nationals

Will Yoder: June swoon may dictate Nats' path at trade deadline

June 26, 2012, 5:49am

The Nationals may still have the second-best record in the National League at 41-30, but the team is currently in a tailspin. The Nats have lost seven of their past 10 contests and have been outscored 25-34 in that span. The club will be the first to admit it: Their offense is struggling and the team, as a whole, is suffering. Earlier in the year, the team was able to get by game-to-game with one-run victories, but it seems the luck has run out as the edged-out wins just aren't happening....

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz will yoder

Clippard named MLB's top relief pitcher for June

July 02, 2012, 1:23pm

Nationals

Clippard named MLB's top relief pitcher for June

The month of June treated Tyler Clippard pretty well. The Nationals' new closer went 10-for-10 in save opportunities during June, holding opponents scoreless over 11 2/3 innings. He solidified the back of the Nats' bullpen and found out that he'll more than likely remain Davey Johnson's closer even when Drew Storen returns from his rehab from elbow surgery. Now, Clippard has been named the MLB Delivery Man of the Month for June. The award is given to the most outstanding relief pitcher...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals tyler clippard featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Some shocking Zimmermann numbers

July 03, 2012, 9:49am

Nationals

Believe it or not, Jordan Zimmermann has only one win at Nationals Park since last year's All-Star break. One win. In 11 starts. This despite posting a 3.13 ERA during those 11 outings at home. Zimmermann's last home win came on Aug. 18, 2011. In his eight home starts since, he has an 0-4 record and has received 10 runs of offensive support while in the game. Despite all the talk about the Nationals' two All-Star starters (Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez), Zimmermann currently leads...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko giants jordan zimmermann nationals frontfeatured_nationals featured_sidebar

Harper looks to join trio of Nats in Kansas City for Midsummer Classic

July 01, 2012, 11:16am

Nationals

Harper looks to join trio of Nats in Kansas City for Midsummer Classic

It was a continuous debate, at least for the past month or so, whether Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper should/would make the All-Star team. So with the announcement of the rosters for the 83rd annual Midsummer Classic, I'm happy to report the debate has been settled - kind of. Harper wasn't selected by the fans or National League manager Tony LaRussa - that honor was reserved for Nationals pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, along with infielder Ian Desmond. But Harper is among...

Comments

Tags:

brian eller nationals nationals buzz bryce harper frontstory_nationals3

Ready to close out the first half

July 02, 2012, 6:25am

Nationals

The Nationals' recent three-city road trip might not have seemed that lengthy, given one of the stops was just a 45-minute drive from D.C. The visit to Baltimore was followed by trips to steamy Colorado and Atlanta, where the Nationals literally worked up quite a sweat over the last week. They now return home having gone 5-5 on the 10-game trip, which helped give them a winning month of June. The Nats went 15-11 last month, and after going 14-8 in April and 15-13 in May, they have now put up...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals featured_sidebar michael morse ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals3

Washington Nationals team up with Baltimore Orioles to encourage fans to vote the "Beltways Ballot"

July 02, 2012, 1:54pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals have once again partnered with the Baltimore Orioles to help send the "Beltways Ballot" of outfielder Bryce Harper and right-hander Jason Hammel to Kansas City for this year's All-Star Game. Harper and Hammel are candidates on Major League Baseball's Final Vote ballot, in which five players each are chosen from the National and American Leagues to compete for the final spot on their respective league rosters. Fans are encouraged to go online or use their mobile...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Tyler Clippard named MLB Delivery Man of the Month for June

July 02, 2012, 1:20pm

Nationals

Tyler Clippard named MLB Delivery Man of the Month for June

Tyler Clippard of the Washington Nationals has been selected as the winner of the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award for June, it was announced today. This Major League Baseball award recognizes the most outstanding relief pitcher during each month of the regular season as voted on by a panel from Major League Baseball. Clippard converted each of his 10 save opportunities during the month of June while not allowing a run over 11.2 innings pitched. The 27-year-old...

