nationals

Gio Gonzalez preparing for his "childhood dream"

October 06, 2012, 4:31pm

ST. LOUIS - As Gio Gonzalez took a seat in the press conference room at Busch Stadium late this afternoon, he rubbed his upper arms and leaned down towards the microphone with a smile on his face. "I'm trembling right now," he said. "It's not my nerves, it's just the cold." Gonzalez will get the ball for the Nationals tomorrow afternoon for Game 1 of the National League Division Series. It'll be the first postseason start of his career, so you could forgive him if he was feeling a bit...

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Nerves? What nerves?

October 06, 2012, 5:22pm

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals watched last night's National League wild card game, knowing they'd be facing the winner Sunday. Like the rest of us, they saw the controversial infield fly call, Atlanta fans covering the turf with beer cans, the do-over strike three that resulted in David Ross' home run and the Braves' 23-game winning streak in games started by Kris Medlen come to an end. "Obviously, it was just a boring game where nothing crazy happened," Ryan Zimmerman...

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Nats finalize NLDS roster, set their rotation

October 06, 2012, 2:30pm

Nationals

Nats finalize NLDS roster, set their rotation

ST. LOUIS - Before stepping foot on the field at Busch Stadium for their full team workout, the Nationals finalized their roster for the National League Division Series. The roster hasn't been filed with the league office, so it's not official as of yet. Manager Davey Johnson commented - perhaps half-seriously and half-jokingly - that since the Nats hadn't seen the Cardinals' roster yet, they weren't going to announce theirs. Johnson has, however, informed all of his players about their...

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Can Suzuki play the role of Cody Ross for Nationals in postseason?

October 06, 2012, 5:10am

Nationals

The postseason can sometimes be the coming-out party for a player who had a pretty good regular season but then turns it up a notch in the playoffs. Sometimes it is a player who wasn't even with the postseason team when the season began. Take the amazing run of right fielder Cody Ross, who arrived in San Francisco on August 10, 2010 and played just 33 games with the Giants, hitting .288 with three home runs. Then, he turned in one of the most amazing postseason performances in quite some...

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Heading back to St. Louis

October 06, 2012, 3:41am

Nationals

Sunday should be a pretty special day in D.C./Maryland sports. The Redskins play the Falcons at 1 p.m. The Ravens play the Chiefs, also at 1 p.m. The Nationals start their NLDS series with the Cardinals at 3:07 p.m. The Orioles open their ALDS set with the Yankees at 6:07 p.m. That's a lot happening in one 12-hour span. And for the first time in a long time, the football teams will be taking a backseat to meaningful October baseball. Just eight days after the Nationals flew into St. Louis...

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Setting up shop at Busch Stadium

October 06, 2012, 11:44am

Nationals

ST. LOUIS - Hello from Busch Stadium, where both the Nationals and Cardinals will spend today taking part in team workouts in advance of tomorrow's NLDS opener between the two teams. They've done some quick work around here getting the stadium ready for playoff baseball. Bunting is hanging from the facade of all the different decks, (there's bunting everywhere) and Major League Baseball's postseason logo has been painted on the grass down both the first and third base lines. I'll admit...

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Nats to face Cardinals in NLDS (updated)

October 05, 2012, 4:39pm

Nationals

Nats to face Cardinals in NLDS (updated)

The Nationals are going to St. Louis. We think. In the first game of the new wild card era, the Cardinals beat the Braves 6-3, and will move on to the National League Division Series. They'll host the Nats for Games 1 and 2, which will be held Sunday at 3:07 p.m. and Monday at 4:37 p.m., respectively. The topic that everyone will be discussing tomorrow, however, was the incredibly bizarre play in the bottom of the eighth inning when Aldrelton Simmons' fly ball to shallow left was ruled an...

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Cortisone: The "magic shot" that has been crucial to Nats' success

October 05, 2012, 10:48am

Nationals

Cortisone: The "magic shot" that has been crucial to Nats' success

Throughout much of the first half of the season, Ryan Zimmerman wasn't himself. Inflammation in the AC joint in his right shoulder sapped his bat speed and quickly increased his frustration level. After yet another 0-for-4 in a game against the Orioles on June 23, Zimmerman was hitting .218 and slugging a lowly .305. "I don't miss fastballs like I've been missing fastballs," Zimmerman said that night. "If things keep going the way they have been going, we're going to have to do...

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Times for Games 1 and 2 of NLDS are set (with ump assignments)

October 05, 2012, 6:33am

Nationals

Times for Games 1 and 2 of NLDS are set (with ump assignments)

Major League Baseball has announced the start times for the first two games of each Division Series. And the schedule they've gone with might leave some D.C. sports fans a little frustrated. The Nationals will start their first postseason game in team history (and the first playoff game in D.C. baseball history in 79 years) at 3:07 p.m. on Sunday. Monday's Game 2 will start at 4:37 p.m. Both games will air on TBS. This means that Game 1 will start sometime just after halftime of the...

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Gonzalez takes home an award; could Harper be next?

October 04, 2012, 11:15am

Nationals

Gonzalez takes home an award; could Harper be next?

