Friday's Marlins-Nationals lineups

Friday's Marlins-Nationals lineups
Pretty standard lineup for Davey Johnson's Nationals today, with the only change to the normal starting eight position players being Jesus Flores getting the nod behind the plate in Wilson Ramos' stead. Jayson Werth is in today's lineup after being pulled from yesterday's game after six innings. Werth has been dealing with a mild hip injury. The Nats will look to tee off against Carlos Zambrano, who is 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two career starts against Washington. Here are the lineups for...

DeRosa to see less time in outfield

DeRosa to see less time in outfield
With Michael Morse out of the lineup, Davey Johnson hasn't been happy with how he's used his outfielders this season. Against right-handers, Johnson's gone with a rotation of Xavier Nady, Mark DeRosa and Roger Bernadina in left field. But that's going to change. Johnson said today that DeRosa is going to see less time in the outfield as he looks to develop more consistency in his lineups. "I've kind of been wishy-washy in using the three of them in the outfield," Johnson said. "And I...

Jackson undeterred after rough first inning and first loss

Jackson undeterred after rough first inning and first loss
Nationals right-hander Edwin Jackson was fresh off a spectacular complete game two-hitter Saturday over the Reds, 4-1. Jackson was taxed for only 92 pitches, striking out nine and walking one. Cincinnati managed one runner past second base the entire game. But it was a whole different story Thursday. Facing a Houston team that had scored five runs in three games of the series against the Nationals, the Astros set a franchise record with three triples in a five-run first inning to stun Jackson...

Updates on Tyler Moore, Corey Brown and Brian Goodwin

Updates on Tyler Moore, Corey Brown and Brian Goodwin
The Nationals started Tyler Moore in left field again Thursday night for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. It was his second career game in the outfield after playing first base exclusively. Moore made one catch Monday with no problems and general manager Mike Rizzo said the 25-year-old will continue to see time in the outfield this season. "He just started working out in the outfield," Rizzo said. "We've got our outfield coordinator, Tony Tarasco, kind of putting him through the paces. He's...

Momma said there'd be days like this

Momma said there'd be days like this
After opening their homestand by going 6-1, I guess you could say a game like last night's was inevitable. There are only so many comebacks, only so many times when the Nationals could pull some eighth inning magic and send the fans home happy. "Can't win every game," Ryan Zimmerman said. On top of that, you can't get seven or eight shutout innings from your starters every single night out. It just won't happen. We've been spoiled by some stellar starting pitching through the first...

Werth battling hip injury, Gorzelanny ineffective in Nats' loss

Werth battling hip injury, Gorzelanny ineffective in Nats' loss
Jayson Werth has been dealing with a hip injury lately, and with the Nationals trailing by six runs late in the game on a cool night, manager Davey Johnson opted to pull Werth entering the seventh inning. Werth, who was replaced in right field by Mark DeRosa, declined to speak to reporters after the game, but his injury is not thought to be serious. Davey Johnson meets with the media after the Nats' 11-4 loss to the Astros Tom Gorzelanny's ERA took a big-time jump tonight, from 0.00 before...

Marty Niland: How will the Nats handle coming down to Earth?

Marty Niland: How will the Nats handle coming down to Earth?
There's not much a baseball team can do about games like the Nationals' 11-4 loss Thursday night to the Houston Astros. The pitching, overpowering so far in 2012, was shelled for 17 hits, including three triples off starter Edwin Jackson in the first inning. The bullpen offered little relief, with Tom Gorzelanny surrendering six runs and eight hits of his own. Aside from Ryan Zimmerman's first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the third inning, the offense was unproductive with...

Nats throttled by Houston 11-4

Nats throttled by Houston 11-4
Two monster innings doomed the Nationals tonight. They were almost able to overcome the first. They had no chance of overcoming the second. The Astros put up five runs in both the first and sixth innings tonight, and cruised to an 11-4 win over the Nats, spoiling Washington's shot at a four-game sweep. Nationals starter Edwin Jackson allowed five runs over five innings of work, but the main damage was done in the sixth, after the Nats had crept back to cut the Houston lead to 5-4. Tom...

It's a ballgame again (now it's not)

It's a ballgame again (now it's not)
For the last two weeks, Ryan Zimmerman's been talking about how he feels like he's swinging the bat well, but just isn't getting the results. He got some results in the third inning tonight. Facing Astros starter Bud Norris, Zimmerman got the Nationals right back in tonight's ballgame, ripping a three-run homer to deep left field. It's the first home run of the season for Zimmerman and cuts the Nats' deficit to just one at 5-4 after they had trailed by five just two innings prior. The...

Rizzo on Harper's slow start, development in center

Rizzo on Harper's slow start, development in center
When Bryce Harper was demoted to minor league camp back in spring training, he joked that it was probably for the best. Harper's rationale was that had he made the Nationals out of spring, when - not if - he started slow, people would've been all over him. The basis for that wisecrack was that Harper has struggled early on at literally every new level of ball that he's reached. It happened at the College of Southern Nevada, it happened at his professional stop at the Arizona Fall League,...

