nationals

Wild race brewing in AL, Strasburg loses some of his buzz

September 13, 2011, 4:26am

Perhaps there's going to be more drama that expected in baseball's final month - and the Orioles have a chance to determine the American League's wild card. It's likely, and not unexpected, that the American League West will be decided on the final three games when the Texas Rangers play the Los Angeles Angels. But, now, there's a possible wild card race brewing in the AL. Even though time is against them, the Tampa Bay Rays came to Baltimore Monday night trailing the Boston Red Sox by...

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Dave Nichols: Strasburg's shortened start the prudent course of action

September 12, 2011, 4:45am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Strasburg's shortened start the prudent course of action

Stephen Strasburg made his second big league start of the season for the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The big righty struggled a bit with his normally pinpoint control and saw a drop in velocity on most his pitches, but he gutted out a 57-pitch, three-inning start, giving up one earned run on three hits. He did not walk a batter for his second consecutive start and struck out four Houston Astros, three on his devastating changeup and one on a biting two-seam fastball. Manager Davey Johnson...

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Potomac rallies to extend series; Harrisburg eliminated

September 11, 2011, 12:11pm

Nationals

Potomac rallies to extend series; Harrisburg eliminated

The Single-A Potomac Nationals scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth frame to topple Frederick 6-1 in a must win Game 4 at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. The deciding game five at 7 p.m. Monday night in Frederick. Zach Walters, Destin Hood and Jose Lozada each had a pair of RBIs for Cameron Selik, who notches the win. Richmond dropped Harrisburg 2-1 to sweep the series 3-0. The Senators' lone run came on an Erik Komatsu double and then he scored on a Stephen King base hit. ...

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Jesus Flores building back strength and confidence in game follows

September 11, 2011, 9:15am

Nationals

Jesus Flores building back strength and confidence in game follows

The Nationals' catcher Jesus Flores has had a good homestand and has been able to hit the ball well to the outfield, especially the left field corner in his past few games. Flores has gone 5-for-8 with two doubles and an RBI during the Nationals' homestand against the Mets, Dodgers and Astros. Flores said his confidence is growing as he gets more playing time and gets farther away from the shoulder and labrum issues that sidelined him for close to two seasons. "I feel like I am having a...

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Nationals versus Astros lineup 9/11/11

September 11, 2011, 7:27am

Nationals

Here is the Nationals' lineup for the series finale with the Astros. Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â Desmond - SS Ankiel - CF Zimmerman - 3B Morse - LF Werth - RF Espinosa - 2B Marrero - 1B Ramos - C Strasburg - P Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â

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Frederick Sends Potomac to brink of elimination

September 10, 2011, 6:09pm

Nationals

Frederick Sends Potomac to brink of elimination

The Single-A Potomac Nationals face elimination Sunday after falling 5-1 in Game 2 of their divisional series against the Frederick Keys Saturday night in Woodbridge, Va. The P-Nats managed just three hits against the Keys with Scott Copeland getting stronger as the game went on. Copeland retired 11 of the final 12 hitters he faced. Destin Hood crushed a solo home run for the P-Nats' lone tally. The Keys lead the best-of-five series two games to one. Evan Bronson lasted 4 2/3 innings,...

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Johnson says Espinosa might be "over trying" to get out of slump

September 10, 2011, 6:57pm

Nationals

Johnson says Espinosa might be "over trying" to get out of slump

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa went 0-for-4 Saturday in Washington's 9-3 setback to the Houston Astros, striking out his last three at-bats. He has gone 0-for-his-last-11 at the plate, and has struck out 11 of his last 15 at-bats. His average has dipped to .226 but that does not bother Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who said Espinosa is working harder than anyone he has seen to figure out what is going wrong in the batter's box. "Well, he is so driven," Johnson said. "He is...

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Lombardozzi relishes opportunity to play pair of infield positions

September 10, 2011, 3:02pm

Nationals

Lombardozzi relishes opportunity to play pair of infield positions

Nationals infielder Steve Lombardozzi has been able to play shortstop and second base in his first three games in the big leagues and doesn't mind being moved around. "It has been awesome," Lombardozzi said. "I was glad I got a chance to play short. I am getting comfortable at both positions. The more positions I get to play, the better for me. I am happy to do whatever it takes." Lombardozzi says he has been playing on the right side of the infield for most of his career, but he is...

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Potomac goes for series lead at home tonight against Frederick

September 10, 2011, 2:23pm

Nationals

Potomac goes for series lead at home tonight against Frederick

The Single-A Potomac Nationals shutout the Frederick Keys 8-0 to even their best-of-five series at one. Brian Peacock and Francisco Soriano smacked home runs while Eury Perez went 3-for-4 with a double and four runs scored. Left-hander Sammy Solis went 4 2/3 innings, scattering five hits, allowing no runs with one walk and seven strikeouts. Neil Holland, Joe Testa and Cameron Selik shut down the Keys from that point to preserve the win. Game Three tonight a Pfitzner Stadium features Evan...

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Lombardozzi, Peacock earn minor league honors from Nationals

September 10, 2011, 10:57am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today named infielder Steve Lombardozzi Minor League Player of the Year and right-hander Brad Peacock Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the 2011 season. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone, Director of Player Development Doug Harris and Director of Minor League Operations Mark Scialabba made the joint announcement. Lombardozzi batted...

