nationals

Potomac's Freitas named starter for Carolina All-Star game

June 11, 2012, 12:51pm

Another catcher in the Nationals' system who has had an outstanding start to the season is David Freitas of the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. The 23-year old Freitas leads Carolina League backstops with a .282 average and has hit nine doubles, three homers and 22 RBIs in 46 games. On Monday, Freitas was named a starter for the California-Carolina League All-Star Game, which will be played June 19 in Winston-Salem, N.C. "David continues to make strides in all parts of his game and has...

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Harper, like Trout, has energized Nationals' power play

June 11, 2012, 7:11pm

Nationals

Outfielder Bryce Harper rested for eight innings Sunday. Back in the lineup Monday, he picked up where he left off with an RBI single in the first inning that scored Steve Lombardozzi. Harper finished 3-4 with two runs, a walk, a stolen base and an RBI, and is now hitting .295. .295? Yes, this rookie is here to stay. There was a recent article in USA Today about how important rookie Mike Trout was to the Angels' turnaround, saying that Trout had more of an impact on his team's play than...

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Bernadina leaves with strained right hamstring (Nats rock Blue Jays)

June 11, 2012, 5:18pm

Nationals

Bernadina leaves with strained right hamstring (Nats rock Blue Jays)

The Nationals' injury list keeps growing. This time it's Roger Bernadina who will spend some time in the trainer's room, this after suffering a strained right hamstring while running from first to third on a wild pitch in the fourth inning of tonight's game. Bernadina slid head-first into third and immediately grimaced while asking the umpire for time. He got to his feet, hunched over at the waist and talked things over with trainer Lee Kuntz. The Nats outfielder started to walk off the...

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Danny Espinosa's confounding left/right splits

June 11, 2012, 11:32am

Nationals

Danny Espinosa's confounding left/right splits

When hitting right-handed, Danny Espinosa feels like he's on top of the world. He's locked in, is seeing the ball well and is doing some serious damage when he puts it in play. "I feel like no one can get me out," Espinosa said this weekend. "I feel pretty good. I have a good approach up there. I know what I can hit, and I know what I can't hit. I feel good." The problem is, while he's excelling when hitting right-handed, Espinosa is struggling mightily when swinging from the left...

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Watching big three weave magic could be a pennant run preview

June 10, 2012, 7:25pm

Nationals

Watching big three weave magic could be a pennant run preview

The weekend series the Nationals just completed against the Boston Red Sox felt like a playoff test. Sure, the Red Sox are not having the start they are used to. But Fenway Park is always one of the toughest venues for the visiting team. Boston is built to win in this park. The Nationals have had a good start to the season. They have played well at home and on the road. They have avoided long losing streaks and have been able to bounce back quickly when a rough patch occurs. Following the...

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Harper returns to Nats lineup, Bernadina starts again

June 11, 2012, 10:52am

Nationals

Harper returns to Nats lineup, Bernadina starts again

Bryce Harper's back kept him out of the starting lineup yesterday. Today, Harper and his back are back. The 19-year-old returns to the Nationals' lineup today as Washington opens a three-game series against the Blue Jays. Tonight, they'll face Toronto righty Brandon Morrow, who is off to a very strong start to the 2012 season, going 7-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Manager Davey Johnson said after yesterday's game that he will be giving Roger Bernadina some more playing time in the coming days, and...

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Like DH, interleague debate isn't going away

June 11, 2012, 11:28am

Nationals Orioles

Like DH, interleague debate isn't going away

In the baseball world, interleague play is like the designated hitter: It creates controversy and debate, and it doesn't appear either is going away any time soon. Ever since becoming part of the landscape in 1997, players, managers and coaches have never liked the interleague format, which is based more on marketing and ticket sales than scheduling integrity. For example, they don't understand the fairness in the Braves having to play two interleague series against the Yankees while the...

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Another example of how far the Nats have come

June 11, 2012, 5:57am

Nationals

Another example of how far the Nats have come

If you couldn't tell by his actions in the ninth inning yesterday, when he was ejected with his team one strike away from being swept, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine wasn't too pleased with the umpiring over the weekend. "I've got guys battling their butts off and it's not right," Valentine said after yesterday's game. "Good umpires had a real bad series this series, a real bad series. And it went one way. There should be a review." I doubt a review is coming, and personally, I...

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Clippard: "They're a good club. I think we're better. I think we're a lot better"

June 10, 2012, 3:27pm

Nationals

Clippard: "They're a good club. I think we're better. I think we're a lot better"

BOSTON - This has been a season where the Nationals have been able to make a number of statements to the baseball world. They've sat in first place in the very tough National League East for much of the season. They've won both of their series with the Phillies, the reigning five-time division champs. They've now moved to 12 games above-.500, rare territory for this organization. Was this weekend's sweep over the Red Sox, at Fenway Park, another statement of sorts? "Absolutely," Tyler...

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Ted Leavengood: A special place makes for a special weekend

June 11, 2012, 5:25am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: A special place makes for a special weekend

As Bryce Harper pumped for all he was worth to score the winning run on Roger Bernadina's clutch double Sunday afternoon, the Fenway Park faithful had probably seen all they wanted of the Nationals and their young prodigies. Harper, Strasburg, and the rest of them. Espinosa, Clippard, Desmond, Gonzalez, they all had a hand on the broom that swept clean the old park on Lansdowne Street, "the little bandbox of a ballpark," as John Updike lovingly called it. With Yankee Stadium lost forever,...