Astros triple up on Jackson

Astros triple up on Jackson
Five days ago, Edwin Jackson tossed a complete-game gem, allowing one run on two hits with nine strikeouts. Yeah, things haven't gone quite that smoothly so far this outing. Jackson got lit up in the first inning tonight, allowing six straight hits and five runs. Remarkably, three of Houston's six hits were triples, marking the first time in Astros history they've recorded three triples in an inning. It also ties an Astros record for most triples in a single game. Jackson was able to...

Astros triple up on Jackson

Astros triple up on Jackson
Five days ago, Edwin Jackson tossed a complete-game gem, allowing one run on two hits with nine strikeouts. Yeah, things haven't gone quite that smoothly so far this outing. Jackson got lit up in the first inning tonight, allowing six straight hits and five runs. Remarkably, three of Houston's six hits were triples, marking the first time in Astros history they've recorded three triples in an inning. It also ties an Astros record for most triples in a single game. Jackson was able to...

Johnson talks Desmond's day off, Lombardozzi's role, outfield rotation

Johnson talks Desmond's day off, Lombardozzi's role, outfield rotation
In his pregame session with reporters, Davey Johnson was asked what he thinks of Steve Lombardozzi's defensive play at shortstop. "He's adequate. I've had a lot worse out there," Johnson said. Quite a ringing endorsement for the guy who will be Johnson's starting shortstop tonight. Ian Desmond gets a breather tonight, as Lombardozzi will hit leadoff and play short. The last time Lombardozzi started a game, he went 4-for-5 with two RBIs in Monday's win over the Astros. While Desmond...

Desmond gets a day off, Lombardozzi to hit leadoff

Desmond gets a day off, Lombardozzi to hit leadoff
Ian Desmond has gotten off to a nice start this season, hitting .300 with a homer, four RBIs and a .333 on-base percentage. Tonight, the Nationals' starting shortstop will get his first day off of the 2012 campaign. Steve Lombardozzi will play shortstop and hit leadoff for Davey Johnson's Nats tonight as they look for the sweep against Bud Norris and the Astros. If they can pick up another win tonight, the Nats would earn their first four-game home sweep since arriving in D.C. in 2005....

Dave Nichols: Nats getting on base, but sluggers are struggling

Dave Nichols: Nats getting on base, but sluggers are struggling
The Nationals are far and away off to their best start since arriving in D.C. in 2005. It's fun going to the ballpark with a reasonable expectation that the Nats' starting pitcher is going to keep the team in the game, if not downright dominate the competition. In fact, with the five starters all on a roll right now, you get the feeling that each game in an internal competition between the five of them to see who can outdo the previous performance. Obviously, that's a good thing...

Wrapping up the Nats' 3-2 win over Houston

Wrapping up the Nats' 3-2 win over Houston
Jordan Zimmermann was asked after tonight's game whether all this winning has given the Nationals a new attitude in their clubhouse. "Yeah, it's Natitude," he responded, cracking a smile. Here we go with the Natitude stuff. The Nationals needed to make two separate comebacks in tonight's game. They trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the seventh before Roger Bernadina's RBI double tied the game, and then were down 2-1 in the eighth only two score two small-ball runs on a Jayson Werth...

Bernadina gets back in lineup, delivers clutch hit

Bernadina gets back in lineup, delivers clutch hit
Left fielder Roger Bernadina returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Friday. He had been struggling at the plate to start the season, hitting a paltry .143 with just one RBI. But Bernadina hasn't sulked or moped around the clubhouse during the past few games. He continued to take extra swings to get his rhythm back. "I have been hitting a lot in the cage," Bernadina said. "I didn't feel rushed or anything. I was seeing the ball good. That was an important part to see the...

No win for Zimmermann, but another "W" for Washington

No win for Zimmermann, but another "W" for Washington
I feel like I could copy and paste any recent blog about Jordan Zimmermann not getting run support into this space and pass it off as my latest entry. But I wouldn't dare do that to you. Well, maybe I would if I was a little more tired and wanted to get out of the press box quicker. The story keeps repeating itself: Zimmermann turns in a quality start, gets minimal offensive help and gets stuck with a loss he didn't deserve or a no-decision he shouldn't have been stuck with. Tonight,...

A brand new ballgame (Nats win 3-2)

A brand new ballgame (Nats win 3-2)
We're all knotted up 1-1 as we head to the top of the eighth, after Roger Bernadina smacked an opposite-field, two-out double in the bottom of the eighth, plating Rick Ankiel. Finally, some offense. It was just the Nationals' fourth hit of the ballgame, but it did the trick. Jordan Zimmermann is now off the hook, and while he still won't leave Nats Park with his first win of the season, he also won't get another tough-luck loss. The Nats had a chance to take the lead after Bernadina's...

Still no support for Zimmermann; Lannan bounces back

Still no support for Zimmermann; Lannan bounces back
Jordan Zimmermann has allowed one run through six innings. Is it possible for the offense to put two runs on the board and get this guy a win? Zimmermann has been sharp tonight in cool conditions, giving up just four hits and needing only 78 pitches to get through his six frames. But yet again, he's getting no offensive support, and trails 1-0 as we head to the bottom of the sixth. In the 20 innings that Zimmermann has been on the mound this season, the Nats have scored one run. That's...