nationals

Wild ride ends in 4-3 walk-off win

May 04, 2012, 8:26pm

If the other 17 games between the Phillies and Nationals this season have anywhere close to as much excitement as the first, we should be in for quite a year. Tonight's game featured just three umpires, a manager (Charlie Manuel) ejected in the first inning, the potential game-winning run (Rick Ankiel) thrown out at the plate, 11 innings, four errors, 14 Nats runners left on base, and, by the end, very empty benches. In the end, the Nationals escaped with a 4-3 walk-off win, thanks to Wilson...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jayson werth nationals steve lombardozzi wilson ramos featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals

Wang sharp, picks up victory in rehab start; Twins claim Komatsu

May 04, 2012, 7:04pm

Nationals

Wang sharp, picks up victory in rehab start; Twins claim Komatsu

Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang allowed two runs - one earned - on three hits in six innings tonight on an injury rehabilitation start for Single-A Hagerstown against Rome, a Braves affiliate. Wang, who is on the disabled list and rehabbing a hamstring injury sustained in spring training, was scheduled to start Thursday night for Double-A Harrisburg. But he was scratched from the assignment after a lengthy rain delay, and started tonight for Hagerstown instead. He struck out seven and walked...

Comments

Tags:

chien-ming wang erik komatsu frontstory_nationals1 nationals nationals pastime pete kerzel

Baserunning error costs Nats in sixth (Nats walk off with 4-3 win)

May 04, 2012, 5:26pm

Nationals

Baserunning error costs Nats in sixth (Nats walk off with 4-3 win)

The Nationals have left runners on base a host of ways tonight, and trail 3-2 as we go to the seventh. Jayson Werth grounded into a 6-4-3 double play in the first inning, ending the inning and stranding two runners. Rick Ankiel was caught stealing in the second inning, ending the frame. In the third, Werth struck out with the bases loaded to blow that chance. The Nats then had runners at the corners in the fourth, but Stephen Strasburg struck out and Ian Desmond lined out to spoil an...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jayson werth nationals phillies rick ankiel frontfeatured_nationals

Johnson: "We've got an attitude, I don't know about Natitude"

May 04, 2012, 1:42pm

Nationals

Johnson: "We've got an attitude, I don't know about Natitude"

The first thing people attending tonight's Phillies-Nationals game will notice when they grab their seat is that the stadium - for the weekend, at least - is no longer called Nationals Park. A giant banner above the scoreboard in right-center has been unfurled which reads: "Natitude Park". The Nationals have made this series against the Phillies a center of their "Natitude" marketing campaign this season, combined with the much-publicized "Take Back the Park" crusade. For the most...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals

Johnson explains Moore's lack of playing time (Strasburg touched up)

May 04, 2012, 3:44pm

Nationals

Johnson explains Moore's lack of playing time (Strasburg touched up)

A seemingly large segment of the fan base has questioned - rather vocally, I might add - manager Davey Johnson's decision to play Chad Tracy and Xavier Nady, among others, over power-hitting rookie Tyler Moore. For what it's worth, handful of beat writers that cover the team have wondered why Moore hasn't gotten more playing time since his promotion to the big leagues Sunday, as well. Today, Johnson discussed his rationale for sitting Moore (who has just four at-bats since making his major...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals tyler moore xavier nady frontfeatured_nationals

Rosenbaum, Lehman part of Harrisburg pitching surge

May 04, 2012, 4:26pm

Nationals

Rosenbaum, Lehman part of Harrisburg pitching surge

The Double-A Harrisburg Senators' pitching staff has been focused and locked in from the beginning of the season, according to pitching coach Paul Menhart. "It is a great group, they work hard and look to get better every day, it has shown in the way they have been pitching early on," Menhart said. The proof is in the statistics. The staff boasts a 3.11 ERA and leads the Eastern League with 219 strikeouts. They have allowed only 86 earned runs in 27 games. Their 1.25 WHIP is third best in...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr daniel roasenbaum harrisburg nationals pat lehman paul menhart potomac syracuse frontstory_nationals2

