nationals

Nats lead as we cruise through six (Gonzalez done after seven strong)

April 17, 2012, 4:28pm

The No. 1 rule of being on a baseball beat is to never talk about how quickly a game is moving. So I won't. I'll just say that Gio Gonzalez and Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez have been incredibly efficient through five and a half innings of play, and those of us in the press box thank them for it. Gonzalez has been cruising right along so far tonight, allowing just two hits and two walks through six frames, and he has a 1-0 lead going to the bottom of the sixth. Prior to a Jose Altuve...

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Today's Nats, Astros lineups

April 17, 2012, 11:44am

Nationals

As promised, both Mark DeRosa and Xavier Nady are in manager Davey Johnson's lineup today, as the Nationals will load up with right-handed hitters against Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez. Interestingly, DeRosa is in right today with Nady in left. This will be DeRosa's first action in right field this season. Wilson Ramos also gets a day off today, as Jesus Flores is behind the plate to catch Gio Gonzalez. Here are today's lineups: Nationals SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa 3B Ryan...

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Ankiel's arm could play a major factor

April 17, 2012, 9:42am

Nationals

The word was already out prior to last night. But if by some chance you didn't know, now you know: Rick Ankiel has a rocket for an arm. Ankiel's laser of a throw from center field to the plate last night was a cool moment. It allowed the 16,245 in attendance at Nationals Park a chance to stand and applaud the work of the Nats center fielder and perhaps give a high-five to their neighbor - if they were the high-five-a-random-stranger type. But Ankiel's throw was more than just a highlight....

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Chien-Ming Wang to face hitters Wednesday

April 16, 2012, 2:21pm

Nationals

Chien-Ming Wang to face hitters Wednesday

The news on Chien-Ming Wang continues to be positive. Wang, who is down at the Nationals' complex in Viera, Fla., rehabbing his strained left hamstring, will throw a simulated game tomorrow. This will be his first time throwing to hitters since suffering the hamstring injury March 15 in a spring training start against the Yankees. The Nationals will continue to take things very slow with the veteran right-hander, but if all goes well in Wang's simulated game, he could be ready to begin a...

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Lombardozzi steps in with career night in Nationals' win

April 16, 2012, 8:00pm

Nationals

If Steve Lombardozzi is an example of the depth of talent that is on the bench for the 2012 Nationals, this team is heading in the right direction and fast. Playing in only his 19th major league game, Lombardozzi tallied four consecutive hits, including a dramatic go-ahead two-run double that lifted the Nationals back in the lead over the Astros, 4-2 in the sixth. Washington ended up winning the game, 6-3. Lombardozzi was a late-season call-up last year for manager Davey Johnson and the...

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Nationals' Desmond playing well, looking straight ahead

April 16, 2012, 2:26pm

Nationals

So far, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond has looked and played the part of a leadoff man. In the first 10 games, Desmond has reached based 19 times with 17 hits and two walks, almost reaching a clip of twice per game. Desmond's numbers have been impressive at the plate, hitting .354 with three doubles, one homer and four RBIs. In 10 games, his on-base percentage is .380 and slugging percentage is at .479. Desmond said one reason for his accelerated start has been a clear mind and a trust in...

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Joe Drugan: Be wary of April standings

April 17, 2012, 6:19am

Nationals

The Nationals are off to the best start since their arrival in D.C., and there is a lot to be excited about, including one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and a team full of young talent. If you look at the standings this morning, it's easy to get even more elated to see the Nats in first place. Before you do get too amped about it, there are just a few things you should consider. * Today is April 17. The Nationals have just finished their 11th game of the season, which means they...

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Have yourself a ballgame, Steve Lombardozzi (Nats win 6-3)

April 16, 2012, 5:23pm

Nationals

Have yourself a ballgame, Steve Lombardozzi (Nats win 6-3)

Entering tonight's game, Steve Lombardozzi had eight career major league hits. The Nationals second baseman is already 4-for-4 tonight, and his two-out, two-run single in the sixth gave Washington the lead just a half-inning after the Astros scored twice on Stephen Strasburg to tie the game. Ryan Zimmerman followed Lombardozzi's hit with a two-run base-knock of his own, and the Nationals now have a 6-2 lead as we go to the seventh. Making just his second start of the season in place of...

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Strasburg filthy, Ramos homers (updated)

April 16, 2012, 4:31pm

Nationals

Strasburg filthy, Ramos homers (updated)

I mean filthy in a good way. Stephen Strasburg has been in a zone through the first five innings of tonight's game, allowing three hits and striking out four Astros. Three of the four strikeouts have been by way of the curveball, which has been especially nasty tonight. Strasburg is getting great bite on the curve, and is buckling Astros hitters' knees with his offspeed stuff. He's needed just 61 pitches to get through the five innings and is showing no signs - zero - of wear after...

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

April 16, 2012, 10:23am

Nationals

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...

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

April 16, 2012, 1:35pm

Nationals

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...

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Nationals minor league roundup: Tonight's starting lineups

April 16, 2012, 1:10pm

Nationals

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...

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

April 15, 2012, 6:01pm

Nationals

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...

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Ted Leavengood: Always springtime in D.C.

April 16, 2012, 5:54am

Nationals

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...

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

April 16, 2012, 4:44am

Nationals Orioles

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...

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

April 14, 2012, 11:37am

Nationals

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...

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Clippard battling minor shoulder discomfort

April 15, 2012, 3:39pm

Nationals

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...

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

April 15, 2012, 2:54pm

Nationals

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...

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

April 15, 2012, 1:21pm

Nationals

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,...

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

April 15, 2012, 10:28am

Nationals

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...