Focusing on Strasburg's focus

Focusing on Strasburg's focus
Some fans and media pundits wondered why the Nationals waited so long to tell Stephen Strasburg about their plan to shut him down. They questioned the Nats' decision to keep Strasburg out of the loop and implied that it was a case of mismanaging by the front office and coaching staff. You want to know why the Nats didn't tell Strasburg about the shutdown plan earlier in the season? Because they didn't want that clouding his focus or giving him anything out of the ordinary to think about...

After short outing, Nationals "might" consider delaying Strasburg's shutdown

After short outing, Nationals "might" consider delaying Strasburg's shutdown
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg lasted three innings in a no-decision Friday against the Marlins, giving up five runs on two doubles and two home runs, matching the shortest outing of his career. The Marlins eventually outlasted the Nationals 9-7 in 10 innings. It was the third time in his career he pitched only three innings, and the second time this season, equaling the three innings he pitched in a 7-5 loss in sweltering 104-degree heat at Atlanta on June 30. But manager Davey...

Strasburg's 2012 home finale is a brief one (Nats lose 9-7 in 10 innings)

Strasburg's 2012 home finale is a brief one (Nats lose 9-7 in 10 innings)
Pitching for the final time at Nats Park this season, Stephen Strasburg didn't exactly go out on a high note. The Nationals' ace has seen his night end after just three innings of work. He was hit hard early, allowing five runs on six hits, walking three batters and surrendering four extra-base hits, two of which were homers. His location was off, with a number of fastballs coming in thigh-high and right over the middle for Marlins hitters to hammer. Strasburg had trouble locating his...

Top 100 prospect list features three Nationals in Meyer, Goodwin and Rendon

Top 100 prospect list features three Nationals in Meyer, Goodwin and Rendon
Nationals prospects Anthony Rendon, Brian Goodwin and Alex Meyer all were promoted this season, and with good reason. All three have top-of-the-line talent and have excelled at each level they have played this season. MLB.com recognized the trio in its latest Top 100 list. Prospect expert Jonathan Mayo had Rendon at No. 37, Meyer at No. 57 and Goodwin No. 75. Mayo said of Rendon: "When healthy, he is a plus defender at third. At the plate, (Rendon) has the kind of advanced approach that...

Ozzie Guillen talks Strasburg shutdown, Wang has strong bullpen session

Ozzie Guillen talks Strasburg shutdown, Wang has strong bullpen session
Finally, an outsider's opinion on Stephen Strasburg's shutdown which makes sense to me. Asked before today's game about the Nationals' decision to shut down their ace, Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen went all Ozzie Guillen on reporters.

Minor leaguers Skole and Karns honored at Nationals Park

Minor leaguers Skole and Karns honored at Nationals Park
The Nationals' Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year were honored and picked up their awards during a pregame ceremony at Nationals Park before Friday's series opener against the Miami Marlins. Third baseman Matt Skole, a 2011 fifth-round selection out of Georgia Tech, was the Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year. His power numbers were jaw-dropping - he had 27 homers and 92 RBIs for low Single-A Hagerstown. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Year and was named...

One last home start before "The Shutdown"

One last home start before "The Shutdown"
Lost in all the testosterone that was on display at Nationals Park last night was the impressive offensive performance put up by Nats catcher Kurt Suzuki, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. That type of production hasn't been rare from Suzuki of late. Over his first 13 games with the Nats, Suzuki hit just .180 (9-for-50) with two extra-base hits and a .456 OPS. Over his last nine games, however, Suzuki is batting .414 (12-for-29) with three homers, eight...

Nats, Marlins lineups

Nats, Marlins lineups
The Nationals get their second crack at Marlins rookie hurler Jacob Turner in a 10-day span as the right-hander will take the mound tonight against a Nats lineup which is crushing pretty much everything of late. Over their recent nine-game stretch, the Nats have won eight games, they've plated eight runs or more a whopping seven times. Taking the mound for the Nationals tonight will of course be Stephen Stasburg, who is making his final home start this season. For the Nats: RF Jayson Werth...

Baseball's unwritten rules lead to more drama

Baseball's unwritten rules lead to more drama
Cubs manager Dale Sveum didn't hold back. He knows what he saw over the last four days. "It's probably one of the biggest butt-whuppings I've ever gotten in my career, as a coach or player," Sveum said last night. Yeah, that just about covers it. The Nationals badly outplayed the lowly Cubs over the last four days, crushing 15 homers and outscoring the visitors 31-9 in a four-game sweep. Five of the Nationals' homers came from Adam LaRoche, who became just the sixth player in major...

Benches empty, Nationals' resolve is strengthened

Benches empty, Nationals' resolve is strengthened
My thoughts from Thursday's two benches-clearing incidents against the Chicago Cubs in a game the Nationals won 9-2: * Nationals third base coach Bo Porter is not one to be messed with. The dude calmly walked over to the Cubs dugout, where there were close to three dozen enemy personnel and told bench coach Jamie Quirk in no uncertain terms to (all my guesses, of course) keep his big trap shut and the Nationals were just playing baseball. You have to admire the cool, collected, but emphatic...