The results of the National League Cy Young award voting won't be released until the postseason has come to a close, but Gio Gonzalez has already earned himself some hardware. Gonzalez was named the winner of the 2012 Warren Spahn Award today, an award given out to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball based on a pitcher's wins, strikeouts and earned run average. "I'm honored to even be mentioned in the same breath as Warren Spahn and the past winners of this award. I...

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Marty Niland: The folly of baseball's new playoff system

October 05, 2012, 5:20am

Nationals

Marty Niland: The folly of baseball's new playoff system

First the good news: By virtue of the best record in baseball, the Nationals have the home field advantage in a best-of-five series against Friday's wild card winner. Now the bad news: By virtue of the best record in baseball, the Nationals have the home field advantage in a best-of-five series against Friday's wild card winner. How's that? The half-baked playoff system that Major League Baseball came up with this year means the Nats will take to the road for two games in either Atlanta...

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By the numbers: 2012 Nationals set high marks

October 04, 2012, 11:45am

Nationals

"It was a pretty good season, all things considered," said outfielder Jayson Werth after the Nationals' 5-1 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday. "We had a lot of injuries and things to overcome. The fact that we ended up here, it really came down to the last game for the best record. We showed up again today. "I like where we are sitting heading into the postseason. This is what it is all about. This is what you play your whole life for. We got a chance to do something special here. We...

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Now we wait

October 03, 2012, 10:29pm

Nationals

This is uncharted territory for the Washington Nationals. They've played 162 games, yet their season isn't over. The goodbyes, tee times and trips to tropical locations will have to wait. For the first time in team history, there's postseason baseball to be played. With yesterday's action in the books,

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Gio Gonzalez wins 2012 Warren Spahn Award

October 04, 2012, 10:11am

Nationals

Gio Gonzalez wins 2012 Warren Spahn Award

The Warren Spahn Award board of directors announced today that Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals is the 2012 Spahn Award winner. The Spahn Award is presented annually by the Bricktown Rotary Club of Oklahoma City and the Jim Thorpe Association to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball based on a pitcher's wins, strikeouts and earned run average. Farmers Insurance is the presenting sponsor of the award, named after the Oklahoman and national Baseball Hall of Famer Warren...

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How to get your Nats postseason fix on MASN (updated)

October 02, 2012, 3:51pm

Nationals

How to get your Nats postseason fix on MASN (updated)

So you can't watch the Nationals' postseason run unfold on MASN. That doesn't mean we'll be going off the map until next season. MASN will still be here for as long as the Nationals stay alive in the postseason to provide you with plenty of coverage, even though the games will be aired nationally. For starters, tune into MASN HD the night before the Nats open the National League Division Series - whether that be Saturday or Sunday - for "Nats Xtra: Playoff Preview." Time will be...

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David Huzzard: Welcome to the land of small sample sizes

October 04, 2012, 5:36am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Welcome to the land of small sample sizes

October baseball is different, but not in the way most think. This isn't about the added pressure, how much brighter the spotlight is, or how some players can dig deep and find a special clutch ability they lacked all regular season. This isn't about the age old clichÃƒÂ©s. As The Boss will tell you on the commercials, October is the land of hope and dreams, but it is also the land of small sample sizes. There are a few weaknesses with the Nationals that can be exploited. First off,...

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Rollins takes parting shot, plus Jackson, Morse notes

October 03, 2012, 2:47pm

Nationals

Rollins takes parting shot, plus Jackson, Morse notes

The Phillies wrapped up a .500 season today with a loss to the Nationals. The year didn't go as the Phils had expected, as they relinquished the NL East crown and failed to record a winning record for the first time in 10 years. But Jimmy Rollins feels his team would have prevented the Nats from winning their first division title in team history if key guys on the Phillies' roster (Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Carlos Ruiz, Placido Polanco) had spent less time on the...

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Marriott Foundation Donates $250,000 to Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy

October 03, 2012, 6:44pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation is excited to announce that The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation has committed $250,000 in support of the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. In appreciation of this gift, the Marriott Foundation will be recognized as a Founding Partner of the Youth Baseball Academy and will receive naming rights for one of the facility's three new baseball fields. In addition, the Foundation will receive prominent recognition throughout the...

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Zimmerman on postseason: "This is where the good teams are"

October 03, 2012, 2:33pm

Nationals

Zimmerman on postseason: "This is where the good teams are"

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit his 25th homer of the season Wednesday in a 5-1 win over the Phillies, marking third time in his career he has it 25 or more homers in a season. He also hit 24 homers in 2007. He is a part of a Nationals team that has the most wins in major league baseball and has won its division. He said that is all nice, but the ultimate goal is a world championship. "It is quite an accomplishment," Zimmerman said. "Winning the division was a goal and now we...

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Johnson OK after health scare

October 03, 2012, 2:02pm

Nationals

With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, someone popped out of the Nationals' dugout, walked to the mound and got the ball from starter Edwin Jackson. That person wasn't manager Davey Johnson, but bench coach Randy Knorr. My first thought at the time was that Johnson was just having Knorr handle the managerial duties late in the game, given that it was the last day of the regular season. But when the Nationals' skipper wasn't out on the field for the postgame handshakes after the...