectations and the Braves were missing Tim Hudson. The Nats' hot start catapulted them into a division lead they would only relinquish once during the rest of the season. It was an impressive start, but it came against the eventual 101-loss...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Another Zimmerman error, another homer off Haren (Nats lose 8-2)

April 16, 2013, 4:34pm

Nationals

Another Zimmerman error, another homer off Haren (Nats lose 8-2)

Dan Haren was cruising through his first three innings of work. The veteran right-hander had allowed just one batter to reach, he'd struck out two and was working quickly, clearly feeling like he was in a zone. A Ryan Zimmerman throwing error with one out in the fourth brought an end to that momentum and eventually led to four Marlins runs, all of which were unearned. With one out in the fourth, Zimmerman moved to his left to glove a Placido Polanco grounder, but his three-quarters throw to...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren dan kolko nationals ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals1

Harper, Span, Espinosa all out of Nats lineup (updated)

April 16, 2013, 11:42am

Nationals

Harper, Span, Espinosa all out of Nats lineup (updated)

Davey Johnson is using this series against the Marlins as a chance to get his bench guys into the mix. After resting Adam LaRoche yesterday and starting Tyler Moore at first base, Johnson has opted to give Bryce Harper and Denard Span their first days off of the season tonight. Harper has struggled over the last few games, going 0-for-13. Moore will play left field tonight, while Roger Bernadina will get the start in center. With Span out, Jayson Werth will return to the leadoff spot in the...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko danny espinosa denard span marlins nationals frontstory_nationals1

Encouraging early season signs from Zimmermann and Detwiler

April 16, 2013, 10:06am

Nationals

Encouraging early season signs from Zimmermann and Detwiler

We're only 13 games into the regular season, so we all need to be careful not to read too much into a starting pitcher's numbers just yet. Teams are not even three turns through the rotation at this point, after all. That said, we've seen some very encouraging signs from both Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler early in the 2013 campaign. Zimmermann made his third start of the season last night, throwing the first nine-inning complete game in his career, and now has three quality starts...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jordan zimmermann nationals ross detwiler featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Just what the doctor ordered

April 15, 2013, 9:36pm

Nationals

There's never a bad time for a 10-3 victory. Any team out there will take such a ballgame on opening day, in September, when it's hot, cold, or when that team is in the middle of a lengthy winning streak. But there's got to be something a little extra satisfying about bashing an opponent by seven runs after just coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of a division rival. The Nationals went into Miami after a rough weekend series against the Braves, and they got back on track...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko marlins nationals frontstory_nationals1

Espinosa and LaRoche not in Nats lineup vs. Marlins (updated)

April 15, 2013, 11:45am

Nationals

Espinosa and LaRoche not in Nats lineup vs. Marlins (updated)

The Nationals will look to snap their three-game losing streak tonight in Miami with the first of three games against the Marlins. They'll go into tonight's game without both Danny Espinosa and Adam LaRoche in their starting lineup. Espinosa was hit by a Paul Maholm pitch on the right wrist yesterday and needed to leave the Nationals' game against the Braves after four innings. X-rays on Espinosa's wrist were negative, but the second baseman said after the game that the wrist was sore and...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko danny espinosa nationals steve lombardozzi tyler moore frontstory_nationals1

Ted Leavengood: Dark cloud removed, could Zimmermann earn "Smiley" nickname?

April 16, 2013, 5:03am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Dark cloud removed, could Zimmermann earn "Smiley" nickname?

Baseball has a way of evening out the numbers over time. For the past few seasons, Jordan Zimmermann has been known as a hard-luck pitcher, the kind who cannot buy a run when he needs it, whose run support every time he takes the mound seems to be wanting. Or at least that is the way it used to be. In 2011, he was the best pitcher in the Washington rotation with an ERA of 3.18, but he had a losing record, only eight wins against 11 defeats. His 2012 statistics suggest a pitcher who should...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ted leavengood

Injuries send teams scrambling with mixed results

April 16, 2013, 5:04am

Nationals Orioles

Injuries send teams scrambling with mixed results

Teams are scrambling as a slew of big-name players wind up on the disabled list. The Blue Jays lost shortstop Jose Reyes with an injury to his left ankle, and the Dodgers will be without pitcher Zack Greinke because of a broken collarbone suffered in a fight with the Padres' Carlos Quentin. The Angels are without pitcher Jered Weaver because of a broken left elbow. The Nationals lost catcher Wilson Ramos. Oakland is without outfielder Yeonis Cespedes, and the Reds, after not having an injury...

