nationals

Sunday's Nats-Reds lineups (first pitch set for 4:45 p.m.)

May 13, 2012, 7:38am

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Davey Johnson is sticking with the same lineup he's gone with the last few games, with Roger Bernadina hitting second and Bryce Harper hitting fifth. With Wilson Ramos going on the DL with a torn ACL, Jesus Flores slides into the starting lineup and will hit eighth. The Nationals will face Reds righty Bronson Arroyo, who is 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA this season. Here are the lineups for both teams: Nationals SS Ian Desmond LF Roger Bernadina 3B Ryan...

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A win and a loss (Ramos heading to DL)

May 12, 2012, 6:21pm

Nationals

The Nationals beat the Reds 2-1 tonight, winning their third straight and securing yet another series win. Jordan Zimmermann delivered another fantastic start, striking out nine over seven one-run innings, lowering his ERA to 2.14. Danny Espinosa hit his second homer in as many ballgames, breaking a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning by crushing a ball over the wall in right and raising his average to .205, the highest it's been since April 29. Henry Rodriguez got his eighth save of the season,...

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Nationals place Ramos on DL, select Leon from Double-A Harrisburg

May 13, 2012, 7:00am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today selected catcher Sandy Leon from Harrisburg of the Double-A Eastern League and placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the 15-Day Disabled List with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (right knee). Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Leon, who will wear No. 41 when he joins the Nationals for their series finale today at Cincinnati, batted .319 with 10 doubles, one home run and 12 RBI in 27 games...

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Harper in Nats lineup

May 12, 2012, 11:25am

Nationals

A day after accidentally hitting himself in the face with a bat and opening a cut over his left eye, Bryce Harper is in the Nationals' starting lineup. Tough kid. Manager Davey Johnson had suggested that Harper might need a couple days off after the bizarre wall-meet-bat, bat-meet-face incident yesterday, but the 19-year-old will be back in right field tonight, hopefully sans blood dripping down his face. The Nationals will face Reds righty Mat Latos, who allowed two runs and five hits over...

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Pregame thoughts on Harper, Gonzalez, Stammen

May 12, 2012, 2:57pm

Nationals

Pregame thoughts on Harper, Gonzalez, Stammen

Those who are getting after Bryce Harper and calling his bat accident last night immature need to relax, in my opinion. Yeah, Harper's 19 and still has some growing up to do. But this was a legitimate bit of misfortune and shouldn't be overanalyzed. You see players spike their batting helmets and toss bats to the ground after striking out all the time. I bet there have been countless times this season when a Nationals player has gone into the tunnel and thrown something after a poor...

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Weekend at Bernie's

May 11, 2012, 6:34pm

Nationals

With Jayson Werth out for a few months and general manager Mike Rizzo saying he's not going to trade to acquire an outfielder for the short term, a few guys on the Nationals roster have an opportunity on their hands right now. There's playing time to be had in left field, and it's up to someone to earn it. Roger Bernadina, step on up. Bernadina has made a claim for the left field job with his play the last two days, hitting two home runs, driving in four and stealing a base over the...

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The bats come alive in Cincinnati (Nats win 7-3, plus Harper update)

May 11, 2012, 5:05pm

Nationals

The bats come alive in Cincinnati (Nats win 7-3, plus Harper update)

The Nationals have scored in all four innings thus far tonight, have hit two home runs and lead the Reds 7-1 as we go to the top of the fifth. It's fun to hit in the Great American Ballpark, all right. Washington got on top 3-0 in the top of the first inning on Roger Bernadina's two-run home run and Adam LaRoche's RBI double. Bernadina has now homered in two straight games, and he added another RBI when his single to left plated Wilson Ramos in the second. Think Bernadina wants to grab...

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Shark sighting: Bernadina starts offense two games in a row

May 11, 2012, 7:30pm

Nationals

Shark sighting: Bernadina starts offense two games in a row

Left fielder Roger Bernadina's big bat has returned at just the right time, helping to ignite the Nationals' offense two games in a row. Down 2-0 at Pittsburgh Thursday, Bernadina crushed a solo homer to cut the Pirates lead to 2-1. The Nationals eventually won the game, 4-2. Friday, Bernadina taxed Cincinnati starter Mike Leake for 10 pitches in the first frame before blasting a two-run homer over the right-center-field fence to give the Nats a 2-0 lead. Washington rolled to a 7-3 opening...

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Having a very early Nationals MVP discussion

May 11, 2012, 10:43am

Nationals

Yeah, 31 games in is a pretty arbitrary point to start having a team MVP discussion. I'm aware of that. But, hey, let's have it anyway. We're now five weeks into the season, and when you look over the Nationals roster, there are a number of guys who could be in the team MVP picture to this point. At least three of the Nats starters could be in the discussion. Stephen Strasburg (3-0, 1.64 ERA, 51 strikeouts), Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 1.72 ERA, .156 batting average against) and Ross Detwiler...

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Report: Nationals and Angels talking Bourjos

May 10, 2012, 9:42pm

Nationals

Before the season, the Nationals focused on acquiring a starting center fielder. Some talks centered around Los Angeles Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos. With injuries to the Nationals outfielders, especially to starting right fielder Jayson Werth, this FOXSports.com report indicates those talks may be heating up. The 25-year old Bourjos has seen his playing time dwindle ever since the Angels called up prospect Mike Trout. Bourjos is batting .192 through 21 games this season, but hit .271 with...

