nationals

Strasburg will make his next start, Mattheus has foot injury

May 21, 2012, 2:21pm

PHILADELPHIA - If Stephen Strasburg taking part in a game of Ultimate Frisbee on the field at Citizens Bank Park wasn't indication enough that the Nationals' ace is feeling just fine health-wise, manager Davey Johnson confirmed today that his ace came out of yesterday's start OK. Johnson said he wasn't really concerned about Strasburg's status, and he doesn't expect there to be any lingering effects from Strasburg's biceps tightness/overall fatigue. "He's going to make his next...

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The Ian and Gio show (plus a Gonzalez strikeout note and more)

May 21, 2012, 4:32pm

Nationals

The Ian and Gio show (plus a Gonzalez strikeout note and more)

PHILADELPHIA - Ian Desmond has provided the offense. And despite a quickly rising pitch count, Gio Gonzalez has done the job on the mound. The Nationals have a 2-0 lead after four innings thanks to a solo home run and RBI single by Desmond and a really sharp start by Gonzalez, who has struck out eight Phillies hitters. Desmond is now 5-for-8 with four RBIs since being moved into the No. 5 spot in the Nats order. Gonzalez, meanwhile, has needed 76 pitches to get through four innings, but...

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Nats escape with 2-1 win over Phillies

May 21, 2012, 5:54pm

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Breathe, Nats fans. Facing a Phillies team which came into tonight having won seven of its last 10, scoring 4.9 runs per game over that span, the Nationals' pitching staff did the trick yet again. But that's not to say it wasn't interesting. Gio Gonzalez pitched six shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just three hits. Craig Stammen delivered two monster frames in relief, serving as the bridge to the ninth inning. Things then got very tricky (and I mean very...

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Lombardozzi in left, leading off

May 21, 2012, 12:08pm

Nationals

PHILADELPHIA - Here is the lineup for Game 1 against the Phillies. Steve Lombardozzi will be leading off for the Nats. Gio Gonzalez (5-1, 2.22 ERA) will take the mound. For the Nats: Steve Lombardozzi LF Bryce Harper RF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Adam LaRoche 1B Ian Desmond SS Danny Espinosa 2B Rick Ankiel CF Jesus Flores C Gio Gonzalez P

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Strasburg appears OK, plus other notes from Philly

May 21, 2012, 11:42am

Nationals

Strasburg appears OK, plus other notes from Philly

PHILADELPHIA - This is my first time in Citizens Bank Park in a working capacity, and man, this place is nice. The press box is pretty spiffy and the park just has a nice intimate feel to it. I'll stop complimenting a division rival, I promise. For anyone concerned about Stephen Strasburg after yesterday's health scare, you can probably stop worrying. Strasburg was out on the field a bit ago running around playing Ultimate Frisbee with a bunch of the Nationals pitchers. He appeared to be...

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Leading off didn't put added pressure on Espinosa

May 21, 2012, 10:53am

Nationals

Leading off didn't put added pressure on Espinosa

On Saturday, Danny Espinosa was out of the lineup after laboring through a 3-for-18 home stand. Then in the late innings, with the game on the line, Espinosa was summoned for a key pinch-hitting appearance. He lined the ball hard, but right at outfielder Xavier Avery for the out. Then Sunday, Espinosa was back in the lineup - and where else but leading off for the first time this season. He struck out twice, but also had a well-hit double and huge two-run homer to put the game on ice in a...

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Heading out of D.C. on a high note

May 20, 2012, 11:14pm

Nationals

Who's ready for Philly? Bryce Harper is. And he hopes the City of Brotherly Love is ready for him, as well. "Hopefully, I get a couple boos," Harper said, when asked what type of reception he expects in Philadelphia tonight. "That'd be awesome. I'm excited to get up there and play and hopefully they don't throw any batteries at me." If it happens (and let's sure hope it doesn't), it

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Purke will continue to pitch in Florida this week

May 20, 2012, 6:20pm

Nationals

Purke will continue to pitch in Florida this week

Left-hander Matt Purke will remain at the Nationals' training facility this week, continuing to build up innings as he makes his way back to being ready for his minor league debut. As I reported here last week, Purke pitched five innings Thursday in Viera, Fla. The schedule this week calls for Purke to go five innings again on Thursday, according to Nationals director of player development Doug Harris. There is no concern for Purke getting seven days off between outings. Harris said Purke...

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Season at quarter mark, but a lot can change

May 21, 2012, 8:12am

Nationals Orioles

Season at quarter mark, but a lot can change

With a quarter of the season in the books, the Orioles and Nationals are turning heads and bringing hope for a summer of excitement. But it's too early to label the Orioles and Nationals serious contenders for at least another three months. The last two seasons provide proof that surprise teams can begin to slip as early as June and as late as September. Nobody expected the Cleveland Indians to contend last season in the American League Central, but on May 23, they were in first place with a...

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Strasburg's homer the talk of the clubhouse

May 20, 2012, 3:34pm

Nationals

Strasburg's homer the talk of the clubhouse

Here was Stephen Strasburg's day today: he allowed three runs in his first two innings, struck out eight overall, retired the last 10 hitters he faced, went 2-for-2 at the plate with his first major league home run, and was pulled after his manager learned he might not be completely healthy. Just another day at the park. We've discussed the health situation, so let's move past that and touch on the rest of the stuff. Strasburg might not have been showing much emotion right after he hit...

