Scuffling at the plate, Zimmerman still excels at the hot corner

Scuffling at the plate, Zimmerman still excels at the hot corner
OK, so Ryan Zimmerman is hitting just .179 (7-for-39) with two RBIs through the first 10 games of the season. But even though the Nationals third baseman isn't getting balls to fall in, he's still bringing his A-game on the defensive side. "If I'm not getting any hits, I'll just take hits away," Zimmerman said yesterday. "That's the plan." The plan was executed to perfection yesterday. Zimmerman made a couple spectacular defensive plays in Sunday's loss to the Reds, two of which...

Nationals' Clippard says shoulder is fine, Johnson will rest him tonight

Nationals' Clippard says shoulder is fine, Johnson will rest him tonight
Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard said his shoulder is not bothering him as much as manager Davey Johnson might have led on after Sunday's loss to the Reds. Clippard said he has the usual stiffness in his shoulder, but he feels that after any outing and says he is fine. Johnson said he will look to rest Clippard and closer Brad Lidge tonight against the Astros. The pitching staff had to endure three extra-inning affairs in the four game set against Cincinnati, and Johnson wants to rest some...

Nationals minor league roundup: Tonight's starting lineups

Nationals minor league roundup: Tonight's starting lineups
Low Single-A Hagerstown Jason Martinson SS Bryce Ortega 2B JP Ramirez LF Matt Skole 3B Adrian Nieto C Brett Newsome 1B Justin Miller RF Hendry Jimenez DH Billy Burns CF Starting pitcher - Brian Dupra High Single-A Potomac Michael Taylor CF Blake Kelso SS Sean Nicol 3B David Freitas C Justin Bloxom 1B Kevin Keyes LF Randolph Oduber RF Adrian Sanchez 2B Francisco Soriano DH Starting pitcher - RHP Matt Swynenberg (1-0, 6.43) Double-A Harrisburg Eury Perez CF Jeff Kobernus 2B Chris Rahl LF...

It's official: Tyler Moore to start in left field Monday night for Syracuse (updated)

It's official: Tyler Moore to start in left field Monday night for Syracuse (updated)
As first reported on MASNSports.com on Saturday, the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs will start Tyler Moore in left field Monday night against the Pawtucket Red Sox. It will be Moore's first start in the outfield. Appearing on Sports Radio 106.7 The Fan's "Nats Insider" Sunday night, Chiefs manager Tony Beasley confirmed that Moore would start in left field Monday. Veteran Mark Teahan is expected to move to first base for the first game against Pawtucket. "Starting (Monday), he's is going to...

Ted Leavengood: Always springtime in D.C.

Ted Leavengood: Always springtime in D.C.
The flowers remain in full bloom, the weather as gorgeous as a quad full of coeds and the Nationals took three of four from a good Cincinnati team over the weekend to move their record to 7-3. There was a billboard near the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta for many years that read, "It's Always Springtime at Bulldog Bonding." Always springtime? I think I could learn to like that. Ross Detwiler pitched well Sunday. His fastball was sitting at 94 mph and there was plenty of life to all his...

For Nationals, no Morse, no Storen, no offense are no problem

For Nationals, no Morse, no Storen, no offense are no problem
This is how good the fast start is for the Nationals: They have a winning record even though they have no Michael Morse, no Drew Storen and virtually no offense. Last season, the Nationals scored 3.8 runs a game. This season, through the first 10 games, they were at 3.9. The Nationals missed a chance at their first four-game sweep since moving to D.C. in 2005 when they lost 8-5 in 11 innings to the Reds at Nationals Park on Sunday. But while the Nationals have new swagger, the Reds, one of...

Johnson: Nationals' infield best defensive unit I've been around

Johnson: Nationals' infield best defensive unit I've been around
Davey Johnson has been in baseball more than 50 years. He's played with some of the best, and managed some exceptional players and teams, as well. And of all the infields the Nationals' 69-year-old manager has seen in his time in professional baseball, he says the best defensive unit he's even been around is the one he's writing onto lineup cards this season. "I've never had an infield this talented," Johnson said. "Now, I've had Hall of Famers at different positions, but as a...

Clippard battling minor shoulder discomfort

Clippard battling minor shoulder discomfort
Davey Johnson revealed after today's game that All-Star reliever Tyler Clippard is battling some shoulder discomfort, although it wasn't enough to keep him out of today's game. Clippard and Johnson both say that the discomfort didn't affect the righty's performance today (Clippard allowed three runs in the 11th inning) and isn't anything major. Instead, they say, this is something that 27-year-old experiences every season around this time. "It's just normal stuff I've been going...

Johnson talks umpiring, situational hitting in Nats' 8-5 loss

Johnson talks umpiring, situational hitting in Nats' 8-5 loss
The first question Nationals manager Davey Johnson was asked in his press conference following today's 8-5 extra-inning loss to the Reds was about the umpiring. That's how much a couple first-inning calls that didn't go the Nats way affected the course of this game. It started with a close play at first in which Adam LaRoche appeared to touch first base only to hear first base umpire Mike Everitt say LaRoche had missed the bag and call Scott Rolen safe. That kept the inning alive. A...

Despite loss to Reds, 7-3 start marks best in recent D.C. history, but is it the schedule?