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Friday's Nats, Reds lineups

May 11, 2012, 12:01pm

Nationals

How does Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips welcome the Nationals to town? By taking a dig at Bryce Harper on Twitter. Here's what Phillips tweeted earlier today: "GoodAfternoon #Cincinnati... Today we host #BabeRuth & the @Nationals for a 3 game series at #GABP! See y'all there" That's the second "Babe Ruth" reference we've heard in the last week. An unnamed Phillies player apparently made a similar comment referring to Harper during last weekend's series at Nationals Park. (I'm...

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He's the ace for a reason

May 11, 2012, 5:16am

Nationals

It sure is nice to have a pitcher who can take the mound with his team stuck on a three-game losing streak and promptly strike out 13, allowing just one earned run over six innings. That's what aces are for. Stephen Strasburg picked the Nationals up last night, putting together yet another quality start - his seventh in as many outings this season - and helping to snap the Nats' three-game skid. The 23-year-old right-hander has made many a team look silly so far in his young career, but he...

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Strasburg must love the Pirates (Nats win 4-2)

May 10, 2012, 4:09pm

Nationals

Strasburg must love the Pirates (Nats win 4-2)

I have a feeling most pitchers enjoy facing the Pirates. They've scored by far the fewest runs in the majors and are hitting just .227 as a team. Any pitcher would love to go against that group. Stephen Strasburg really, really loves to face Pittsburgh. Strasburg has struck out seven straight Bucs hitters, and has faced the minimum as we go to the fourth inning. Dating back to his last start against the Pirates - which just happened to be his dazzling major league debut - Strasburg has...

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Marty Niland: Lombardozzi needs more time at second base

May 11, 2012, 4:48am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Lombardozzi needs more time at second base

It's obvious that the Nationals won't fix their offensive struggles overnight. Michael Morse is still weeks away with a strained lat muscle. Jayson Werth's absence with a broken wrist has left a huge hole in the middle of the lineup. Bryce Harper has been very good so far, but he's not Superman, and Ryan Zimmerman is working his way back into form after missing 14 games with a shoulder injury. That means manager Davey Johnson is going to have to make use of the tools he has to maximize...

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Lehman's work ethic "rubbed off" on Harrisburg hurlers

May 10, 2012, 2:44pm

Nationals

Lehman's work ethic "rubbed off" on Harrisburg hurlers

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect." -- Vince Lombardi Coaching is always crucial to how well prospects move along in the system. Coaching by teammates can also be critical for a player's development. Pitchers have more downtime. Starters have five days between outings. That downtime lends itself to comparing grips on curve balls and split fingers. Guys go over their schedules for throwing sessions with each other and compare notes. The relievers in the...

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Blown chances plague Nats in 4-2 loss

May 09, 2012, 6:11pm

Nationals

You'd think the Nationals caught a break when Pirates starter Erik Bedard, who entered the game with a 2.65 ERA, was pulled after just an inning-plus due to a back injury. That left the Nats eight innings to battle against Pittsburgh's bullpen. You'd think the Nats would have a decent shot at tying the game when they loaded the bases with just one out in the eighth, trailing 3-2. You'd think that if a Washington starter (Ross Detwiler, for example) allowed three runs in six innings - a...

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Playing the numbers

May 10, 2012, 11:11am

Nationals

Over the Nationals' last 16 games, they've gotten 15 quality starts. In that 16-game span, the Nats are 8-8. I'm not trying to pile on here, I'm just saying. Stuck on a three-game losing streak, the Nats send their ace to the mound tonight, looking to avoid getting swept by the Pirates. It's a very small sample size, but Stephen Strasburg has allowed only one hit to a player currently on the Pirates' roster. That guy is Neil Walker, who is 1-for-3 with a strikeout off Strasburg....

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Rizzo on Espinosa's struggles: "They are called averages for a reason"

May 09, 2012, 12:08pm

Nationals

Rizzo on Espinosa's struggles: "They are called averages for a reason"

General manager Mike Rizzo endorsed second baseman Danny Espinosa during the weekly "Mike Rizzo Show with Holden and Danny," Wednesday on sports radio 106.7 The Fan in D.C. Espinosa has slumped to .186 this season after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the series opener at Pittsburgh Tuesday night. The switch-hitting 24-year-old from Santa Ana, Calif., has hit just one home run and is 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position early this season. Rizzo said he speaks with Espinosa on a...

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Bernadina hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth

May 10, 2012, 11:58am

Nationals

Bernadina hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth

Davey Johnson has made a couple lineup changes, all right. The Nationals' skipper has tweaked his batting order for tonight's series finale against the Pirates, putting Roger Bernadina in the No. 2 spot and dropping Bryce Harper to fifth. Danny Espinosa will start at second base tonight and will protect Harper in the order, hitting sixth. This is now the fourth spot in the lineup that Harper has at-bats. He's previously hit seventh, third and second. Here are the lineups for both...

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Strikeout total rises as win total stays stagnant

May 10, 2012, 4:58am

Nationals

Strikeout total rises as win total stays stagnant

What would you rather have first, the good news or the bad news? Let's start with the positive stuff, just to kick the morning off right. Making his third rehab start since suffering a left hamstring injury back in spring training, Chien-Ming Wang went seven innings yesterday for Triple-A Syracuse, allowing two runs on eight hits and earning the win. Wang walked one, struck out one and threw 89 pitches, 61 for strikes. The good news ends there. Here comes the bad. The Nationals struck...