nationals

To Johnson, winning the division is the only option

August 25, 2012, 7:28am

PHILADELPHIA - When Major League Baseball made the decision to add another wild card in each league this year, most fans and baseball analysts came out in support of the idea. The decision would create more excitement over the final weeks of the season, people said, keeping more teams in the playoff picture deep into September and creating the possibility for added dramatic finishes. Davey Johnson wasn't so keen on the idea of a second wild card, however. In the mind of the Nationals...

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Johnson on Espinosa's stolen base attempt, plus notes

August 24, 2012, 8:04pm

Nationals

Johnson on Espinosa's stolen base attempt, plus notes

PHILADELPHIA - The injuries to Michael Morse and Ian Desmond left the Nationals a little shorthanded against the Phillies tonight. But they weren't about to blame their 4-2 loss on their missing cleanup hitter and All-Star shortstop. "It changes the game a little bit," manager Davey Johnson said. "But we had the right guys up at the right time, just didn't get it done." "At the end of the day, we're comfortable with anybody we put on the field regardless of what happens," Edwin...

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Morse has a bad bruise, Desmond has a hamstring strain

August 24, 2012, 7:37pm

Nationals

Morse has a bad bruise, Desmond has a hamstring strain

PHILADELPHIA - The bad news is the Nationals' run of injuries continues. The good news is that neither Michael Morse nor Ian Desmond should be out of the Nationals' lineup all that long. X-rays on Morse's hand came back negative after the Nationals' outfielder got hit on the right hand by a Kyle Kendrick pitch in the first inning of tonight's game. The injury looked bad at the time, as Morse dropped to his knees in pain as he got attended to by a trainer, but manager Davey Johnson said...

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Potomac, in playoff form, grabs first game against Frederick

August 25, 2012, 5:44am

Nationals

Potomac, in playoff form, grabs first game against Frederick

It seemed like a must-win situation Friday for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals, down three games to the Frederick Keys with three scheduled games over the weekend. One down, two to go after a 6-4 win over Frederick on Friday night. Displaying his best stuff since the beginning of the season, right-hander Robert Gilliam (1-1) came up clutch and kept the Keys at bay, going 7 2/3 innings. He allowed six hits, two runs, one walk and had eight strikeouts. Gilliam faced 28 batters, tallying six...

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Morse leaves game after hit-by-pitch, Giolito having Tommy John (updated)

August 24, 2012, 3:29pm

Nationals

Morse leaves game after hit-by-pitch, Giolito having Tommy John (updated)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals' offense has been clicking on all cylinders lately, largely thanks to the fact that they finally had all their players healthy. That's suddenly not the case anymore. Ian Desmond was scratched from tonight's game (albeit for precautionary reasons) because of a right knee injury, and less than 10 minutes after first pitch, Michael Morse had to leave after being hit in the right hand with a pitch. Morse took an 84 mph Kyle Kendrick changeup squarely on his hand...

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Nats can't touch Kendrick (Nats lose 4-2)

August 24, 2012, 5:27pm

Nationals

Nats can't touch Kendrick (Nats lose 4-2)

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals just can't seem to solve Kyle Kendrick this season. Against teams who don't wear a Curly W on their helmets, Kendrick has been average at best, making 15 starts and pitching to a 4.52 ERA. In starts against the Nationals, Kendrick has put up a 1.50 ERA over 18 innings. The Phillies right-hander has now made three starts against the Nats this season. Tonight, he's thrown six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits in the process. Overall, Kendrick has been...

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Suzuki, Desmond both in Nats lineup

August 24, 2012, 11:39am

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals kick off a brief five-game road trip tonight against the Phillies, who come into this three-game set riding a bit of an emotional high after last night's walk-off win over the Reds. The Cincinnati loss puts the Nats three games up on the Reds in the loss column for the best record in baseball. The Nats also got some help from the Giants last night, as the Braves dropped a game out west to push them 6 1/2 games back in the National League East. The Nats will send...

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Revisiting a couple of criticized spring predictions

August 23, 2012, 10:39pm

Nationals

Revisiting a couple of criticized spring predictions

Before the start of the 2012 season, a late-August series between the Nationals and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park might have sounded like a highly dramatic divisional clash. Instead, this upcoming three-game series in the City of Brotherly Love will pit a first-place team against one which sits 19 1/2 games back in the National League East. Given the Phillies' issues this season and the tear the Nats have been on, I wouldn't be surprised to see a good amount of Curly Ws in the stands over...

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Nats extend Tracy's contract through 2013 (with quotes); Desmond scratched

August 24, 2012, 2:43pm

Nationals

Nats extend Tracy's contract through 2013 (with quotes); Desmond scratched

PHILADELPHIA - Rewarding one of their most productive bench bats this season, the Nationals have extended the contract of veteran infielder Chad Tracy through the 2013 season. Tracy signed a minor league deal with the Nats this winter after playing the 2011 season in Japan. The 32-year-old battled for a roster spot in camp and admitted that if he hadn't made the Nationals' 25-man roster, he might have opted for retirement. But Tracy earned a roster spot as a left-handed bat off Johnson's...

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Meyer back to grooving; notes on Garcia and Perez

August 24, 2012, 6:55am

Nationals

Meyer back to grooving; notes on Garcia and Perez

Just in case you were worried Alex Meyer's six runs allowed in his last start would be habit forming, the 6-foot-9 right-hander was back to his normal self Thursday. Meyer allowed just one run on five hits in six innings, notching the victory over Carolina, 7-5. Meyer struck out three batters and walked two, leaving with a 6-1 lead. He is now 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA in seven starts for the P-Nats. Overall, he has tossed 129 innings and has struck out 139 batters. The next step will be the...

