nationals

Zimmermann pounding the zone, Harper homers (updated)

March 01, 2013, 2:00pm

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Bryce Harper put the Nationals on the board just three batters into tonight's game at Champion Stadium, smacking an opposite-field home run off Braves starter Julio Teheran. The wind is blowing out to left here tonight, and a ball that looked like it might come down feet short of the fence ended up landing on the berm just beyond the wall. It's Harper's first home run of spring and makes him 7-for-11 on the Grapefruit League season. The reigning National League...

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Harper lands another cover, plus a few pitching updates (with Braves lineup)

March 01, 2013, 8:37am

Nationals

Harper lands another cover, plus a few pitching updates (with Braves lineup)

VIERA, Fla. - Not only was Bryce Harper featured on his second Sports Illustrated cover last week, the Nationals' 20-year-old phenom has also landed on the cover of Men's Health. Harper joins Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Giants catcher Buster Posey on one of the covers, but each player will also have his own individual cover, as well. "be as sexy as you can," but it's close. Chris Young was scheduled to throw another bullpen session today, but he is no longer on the pitching schedule...

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Some Friday morning notes and quotes

March 01, 2013, 3:17am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - After a lengthy night game last night, the Nationals will travel to Lake Buena Vista today for another 6:05 p.m. start, this time against the Braves. This will mark three night games in a five-game span, but after today, the Nats will play 13 straight afternoon contests. Players much prefer matinee games in spring, as do reporters. Night games, especially those on the road, really mess with the standard routine down here. The players are most definitely creatures of habit and...

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Weekly Wrap: NL East rivals test Nats

February 28, 2013, 7:36pm

Nationals

Starting off spring training games this week, the Nats got their first taste of the National League East with games versus the Marlins, Mets and Braves that ended in a win, three losses and two ties. On Sunday, the Nats announced that Christian Garcia would miss the next 10-14 days with a wrist/forearm strain. While the decision to rest the righty is conservative, the Nats are looking to give him the time he needs. Also close to a return is catcher Wilson Ramos, who is rehabbing from last...

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ESPN ranks Nationals No. 4 in latest "Future Power Rankings"

February 28, 2013, 5:21pm

Nationals

ESPN released its latest "Future Power Rankings" and the Nationals are ranked fourth out of the 30 major league teams. ESPN calls it a "detailed breakdown of the future of every major league franchise" by experts Jim Bowden, Keith Law and Buster Olney. The No. 4 ranking is a jump from 2012 when the Nationals were locked in at No. 11. Here is the link, but you will need a subscription to read the results. The rankings are based on each team's strength in five areas: major leagues, minor...

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Johnson talks Strasburg and Mattheus, says Zimmerman will DH Sunday

February 28, 2013, 5:30pm

Nationals

Johnson talks Strasburg and Mattheus, says Zimmerman will DH Sunday

VIERA, Fla. - After six games, the Nationals' spring record looks more like one a hockey team would see next to its name in the standings: 1-3-2. That's now two ties in the last five games, something Nats manager Davey Johnson isn't a fan of. "Awful," Johnson said with a laugh. "But at least we got 10 innings in and more guys got at-bats. (Ryan) Mattheus was outstanding, (Stephen) Strasburg outstanding." It was a bit surprising to see Mattheus trot out of the dugout to work the top of...

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Strasburg on his repertoire, what he's focusing on going forward (4-4 final in 10)

February 28, 2013, 3:57pm

Nationals

Strasburg on his repertoire, what he's focusing on going forward (4-4 final in 10)

VIERA, Fla. - It's 4-4 after seven innings here at Space Coast Stadium, as these two National League East squads have traded runs the entire evening. Yunesky Maya allowed single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, surrendering three hits and two walks in his two innings of work. Stephen Strasburg took a few positives out of his outing against the Mets tonight, a three-inning stint in which he allowed a run on two hits, walked one and struck out six. "I think I had a little bit better...

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Strasburg strikes out six in three strong innings

February 28, 2013, 2:17pm

Nationals

Strasburg strikes out six in three strong innings

VIERA, Fla. - It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty impressive. Stephen Strasburg got into a bit of trouble in his three innings of work tonight, surrendering three hits and two walks and allowing a first-inning run after a Mike Baxter sacrifice fly brought in Jordany Valdespin. Apparently Valdespin reaches base every single time he comes to the plate against the Nationals. Strasburg still looked good, though, showing off a biting curveball and tough changeup. He struck out six on the...

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Johnson talks Strasburg limits, Rodriguez, Abad

February 28, 2013, 11:48am

Nationals

Johnson talks Strasburg limits, Rodriguez, Abad

VIERA, Fla. - Yes, the headline says "Strasburg limits." Get your jokes out of the way now. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said that Stephen Strasburg will be on a 60-pitch limit tonight for his second start of spring. Pitching coach Steve McCatty likes to hold all starters to around 45 pitches their first time out, and it ups to 60 pitches for the second start. Johnson won't push Strasburg tonight, however. "If he gives me three innings and gets up around 50 pitches, that's good for...

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A name to watch in the race for the final bullpen spot

February 28, 2013, 3:34am

Nationals

A name to watch in the race for the final bullpen spot

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals will host the Mets at Space Coast Stadium tonight, with first pitch coming at 6:05 p.m. Because the game is at night and at home, the Nationals won't have a workout today until 2 p.m. The players not participating in road night games work out at Space Coast Stadium in the morning, but for home night games, the workouts are pushed back to the afternoon, giving everyone the morning off. That includes yours truly. Looks like a late-morning nap is in my...