Comments

Tags:

Nationals News Release nationals

Johnson gives Gonzalez a little bit too much rope (Nationals win 8-4)

July 01, 2012, 11:44am

Nationals

All-in-all, allowing four runs in five-plus innings in the 100-degree Atlanta heat isn't the worst thing in the world. But when you consider that Gio Gonzalez led 6-1 starting the bottom of the sixth inning, it has to sting a bit that he left the game with just a two-run lead. After Davey Johnson played things very carefully with Stephen Strasburg in the hot conditions yesterday, it could certainly be argued that he went a bit too long with Gonzalez today. The Nationals lefty entered the...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson gio gonzalez nationals featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals1

Ted Leavengood: More All-Stars where these came from

July 02, 2012, 5:44am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: More All-Stars where these came from

Yesterday, Nationals fans saw - for the first time this season, really - the Ryan Zimmerman who has been the most enduring Nationals All-Star since 2006. His two-run double in the first inning off Tim Hudson was the telling blow in an 8-4 win to take another road series against perennial National League contenders, the Atlanta Braves. He had a solo home run as well, his third longball in a week, and another clutch hit in the ninth to help put the game out of reach. He is hitting .378 for the...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche bryce harper gio gonzalez guest blogger guestblogger ian desmond jordan zimmermann michael morse nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg ted leavengood

Now that All-Star teams are picked, it's time to dissect selections, snubs

July 02, 2012, 5:29am

Nationals Orioles

Now that All-Star teams are picked, it's time to dissect selections, snubs

The voting is complete, the rosters are selected, so now it's time to dissect how everyone did in the All-Star voting for next week's game in Kansas City. First of all, it's a good thing that fans, players and managers each get to have a say on which players make the team. The system works. Here's the nutshell: Every team needs to be represented, but the rosters should be cut to 27 and starters should be required to play at last four innings. The winner shouldn't get home field advantage...

Comments

Tags:

adam dunn bryce harper frontstory_nationals4 frontstory_orioles4 nationals orioles

Strasburg, G. Gonzalez, Desmond named to NL All-Star team (Harper in Final Vote)

July 01, 2012, 9:13am

Nationals

Strasburg, G. Gonzalez, Desmond named to NL All-Star team (Harper in Final Vote)

Prior to this year, the Nationals had never had more than two players named to the All-Star team in a single season. This season, three Nationals have been selected to the Mid-summer Classic. And that number can possibly grow to four. Nationals pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez and shortstop Ian Desmond have all been named to the National League All-Star team. This is the first All-Star appearance for both Strasburg and Desmond and marks the second straight year that Gonzalez has...

Comments

Tags:

all-star game bryce harper dan kolko gio gonzalez ian desmond nationals stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Pulling Strasburg the right move, even if it failed to net Nats a win

July 01, 2012, 6:21am

Nationals

Pulling Strasburg the right move, even if it failed to net Nats a win

We've talked about how Davey Johnson's patience with his players, even when they're struggling, is part of what makes him so beloved by the guys he manages. Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse can all attest to that. Yesterday, it was Johnson's lack of patience which showed why he is so highly regarded by the guys in his clubhouse. With the temperature in Atlanta sitting at 104 degrees, Johnson saw that Stephen Strasburg wasn't himself very early on in yesterday's game. He...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

Lombardozzi at second, Ankiel in center, Solano behind the plate

July 01, 2012, 7:04am

Nationals

Lombardozzi at second, Ankiel in center, Solano behind the plate

Davey Johnson has made a few changes to his normal lineup for today's series finale against the Braves. Danny Espinosa will get the day off, with Steve Lombardozzi taking over at second base and hitting out of the leadoff spot. Rick Ankiel starts in center field, moving Bryce Harper over to right and Michael Morse to left. Jhonatan Solano will also get the nod behind the plate, giving Jesus Flores a breather after catching all nine innings in yesterday's brutally hot weather. The...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko danny espinosa jhonatan solano nationals rick ankiel steve lombardozzi

Potomac's Karns making case for best arm in organization

July 01, 2012, 7:13am

Nationals

Potomac's Karns making case for best arm in organization

Potomac Nationals right-hander Nathan Karns is on the best streak of his career, pitching somewhat under the radar as his team looks to gain momentum in the second half of the season. Karns has posted three consecutive double-digit strikeout performances in three straight victories, two on the road, dating to June 15. During this amazing run, the numbers are close to astounding: 32 strikeouts in three starts over 21 2/3 innings. He allowed just nine hits and two runs with only six walks in...

