nationals

Detwiler gets smacked around (Nats walk off with 6-5 win)

July 05, 2012, 4:46pm

In five innings of work, Ross Detwiler allowed 11 hits and two walks. Yep, 13 baserunners in five innings. Somehow, despite all the grey, pinstriped players moving around the bases so far tonight, Detwiler managed to hold the Giants to just three runs. I'm not entirely sure how the Nationals lefty did it. He did benefit from a slick 5-4 double play in the fourth and has twice struck out Giants pitcher Matt Cain to end an inning. Still, he's incredibly lucky to be trailing just 3-1 as we...

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Nationals Storen says command was "good" in first rehab start

July 05, 2012, 6:52pm

Nationals

Nationals right-hander Drew Storen was pleased with his first appearance in a minor league rehab game since his recovery from elbow surgery to remove a bone chip. Storen started for high Single-A Potomac against Frederick on Thursday. He pitched a scoreless first inning, facing three batters and not allowing a hit or run. Storen induced a groundout and flyout in the short stint at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. After the outing, Storen said there is still work to do, but said he is on...

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Your latest Jayson Werth update

July 05, 2012, 2:23pm

Nationals

The last couple days, Jayson Werth has been back in his familiar spot in right field. OK, it's only been during batting practice, as Werth has been shagging fly balls of the bats of his teammates. But still, Werth has at least started to return to baseball activities more than eight weeks after breaking his left wrist in a game against the Phillies. Werth still feels a little discomfort in his wrist when he extends it in a hitting motion, so the team won't have him start swinging a bat just...

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Freese wins NL Final Vote, Harper gets a breather

July 05, 2012, 1:22pm

Nationals

Freese wins NL Final Vote, Harper gets a breather

Instead of heading to Kansas City over the All-Star break, Bryce Harper will be going to Las Vegas. Despite plenty of fan support in the voting on MLB.com and on Twitter, Harper came up short in a bid to earn the final spot on the National League All-Star team. Cardinals third baseman David Freese won the NL portion of the Final Vote, while Rangers starter Yu Darvish was the American League choice. Harper ended up coming in third in the NL voting, behind Freese and Atlanta's Michael Bourn....

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Dave Nichols: Does Zimmerman's return come at a cost?

July 05, 2012, 3:13pm

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Does Zimmerman's return come at a cost?

Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg have been generating a lot of hype these days, and rightfully so. Both are exciting young players who should lead the Nationals' attempts at glory for the next 10 years or so. But there's no questioning that the face of the franchise remains third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman struggled mightily for most of the first three months of the season and the rest of the Nats' offense followed. He got out of the gate cold. He suffered an injury to the A/C...

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How will Storen be used upon his return?

July 05, 2012, 3:06pm

Nationals

How will Storen be used upon his return?

Wondering how Drew Storen will be used once he's back from his lengthy rehab from elbow surgery? If so, this entry's for you. Manager Davey Johnson said again today that Tyler Clippard will remain his closer once Storen is back with the Nationals, which the team expects to be just after the All-Star break. Johnson feels Clippard is closing as well as anyone in the league right now, and the numbers back him up on that. So with Clippard in the ninth-inning role and Sean Burnett proving to be...

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Harper's patient approach has returned (plus lineups)

July 05, 2012, 11:42am

Nationals

Harper's patient approach has returned (plus lineups)

When Bryce Harper first got brought up to the big leagues, it was his patience at the plate which impressed me maybe more than anything else. Yes, he was athletic and had a smooth swing and played the game hard. But we knew he'd bring all that to the table. We didn't know that the 19-year-old with massive power and a desire to prove he was a big leaguer would be able to lay off tough pitches out of the zone and wait for something over the fat part of the plate. A couple weeks ago, however,...

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Postgame thoughts from Zimmerman, Solano, Jackson

July 04, 2012, 12:34pm

Nationals

Postgame thoughts from Zimmerman, Solano, Jackson

The cortisone shot continues to work wonders for Ryan Zimmerman. Since getting a pain-killing injection in his inflamed right shoulder 10 days ago, Zimmerman is batting .369 with four home runs, five doubles and 16 RBIs. Today, he notched a run-scoring double in the third and a two-run homer in the fifth, a ball which was absolutely smoked over the right-center field fence. Is it fair to assume the cortisone shot is the lone reason for this dramatic increase in production of late? "It was...

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Despite first-half success, Nats still feel best is yet to come

July 05, 2012, 6:17am

Nationals

Despite first-half success, Nats still feel best is yet to come

Hope everyone enjoyed their Fourth of July festivities yesterday, even if the fireworks show you witnessed wasn't nearly as robust as the one that happened in San Diego. I like San Diego's style on this one. Why wait and save the "grand finale" for the end of a 15-20 minute show? Why not just make it the entire show? Today is now July 5, which means it's the last day for fans to cast their votes to determine who will earn the final spot on the two All-Star Game rosters. With a bit more...

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Johnson talks after Nats' 9-4 win

July 04, 2012, 12:00pm

Nationals

Following today's game, Davey Johnson found his team 15 games above .500, matching their season-high. That gave him plenty to smile about while meeting with reporters. But Johnson isn't satisfied yet. Not by a longshot. His team is now 47-32 on the season, but he's already picked out his next goal - 20 games above .500. "I like to go by fives," Johnson said. "We got to 15 before and we dropped back. I like to progress. The next number I like to get is 20 games over. I always go by...

