nationals

Yup, Stephen Strasburg went yard (updated)

May 20, 2012, 11:22am

No, that's not a typo. Stephen Strasburg has hit the first home run of his major league career. And boy, did Nats Park ever explode when the ball landed in the visitors bullpen in left-center field. Strasburg took an 0-2 curveball from Wei-Yin Chen and dropped the barrel to it, sending it out and bringing another near-capacity crowd to its feet. The 23-year-old hurler took a slow trot around the bases and entered a dugout filled with smiling teammates. After the crowd requested a curtain...

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Ugly start for Strasburg, Nats (but they battle back)

May 20, 2012, 10:29am

Nationals

Ugly start for Strasburg, Nats (but they battle back)

Safe to say this isn't how Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals wanted to open up their series finale against the Orioles as they try to avoid a sweep. The Nats trail 3-0 in the second inning after a rocky top of the first for Strasburg and an all-around sloppy performance by Washington in the second. Strasburg gave up three hard-hit balls in the first and frankly was lucky to escape having just allowed a single run. He gave up an RBI single to Nick Markakis to get the O's on the board, but...

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Espinosa hitting leadoff

May 20, 2012, 7:08am

Nationals

Yesterday's Nationals lineup had success with second baseman Steve Lombardozzi hitting in the leadoff spot. Today, Davey Johnson will again put his second baseman atop the lineup. Today, though, it's Danny Espinosa, who will get the start at second. Ian Desmond will hit fifth for the second consecutive day. The Nats will face O's lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who has gotten off to a great start, going 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Stephen Strasburg gets the ball for the Nats, looking to put an end to a...

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Talking leadoff spot, Wang's rehab start and Beltway Battle

May 20, 2012, 8:28am

Nationals

Talking leadoff spot, Wang's rehab start and Beltway Battle

Yes, the Nationals will have a guy with 48 strikeouts - tied for fourth-most in the majors - and a .291 on-base percentage in the leadoff spot today. If Ian Desmond isn't a traditional leadoff guy, Danny Espinosa is even less so. Espinosa did hit a ball really hard during his pinch-hitting appearance last night, so there's that. We'll see if a move to the top of the lineup can get him jump-started. In 170 career plate appearances out of the leadoff spot, Espinosa has struggled, however,...

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In defeat, offense puts up a good fight

May 19, 2012, 8:31pm

Nationals

What a great atmosphere we had here at Nationals Park tonight, as 42,331 packed the yard to catch an exciting game between two surprisingly successful teams early in the season. Tonight was actually the second-largest crowd in the history of Nats Park, yet, despite that fact, it wasn't even a sellout. Those on hand watched the Nationals fall behind big early and then scratch their way back in the middle innings. Things got really good in the ninth when Ryan Zimmerman smacked a two-out homer...

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Rizzo talks Wang decision and offensive woes (plus game update)

May 19, 2012, 4:01pm

Nationals

Rizzo talks Wang decision and offensive woes (plus game update)

By now, you know that when Chien-Ming Wang returns from his rehab assignment, he's likely to slide into the Nationals' bullpen, with Ross Detwiler remaining in the rotation. That news was passed along by manager Davey Johnson, but general manager Mike Rizzo also discussed the decision this evening, saying Wang is completely healthy and nearly ready to return. "He's pitching today and we'll see how that works out, Rizzo said. "Probably at first, initially put him in the bullpen because...

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Detwiler: "It was just terrible"

May 19, 2012, 7:34pm

Nationals

Ever honest after a poor performance, Ross Detwiler put full responsibility on himself for the Nationals' 6-5 loss to the Orioles tonight. "I mean, give up six in five innings? That's awful," Detwiler said. "Put the team in a hole early and they did a great job trying to dig out and it was just too much, really." Detwiler allowed nine hits (a season high) and a walk over his five innings, and gave up two two-run home runs. He lacked command the entire night, struggling to locate his...

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Not quite enough

May 19, 2012, 6:20pm

Nationals

When you fall behind 6-0, you're asking a lot of your offense. You're asking even more when that group has scored the third-fewest runs of any offense in baseball this year. The Nationals lost to the Orioles 6-5 tonight, marking their third-straight defeat and giving them just their third series loss of the season. It wasn't for a lack of effort. Ross Detwiler allowed six runs on nine hits over his five innings of work, and put his team in quite a hole. The Nats trailed 6-0 in the fifth...

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Chippin' away at a big deficit (updated)

May 19, 2012, 5:28pm

Nationals

Chippin' away at a big deficit (updated)

Ross Detwiler put the Nationals in a hole. They're slowly working their way out of it. The Orioles came through with six runs off Detwiler in just five innings, and jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four and a half. Detwiler allowed 10 baserunners in his time on the mound tonight (nine hits, one walk) and wasn't fooling anyone all outing. Two of those nine hits were two-run home runs, which came off the bats of Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. But the Nats are battling back, and now trail just...

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Johnson: Detwiler likely to stay in rotation, Wang probably to bullpen

May 19, 2012, 1:20pm

Nationals

Johnson: Detwiler likely to stay in rotation, Wang probably to bullpen

Over the course of his major league career, Chien-Ming Wang has made just five relief appearances. That number is likely to increase. Manager Davey Johnson said today that when Wang returns to the Nationals after he's wrapped up his rehab stint, the 32-year-old right-hander will probably be used out of the bullpen, with Ross Detwiler holding onto the No. 5 spot in the Nats' rotation. "When he comes up, I will probably start him in the bullpen," Johnson said of Wang. "That's probably...