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Detwiler's importance down the stretch

August 23, 2012, 2:29pm

Nationals

Ross Detwiler went 5 1/3 innings yesterday, allowing two runs in a loss to the Braves. For much of the first four innings, however, Detwiler was on point. He was locating his fastball, pounding the zone and using his two-seamer to let Braves hitters beat the ball into the ground. After the game, Davey Johnson expressed a desire to see Detwiler mix in his off-speed pitches a bit more, but overall, the Nationals like the way Detwiler has relied more on his fastball lately, attacking hitters and...

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Marty Niland: Forget jinxes, Nats are going to the playoffs

August 23, 2012, 8:00pm

Nationals

Marty Niland: Forget jinxes, Nats are going to the playoffs

Don't read this if you are superstitious. Is the word "playoffs" taboo in your household? Do you use euphemisms to talk about that sort of thing? Then maybe you can find a new argument about the Stephen Strasburg shutdown to read. Believe in jinxes? Stop here. This is for fans who dare to dream. Because the Nationals are going to the postseason. Not only that, they will win the National League East and have home-field advantage as deep as they go. There. It's been said. It's not the...

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How to handle Harper's struggles

August 23, 2012, 7:20am

Nationals

Before last night's series finale against the Braves, the Nationals presented Braves third baseman Chipper Jones with some going-away presents. Yesterday marked the future Hall of Fame third baseman's final game at Nationals Park before he steps away from the game, so the Nats put together a video tribute which was played on the Jumbotron and held a presentation in which Ryan Zimmerman, Mark DeRosa, Adam LaRoche and GM Mike Rizzo gave Jones a few gifts. Those gifts included a base which was...

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Davey thinks half-dozen likely called up in September

August 22, 2012, 1:17pm

Nationals

Davey thinks half-dozen likely called up in September

Nationals manager Davey Johnson commented on the upcoming roster expansion, which will occur in about 10 days with September call-ups. Johnson said he looked forward to calling up players last year and that need is not as urgent this season. "I really was last year, much more so than this year," Johnson said. "I don't know how many we had last year, but we couldn't have had that many." Johnson believes there could be close to a half-dozen summoned to help shore up the roster for the...

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Viewership rise on MASN accompanies Nats' jump in standings

August 21, 2012, 10:39am

Nationals

Viewership rise on MASN accompanies Nats' jump in standings

On the heels of the Nationals' rise to the top of the National League East standings, MASN is experiencing equally impressive increases in viewers watching its game coverage as the team continues its push to the postseason for the first time since relocating to D.C. An average of 69,000 viewers per game are watching the Nationals on MASN this season, a substantial increase over the 45,000 viewers per game recorded during the 2011 campaign. Those numbers mean viewership of Nationals games on...

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Even with Phillies down, Nats know journey to pennant goes through Philly

August 23, 2012, 7:59am

Nationals

Even with Phillies down, Nats know journey to pennant goes through Philly

The Nationals head on the road to Philadelphia and Miami for the next six days, but they have felt right at home living out of a suitcase this season. Another major component of why the Nationals are so good this year has been their ability to play their best baseball on the road. The 41-23 record (.641) is six victories better than their nearest competition. Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Cincinnati all have 35 wins away from home. The Nationals have won 14 of their last 17 games on the...

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David Huzzard: Rizzo should be considered NL's Executive of the Year

August 23, 2012, 5:11am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Rizzo should be considered NL's Executive of the Year

Livan Hernandez, John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann, Jason Marquis, and Tom Gorzelanny were the pitchers who took the mound for the first five games of the 2011 season for the Washington Nationals. One season later, and the opening day rotation lined up Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, and Ross Detwiler. Four out of five starters is a significant change and two of them had never thrown a pitch in the Nationals organization before 2012. The man responsible for...

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Injury updates on Desmond, Suzuki; plus Harper quotes

August 22, 2012, 8:46pm

Nationals

Injury updates on Desmond, Suzuki; plus Harper quotes

Ian Desmond scared the heck out of his manager and 29,111 fans in attendance at Nats Park tonight when the Nationals' All-Star shortstop came up limping mid-way through his sprint down the first base line in the eighth inning. Desmond appeared shaken up for a minute, then strangely shook off whatever was bugging him and convinced Davey Johnson and a team trainer that he was fine. So what the heck happened there? "I'm not really exactly sure," Desmond said with a smile. "I think it was a...

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Suns' Ramsey and Dykstra get decisive hits in wins over Kannapolis

August 22, 2012, 7:32pm

Nationals

Suns' Ramsey and Dykstra get decisive hits in wins over Kannapolis

A nice couple of games for outfielder Caleb Ramsey and third baseman Cutter Dykstra, as they continue to play consistent baseball for the Low Single-A Hagerstown Suns. On Tuesday, Ramsey went 3-for-3 with two triples and three RBIs in the Suns 7-6 win over Kannapolis. Then Wednesday night, Ramsey hit another triple, this one in the fourth, to plate three runs in helping the Suns to a 5-4 win over the Suns. Dykstra's two-run double in the eighth put the Suns up to stay. Dykstra hit his...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 5-1 loss to Braves

August 22, 2012, 8:23pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 5-1 loss to Braves

Braves starter Kris Medlen, who threw seven shutout innings tonight in a win over the Nationals, was a switch-hitting shortstop back in his days at Santa Ana Community College. The Braves drafted him as a pitcher, one who now has a 1.86 ERA this season following tonight's game. "Wish they'd have kept him as a shortstop," Davey Johnson said after tonight's game. Medlen and Ross Detwiler matched zeros through four innings tonight, but in the fifth, the Braves got to Detwiler. The Nats, on...