Comments

Tags:

frontstory_nationals4 frontstory_orioles4 mel antonen nationals orioles

One way to forget a rough weekend (Nats open series with dominating win)

April 15, 2013, 3:37pm

Nationals

One way to forget a rough weekend (Nats open series with dominating win)

Six batters into tonight's game, Marlins starter Wade LeBlanc had yet to retire a Nationals hitter. Five hits - four singles and a double - and a walk led to four Nats runs, and just like that, Washington has a nice 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning. Nothing like a three-game set against the Marlins to get the Nats back on track after a rough sweep at the hands of the Braves over the weekend. Denard Span and Jayson Werth led off the ballgame with singles, and after a Bryce Harper...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko marlins nationals bryce harper denard span ian desmond jordan zimmermann ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Gio Gonzalez: "You've got to give us a chance"

April 15, 2013, 5:37am

Nationals

Gio Gonzalez: "You've got to give us a chance"

The Nationals entered their weekend series with the Braves trailing Atlanta by a game in the division and feeling pretty good about themselves following a three-game sweep of the White Sox. The Nats leave their weekend series against the Braves suddenly trailing their division rivals by four games in the National League East after they were handed a spanking over the last three days. "I don't think they took us by surprise at all," Denard Span said. "We knew they were a good team coming...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko danny espinosa gio gonzalez ian desmond nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Hearing from Espinosa and Gonzalez after Nats' 9-0 loss

April 14, 2013, 2:27pm

Nationals

Hearing from Espinosa and Gonzalez after Nats' 9-0 loss

It's never a good thing when the only real positive news coming out of a game from one team's perspective is that a player who got hit by a pitch isn't seriously injured. But that's about all the positive news I have for Nationals fans after this afternoon's 9-0 loss to the Braves, a game that caps off Atlanta's three-game sweep. That, and there's 150 games left to go. Danny Espinosa needed to leave today's game after four innings because of a sore right wrist, the result of getting...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko danny espinosa gio gonzalez nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Marty Niland: Three reasons not to hit the panic button

April 15, 2013, 4:58am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Three reasons not to hit the panic button

It's hard to blame Nationals fans for feeling down after last weekend's three-game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. After a big buildup to a supposed early season showdown between the top teams in the National League East - if not the entire NL - the Nats fell flat. Almost every aspect of the game was a disappointment at some point in the series, from Ryan Zimmerman's crucial throwing errors in Friday and Saturday's losses to the bullpen on Friday to the starting pitching and...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz

Johnson talks Espinosa's wrist, impressions from Braves sweep

April 14, 2013, 1:53pm

Nationals

Johnson talks Espinosa's wrist, impressions from Braves sweep

The Nationals didn't play great baseball over the last three days. They got outscored by the Braves 18-5, were outhit 29-16 and made four errors, and Atlanta turned those numbers into a three-game sweep in the first battle this season between these two National League East rivals. Not surprisingly, however, the Nats are not concerned just yet. "It's just early," manager Davey Johnson said. "Things happen for the best. We should've won the first one. We were right there on the second...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals frontstory_nationals3

A disastrous start to the finale of a disastrous series (Nats swept by Braves)

April 14, 2013, 10:41am

Nationals

A disastrous start to the finale of a disastrous series (Nats swept by Braves)

This series has gone from bad to worse. After dropping the first two games of this three-game set against the rival Braves, each by two runs, the Nationals find themselves in a monster hole through 2 1/2 innings this afternoon. They trail 7-0 in the third inning. Gio Gonzalez has gotten smacked all over Nats Park by Braves hitters, allowing two homers and four extra-base hits overall. The Braves brought in three runs in the first inning and put up another crooked number in the third, with...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko gio gonzalez nationals ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals1

Ramos to DL, Solano recalled from Syracuse (plus lineups)

April 14, 2013, 7:01am

Nationals

Ramos to DL, Solano recalled from Syracuse (plus lineups)

The Nationals placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the 15-day disabled list Sunday morning, and recalled catcher Jhonatan Solano from Triple-A Syracuse to take Ramos' spot on the 25-man roster. Ramos strained his left hamstring in Saturday's loss to the Braves. He was hitting .300 with two homers and three RBIs while splitting catching duties with Kurt Suzuki. Solano, who was hitting .150 in five games at Syracuse, batted .314 with two homers and six RBIs in 12 games with the Nationals last...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jhonatan solano nationals wilson ramos frontstory_nationals3

Nats don't feel Ramos' injury is serious

April 14, 2013, 8:42am

Nationals

Nats don't feel Ramos' injury is serious

While it's certainly tough to see Wilson Ramos land on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring after all he's been through in the last couple of years, the Nationals don't believe Ramos will be on the DL for more than the required 15 days. General manager Mike Rizzo said today that the Nats got positive news from an MRI taken on Ramos' hamstring and that doctors believe Ramos won't be out long term. "We don't think it's too serious," Rizzo said, "but it's not something we...