nationals

Another deficit entering the eighth (and another comeback)

April 07, 2012, 11:26am

CHICAGO - For the second straight game, the Nationals have done very little at the plate through seven innings. And for the second straight game, the Nats will need to get the job done against the Cubs' bullpen in the late frames in order to come away with a win. Adam LaRoche's two-run homer in the fourth is all the Nats have been able to muster against Cubs pitchers Matt Garza and Rafael Dolis, and they trail 4-2 with just six outs left to work with. Jayson Werth has struck out swinging...

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Morse getting treatment in New York

April 07, 2012, 8:36am

Nationals

CHICAGO - After homering yesterday while on his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg, Nationals outfielder Michael Morse is heading up to New York today to get some treatment on his strained lat. Morse, who was scheduled to have today off, will meet with a specialist and receive treatment and some massage on his lat, according to manager Davey Johnson. Morse will rejoin the Senators tomorrow and is eligible to come off the DL and suit up for the Nationals as early as April 10. Johnson...

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LaRoche's blast puts Nats on top (but not for long)

April 07, 2012, 10:24am

Nationals

LaRoche's blast puts Nats on top (but not for long)

CHICAGO - Adam LaRoche has given the Nationals a 2-1 lead here in the fourth inning with a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole. That's one way for LaRoche to put his stinker of an opening day behind him. The homer came on a 2-2 pitch from Cubs starter Matt Garza, who tried to blow a 95 mph fastball past LaRoche on the inner half. LaRoche stayed inside the ball, however, and was able to keep it fair - barely. The blast from LaRoche was his first since April 24 of last season, and is...

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Saturday's Nats-Cubs lineups

April 07, 2012, 6:07am

Nationals

CHICAGO - Gio Gonzalez won't benefit from the same wind blowing in from center that Stephen Strasburg did on Thursday, as it's a much milder day here at Wrigley Field than it was opening day. They're calling for a high of 67 degrees here today, and while the breeze might pick up later on, the flags above the center field scoreboard are barely waving back and forth. Manager Davey Johnson has written in the same lineup for today's ballgame that he did on Thursday, while Cubs manager Dale...

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Nationals Morse and Ankiel slam homers in second rehab start

April 07, 2012, 3:14am

Nationals

Nationals outfielders Rick Ankiel and Michael Morse slammed home runs as Double-A Harrisburg earned its first win of the season, 5-2 at Bowie on Friday night. Ankiel crushed a two-run shot off of Bobby Bundy in the first inning, and Morse hit a solo homer in the fifth. Ankiel is recovering from a quad injury, while Morse appears ready to go after a lat injury bothered him early in spring training. Morse also added a double, finishing 2-for-3. Morse was the designated hitter and Ankiel...

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Winning important, even at high Single-A Potomac, as players begin new season

April 06, 2012, 10:50am

Nationals

Winning important, even at high Single-A Potomac, as players begin new season

The minor leagues' main focus is to prepare prospects for their eventual ascension to the majors, but teaching players how to win and playing on championship teams is also important. New Potomac Nationals manager Brian Rupp said learning how to win is high on their list as minor league skippers groom prospects for their next step. "Winning is right up there," Rupp said. "It is really important. When you get to the big leagues that is all they talk about. We start it down here. We are...

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Nats' bats slow to wake up

April 06, 2012, 6:51am

Nationals

CHICAGO - I'm still not used to being in the Central time zone after living in the mid-Atlantic region my whole life. I wake up here and look at my phone, which says one time, then open my computer, which says another. Yesterday, I knew the game was a 2:20 p.m. start, but it didn't kick in that first pitch would actually be at 1:20 p.m. local time until I was getting ready to hop in the shower. It's that damn East Coast bias, getting in the way again. I'm guessing that your...

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Marty Niland: Little things mean a lot in Nationals' win in opener

April 06, 2012, 8:17am

Nationals

It wasn't just big hits and the clutch pitches that gave the Nationals a 2-1 opening day win over the Chicago Cubs. For the past six weeks, the team has focused on fundamentals - little things that translate to success or failure over the long haul. They came to fruition Thursday in Chicago, contributing to the Nats' first win and setting the stage for future success. Here are three little things that not only keyed the win, but should give Nats fans confidence that the team will come out on...

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Late-inning magic gives Nationals 2-1 win

April 05, 2012, 1:02pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - The Nationals had one hit and failed to score a run through the first seven innings of today's ballgame. They then scratched across one run with two outs in the eighth to tie the game, and got the winning run with two outs in the ninth. Ian Desmond went 3-for-5, including the game-winning RBI single in the top of the ninth that plated pinch runner Brett Carroll, giving the Nats a 2-1 win over the Cubs. Stephen Strasburg threw seven strong innings of one-run ball for the Nats, and...

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Your opening day Nats-Cubs lineups

April 05, 2012, 7:12am

Nationals

CHICAGO - Hello, Wrigley. I'm all set up here in the press box high atop iconic Wrigley Field, and man, could there be a more perfect place for opening day 2012? (Other than Nationals Park, of course.) This is just a fantastic setting, and while it's a bit chilly here this morning, the sun is out in full force and it should get up to 51 degrees by gametime. There's a stiff 17 mph wind blowing almost directly in from center, which will help starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Ryan...

