nationals

A handful of pregame notes

April 08, 2012, 10:07am

CHICAGO - Since he used somewhat of a mixture of his A and B bullpens yesterday, the relievers manager Davey Johnson will lean on today will mostly be the guys who didn't get work in the Nationals' 7-4 win on Saturday. Hello, Brad Lidge. Lefties Sean Burnett and Tom Gorzelanny could also be called on today, especially since Cubs manager Dale Sveum has written in a lineup that includes all four of his available left-handed hitters. Xavier Nady will get his first appearance of 2012 today, as...

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Rendon's injury is sprained ankle (updated)

April 08, 2012, 8:05am

Nationals

Rendon's injury is sprained ankle (updated)

CHICAGO - Just got word that 2011 first-round pick Anthony Rendon's injury has been diagnosed as a badly sprained left ankle. X-rays on Rendon's ankle were negative. The Nationals will need to wait until the swelling goes down in Rendon's ankle before they have an idea of how long the third baseman will be out. The team obviously won't like seeing Rendon in the trainer's room yet again (he twice injured his right ankle a few years ago and suffered a right shoulder injury while in...

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Nats lineup for series finale vs. Cubs (updated)

April 08, 2012, 7:38am

Nationals

Nats lineup for series finale vs. Cubs (updated)

CHICAGO - Rick Ankiel went yard again yesterday for Double-A Harrisburg, giving him two homers in as many rehab games. He's now batting .429 in three contests for the Senators. Harrisburg center fielder Eury Perez went 3-for-6 yesterday to raise his season average to .400, but he was caught stealing and picked off first base. Easy, Eury. There were a couple strong pitching performances in the Nats' system yesterday, as Yunesky Maya threw six shutout innings for Triple-A Syracuse, striking...

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Yesterday an example of how good Nats' 'pen can be

April 08, 2012, 5:56am

Nationals

Yesterday an example of how good Nats' 'pen can be

CHICAGO - We know about what Tyler Clippard, Brad Lidge and Drew Storen can bring to the back end of the Nationals' bullpen, when healthy. But when you add in quality performances from guys like Craig Stammen, Ryan Mattheus and Henry Rodriguez, who all helped the Nationals secure a 7-4 comeback win yesterday over the Cubs, you start to see that this could be a special group the Nats are working with. "We've got a pretty good bullpen," Stammen said. "You could tell by the way they made...

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Prospect Rendon injured during Potomac's 7-2 loss at Lynchburg (updated)

April 07, 2012, 6:56pm

Nationals

Prospect Rendon injured during Potomac's 7-2 loss at Lynchburg (updated)

Anthony Rendon, the Nationals' No. 6 overall selection in June's draft, suffered an injury rounding third base in the fourth inning of high Single-A Potomac's 7-2 loss to Lynchburg at City Stadium on Saturday night. Rendon was removed from the game. According to a club source, Rendon suffered a lower leg injury. Rendon had doubled and was trying to score on a bloop single by Justin Bloxom. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time. Rendon had recovered from setbacks during his...

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Gonzalez not disappointed with rocky Nats debut

April 07, 2012, 4:20pm

Nationals

Gonzalez not disappointed with rocky Nats debut

CHICAGO - If you look at Gio Gonzalez's stat line from tonight and think that he left Wrigley Field disappointed with his performance, you'd be wrong. The Nationals starter actually says he was perfectly fine with his 3 2/3 innings, in which he allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts. "It was exactly what I wanted," Gonzalez said. "I was in the strike zone. I felt like I was in the strike zone. I felt like I was getting contact, making the guys swing the bat....

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The wild ride continues for Tracy

April 07, 2012, 3:58pm

Nationals

CHICAGO - Around 2:50 p.m. Central time, Chad Tracy - he of the .235 batting average and one home run in Japan last year - was trending on Twitter. Not just in the Washington, D.C., area. Nationwide. Tracy's reaction to the fact that likely tens of thousands of people were sending out messages about him on the popular social media platform? "Oh really? That's good to know," he said, a smile creeping across his face. Twitter might not really be Tracy's thing, but delivering clutch hits...

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Rendon's injury is to his left leg

April 08, 2012, 5:35am

Nationals

CHICAGO - There's not much new information to pass along just yet on Anthony Rendon, the Nationals' top pick in the 2011 draft who had to be helped off the field last night after suffering an injury during Single-A Potomac's game at Lynchburg. Rendon fell to the ground after slipping while making a turn around third base. The good news, if there is any, is that Rendon's injury apparently is to his left leg, according to reports out of Lynchburg. The 21-year-old third baseman tore...

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Five-run eighth lifts Nats to thrilling 7-4 win

April 07, 2012, 12:30pm

Nationals

Five-run eighth lifts Nats to thrilling 7-4 win

CHICAGO - If the Nationals keep this up, they're going to shorten their fans' lifespan by a few years. Not sure if anyone in the D.C. area would mind, however. On Thursday, the Nats came back from a run down in the late innings, tying the game in the eighth and taking the lead in the ninth. Today, yet again, the Nats put together an eighth inning rally against the Cubs bullpen. Washington entered the frame trailing by two, and left the eighth holding a 7-4 lead, thanks to a miraculous...

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Another deficit entering the eighth (and another comeback)

April 07, 2012, 11:26am

Nationals

Another deficit entering the eighth (and another comeback)

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...