nationals

Today's Nats-Mets lineups

July 25, 2012, 7:01am

FLUSHING, N.Y. - It'll be the 10-win Stephen Strasburg against the one-win Jeremy Hefner at Citi Field today as the Nationals and Mets wrap up a three-game set. Twice this season, the Nats have taken the first two games of a series against the Mets only to drop the finale, failing to record the sweep. Today they'll rely on Strasburg as they try to notch their fifth straight victory. In his only career start at Citi Field coming into today, Strasburg fired six scoreless innings, allowing...

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Rachel Levitin: Context, not one loss, defines an entire season

July 25, 2012, 5:18am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Context, not one loss, defines an entire season

Life's pretty busy these days, what with the constant news cycle, work weeks that extend beyond 40 hours even if they shouldn't and the general buzz-buzz-buzz attitude that American culture unintentionally employs upon its citizens. That's why it makes sense that busy folks would be baseball fans. Here's my logic: It's a long season. There are at least 162 games in a season. That allows fans the opportunity to catch up if a game or two (or more) just so happen to be missed. And - just...

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Nats pull out all the stops against Dickey

July 24, 2012, 7:15pm

Nationals

Nats pull out all the stops against Dickey

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Adam LaRoche used Roger Bernadina's bat in his first three trips to the plate tonight. The switch-hitting Danny Espinosa hit right-handed against a right-handed pitcher. Jesus Flores and Michael Morse attacked the ball early instead of waiting for it to get deep into the zone. The Nationals tried everything against Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. And after five innings of mostly ineffectiveness, all the tinkering started to pay off in the sixth. Washington's hitters...

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Storen to eventually settle in as backup closer

July 24, 2012, 2:55pm

Nationals

Storen to eventually settle in as backup closer

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Once Drew Storen has a few more appearances under his belt and the Nationals feel that he's strong and can handle a bit of a heavier workload, manager Davey Johnson will slide Storen in as his backup closer behind Tyler Clippard. Johnson said today that Storen will keep working in the middle-to-late innings for now, as he works back from surgery which removed bone chips in his elbow. When Storen, who saved 43 games for the Nationals last season, is ready to handle more...

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Big sixth inning gives Gonzalez a cushion (Nats beat Mets 5-2)

July 24, 2012, 4:47pm

Nationals

Big sixth inning gives Gonzalez a cushion (Nats beat Mets 5-2)

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals had done very little against R.A. Dickey through five innings tonight, notching just three hits and going down on strikes seven times. The sixth was a different story. The Nats exploded with five straight two-out hits, scoring four runs and turning a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead. The outpouring of offense started with Adam LaRoche's two run homer off Dickey, a monster shot which was launched about halfway up the second deck in right field. It was LaRoche's 17th...

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Souza taking full advantage of second chance

July 24, 2012, 11:44am

Nationals

Souza taking full advantage of second chance

At the tail end of last season with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals, first baseman Steven Souza was frustrated with his play and ended his season earlier than he had originally intended. After an offseason to think and to rededicate himself to game he loved, Souza came into spring training with a new attitude and an open mind with his new team, the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. Through hard work, concentration and a positive mental state, Souza felt better about himself, and it showed in his...

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Gonzalez looking to get back on track (with lineups)

July 24, 2012, 11:39am

Nationals

Gonzalez looking to get back on track (with lineups)

FLUSHING, N.Y. - This is kind of remarkable given where his season numbers lie at this point, but over his last nine starts, Gio Gonzalez has pitched to a 4.93 ERA. Over that time, he's given up 27 runs and 49 hits over 49 1/3 innings. The last time he threw, Gonzalez delivered his worst start as a member of the Nationals, going just 3 1/3 innings and allowing six earned runs. That start, ironically enough, came against the same Mets team he'll face tonight. He'll again oppose R.A....

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Chien-Ming Wang "impressive" in Double-A victory

July 23, 2012, 7:15pm

Nationals

Chien-Ming Wang "impressive" in Double-A victory

Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang displayed a signature performance Monday, earning the victory for Double-A Harrisburg, 5-1 over New Hampshire. Wang (1-1) went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits, striking out six and walking none. He fired 85 pitches, 52 for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 1.74. It was his second Double-A rehab start and eighth overall in the minors. He faced 21 hitters and forced them into 12 groundouts and one flyout. "Wang had excellent sink on his best pitch," according...

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Morse heating up, lifting off

July 24, 2012, 10:29am

Nationals

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Over the Nationals' last four games, Michael Morse has nearly torn the cover off two baseballs. The first such incident came at Nationals Park on Friday, when Morse took a Tommy Hanson pitch and deposited it over the red seats in left-center and off a railing just short of the Red Porch, a spot 465 feet from home plate. That ball was the longest home run in the history of Nats Park, according to HitTracker. The second massive longball came last night, when Morse crushed a...

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Zimmermann excelling, but being handled carefully

July 24, 2012, 7:19am

Nationals

Zimmermann excelling, but being handled carefully

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Once the Nationals blew open last night's game in the 10th inning and took a four-run lead, Davey Johnson decided he didn't need to waste another bullpen arm for the bottom of the frame. Instead, he just left Tom Gorzelanny in the game, asking him to notch the final three outs. Before Gorzelanny could work the bottom of the 10th, however, he had to hit in the top half. Getting a rare plate appearance, Gorzelanny, who already had two singles this year, looked at five pitches...