Comments

Tags:

alex meyer byron kerr harrisburg nathan karns nationals potomac frontstory_nationals2

Strasburg leaves game due to "heat-related issues" (Nats lose 7-5)

June 30, 2012, 2:14pm

Nationals

Strasburg leaves game due to "heat-related issues" (Nats lose 7-5)

The 104-degree heat in Atlanta got the better of Stephen Strasburg today. The Nationals ace was pulled from today's game after just three innings due to what the team is calling "heat-related issues." Strasburg was really laboring this afternoon and clearly wasn't himself. He walked four hitters and needed 67 pitches to get through his three frames. The righty's final line: three innings, three runs, two hits, four walks and four strikeouts. Only 36 of his 67 pitches were for...

Comments

Tags:

braves dan kolko nationals stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals3

Nationals take lead in Atlanta thanks to Detwiler, Desmond (Nats win)

June 29, 2012, 4:32pm

Nationals

The Nationals were able to get a few hits early on against Braves right-hander Randall Delgado. Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler got off to a good start and contributed offensively for one of the few times in his career. Detwiler's RBI single plated Michael Morse in the second, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead. In the third inning with two outs, Ian Desmond smacked a single to left field that scored Adam Laroche and Morse. Desmond was tagged out at third. Nationals lead 3-0. Desmond...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr ian desmond michael morse nationals ross detwiler frontstory_nationals2

The Chien-Ming Wang situation

June 29, 2012, 6:25am

Nationals

In sports, anything can happen on any given night. There are no certainties. Still, you have to wonder if the Nationals feel like they let an opportunity slip away by winning just two out of their four games against the Rockies, a team with the third-worst record in baseball. Of the four starting pitchers the Rockies sent to the mound during this series, one was making his major league debut and the other three all had ERAs over 5.50. Counter that with the four starters the Nationals sent...

Comments

Tags:

chien-ming wang dan kolko nationals featured_sidebar

Morse starting to come around

June 30, 2012, 7:48am

Nationals

This is starting to look like the Michael Morse we saw last season. It took a few weeks to find him, but that's to be expected. Given how long Morse was out with that strained lat and given how little time he had on a rehab appearance before returning to the Nationals' lineup, it was bound to take a bit for him to find his timing and his stroke. The first 21 games were frustrating for the Nationals' slugger. He was hitting just .217, slugging .313 and had more strikeouts than...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko michael morse nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Lineups with Strasburg on the mound

June 30, 2012, 9:41am

Nationals

The Nationals look to improve to 6-1 on the season against the Braves, and 5-0 at Turner Field, as they send Stephen Strasburg to the mound today. Here's manager Davey Johnson's lineup for today: 2B Danny Espinosa CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman RF Michael Morse 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond LF Tyler Moore C Jesus Flores P Stephen Strasburg For the Braves: CF Michael Bourn LF Martin Prado RF Jason Heyward 1B Freddie Freeman 2B Dan Uggla C Brian McCann SS Andrelton Simmons 3B...

Comments

Tags:

braves dan kolko lineups nationals frontstory_nationals1

Lineups in Atlanta

June 29, 2012, 12:35pm

Nationals

Left-hander Ross Detwiler, (4-3, 3.09 ERA) will take the mound tonight, looking to beat the division-rival Braves. Atlanta is second in the NL East, 3 1/2 games behind the Nats. For Atlanta, righty Randall Delgado will take the mound. He's 4-8 with a 4.52 ERA on the season. The Nationals are hoping their bats will stay hot at Turner Field. In their last series, a four-game set in Colorado, the Nats scored a total of 35 runs. For the Nats: LF Steve Lombardozzi CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan...