nationals

Heading out of D.C. on a high note

May 20, 2012, 11:14pm

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

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche bryce harper dan kolko danny espinosa nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr doug harris matt purke nationals potomac frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

danny espinosa frontstory_nationals4 frontstory_orioles4 jason marquis mel antonen nationals orioles stephen strasburg

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...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko danny espinosa nationals stephen strasburg frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ted leavengood

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...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko danny espinosa ian desmond nationals orioles ryan mattheus stephen strasburg tom gorzelanny tyler clippard frontfeatured_nationals frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

frontstory_nationals2 nationals nationals park pete kerzel

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko jesus flores nationals stephen strasburg frontfeatured_nationals

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals stephen strasburg frontfeatured_nationals

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals frontstory_nationals3

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,...

Comments

Tags:

chien-ming wang dan kolko danny espinosa nationals ross detwiler ryan zimmerman frontstory_nationals1

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...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper dan kolko davey johnson frontstory_nationals1 nationals ryan zimmerman

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...

Comments

Tags:

chien-ming wang craig stammen dan kolko mike rizzo nationals ross detwiler frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko davey johnson nationals ross detwiler featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals

Not quite enough

May 19, 2012, 6:20pm

Nationals

When you fall behind 6-0, you're asking a lot of your offense. You're asking even more when that group has scored the third-fewest runs of any offense in baseball this year. The Nationals lost to the Orioles 6-5 tonight, marking their third-straight defeat and giving them just their third series loss of the season. It wasn't for a lack of effort. Ross Detwiler allowed six runs on nine hits over his five innings of work, and put his team in quite a hole. The Nats trailed 6-0 in the fifth...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko featured_sidebar frontfeatured_nationals nationals ross detwiler ryan zimmerman

Chippin' away at a big deficit (updated)

May 19, 2012, 5:28pm

Nationals

Chippin' away at a big deficit (updated)

Ross Detwiler put the Nationals in a hole. They're slowly working their way out of it. The Orioles came through with six runs off Detwiler in just five innings, and jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four and a half. Detwiler allowed 10 baserunners in his time on the mound tonight (nine hits, one walk) and wasn't fooling anyone all outing. Two of those nine hits were two-run home runs, which came off the bats of Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. But the Nats are battling back, and now trail just...

Comments

Tags:

carlos maldonado dan kolko nationals rick ankiel roger bernadina ross detwiler ryan perry frontfeatured_nationals

Johnson: Detwiler likely to stay in rotation, Wang probably to bullpen

May 19, 2012, 1:20pm

Nationals

Johnson: Detwiler likely to stay in rotation, Wang probably to bullpen

Over the course of his major league career, Chien-Ming Wang has made just five relief appearances. That number is likely to increase. Manager Davey Johnson said today that when Wang returns to the Nationals after he's wrapped up his rehab stint, the 32-year-old right-hander will probably be used out of the bullpen, with Ross Detwiler holding onto the No. 5 spot in the Nats' rotation. "When he comes up, I will probably start him in the bullpen," Johnson said of Wang. "That's probably...

Comments

Tags:

chien-ming wang dan kolko davey johnson nationals ross detwiler frontstory_nationals1

Desmond's suggestion sparked Johnson's reworked batting order

May 19, 2012, 1:22pm

Nationals

Desmond's suggestion sparked Johnson's reworked batting order

So how did Nationals manager Davey Johnson arrive at the notion of moving leadoff hitter Ian Desmond to the No. 5 spot in Saturday's lineup, while bumping Bryce Harper, who had been hitting fifth, into the two-hole? Partly out of need to inject some life into a batting order that's been struggling to produce offense and partly because the change was suggested to him by one of the parties involved. "Just needs shaking up a little bit, you know?" Johnson said during his pregame session...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper davey johnson featured_sidebar ian desmond nationals pete kerzel frontstory_nationals2

Johnson senses "a little frustration" in Espinosa

May 19, 2012, 3:05pm

Nationals

Johnson senses "a little frustration" in Espinosa

Davey Johnson stood by Danny Espinosa through the second baseman's second-half slide last season and has done so through his rough start to the 2012 campaign, as well. But today, Johnson is giving Espinosa the day off. Why? Johnson has seen the 25-year-old start to get a bit frustrated recently, and didn't want him carrying that into tonight's game. A prime example of that frustration came last night. Espinosa twice failed to get a bunt down in a seventh-inning at-bat, then went ahead and...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko danny espinosa davey johnson nationals steve lombardozzi frontstory_nationals3

Maldonado gets start, Desmond hitting fifth, day off for Espinosa

May 19, 2012, 11:57am

Nationals

Maldonado gets start, Desmond hitting fifth, day off for Espinosa

Carlos Maldonado gets his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace the injured Sandy Leon, but tonight's Nationals lineup against the Orioles also includes some other surprising shuffling. Shortstop Ian Desmond gets his first shot at the five-hole this season, with Steve Lombardozzi hitting leadoff and playing second base. This isn't the first time Desmond has hit fifth - he did so once in 2010 and three times in 2011, and is a career .353 (6-for-17) in that spot in...