Despite loss to Reds, 7-3 start marks best in recent D.C. history, but is it the schedule?
Despite the 8-5 loss Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, the Nationals are still off to their best start since arriving in Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season. Since baseball returned to D.C. seven years ago, the Nationals have never been 7-3 in their first 10 games. Their second best total was a 6-4 record after 10 games in 2005. The Nationals have also never won their first three series to start a season in D.C. The second best was again in 2005, when they won road series at Florida,...

Bad breaks cost Detwiler in lengthy first inning (Nats back in it)

Bad breaks cost Detwiler in lengthy first inning (Nats back in it)
The way I see it, Ross Detwiler recorded five outs in the first inning. Unfortunately, a couple close calls that didn't go Detwiler's way now leave him, and the Nationals, in a four-run hole. Detwiler gave up four runs in the top of the first on Ryan Ludwick's second career grand slam, but the Nats lefty probably feels like he should've been off the mound long before Ludwick came to the plate. With two outs in the inning, Scott Rolen was called safe at first base on a close play, but a...

Nats finally fall in extras

Nats finally fall in extras
In two of this series first three games, the Nationals went to extra innings with the Reds and were able to scratch across the game-winning run. Not today. The Nationals battled back from an early 5-0 deficit to force extras, but the Reds scored three times off reliever Tyler Clippard in the 11th inning and held on for an 8-5 win. Joey Votto's two-run double was the big knock for Cincinnati, putting the Reds on top. Washington brought the potential tying run to the plate with no outs in the...

We're all tied up (and we're going to extras, again)

We're all tied up (and we're going to extras, again)
Despite some truly poor situational hitting, the Nationals have battled all the way back from a 5-0 deficit and have tied this game 5-5 as we head to the eighth inning. Ian Desmond's third hit of the day knotted things in the seventh, plating Rick Ankiel with two outs. Ankiel had reached on a leadoff double. Back playing in his second game after starting the season on the DL, Ankiel showed off that healthy left quad as he sprinted around third and slid into home with the tying run, just...

Even more from another walk-off win

Even more from another walk-off win
The last six outs Craig Stammen have recorded go down in the scorebook as such: strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging. "I kind of messed up," manager Davey Johnson said last night. "I should have brought in Stammen earlier because he seems to make things happen when he comes in." Stammen has been absolutely filthy in his last two outings, having struck out the side against the Reds in consecutive games. And...

Today's lineups plus a few fun facts

Today's lineups plus a few fun facts
With a win today, the Nationals would record their first four-game home sweep since their arrival in Washington in 2005. Is it possible for that note to both surprise me and not surprise me in the slightest? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with yesterday's win, Edwin Jackson became the first player in modern baseball history (since 1901) to record at least one win in a starting role for at least seven different teams prior to his 29th birthday. Is it possible for that note to both...

On Nationals staff, competition is king

On Nationals staff, competition is king
Five days ago, Ross Detwiler went five shutout innings. The next day, Stephen Strasburg threw six shutout frames. Gio Gonzalez followed with seven scoreless innings. Jordan Zimmermann then tossed seven innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 13-inning win. Then yesterday, Edwin Jackson threw a complete game, allowing just one run. If it seems like the Nationals' starters are actively trying to one-up each other on a daily basis, it's because they are. The guys in the Nationals rotation are on fire...

A new side to Edwin Jackson

A new side to Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson had thrown a complete game before. He'd actually thrown four of them, including a no-hitter. But never had he been nearly this pitch-efficient when going a full nine innings. Jackson finished today's outing having thrown just 92 pitches in his nine frames of one-run ball, a far cry from his 149-pitch no-hitter back in 2010. Known for elevated pitch counts and having to work with runners on base, Jackson was a different guy today. He was able to pitch from the windup nearly...

Jackson's gem gives taxed bullpen needed rest

Jackson's gem gives taxed bullpen needed rest
Nationals starter Edwin Jackson's complete game was a gem unto itself: nine frames, two hits, one run, one walk and nine strikeouts. In only 92 pitches, Jackson handed the Nationals their first complete game of the season and a five-game win streak. He also gave a taxed bullpen a full day off. Following 23 innings of pitching, nine of those frames from the bullpen in the past two days, Saturday was a game for the relievers to be spectators, Jackson. "Because of the extra innings, this was...

Jackson closes out complete game in style

Jackson closes out complete game in style
When pitching coach Steve McCatty went out to talk to talk to Edwin Jackson after the Nationals righty had issued a four-pitch leadoff walk in the eighth inning, the conversation was pretty cut and dried. As McCatty puts it, it was like a scene out of the movie "Full Metal Jacket." "I went and asked him, 'How are you doing?' " McCatty said. "He says, 'I'm fine.' I say, 'Well, do you want this?' He goes, 'Yes.' I said, 'Well, if you want it, you tell me you want it.' And he...

Jackson the latest Nats starter to dominate (Nats win 4-1)

Jackson the latest Nats starter to dominate (Nats win 4-1)
Given the workload that the Nationals' bullpen had to handle last night, the team needed Edwin Jackson to step up and work deep into today's game. Jackson's done just that. The hard-throwing righty has worked seven incredibly impressive innings, allowing just a single run on two hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Jackson has now retired 16 straight hitters and shockingly has needed just 66 pitches to get through the seven frames. Of the 66 pitches, a whopping 52 have been...