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The Road Back: Chronicling Stephen Strasburg's return to the major leagues

August 24, 2011, 1:29pm

Nationals

The Road Back: Chronicling Stephen Strasburg's return to the major leagues

On June 9, 2009, the Nationals selected Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft. Strasburg, a right-hander from San Diego State University, was one of the most highly touted draft picks in recent memory and from his first day in the Nationals' organization, caught the eye of baseball fans around the country. Nearly one year later, amid flashbulbs at a sold-out Nationals Park, Strasburg made his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, going seven...

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Weekend security measures at Nationals Park

September 09, 2011, 5:45pm

Nationals

Washington Nationals Observe 9/11 Remembrance Day Fans should expect enhanced security procedures throughout the weekend Due to heightened security precautions surrounding 9/11 Remembrance Day, the Washington Nationals encourage fans to arrive earlier than normal and leave backpacks, bags and extra items at home throughout the weekend. Enhanced security procedures at Nationals Park may slow entry into the ballpark on both Saturday and Sunday. Fans should prepare for the following safety...

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Despite four runs allowed, Johnson sees Wang making progress

September 08, 2011, 1:40pm

Nationals

Despite four runs allowed, Johnson sees Wang making progress

Despite allowing two runs in the first and third frames, Chien-Ming Wang managed to go six innings for the Nationals in a no decision Thursday in Game One of a doubleheader versus the Dodgers. He did not walk a batter and struck out three. Wang said through an interpreter that the Dodgers tried to "get my first pitch. So, later on I threw more breaking balls." Wang said he would like to adjust his warmups so that he gets started a little earlier, that maybe that will help him get in a groove...

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Could top prospect Tyler Moore switch to the outfield for the Nationals?

September 09, 2011, 9:31am

Nationals

Double-A Harrisburg Senators first baseman Tyler Moore continues to make outstanding progress up the Nationals chain. His power numbers have drawn rave reviews and he has been a solid contributor to the first-place Senators as they venture into the divisional series at Richmond this weekend. Unfortunately, Metro Bank Park is under water so the entire best-of-five series will have to be played entirely in Virginia. "We had to evacuate two days ago," Moore said. "They were showing us...

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Flooding forces Double-A Senators to move playoff series to Richmond

September 08, 2011, 3:40pm

Nationals

Flooding forces Double-A Senators to move playoff series to Richmond

Rain impacted the Nationals' schedule this week, but it has also affected two minor league playoff series for two Nats' affiliates - Single-A Potomac of the Carolina League and Double-A Harrisburg in the Eastern League. The worst has been in the Harrisburg, Pa., area where City Island and Metro Bank Park are completely flooded and

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Jenn Jenson: Rain, rain, rain delay

September 09, 2011, 5:55am

Nationals

So, how 'bout that weather? Yesterday, the second game of a doubleheader with the Los Angeles Dodgers was rained out. The day before yesterday, the game was postponed by rain. And the day before that? Still more rain that first threatened to put off Stephen Strasburg's return to the mound and later created a mid-game delay. This week brought a crazy amount of rain to the Washington area, with important consequences that include three deaths in Maryland and Virginia, property damage from...

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Jenn Jenson: If you're really lucky, you can play baseball for a living

August 26, 2011, 6:32am

Nationals

Jenn Jenson: If you're really lucky, you can play baseball for a living

One of the things I like about baseball is the opportunity to watch people who are living their dream. It makes me happy, and on some days it also reminds me to count my blessings and focus what I might achieve in my own life. Of course, there's more than one professional baseball dream, from being drafted, to stepping on the field for a major league debut, to winning the World Series and everything in-between. I'm sure a lot of major league players pinch themselves every day and say,...

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Should the Nationals retire Hernandez's No. 61?

September 07, 2011, 8:10pm

Nationals

After a mutual agreement between Livan Hernandez and the Washington Nationals, the 245-lb. right-hander will be shut down for the rest of the season to make room for the excess of young pitching talent making their auditions for the 2012 season. It was a classy move by the man who threw the first pitch in Nationals history way back in 2005. I know most of you are thinking: Why would the Nationals retire the number of a guy who went 70-72 with the Expos/Nationals franchise? This is a fair...

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Potomac looks to even series in Frederick tonight

September 08, 2011, 8:14am

Nationals

Potomac looks to even series in Frederick tonight

The Potomac Nationals fell, 5-1 in Game 1 of their divisional series with the Frederick Keys. Steven Souza smacked a solo homer for the only offense for the P-Nats. Paul Demny did well in the first two innings but the Keys managed a three-run shot by Miguel Abreu to take the lead for good. The game was shortened to six innings due to the torrential rains. Game 2 is tonight at Harry Grove stadium with Sammy Solis getting the call to even the series against Rick Zagone at 7:05 p.m. I am...

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Potomac's Demny primed for Game 1 tonight at Frederick

September 07, 2011, 12:23pm

Nationals

Potomac's Demny primed for Game 1 tonight at Frederick

The Single-A Potomac Nationals begin defense of their Mills Cup tonight at Harry Grove stadium in Game 1 of their divisional series against the Frederick Keys. Right-hander Paul Demny gets the call for Matt Lecroy, opposed by the Keys' Jake Pettit. Demny was 10-10 with a 4.32 ERA. Left-hander Petit was 7-0 with a 1.62 ERA. Demny comes into game one on a roll, 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last five starts, allowing just six runs in the last 27 innings. One of the hottest hitters for the...