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Minor notes: Karns does well against Bundy, Meyer short stint "planned"

July 04, 2012, 5:41pm

Nationals

Minor notes: Karns does well against Bundy, Meyer short stint "planned"

The low Single-A Hagerstown Suns have put together an incredible start, which culminated in their 50th victory of the season on July 4. Hagerstown dropped Lexington 3-2, rallying for two runs in the eighth frame. Catcher

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Another offensive explosion nets Nats 9-4 win

July 04, 2012, 10:21am

Nationals

Another offensive explosion nets Nats 9-4 win

Remember that scene in "When Harry Met Sally," when Meg Ryan is slapping the table and the random lady nearby turns to the waitress and says, "I'll have what she's having"? The rest of the league wants whatever the Nationals have been having over their last eight games. Was that a bit of a reach? OK, my bad. Since last Tuesday, the Nats have averaged 8.6 runs per game, which is remarkable, given they hadn't scored eight runs in any of their 25 contests prior to this streak...

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Espinosa improving from the left side

July 04, 2012, 7:03am

Nationals

Of all the positives to come out of last night's dominating win over the National League West-leading Giants - and there were many to choose from - the thing that Davey Johnson was most pleased with was the performance of his second baseman. Danny Espinosa went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI last night, with all three hits coming from the left side, a troublesome side of the plate for Espinosa this season. "I was really pleased to see Espinosa," Johnson said last night. "He's been...

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Jackson settles down, and the laser show continues (and continues)

July 04, 2012, 8:45am

Nationals

Jackson settles down, and the laser show continues (and continues)

For whatever reason, Edwin Jackson stinks it up in the first inning nearly every time he takes the mound. Then, almost without fail, he gets into a groove and dominates the rest of the way out. That pattern has held true today, as Jackson gave up three Giants runs in the first inning, putting the Nationals in an early 3-0 hole. He has settled into a groove since then, however, facing just one over the minimum from innings 2-4. Jackson now has 9.56 ERA in the first inning this season, and a...

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Your Fourth of July lineups

July 04, 2012, 5:35am

Nationals

The Nationals will wear their normal red hats for this afternoon's 11:05 a.m. start, with a patriotic twist: The curly W will be camouflage. Trust me when I say that the special July 4 hats look pretty sweet. Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there. Hope your BBQs are fun, the fireworks shine brightly tonight and we get some good baseball this morning, even if it's far too early for me to be at the stadium. I'll be hitting up the press box coffee machine quite a few times over the...

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Nats smack around a two-time Cy Young award winner (Nats win 9-3)

July 03, 2012, 3:53pm

Nationals

Nats smack around a two-time Cy Young award winner (Nats win 9-3)

It wasn't that long ago that Tim Lincecum was without question one of the top two or three pitchers in baseball. The Giants righty won the National League Cy Young award in 2008 and 2009 and made the All-Star Game each of the last four years. This season has been a little different for Lincecum. He entered today with a 5.60 ERA, and that number has only risen tonight. Lincecum has allowed five runs on eight hits through just three innings. Ian Desmond has two of those hits, including a...

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National League Final Vote takes an interesting turn

July 03, 2012, 2:41pm

Nationals

National League Final Vote takes an interesting turn

Remember that whole "Bryce Harper vs. Chipper Jones for the last spot on the National League All-Star team" thing? Yeah, that won't be happening. Jones has been named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, removing him as a candidate for the Final Vote. It's a little uncertain what will happen now, but Harper clearly now has a better shot of earning that final NL roster spot for the Midsummer Classic. As of earlier today, he ranked third in voting...

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Johnson on roster move, Zimmermann on his consistency

July 03, 2012, 8:10pm

Nationals

Johnson on roster move, Zimmermann on his consistency

As if the later part of tonight wasn't crazy enough, with an 85-minute rain delay which only saw about 15 minutes of rain and a 12-hour turnaround until first-pitch tomorrow, the Nationals had some theatrics go on before the game, as well. This afternoon, while throwing a bullpen session, Chien-Ming Wang felt a little something in his hip. He was checked out by Nationals' doctors, who determined that Wang had a hip strain and needed to be placed on the disabled list. That meant, in order to...

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Nationals' offense starting to keep up with Zimmermann

July 03, 2012, 8:09pm

Nationals

Manager Davey Johnson had preached just two weeks ago about how he wanted his hitters to be "patiently aggressive at the plate." He sensed the hitters were a little anxious and were trying too hard sometimes to make things happen. From the Orioles series to the first game in Colorado, the Nationals managed just seven runs in four games. But Denver is always a good place to start hitting when you get to swing the bat in Coors Field. And the Nationals did just that. The trend continued in...

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Wang heading to DL, Rodriguez activated

July 03, 2012, 2:12pm

Nationals

The Nationals have placed struggling right-hander Chien-Ming Wang on the 15-day disabled list with a right hip strain and reinstated reliever Henry Rodriguez from the DL. Wang's DL stint is retroactive to July 1. This is his second time on the disabled list this season; he missed the first 42 games of the season due to a strained left hamstring which he suffered in spring training. Manager Davey Johnson said today that Wang's personal trainer thought there was an issue with the veteran...