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Taylor and Karns double up for weekly honors in Carolina League

July 23, 2012, 6:30pm

Nationals

Taylor and Karns double up for weekly honors in Carolina League

Single-A teammates Michael Taylor and Nathan Karns have been recognized with Player of the Week honors in the Carolina League. Taylor was selected as the Hitter of the Week thanks to a 14-for-29 surge (.483) in seven games, with three home runs, eight RBIs and eight runs. One of the homers was a grand slam, giving Taylor a .931 slugging percentage for the week. He also had hits in eight consecutive plate appearances during the weekend against Myrtle Beach. Taylor is batting .245 for the...

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Stephen Walker: Why the 2005 Nationals melted down against the Braves and the 2012 Nats didn't

July 24, 2012, 4:24am

Nationals

The brand-new Washington Nationals, attracting 35,000 fans a per game in D.C., visit Atlanta tied for first place with the Braves, who have ruled the National League East since 1991. The team that wins the three-game series will own first place. In Game 1, after eight innings, the Nationals lead 2-1. Ace and All-Star Livan Hernandez is masterful, baffling the Braves with his pinpoint control. However, to quell the Braves' strong lineup, he has thrown more than 100 pitches. Manager Frank...

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Battling against Young, coming up large late

July 23, 2012, 8:29pm

Nationals

Battling against Young, coming up large late

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Chris Young's fastball tops out at about 85 mph. He doesn't have a dazzling curveball or possess any dynamite secondary pitch. Still, he manages to keep the Nationals at bay. Including tonight's seven-inning performance in which he allowed just two runs, Young has pitched to a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings against the Nats this season. "Chris pitched against us the last few times and he's been tough," Ryan Zimmerman said. "He's done a great job keeping that ball right...

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Johnson discusses Nats' hard-fought, extra-inning win

July 23, 2012, 7:59pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' hard-fought, extra-inning win

FLUSHING, N.Y. - For much of tonight's game, the Nationals couldn't touch whoever was standing on the mound for the Mets, Chris Young or otherwise. After the first inning, which featured a two-run homer from Bryce Harper, the Nats went seven straight innings without a hit and went eight innings without getting on the scoresheet. Then, they finally broke through in a big way in the 10th, pounding out six runs and grooving to an 8-2 win. "It was nice that the bats woke up," said a muted...

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Harper back in the homer column (bullpen maneuvers backfire)

July 23, 2012, 4:28pm

Nationals

Harper back in the homer column (bullpen maneuvers backfire)

FLUSHING, N.Y. - In his first trip to the Big Apple as a big leaguer, Bryce Harper didn't take long to make a statement. Harper smacked a two-run home run off Chris Young in the top of the first inning, giving the Nationals what's now a 2-1 lead. Welcome to New York, rook. It was Harper's first home run since all the way back on June 28. He had gone 81 at-bats without a homer prior to launching an 85-mph fastball from Young into orbit. Can we really call an 85-mph four-seamer a fastball?...

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We go to extras in New York (Nats put a thumping on Mets in 10th)

July 23, 2012, 6:01pm

Nationals

We go to extras in New York (Nats put a thumping on Mets in 10th)

FLUSHING, N.Y. - As the rain continues to fall, the Nationals and Mets continue to play. We're heading to extra innings, tied 2-2. A combination of Michael Gonzalez, Ryan Mattheus and Tom Gorzelanny held the Mets scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, and we go to the 10th at Citi Field. Gorzelanny allowed a two-out double to Daniel Murphy in the ninth, but was able to retire Jason Bay on a grounder to third to end the inning. Ryan Zimmerman made a sparkling play on Bay's ground ball,...

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Nats waiting on Flores, Brown searching for first big league hit

July 23, 2012, 2:33pm

Nationals

Nats waiting on Flores, Brown searching for first big league hit

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Tonight marks the third straight game that Jesus Flores will watch from the bench, with rookie catcher Sandy Leon taking over behind the plate. Leon's major league tenure has gotten off to a nice start, as he's hitting .385 in 13 at-bats. But the Nationals are looking forward to getting Flores back in the starting lineup once his back tightness has subsided. Manager Davey Johnson said today that he'll still play things carefully with Flores, wanting to make sure that the...

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Flores out of lineup for third straight game

July 23, 2012, 12:05pm

Nationals

Flores out of lineup for third straight game

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals have posted their lineup for tonight's 7:10 p.m. game against the Mets at Citi Field, and Jesus Flores isn't in it - or behind the plate - for a third straight game. Sandy Leon will catch Jordan Zimmermann tonight. Here are tonight's lineups: For the Nationals: 2B - Steve Lombardozzi RF - Bryce Harper 3B - Ryan Zimmerman LF - Michael Morse 1B - Adam LaRoche SS - Danny Espinosa CF - Roger Bernadina C - Sandy Leon P - Jordan Zimmermann For the Mets: SS -...

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Brown officially recalled, Braves making things interesting (updated)

July 23, 2012, 11:38am

Nationals

Brown officially recalled, Braves making things interesting (updated)

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals have made it official, placing Ian Desmond on the 15-day disabled list with what they're calling a left oblique strain and recalling outfielder Corey Brown from Triple-A Syracuse. Desmond's DL stint is retroactive to July 22, the day after his last game played. Chien-Ming Wang will make a rehab start for Double-A Harrisburg tonight, which will be his third outing since landing on the DL with a hip strain. Meanwhile, the Braves made the first big pre-trade...

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Wang start tonight for Harrisburg; Pucetas returns

July 23, 2012, 10:27am

Nationals

Wang start tonight for Harrisburg; Pucetas returns

With speculation the Atlanta Braves have acquired pitcher Ryan Dempster, the pressure intensifies for right-hander Chien-Ming Wang to figure out what is wrong with his approach. A step in that direction could occur tonight as the right-hander gets another shot to prove he is good enough to get outs for the Nationals when he starts for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators. This will be his second start for the Senators this season. He lost that earlier outing, going four innings, allowing seven...