As off of his game as Jordan Zimmermann was today, the Nationals still held a lead in the eighth inning and were five outs from their third straight win over the Cardinals.
That didn't stop Zimmermann from putting the full blame for today's loss on his own shoulders.
"I just felt like the offense did a great job. You've got to tip your cap to those guys," Zimmermann said. "They give you six runs, and you do all you can to keep the team in the game and you can't hold it down. So this...
Davey Johnson said after today's 10-9 loss to the Cardinals that Jayson Werth was pulled from the game in the ninth inning because of cramping.
Werth later said the cramps were in his hamstring, and while he hasn't dealt with that type of a thing during a game in four or five years, he hopes to be able to play tomorrow.
Werth and the rest of the Nationals' hitters did their job today, putting up nine runs and battling back to regain the lead in the sixth after the Cardinals had jumped on...
The Nationals and Cardinals have played six innings.
Seventeen runs have been scored in that time. Five pitchers have been used. Those six innings have taken a whopping 2:22.
The Nats led 4-0 and 6-2. The Cardinals then led 8-6. Now the Nationals have the lead yet again, after a three-run sixth inning put them up 9-8.
The play which gave the Nationals the lead was as strange as this game has been as a whole.
With Jayson Werth at second, Bryce Harper at first and two outs in the sixth,...
When he's stationed at the hot corner, Ryan Zimmerman has the tendency to do the remarkable.
I can't even count the number of head shakes Zimmerman has gotten from those of us in the press box this season after another ridiculous stab of a sharp grounder, dive to snag a hot shot or web gem on a tapper down the line.
Every now and then, however, Zimmerman gloves a ball, and with plenty of time to make a throw to first, he sprays the throw off-line.
Often times, the hurried throws - ones...
The Nationals held a 4-0 lead over the Cardinals when Jordan Zimmermann took the mound for the top of the second inning.
The guy who led the majors in ERA just a few starts ago proceeded to give up eight runs over his next 2 2/3 innings of work.
Zimmermann was pulled after just 3 2/3, making this by far his shortest outing of the season.
It was also by far his worst. He allowed eight runs on eight hits, walked one and hit two batters.
The Nationals now trail 8-6 as we go to the middle of...
Xavier Nady had six RBIs in 40 games with the Nationals this season.
He already has three RBIs in his first game since getting called up by the Giants.
The veteran outfielder, who signed a minor league deal with the Giants after getting his outright release by the Nationals, has made an early impact with his new team. Who knows, the guy might end up getting playoff shares from two separate teams in the same season.
The Nationals clubhouse got a little more crowded today, as John Lannan,...
Rosters have expanded and the Nationals have added four players to their active roster.
Left-hander John Lannan, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez have been officially recalled, while outfielder Mark DeRosa has been activated off the 15-day DL.
The Nats also announced that catcher Jhonatan Solano has been reinstated from the DL and optioned to Double-A Harrisburg.
More to come.
Here's the Nationals lineup for this afternoon:
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan...
Over the last two nights, the Nationals have outscored the defending World Series champion Cardinals 18-1.
A dormant offense has come alive. The top-notch starting pitching has returned, as have the smiles.
Tonight, it was Gio Gonzalez wearing the smile for the Nats. To be truthful, Gonzalez always wears the smile, but tonight it was well-earned. The lefty threw the first shutout of his career, allowing just five hits and three walks over his nine sterling innings, striking out...
During the Nationals' five-game losing streak, the Nationals managed six runs.
Since that spiral, the Nationals have won three in a row, and have scored at least eight runs in each of the wins, outscoring opponents 26-5 in that span.
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 with two-run home run in the eighth off of the Cardinals' Jason Motte as the Nationals went on to shutout the Cardinals 10-0 on Friday night.
Zimmerman said every losing streak has a message. The Nationals did not...
When reporters entered the Nationals' clubhouse after last night's 10-0 shellacking of the Cardinals, the Braves-Phillies game was showing on every TV in sight.
As we huddled around Ryan Zimmerman, asking the third baseman about a third straight Nats win, Phillies outfielder John Mayberry crushed a fly ball to deep left in the 10th inning of a tie game. Shouts came out from different parts of the clubhouse.
"Get him! Get him!" one player yelled, as the ball traveled towards the left field...