Detwiler continues to make Nats' brass look smart

May 03, 2012, 7:19pm

Nationals

Detwiler continues to make Nats' brass look smart

Davey Johnson named Ross Detwiler tonight's "star of the game" after the left-hander allowed just one run over 6 1/3 innings in the Nationals' win over the Diamondbacks. Told of this development in the Nats' clubhouse, Detwiler cracked a smile. "I got the star?" he said. "Really? Over Bryce? All right." Bryce Harper might have driven in the game-winning run with an opposite-field double in the sixth, but it was Detwiler's strong outing that helped the Nationals take the rubber game...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals ross detwiler featured_sidebar

Here come the Phillies

May 04, 2012, 6:31am

Nationals

Months from now, when we find ourselves in September and playoff races are coming down to the wire, we likely won't remember this weekend's three-game series between the Nationals and Phillies as anything too significant. There are just too many games between now and then, too many opportunities for momentum to swing and the fate of these teams' seasons to be shaped. But today, as the Nats prepare to welcome their division rivals into town for the squads' first meeting of the season, this...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson jayson werth nationals phillies featured_sidebar

Mariano Rivera's injury causes Nats to ban "power shagging"

May 04, 2012, 2:53pm

Nationals

Mariano Rivera's injury causes Nats to ban "power shagging"

Gio Gonzalez turns into a kid during batting practice. He sprints around in the outfield, aggressively shagging fly balls and jumping in front of other pitchers to make acrobatic grabs. The normally reserved Stephen Strasburg even gets in on the act, as he tries to outposition Gonzalez for balls hit in his area. But Gonzalez and Strasburg - or any of the other Nats pitchers, for that matter - won't be "power shagging" anymore. After hearing that Yankees closer Mariano Rivera tore his ACL...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko gio gonzalez mariano rivera nationals steve mccatty frontstory_nationals1

Friday night's Nationals lineup

May 04, 2012, 12:10pm

Nationals

The Nationals open a three-game series against the Phillies tonight with a 7:05 p.m. game. Here's Washington's lineup for the opener, which pits Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick against the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg. Bryce Harper, who was moved to third in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, is back in the same spot in the batting order tonight. SS - Ian Desmond 3B - Steve Lombardozzi LF - Bryce Harper RF - Jayson Werth 1B - Chad Tracy 2B - Danny Espinosa CF - Rick Ankiel C -...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko nationals stephen strasburg frontfeatured_nationals

LaRoche, Wang updates plus final clubhouse quotes

May 03, 2012, 8:09pm

Nationals

LaRoche, Wang updates plus final clubhouse quotes

The Nationals expect Adam LaRoche to miss a couple days due to right oblique soreness, which the first baseman began feeling during Wednesday's game after diving for a ball. LaRoche, who leads the Nationals in home runs and RBIs, says that the positive news is that team doctors don't believe the muscle is torn. The negative news is that he'll need to rest the oblique to make sure the muscle heals. If it's just soreness of the oblique, LaRoche could return sooner rather than later. A...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche bryce harper chien-ming wang dan kolko nationals

Marty Niland: Our park? We'll see

May 03, 2012, 8:15pm

Nationals

It's showtime for the Nationals and their fans. While the atmosphere in the stands at Nationals Park has been more tepid than the team's play on the field for the most part, all of that will change this weekend when the Philadelphia Phillies arrive for the first big division showdown of the year. The action on the field is likely to be intense, but both cities - and a national TV audience Sunday night - will also be paying close attention to the crowd. That's because the Nationals...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz

Harper does it again, going opposite field and guiding Nats past D-backs

May 03, 2012, 7:22pm

Nationals

Harper does it again, going opposite field and guiding Nats past D-backs

You might want to see this. Every night, the starters go six innings-plus. And ever since the 19-year old has been called up, something very interesting happens. Thursday, it happened again. Left fielder Bryce Harper crushed an opposite-field RBI double to break a 1-1 tie and give the Nationals a 2-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. The pitching staff held the lead. Thanks to Ross Detwiler and the outstanding bullpen, the Nationals have won their 16th game and seventh series of the...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper byron kerr davey johnson jayson werth nationals frontstory_nationals1