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Desmond's suggestion sparked Johnson's reworked batting order

May 19, 2012, 1:22pm

Nationals

Desmond's suggestion sparked Johnson's reworked batting order

So how did Nationals manager Davey Johnson arrive at the notion of moving leadoff hitter Ian Desmond to the No. 5 spot in Saturday's lineup, while bumping Bryce Harper, who had been hitting fifth, into the two-hole? Partly out of need to inject some life into a batting order that's been struggling to produce offense and partly because the change was suggested to him by one of the parties involved. "Just needs shaking up a little bit, you know?" Johnson said during his pregame session...

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Johnson senses "a little frustration" in Espinosa

May 19, 2012, 3:05pm

Nationals

Johnson senses "a little frustration" in Espinosa

Davey Johnson stood by Danny Espinosa through the second baseman's second-half slide last season and has done so through his rough start to the 2012 campaign, as well. But today, Johnson is giving Espinosa the day off. Why? Johnson has seen the 25-year-old start to get a bit frustrated recently, and didn't want him carrying that into tonight's game. A prime example of that frustration came last night. Espinosa twice failed to get a bunt down in a seventh-inning at-bat, then went ahead and...

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Maldonado gets start, Desmond hitting fifth, day off for Espinosa

May 19, 2012, 11:57am

Nationals

Maldonado gets start, Desmond hitting fifth, day off for Espinosa

Carlos Maldonado gets his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace the injured Sandy Leon, but tonight's Nationals lineup against the Orioles also includes some other surprising shuffling. Shortstop Ian Desmond gets his first shot at the five-hole this season, with Steve Lombardozzi hitting leadoff and playing second base. This isn't the first time Desmond has hit fifth - he did so once in 2010 and three times in 2011, and is a career .353 (6-for-17) in that spot in...

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Situational hitting still an issue as Nats struggle offensively

May 19, 2012, 6:17am

Nationals

Situational hitting still an issue as Nats struggle offensively

At times during the Nationals' 2-1 loss to the O's last night, it almost seemed like there was a hint of desperation coming from Washington's offense. After getting nothing done offensively through the first four innings, Davey Johnson called for a hit-and-run with one out in the fifth. Nothing wrong with that, except the hit-and-run came with the pitcher - Edwin Jackson - at the plate and perhaps the Nats' slowest baserunner - catcher Jesus Flores - on first. With Bryce Harper on first...

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Mattheus on the home run, Espinosa on the botched bunt

May 18, 2012, 8:11pm

Nationals

Mattheus on the home run, Espinosa on the botched bunt

Ryan Mattheus gave up a deep fly ball off the bat of J.J. Hardy to begin the top of the 11th, and when center fielder Rick Ankiel tracked it down at the wall in front of the 402-foot sign, it looked like Mattheus might have escaped his one mistake in the inning. But then Nick Markakis took a slider that stayed down and in, and crushed it deep over the right-field wall, giving the Orioles their second run of the game and leading them to a 2-1 win. Normally you hear about pitchers leaving a...

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Catch him if you can: Burns flying in Hagerstown

May 18, 2012, 5:58pm

Nationals

Catch him if you can: Burns flying in Hagerstown

Outfielder

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Jackson's outstanding effort lost in extra-inning lid-lifter

May 18, 2012, 7:22pm

Nationals Orioles

Jackson's outstanding effort lost in extra-inning lid-lifter

3-2 count. Fastball low, walk. Tough to allow a baserunner in any situation, but having it be the Orioles' leadoff hitter, Xavier Avery, on the first at-bat of the game proved more costly in a tight contest. Avery was able to come around to score the first run of the game, thanks to a double by Nick Markakis and a single from Adam Jones. But really, it was only 1-0 Orioles. In the end, however, the Orioles beat the Nationals 2-1 in 11 innings on a Markakis homer. But when he was in, it...

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Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 extra-inning loss

May 18, 2012, 7:43pm

Nationals

Johnson discusses Nats' 2-1 extra-inning loss

As he sat down at the podium for his postgame press conference, Davey Johnson said what all Nationals fans are probably feeling tonight. "Well, that was a tough one," Johnson said. The Nats battled with the O's over 11 innings, but the frustrating part of the night was the 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Washington had opportunities but just couldn't get guys in, and they couldn't capitalize on a fantastic eight-inning performance from Edwin Jackson in which he allowed just...

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This time around, O's against Nats needs no hype

May 18, 2012, 8:12am

Nationals Orioles

This time around, O's against Nats needs no hype

When the Orioles and Nationals play, no hype for this series is needed for the first time. The teams have taken care of that and both are playing so well that they've turned this into a big series with the winning. The Orioles lead the American League East at 25-14. They have the best record in the AL, are 17-7 over the last 24 games and are 11 games over .500 for the first time since June 24, 2005. The Nationals feature two of the game's best young players in Bryce Harper and Stephen...

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More fantastic pitching, more low-scoring ballgames (Nats lose in 11, 2-1)

May 18, 2012, 5:24pm

Nationals Orioles

More fantastic pitching, more low-scoring ballgames (Nats lose in 11, 2-1)

With the exception of his complete-game, two-hitter back on April 14 against the Reds, Edwin Jackson delivered his finest performance as a National tonight. Jackson was sensational through eight innings, allowing just one run on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. After allowing a run in the first inning, Jackson set down 19 of the 23 Orioles he faced and needed just 95 pitches to get through his eight frames. Luckily, he won't get stuck with a tough-luck loss, thanks to Ian...