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CHICAGO - Chad Tracy joined MASN's Julie Alexandria for a walk-off interview on the field at Wrigley after today's 5-4, 13-inning win. Tracy's 50-foot swinging bunt RBI groundout ended up bringing in the game-winning run, so he was tabbed as the guy to get the questions on the field.
"I know he was on the after-game show as the hero. But we gotta do better than that!" manager Davey Johnson said with a laugh.
It was yet another wild win for the Nationals today, the second straight day...
CHICAGO - I feel like we've been down this road before. Fairly recently. Maybe, say, five days ago.
Let's hope this one doesn't go 15 innings.
The Nationals and Cubs are still playing as we go to the 11th inning. The Nats left Kurt Suzuki stranded in scoring position in the top of the 10th, with Denard Span striking out and Steve Lombardozzi flying out after Suzuki had been bunted to second by Tyler Moore.
It's fair to question Moore - a power hitter who is going pretty well right now -...
CHICAGO - One start after completely losing his control against the Braves and getting ejected following seven straight balls to begin the second inning (the final two of which were behind Andrelton Simmons), Stephen Strasburg has been totally locked in against the Cubs.
Through three innings, Strasburg has struck out five, allowed one hit and two walks and thrown just 42 pitches, 27 for strikes.
The fastball has touched 97 mph and the curveball has been dazzling.
On a third-inning strikeout...
CHICAGO - After three straight gorgeous days in Chicago, the rain has hit Wrigley Field this afternoon.
The tarp is on the field with about a half-hour to go until the scheduled time for first-pitch, and the radar isn't looking good for the next couple hours.
We might be here for a while.
Ian Desmond is out of the Nationals' starting lineup today due to a tight back that he first felt during batting practice yesterday. Desmond said last night that he hoped to be in the lineup for this...
It's leftovers for lunch. Dig in.
As I was wrapping up my conversation yesterday with left-hander Troy Patton about the mood inside the clubhouse, the topic shifted to the reaction of fans who seemingly had given up on the 2013 season after the Orioles dropped six of their last eight games.
The Orioles had lost only one more game than last season at the same point in the schedule, but the perception was so much different. One theory centered on how more teams are in contention this summer,...
CHICAGO - David DeJesus' wild week continues.
Hours after being acquired by the Nationals in a trade with the Cubs on Monday, DeJesus was placed back on revocable trade waivers by the Nats. Today, DeJesus heard multiple reports that he'd been claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Nationals have three options when it comes to DeJesus now that he's been claimed: They can pull him back off waivers and keep him, which would leave them on the hook for the $2.5 million still owed to...
With a team full of 2013 Orioles draft picks, this year's short-season Single-A IronBirds are trying to make history by becoming the first playoff squad in Aberdeen.
This is the IronBirds' 12th season and not only have they never made the New York-Penn League playoffs, but Aberdeen has had just one winning season.
But after an extra-innings win last night at Hudson Valley, Aberdeen is 31-27 and leading its division by 1 1/2 games with 14 games left to play. Aberdeen is 11-6 over its last 17...
CHICAGO - The Nationals' lineup for this afternoon's series finale in Chicago is without three regulars - Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche and Denard Span.
Desmond felt his back tighten up on him during batting practice yesterday and was pulled from last night's game as a precaution as part of a double-switch in the fifth inning.
He said after the game last night that he was fine and that on a scale of 1-to-10 of injuries that he's played through, this was a one.
Still, Desmond is out of the...
Outfielder Isaac Ballou is having an outstanding season for the Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League. The former Marshall star has excelled in 56 games, batting .284 through August 21.
The 23-year-old Ballou has 11 doubles, one triple, two homers, seven stolen bases, 32 runs and 17 RBIs in 197 at-bats.
Auburn manager Gary Cathcart said the 6-foot-2, 205-lb. Ballou has really gotten his attention through the first two months of the short-season.
"Most pleasant surprise in the draft...
When I got a text message from a Cubs fan friend of mine on Monday night, I can't say I was surprised by the what he had to say: "Look for me at the game. And David DeJesus is a good pickup."
While I didn't see that friend on my television set, I did shoot him a message back in agreement. It's this move - a veteran pickup for the Washington bench - that continues to demonstrate that the Nationals organization is willing to make changes when changes need to be made.
They showed that when...