Attempting to add a veteran presence to their thinned crop of catchers, the Nationals have acquired veteran backstop Kurt Suzuki from the Oakland Athletics for minor league catcher David Freitas. Suzuki, 28, is likely to replace Jesus Flores as the Nationals' starting catcher. "He's a No. 1 catcher," said manager Davey Johnson, who managed Suzuki five years ago during qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. "I liked his catching skills and I liked his bat potential then. And that was (five)...

The Washington Nationals today acquired catcher Kurt Suzuki from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league catcher David Freitas. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Suzuki is a .254 (643-for-2530) career hitter with 134 doubles, 57 home runs, 302 RBI and a .689 OPS in 703 games spanning six seasons (2007-present) with Oakland. Defensively, Suzuki leads all qualified American League catchers in fielding...

The Nationals have called up John Lannan to start the first game of today's doubleheader against the Marlins. No corresponding roster move was necessary because of a new rule that allows teams to carry 26 players on the active roster for doubleheaders. Also, Bryce Harper is sitting out Game 1 with Jayson Werth starting in center field. For the Nationals: SS Danny Espinosa 2B Steve Lombardozzi 3B Ryan Zimmerman CF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche LF Tyler Moore RF Mark DeRosa C Jesus Flores P...

The Washington Nationals today recalled left-handed pitcher John Lannan from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Lannan will start the first game of today's doubleheader against the Miami Marlins. The 27-year-old went 6-10 with a 5.24 ERA in 19 starts this season with Syracuse. Lannan earned the win in his lone start with Washington in 2012, holding the Atlanta Braves...

Making his second move of the season, shortstop Zach Walters has been promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, Nationals director of player development Doug Harris confirmed to MASNSports.com. Walters hit .293 in 43 games for Double-A Harrisburg, smacking 11 doubles, four triples, six homers and 19 RBIs. He scored 23 runs and walked eight times with one stolen base for the Senators. But what is more important is that he is a shortstop, and with the uncertainty of Ian Desmond's oblique injury and Steve...

Think about it for a second. So far this season, Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond have all spent time on the disabled list and have battled an injury for a fairly lengthy period of time. That's nearly every member of the middle of the Nationals' projected batting order. While his cohorts have been dinged up and out of the lineup, Adam LaRoche has quietly plugged away. He's consistently raked at the plate, hitting big home runs, plating baserunners and providing...

Although it might've been uncomfortable and difficult, Cal Ripken Jr. spent Friday morning doing something he felt was quite necessary. First, the Orioles legend appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America." Then, he held a news conference on the sixth floor of the B&O Warehouse to discuss his mother's abduction from her Aberdeen home July 24, and also make a plea for the public's help in the search for the suspect. At one point, Ripken stifled tears when recalling what transpired the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Buck Showalter officially took the helm of the Orioles on Aug. 2, 2010, two years and one day ago today. We couldn't celebrate his anniversary on an off-day. He's got the Orioles five games above .500 and only 1 1/2 back in the wild card chase, which may come as a surprise to the folks who predicted his club would lose 100 this year. And there were lots and lots of them, both locally and nationally. The clock was supposed to be turned back to 1988. I've fielded the...

It looks like Jordan Zimmermann's teammates - along with the rest of the baseball world - are finally starting to appreciate him. Of all the moves Davey Johnson has made this season, the best may have been resetting his pitching rotation after the All-Star break with the 26-year-old right-hander at the top. Zimmermann has been the team's most consistent pitcher all season, with an major league-leading 19 quality starts in 21 outings. In fact, he has never pitched fewer than six innings - one...

Think about big-budget baseball teams that have been a disappointment this season. Which teams come to mind, and how do you feel about them? The Philadelphia Phillies stand out to me. The Phillies have baseball's second-largest payroll at $175 million and are in last place in the NL East with a 47-58 record. I'd also have the Miami Marlins in the conversation. They're just ahead of the Phillies in the standings, and five slots below them in payroll. The Marlins own a 48-56 record despite...