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Ted Leavengood: Another kind of Parkway series imagined

May 21, 2012, 5:08am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Another kind of Parkway series imagined

Watching the Orioles-Nationals series play out over such a gorgeous weekend, with so much fine young talent on both sides of the diamond, it was hard not to project into it something more than just another interleague squabble. With Baltimore sitting comfortably atop the American League East and Washington still within hailing distance of the top of the National League East, well, sweet dreams are made of this. On Sunday afternoon, it looked at first as if the Orioles might be the only real...

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Nats avoid sweep with impressive 9-3 win

May 20, 2012, 12:37pm

Nationals Orioles

Nats avoid sweep with impressive 9-3 win

The Nationals were completely outplayed through the first two innings of today's game. Stephen Strasburg looked rattled, Washington had made multiple defensive miscues and yet again fell behind the Orioles, this time by a score of 3-0. Then the Nats flipped the switch, and they didn't look back. From the third inning on, the Nats outscored the O's 9-0, outhit them 11-2 and went on to earn a 9-3 win, perhaps unleashing some pent-up frustration after three straight losses, including two to...

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Over capacity with room to spare

May 19, 2012, 6:49pm

Nationals

When is a sellout not a sellout? How about Saturday night, when the nationally televised Orioles-Nationals game drew 42,331 to Nationals Park? Despite exceeding the stadium's listed capacity of 41,487 (see page 122 of the team's 2012 media guide), the throng that saw the middle game of the first "Battle of the Beltways" inteleague series this season won't go down in the record books as a sellout. No, your grasp of basic mathematics hasn't failed you. I can assure you that 42,331 is...

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Yup, Stephen Strasburg went yard (updated)

May 20, 2012, 11:22am

Nationals

Yup, Stephen Strasburg went yard (updated)

No, that's not a typo. Stephen Strasburg has hit the first home run of his major league career. And boy, did Nats Park ever explode when the ball landed in the visitors bullpen in left-center field. Strasburg took an 0-2 curveball from Wei-Yin Chen and dropped the barrel to it, sending it out and bringing another near-capacity crowd to its feet. The 23-year-old hurler took a slow trot around the bases and entered a dugout filled with smiling teammates. After the crowd requested a curtain...

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Ugly start for Strasburg, Nats (but they battle back)

May 20, 2012, 10:29am

Nationals

Ugly start for Strasburg, Nats (but they battle back)

Safe to say this isn't how Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals wanted to open up their series finale against the Orioles as they try to avoid a sweep. The Nats trail 3-0 in the second inning after a rocky top of the first for Strasburg and an all-around sloppy performance by Washington in the second. Strasburg gave up three hard-hit balls in the first and frankly was lucky to escape having just allowed a single run. He gave up an RBI single to Nick Markakis to get the O's on the board, but...

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Espinosa hitting leadoff

May 20, 2012, 7:08am

Nationals

Yesterday's Nationals lineup had success with second baseman Steve Lombardozzi hitting in the leadoff spot. Today, Davey Johnson will again put his second baseman atop the lineup. Today, though, it's Danny Espinosa, who will get the start at second. Ian Desmond will hit fifth for the second consecutive day. The Nats will face O's lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who has gotten off to a great start, going 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Stephen Strasburg gets the ball for the Nats, looking to put an end to a...

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Talking leadoff spot, Wang's rehab start and Beltway Battle

May 20, 2012, 8:28am

Nationals

Talking leadoff spot, Wang's rehab start and Beltway Battle

Yes, the Nationals will have a guy with 48 strikeouts - tied for fourth-most in the majors - and a .291 on-base percentage in the leadoff spot today. If Ian Desmond isn't a traditional leadoff guy, Danny Espinosa is even less so. Espinosa did hit a ball really hard during his pinch-hitting appearance last night, so there's that. We'll see if a move to the top of the lineup can get him jump-started. In 170 career plate appearances out of the leadoff spot, Espinosa has struggled, however,...

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In defeat, offense puts up a good fight

May 19, 2012, 8:31pm

Nationals

What a great atmosphere we had here at Nationals Park tonight, as 42,331 packed the yard to catch an exciting game between two surprisingly successful teams early in the season. Tonight was actually the second-largest crowd in the history of Nats Park, yet, despite that fact, it wasn't even a sellout. Those on hand watched the Nationals fall behind big early and then scratch their way back in the middle innings. Things got really good in the ninth when Ryan Zimmerman smacked a two-out homer...

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Rizzo talks Wang decision and offensive woes (plus game update)

May 19, 2012, 4:01pm

Nationals

Rizzo talks Wang decision and offensive woes (plus game update)

By now, you know that when Chien-Ming Wang returns from his rehab assignment, he's likely to slide into the Nationals' bullpen, with Ross Detwiler remaining in the rotation. That news was passed along by manager Davey Johnson, but general manager Mike Rizzo also discussed the decision this evening, saying Wang is completely healthy and nearly ready to return. "He's pitching today and we'll see how that works out, Rizzo said. "Probably at first, initially put him in the bullpen because...

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Detwiler: "It was just terrible"

May 19, 2012, 7:34pm

Nationals

Ever honest after a poor performance, Ross Detwiler put full responsibility on himself for the Nationals' 6-5 loss to the Orioles tonight. "I mean, give up six in five innings? That's awful," Detwiler said. "Put the team in a hole early and they did a great job trying to dig out and it was just too much, really." Detwiler allowed nine hits (a season high) and a walk over his five innings, and gave up two two-run home runs. He lacked command the entire night, struggling to locate his...