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Harper makes nice Triple-A debut; Morse and Ankiel in Bowie

April 05, 2012, 7:39pm

Nationals

Harper makes nice Triple-A debut; Morse and Ankiel in Bowie

Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper had a nice debut for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in a 7-4 loss to Rochester in the 2012 opener on a chilly Thursday afternoon in Syracuse, N.Y. Playing center field, Harper went 2-for-4 in his first game at the Triple-A level, smacking a double, a single and stealing a base. General manager Mike Rizzo said in an interview this week on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. that he would not place a bet on Harper remaining at the Triple-A level the entire season. Rizzo said...

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Strasburg breezes through first start in the Windy City

April 05, 2012, 3:40pm

Nationals

Strasburg breezes through first start in the Windy City

CHICAGO - See what I did there? Stephen Strasburg learned something today. But it wasn't anything relating to hitters' tendencies or specific pitch sequences that he should focus on in the future. The Nationals righty learned that Chicago can get a little breezy. "I knew it was called the Windy City but I didn't really think about it," Strasburg said. "I knew it was going to be pretty cold but I didn't realize how windy it would be." Now he knows. Although he battled the...

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Nationals commentator Holliday honored by alma mater

April 05, 2012, 4:50pm

Nationals

We hear his voice before and after every Nationals game. He's previewing the day's matchup and only hours later recapping another night in baseball. For Nationals fans, baseball season revolves around the sight and sounds of broadcaster Johnny Holliday. Holliday, along with analyst Ray Knight, have been covering the Nationals for quite some time, a mere tip of the iceberg for Holliday, whose radio and television career has stretched more than 40 years. Over those many decades, Holliday...

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Nats happy to see Tracy deliver, for more reasons than one

April 05, 2012, 4:56pm

Nationals

Nats happy to see Tracy deliver, for more reasons than one

CHICAGO - One final note from Wrigley before I head out and do some damage over at Geno's East, which I hear is a fantastic Chicago-style pizza place: Let's not overlook the work turned in by Chad Tracy today. Tracy, who sat around in the Nationals' dugout for seven innings trying to stay warm, delivered a clutch two-out double in the eighth inning that eventually turned into the game-tying run when Ian Desmond singled in Brett Carroll, who pinch ran for Tracy. Here's a guy that a year...

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Notes and quotes on Desmond, Werth and Zimmerman

April 05, 2012, 4:27pm

Nationals

Notes and quotes on Desmond, Werth and Zimmerman

CHICAGO - Today's "Coolest Quote of the Day" goes to Stephen Strasburg, who was asked what was going through his mind in the final innings of today's game, when the Nationals were mounting their rally against the Cubs and then subsequently took the lead. "Watching from the dugout, you almost feel like you're in the box there with them," Strasburg said. "That says a lot about the chemistry we have on this team that everybody in there was pulling for the next guy to get the job done. I...

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Not a bad way to start

April 05, 2012, 2:34pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - Was this really opening day? Are we sure, given the weather and the intensity in the late innings, that we didn't hop in a time machine and end up in October? (Insert your jokes about the Cubs having no shot at October.) (Cubs fans, insert your jokes about the Nationals not being able to joke about postseason appearances just yet.) This sure had the feel of a game with a lot more riding on it than just who would get opening day bragging rights. The quality of the pitching on both...

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Welcome to Nationals Pastime

April 05, 2012, 4:31am

Nationals

CHICAGO - Happy opening day, everyone, and welcome to my brand spankin' new blog here on MASNsports.com - Nationals Pastime. Clever title, huh? Feel free to bookmark the link to my landing page, email it to your friends and tell your grandparents, cousins and annoying co-workers all about it. This is where you'll be able to find me from now on, although you can still flip through our Nationals Buzz blog for my full spring training archive, right through yesterday's email from John Lannan...

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Strasburg stellar, but can he get some help? (He can)

April 05, 2012, 12:18pm

Nationals

Strasburg stellar, but can he get some help? (He can)

CHICAGO - You'd like to think on days where Stephen Strasburg goes seven fantastic innings, allowing just one run, that his teammates would be able to scratch across a couple runs for him. That has not been the case today. Strasburg is in line for the loss this afternoon despite a stellar start to the regular season. The Nationals righty went seven innings, allowing a single run on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts. He threw 82 pitches, 58 for strikes. Unfortunately, he got zero...

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Nats getting them on, but not driving them in (Cubs strike first)

April 05, 2012, 11:21am

Nationals

Nats getting them on, but not driving them in (Cubs strike first)

CHICAGO - Twice today, Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth have come to the plate with two runners in scoring position. Twice today, LaRoche struck out swinging and Werth flew out to right to end the threat. The Nationals have left five runners on base through three innings this afternoon, and left 'em loaded in the third. Today, at least, the Nats haven't had issues with Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa getting on base; instead, they're having issues getting their No. 1 and No. 2 hitters...

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Johnson on Lannan: "We're not trading him. We're keeping him"

April 05, 2012, 9:24am

Nationals

Johnson on Lannan: "We're not trading him. We're keeping him"

CHICAGO - The Nationals understand John Lannan is angry and frustrated with being bumped out of the rotation and sent down to Triple-A Syracuse. They even appreciate the fact that he feels the way he does, because, as general manager Mike Rizzo says, "If he was any other way, I would wonder about him." But the fact that Lannan has requested a trade doesn't change anything in Rizzo or manager Davey Johnson's minds. They're going to keep Lannan at Syracuse and are in no rush to dump the...