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Young pleased with first live BP (plus Mets, Nats lineups)

February 28, 2013, 9:37am

Nationals

Young pleased with first live BP (plus Mets, Nats lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - Because shoulder issues have plagued Chris Young for much of the last few years, it's been a while since he's had a normal spring training. Yesterday, Young took the mound on one of the side fields at the Nationals complex and threw his first live batting practice since signing a minor league deal with the team last week. That's something that he hasn't been able to do this early in spring in recent years, but it was a nice first step toward the veteran right-hander getting...

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Hearing from Haren following his spring debut (Nats lose)

February 27, 2013, 10:37am

Nationals

Hearing from Haren following his spring debut (Nats lose)

VIERA, Fla. - It's 5-1 Marlins as we go to the ninth inning here at Space Coast Stadium. After Craig Stammen relieved Dan Haren and pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, Tanner Roark gave up four runs in his 1 1/3 innings of work, putting Miami up big. The Nationals loaded the bases with none out in the eighth, but brought across just one run on a Carlos Rivero sacrifice fly. Drew Storen is on to work the ninth for the Nats. I questioned in an earlier entry whether Dan Haren...

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Haren starts slow, then settles in

February 27, 2013, 8:40am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Even though Dan Haren has pitched in 10 big league seasons, it's entirely possible he was a little nervous in his first inning of spring. Today was Haren's first time pitching in a Nationals uniform, and his first time on a mound in a game situation in about five months. I wouldn't blame the guy if he had some nerves early on. Haren was shaky in his first inning of work this afternoon, giving up a triple off the center field wall to Christian Yelich on his second pitch of the...

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Pregame notes on Zimmerman, Ramos, Kimball (plus lineups)

February 27, 2013, 6:58am

Nationals

Pregame notes on Zimmerman, Ramos, Kimball (plus lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - The Marlins have arrived at Space Coast Stadium, and after all the roster turnover that team underwent this offseason, Davey Johnson doesn't really know exactly what he's looking at. "I'm still trying to learn their names," Johnson said. "And I'm not even sure what position the names are going in." The Marlins will have Donovan Solano starting at second base today -he's the brother of Jhonatan Solano, a catcher in the Nationals' system. Other than that, there are very...

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It's only spring training, but Harper wants in

February 27, 2013, 2:58am

Nationals

It's only spring training, but Harper wants in

VIERA, Fla. - After having a rain delay of at least an hour disrupt two of the Nationals' last three games, it looks like we're in the clear for today's 1 p.m. game against the Marlins at Space Coast Stadium. That is, unless I've jinxed us. If it starts pouring this afternoon, I'll have no one to blame but myself. Dan Haren will get the ball today for his first spring start in a Nationals uniform. After a recent live batting practice session in which Haren was admittedly a bit too amped...

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Young, Soriano throw live BP, Rodriguez is next (with Vasquez note)

February 27, 2013, 7:44am

Nationals

Young, Soriano throw live BP, Rodriguez is next (with Vasquez note)

VIERA, Fla. - Javier Vasquez has pulled out of the World Baseball Classic and decided not to pitch in the major leagues this season, according to El Nuevo DÃƒÂa, a Puerto Rican newspaper. The Nationals had scouted Vasquez in Puerto Rico this offseason prior to the veteran right-hander suffering a meniscus injury. General manager Mike Rizzo went down to watch Vasquez in person, and had been considering Vasquez as an option to give the Nationals increased starting pitching depth within the...

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A look at a stacked rotation and another possible innings limit dilemma

February 27, 2013, 4:37am

Nationals Orioles

A look at a stacked rotation and another possible innings limit dilemma

When it comes to baseball's best rotations, the Nationals, Phillies, Giants and Braves are usually the four teams mentioned first. But the team with the deepest rotation is usually overlooked. We're talking about the Reds. With Aroldis Chapman, a lefty reliever who can throw 100 mph, moving from closer to the rotation, the Reds have six quality starters. Like the Nationals' John Lannan a year ago, one talented Reds pitcher with nothing to prove will start the season at Triple-A. The Reds...

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Johnson talks Detwiler, Harper, Perry

February 26, 2013, 12:41pm

Nationals

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Had the rain postponed today's game between the Nationals and Braves, Ross Detwiler's pitching schedule would have gotten thrown all out of whack. Detwiler was scheduled to start today and then get one more outing with the Nats on March 3 before joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic on March 4. If the rain that fell heavily from about 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. had forced a postponement and not just a one-hour delay, the Nationals would have needed to...

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Nationals' top prospects fortified by "second wave" of talent

February 26, 2013, 6:44pm

Nationals

When the Nationals beat the New York Mets 6-4 on Monday with a roster filled with the future of the organization, the team's development staff had to be beaming with a sense of pride and accomplishment. It wasn't too long ago the Nationals would bring 80 guys to camp and didn't know if they had a handful of major leaguers in that lot. The entire starting lineup Monday night featured the best the minor league system had to offer, sprinkled with a couple of players already with the...

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Ramos closing in on a return to action

February 26, 2013, 4:37am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche are both scheduled to make their spring debuts tomorrow. Manager Davey Johnson has slotted Werth in right field (hitting third) and LaRoche at first base (hitting fourth) for tomorrow's home game against the Marlins, giving two of his most-tenured veterans their first action this spring. Dan Haren will start tomorrow for the Nationals. Chad Tracy, who didn't make the trip to Port St. Lucie yesterday because of a bruised arm, had a bat in his...