Harper, Gonzalez, Porter discuss the benches-clearing incidents

Harper, Gonzalez, Porter discuss the benches-clearing incidents
Bryce Harper had a feeling he was going to get thrown at leading off the sixth inning, given what had happened an inning prior, when third base coach Bo Porter got into a heated argument with Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk. Sure enough, the first pitch Cubs righty Lendy Castillo threw in the sixth was aimed at Harper's kneecaps, causing the rookie outfielder to take a couple steps towards the mound and toss a few choice words in Castillo's direction. "I wasn't going to do anything stupid,"...

Marty Niland: The spirit of 1969 and Washington's last winning season

Marty Niland: The spirit of 1969 and Washington's last winning season
Of all the milestones the Nationals have passed in this special season, none means more so far to their long-suffering fans than Monday's 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Nats' 82nd win of 2012 guaranteed their first winning season since moving to Washington. That's a treasure for the fans who stuck with the team through its lean years since 2005 and those who remember the expansion Senators. To quote the Eagles, "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969." That was the last time...

Benches clear in the fifth (things get ugly in the sixth, Nats win 9-2)

Benches clear in the fifth (things get ugly in the sixth, Nats win 9-2)
Seemingly out of the blue, things got a little heated in the bottom of the fifth inning of tonight's game. With the bases loaded and a 3-1 count on Jayson Werth, time was called as Cubs catcher Steve Clevenger walked to the dugout to get a new catcher's mitt. As clubhouse staffers went back to grab a new glove, Nationals third base coach Bo Porter suddenly walked over to the top step of the Cubs dugout and started pointing and shouting at someone, believed to be Cubs bench coach Jamie...

Johnson: "We don't start things, but we're not going to completely back down"

Johnson: "We don't start things, but we're not going to completely back down"
There was a baseball game played tonight at Nationals Park, but as you might guess, the Nats' 9-2 victory over the Cubs wasn't what Davey Johnson spent the vast majority of his postgame press conference discussing. There were two bench-clearing incidents tonight, one in the bottom of the fifth inning and then another in the bottom of the sixth. The action all started when Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk began shouting at Nats third base coach Bo Porter, upset that the Nationals still had their...

Zimmermann "stayed more on line" in dispatching reeling Cubs

Zimmermann "stayed more on line" in dispatching reeling Cubs
Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann gave up three extra-base hits in the first two innings Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. After that, it was almost smooth sailing in a 9-2 Nationals sweep of the Cubs. The first big hit was the home run by Anthony Rizzo off a fastball in the first. But Zimmermann was able to settle in later, striking out three straight hitters following Darwin Barney's second-inning triple off Zimmermann's slider. "I went off the game plan to Barney and I threw a slider...

Nats now have three starters with 10 + wins following J. Zimmermann

Nats now have three starters with 10 + wins following J. Zimmermann
Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is attempting to join teammates Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg with double figure wins if he can down the Chicago Cubs Thursday night. Gonzalez picked up his 18th win Wednesday with a 9-1 win over the Cubs. Strasburg takes his 15 wins into his final home start Friday against the Marlins, facing Jacob Turner, who comes in with a 6.55 ERA. Lefty Ross Detwiler now has a career-high nine wins, so he could hit 10 if he takes care of the Marlins Saturday...

Some interesting stats on Zimmermann plus Burnett, Lannan updates

Some interesting stats on Zimmermann plus Burnett, Lannan updates
Sean Burnett is making slow progress in his rehab from what manager Davey Johnson says is an inflamed nerve in his elbow, but it's progress nonetheless. Burnett is scheduled to play catch Saturday and if all goes well in that session, he could be on track to return as early as Monday. Johnson said that the elbow issue which Burnett has battled since prior to the All-Star break is just a nerve issue and nothing muscular, which is good news. Burnett told me yesterday that he was feeling...

The beatdowns continue

The beatdowns continue
Poor Dale Sveum. The Cubs' manager probably wants to pull his hair out right about now. And he doesn't even have any hair. Sveum said that last night's game, a 9-1 throttling by the Nationals, was like men playing against boys. Tonight hasn't been much different. The Nats lead the Cubs 7-2 after 4 1/3 innings and have now put up 27 runs over their last 20 frames. They've scored in three of their four times to the plate tonight. In the one inning they didn't bring a run across, the...

Werth back in lineup, Zimmermann seeking first win since Aug. 9

Werth back in lineup, Zimmermann seeking first win since Aug. 9
After being given Wednesday off, Jayson Werth is back in the Nationals' lineup, leading off tonight's series finale against the Cubs. Jordan Zimmermann is taking the mound, as the Nats shoot for their fifth straight victory. Zimmermann, however, hasn't had the decisions going his way of late. He's been stuck on nine wins since Aug. 9, going 0-2 with a 7.91 ERA over his last four starts. Perhaps he gets on track tonight. For the Nationals: RF Jayson Werth CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan...

Danny Espinosa is heating up at the right time

Danny Espinosa is heating up at the right time
A slow offensive start to the season left Danny Espinosa frustrated and "nervous" about being sent down to the minors. He'd stew over poor individual performances, letting his ultra-competitive streak get the better of him at times. He'd watch tape of countless subpar at-bats, critiquing every minor error, likely putting more pressure on himself in the process. Lately, Espinosa has changed his ways. He rarely ever goes into the video room unless it's for an offensive meeting before a...