Nats swiftly dispose of D-backs in 2-1 win

May 03, 2012, 5:33pm

Nationals

Nats swiftly dispose of D-backs in 2-1 win

With Ross Detwiler and Ian Kennedy both dealing tonight, this game moved along at a crisp pace. And thanks to their red-hot fifth starter (yeah, it's still tough to believe Detwiler is really a fifth starter), the Nationals earned a second straight win over the Diamondbacks, this one by a 2-1 count. Detwiler went 6 1/3 innings, giving up just one run on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He didn't allow a runner to reach scoring position until the sixth inning, and now has a...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko diamondbacks henry rodriguez nationals ross detwiler frontfeatured_nationals

No no-no for Detwiler, but lefty is cruising (updated twice)

May 03, 2012, 4:27pm

Nationals

No no-no for Detwiler, but lefty is cruising (updated twice)

I honestly feel like there's a decent chance a Nationals starter throws a no-hitter this season. All five guys currently in the rotation have legit no-hit ability, and the way these guys keep one-upping each other, it almost seems like it's only a matter of time until one of them finds a zone and holds an opponent hitless. That night won't be tonight, however. Ross Detwiler held the Diamondbacks without a hit for 4 1/3 innings tonight, but Ryan Roberts' single to left ended any hopes of...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals ross detwiler frontfeatured_nationals

Danny Espinosa adjusting to new set of challenges

May 03, 2012, 12:49pm

Nationals

Danny Espinosa adjusting to new set of challenges

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa wants to get going at the plate. Manager Davey Johnson wants his young infielder to do so as well, and sees Espinosa making progress. Shortstop Ian Desmond said it earlier this season when asked why he likes Johnson as a manager. One of the reasons he spotlighted was how Johnson sticks with you, even when you go through a rough spell. "I could go 0-for-5 and he wouldn't pull me. I knew I was going to be in the lineup the next day," Desmond...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr danny espinosa henry rodriguez ian desmond nationals frontstory_nationals1

Harping on Harper's stellar night

May 03, 2012, 12:29am

Nationals

As Davey Johnson recapped last night's thrilling 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks during his postgame press conference, he started rattling off names of guys who had contributed to the walk-off victory. Johnson touched on starter Edwin Jackson, who didn't have his best stuff but still kept his team in the game. He mentioned Ian Desmond, the hero, whose two-out homer in the ninth set off a wild celebration at home plate. Then, Johnson paused. "And what about the kid?" he said, a smile...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper craig stammen dan kolko davey johnson ian desmond nationals frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals2

Bryce Harper bumped up to third in Nats' order

May 03, 2012, 11:07am

Nationals

Bryce Harper bumped up to third in Nats' order

After Bryce Harper went 3-for-4 with two doubles last night, manager Davey Johnson suggested that Harper might be deserving of a bump in the order. Harper got quite a bump, alright. The 19-year-old will hit third tonight against the Diamondbacks, this after hitting seventh in each of the first four games of his major league career. Harper is batting .385 with five hits in 13 at-bats thus far in his big league tenure. Three of his five hits have been for extra bases. Here are the Nationals'...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko frontfeatured_nationals lineups nationals diamondbacks

Dave Nichols: Espinosa's struggle to make contact is alarming

May 03, 2012, 8:46am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Espinosa's struggle to make contact is alarming

During the offseason and into spring training, if you asked 100 Nationals fans which middle infielder they would be concerned with having to replace at some point in the 2012 season, I'd venture to guess 98 of them would have replied, "Ian Desmond." Their answer is not without basis. Desmond has had challenges both offensively and defensively as he continues to try to establish himself as a starting shortstop in the major leagues. This season, Desmond, 26, isn't really burning things...

Comments

Tags:

danny espinosa dave nichols guest blogger guestblogger ian desmond nationals nationals buzz

Desmond leads by example with walk-off rocket

May 02, 2012, 8:01pm

Nationals

Desmond leads by example with walk-off rocket

Shortstop Ian Desmond kept going back to belief. It was Tuesday night, after another rough loss where the pitching staff had done their job for the most part, but the Nationals bats had stayed cold. Standing in front of his locker in the Nationals clubhouse, Desmond looked for ways to explain how his team had managed only seven runs in five games. He said that his teammates would not be going 4-for-4 every game or hitting home run after home run. He talked about being surrounded by major...