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Nationals need help in latest All-Star numbers

June 10, 2012, 4:46pm

Nationals

I'm disappointed, Nationals fans. Disappointed in you. Here we sit, only a month away from this year's All-Star Game, and when I look at the current vote totals, no Nationals players are above fifth at their respective position. I'd shake my head if it didn't result in so many typos on my part. Fortunately, there is still time to redeem yourselves and help send your favorite Nationals players to the National League starting lineups for this year's festivities in Kansas City on July...

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Suns' Purke looking to get ahead of hitters in third start (updated)

June 09, 2012, 9:15pm

Nationals

Suns' Purke looking to get ahead of hitters in third start (updated)

Left-handed prospect Matt Purke is set to make his third start of the season today at 5:05 p.m. for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns at the Kannapolis Intimidators. Purke is 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA in two starts. He has walked eight batters and has nine strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. The 96th overall selection in the 2011 amateur draft said it will take time for him to build back to where he was before the two extra months of extended spring training he had to undergo due to an undisclosed...

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Bernadina's poke, Harper's jets provide game-winning run

June 10, 2012, 2:40pm

Nationals

Bernadina's poke, Harper's jets provide game-winning run

BOSTON - Bryce Harper came to the plate with one out in the ninth, after having sat around for much of the afternoon. Not an ideal situation for a guy who has been an everyday player his entire life. What had the 19-year-old - who was getting the day off because of a tight back - been doing for the previous eight innings? "Just blowing bubbles with my bubble gum," Harper said. "I was just sitting there trying to stay in the game as much as I could, just in case I had to pinch hit against...

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Harper battling back tightness, Nats insist he's fine

June 10, 2012, 9:19am

Nationals

Harper battling back tightness, Nats insist he's fine

BOSTON - He might not be thrilled about it - or happy about it at all - but Bryce Harper will be on the bench for today's series finale against the Red Sox. Manager Davey Johnson has decided to give his 19-year-old outfielder a day off to ease some tightness in his back. Johnson had bench coach Randy Knorr and a trainer come to him and inform him that Harper has been receiving treatment on the back, and with Harper having played in all of the 37 games the Nationals have played since his...

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Middle infield duo excelling defensively

June 09, 2012, 5:02pm

Nationals

Middle infield duo excelling defensively

BOSTON - There was a time not too long ago when the Nationals' middle infield defense was considered a liability. OK, their defense as a whole was a liability, with the team leading the majors in errors in both 2009 and 2010. But up the middle, the Nats struggled mightily. This season has been a different story. Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa have been exceptional defensively, making the routine plays and the fancy ones, as well. Today, both guys flashed the leather, with Desmond ranging...

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Bernadina's ninth-inning knock gives Nats a Beantown sweep

June 10, 2012, 12:41pm

Nationals

Bernadina's ninth-inning knock gives Nats a Beantown sweep

BOSTON - He might not be able to lay down a sacrifice bunt in a key spot, but Roger Bernadina can rip a go-ahead, ninth-inning RBI double to break a tie and give the Nationals a 4-3 win. What an interesting ballplayer. Bernadina's huge double off Alfredo Aceves with two outs in the ninth inning scored Bryce Harper from first and gave Washington a one-run lead in the ninth. Harper came on as a pinch hitter with one out, and drew a five-pitch walk off Aceves, laying off three straight...

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Looking lost against Lester (we're all tied up)

June 10, 2012, 11:27am

Nationals

Looking lost against Lester (we're all tied up)

BOSTON - The Nationals have been punchless against Red Sox starter Jon Lester today, putting up just one run and three hits through six innings. Would things be different if Bryce Harper was in the lineup? We'll never know. We do know that without their top hitter (it's still a little unbelievable that a 19-year-old is the Nats' best position player right now) the Nats haven't been able to get anything going today. Their 2-5 hitters are a combined 0-for-11 with six strikeouts, three of...

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Harper gets first day off since call-up

June 10, 2012, 6:37am

Nationals

BOSTON - Since getting called up to the majors on April 28, Bryce Harper had started all 37 games that the Nationals had played. That streak ends today. With the Nats looking to earn the sweep of the Red Sox, Harper will get the first day off of his major league career. Roger Bernadina will start in center, with Tyler Moore in left and Xavier Nady in right. Johnson said after Thursday's game that Harper had been dealing with some "tenderness" in his back, and there was a chance that the...

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Johnson talks after Nats' 4-2 win

June 09, 2012, 4:38pm

Nationals

BOSTON - For the ninth time this season, the Nationals put up five hits or fewer and still won. This is what happens when you have the level of starting pitching, and pitching in general, that the Nationals do. Gio Gonzalez and four Nats relievers combined to hold the potent Red Sox lineup in check today, allowing just two runs and five hits in a 4-2 Washington win. Gonzalez gave up just two hits through six innings, but he allowed three of the four hitters he faced in the seventh to reach...

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Nats top Red Sox 4-2, earn another series win

June 09, 2012, 3:01pm

Nationals

Nats top Red Sox 4-2, earn another series win

BOSTON - Bench coach Randy Knorr joked before today's game that the Nationals have rarely had a game this season where they've been leading big in the late innings and could calmly roll to a win. The 10-2 victories this season have been very few and very far between. A 4-2 win might put more strain on the bullpen - and the manager - but it is still a win. And the Nats will gladly take today's 4-2 win over the Red Sox. Adam LaRoche hit a solo homer, Michael Morse drove in a run with an RBI...