Manager Davey Johnson announced today that left-hander John Lannan, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez will join the team tomorrow.
Lannan won two games for the Nationals this season, and has recently come on strong at Triple-A Syracuse. He had not surrendered a run in his last two outings, scattering 11 hits in 18 innings, both victories.
"It's great," manager Davey Johnson said of Lannan. "He's had a great attitude down there and come up and really been excited about coming...
Adam Wainwright, who as I mentioned earlier had pitched to a 1.74 ERA and gone 6-1 over his last eight starts, didn't make it out of the third inning tonight.
Gio Gonzalez, on the other hand, didn't allow a baserunner through his first three innings of work.
The Nationals lead 6-0 after three, and frankly, the Cardinals are lucky that margin isn't even more lopsided.
Two Nats runs came around in the first on Adam LaRoche's single to left, giving the Nationals first baseman 81 RBIs on the...
Nationals reliever Henry Rodriguez and 2012 first-round pick Lucas Giolito both underwent elbow surgeries today.
Can the team get some kind of buy one, get one free deal here?
Giolito underwent Tommy John surgery out in L.A., with the procedure performed by Dr. Lewis Youcm. Rodriguez, meanwhile, went to New York to have Nationals orthopedist Dr. Wiemi Douoguih remove a bone spur from his right elbow.
Rodriguez's surgery was a surprise to reporters, given the reliever is currently on the...
Davey Johnson made a bit of a surprise announcement during this afternoon's pregame session: Henry Rodriguez underwent elbow surgery today to remove a loose body.
Rodriguez, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 2 with a lower back strain, was found to have spurring and a fairly large bone chip in his elbow, Johnson said.
"The elbow was in a lot worse shape than anticipated," Johnson said.
The hard-throwing reliever will not be able to throw for the next three months. He has spent...
The 1-7 spots in the Nationals' lineup remain the same as the Nats prepare to take on Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright.
Kurt Suzuki returns to the lineup behind the plate with his buddy, Gio Gonzalez, taking the mound tonight.
Gonzalez is 4-0 with a 3.22 ERA in seven starts against the National League Central this season.
Wainwright is 13-10 with a 3.63 ERA this season, but he hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last eight starts. In that span, he's 6-1 with a...
Edwin Jackson wasn't the only veteran Nationals starter to pitch a gem last night.
John Lannan got in on that action, as well, and the lefty, who is still down at Triple-A Syracuse for now, is showing that he's more than ready to join the Nats once they're ready to call on him.
For the second straight start, Lannan delivered a complete-game shutout, holding Charlotte scoreless last night, striking out 10 and walking none. This gives Lannan a 20-inning shutout streak.
Once Stephen...
Edwin Jackson's overall season statistics won't blow you away. He's 8-9 with a 3.53 ERA over 158 innings of work.
That's pretty solid, especially for a team's fourth starter, but not spectacular.
Jackson has had a few outings this season, however, in which he shows how special a pitcher he can be. Tonight was one of those outings, one of the times when Jackson reminds the baseball world that the Nationals' starting staff as a whole is pretty darn good, and it will remain that way, even...
It's been one interesting week since my prediction that the Nationals would make the playoffs with the best record in baseball. It didn't seem so bold at the time, given their 6 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the National League East and their two-game lead over Cincinnati for the major leagues' best mark.
It's amazing, though, how a losing streak can rock some people's faith. Five days later, it seemed I was talking some people down from the ledge. The terms "choking" and "cracking...
As the Nationals were flying back from Miami last night, Davey Johnson had a brief chat with Stephen Strasburg.
"You've got a few more to go," Johnson told his ace, in an effort to reassure Strasburg that his next start won't be his last.
Johnson said today that Strasburg will make two to three more starts this season, meaning his final outing of 2012 will likely come either on Sept. 7 at home against the Marlins or Sept. 12 at the Mets.
General manager Mike Rizzo has said all along that...
Former Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson got his old buddies Thursday with an 8-1 victory for the Nationals over visiting St. Louis.
The right-handed Jackson (8-9) struck out 10 hitters, allowed no earned runs, four hits, and lasted eight innings with a season-high 123 pitches, notching his eighth win of the season. It also marked his first win at home since July 4 and snapped a three-game skid at home.
"I wouldn't have any problem letting him go to 130 pitches," manager Davey Johnson said....