nationals buzz

Except for home run, Strasburg in command (Nats lose 4-3)

March 22, 2013, 9:42am

VIERA, Fla. - It seems odd to see the 0-2 record next to Stephen Strasburg's name on the stats sheet. The 4.66 ERA he toted into today's game against the Tigers looks a little strange, too. But then again, this is spring training and the stats here don't count. What's that old baseball adage about not making player personnel judgments based on statistics from March or September? Through three innings in his sixth spring start, Strasburg has looked pretty much in command, save for the...

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Kimball, Accardo cut from Nats camp (plus Young note)

March 22, 2013, 8:50am

Nationals

Kimball, Accardo cut from Nats camp (plus Young note)

VIERA, Fla. - First pitch in the Tigers-Nationals game is 20 minutes way, but the Nats have made two more cuts. Right-hander Cole Kimball has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while right-hander Jeremy Accardo has been reassigned to minor league camp. Kimball, in his first camp since right shoulder surgery performed in July 2011, pitched to a 2.84 ERA in seven relief appearances this spring. He hasn't pitched since March 13 because of tightness in his back and was scheduled to throw a...

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Soriano hurting, pushed back to Saturday (plus Rivero, Duke, Kimball notes)

March 22, 2013, 7:50am

Nationals

Soriano hurting, pushed back to Saturday (plus Rivero, Duke, Kimball notes)

VIERA, Fla. - Closer Rafael Soriano, less than a day removed from a root canal to treat an infected wisdom tooth, will not pitch as scheduled today against the Tigers. "He's recovering from a long day in the dentist's chair. ... He'll be pitching tomorrow," manager Davey Johnson said. "Talking to him earlier today, he's not feeling ready to go." Johnson said the delay won't affect his plans to pitch Soriano in back-to-back games by the end of spring training. While Soriano's a lock...

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Nationals ink J.C. Romero to minor league deal with invite to big league camp

March 22, 2013, 6:53am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals' search for left-handed relief help has taken them in a familiar direction. This morning, the club signed veteran J.C. Romero to a minor league deal with an invitation to the final days of big league spring training. The Nationals scouted Romero during his recent stint with the Puerto Rican entry in the World Baseball Classic, where he worked to a 3.86 ERA in five games and demonstrated improved velocity. "We're going to give J.C. an opportunity to see if he can...

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Tigers-Nationals lineups for Friday's game on MASN

March 22, 2013, 7:18am

Nationals

VIERA, Fla. - Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Tigers are playing the Nationals today. Yes, for the third time in six days, and the second time in five days at Space Coast Stadium. Today's contest will be broadcast on MASN HD beginning at 1 p.m. Play-by-play voice Bob Carpenter and analyst F.P. Santangelo will have the call. Here are today's lineups: For the Tigers: CF - Quintin Berry RF - Don Kelly DH - Victor Martinez 1B - Prince Fielder C - Brayan Pena LF - Matt...

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Weekly Wrap: Nats trimming down roster

March 21, 2013, 7:03pm

Nationals

We're nine spring training games and just 10 days away from the Nats' season opener. As opening day is drawing closer, the Nationals have continued to trim their roster. On Monday, the Nats made a handful of cuts. Pitchers Erik Davis, Yunesky Maya and Ryan Perry, catcher Jhonatan Solano, infielder Chris Marrero and outfielder Corey Brown were sent to Triple-A Syracuse. Pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and infielder Zach Walters were sent to minor league camp. Catcher Chris Snyder was also granted...

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LaRoche on knuckler-induced laughs, Ramos on nine-inning stint

March 21, 2013, 5:38pm

Nationals

LaRoche on knuckler-induced laughs, Ramos on nine-inning stint

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The pitch fluttered toward the plate, and Adam LaRoche had trouble suppressing a laugh. The ball thrown by Tim Hudson, one of LaRoche's former teammates with the Braves and a good friend, dipped and dropped, a cross between a blooper pitch and a knuckleball. What most fans didn't see were the silent hand signals between LaRoche and Hudson before the at-bat with one out in the second inning. Hudson has had some fun at LaRoche's expense in the past, and LaRoche said...

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Johnson on plate collision debate: "We don't need any more rules"

March 21, 2013, 2:22pm

Nationals

Johnson on plate collision debate: "We don't need any more rules"

VIERA, Fla. - This has been the most vanilla of spring camps for the Nationals. No positional battles. No roster intrigue. Nothing but minor injuries (knock on wood). And barely any kind of controversy at all. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Just making an observation. That makes the daily media session with manager Davey Johnson a little different. The chats are generally brief - last year's could last upwards of 20 minutes, but this spring it's been more like 10 minutes or so, with...

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Change in grip on splitter has Haren more hopeful

March 21, 2013, 5:11pm

Nationals

Change in grip on splitter has Haren more hopeful

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - After getting knocked around in his last two starts, all right-hander Dan Haren wanted was some progress, some incremental achievement to show he could still be effective. Tonight at Champion Stadium against the Braves, he weathered a one-inning blip, set down 10 straight hitters and wasn't happy with his his outing ended. After getting an assortment of bad swings and weak grounders one time through the order, Haren allowed a tape-measure homer to Jason Heyward that...

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Haren, Nationals down 3-0 early (Nats lose 4-3)

March 21, 2013, 2:50pm

Nationals

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Dan Haren doesn't look very comfortable on the mound and the Nationals are down 3-0 after two innings at Champion Stadium. Haren ended the first inning by striking out Justin Upton and having catcher Wilson Ramos throw Andrelton Simmons out attempting to steal third. But it was all downhill in the second inning for Haren. Juan Francisco's single and a Chris Johnson double set up a two-run single by Tyler Pastornicky down the left-field line. After Matt Pagnozzi...

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Soriano gets to root of tooth pain, Bernadina returns and says he's "close"

March 21, 2013, 12:47pm

Nationals

Soriano gets to root of tooth pain, Bernadina returns and says he's "close"

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Rafael Soriano's wisdom tooth issues will hopefully be a thing of the past very soon. The Nationals closer was scheduled to undergo a root canal this afternoon near the team's Viera spring headquarters and manager Davey Johnson said he thinks the right-hander might be able to pitch as scheduled Friday against the Tigers at Space Coast Stadium. "I think he had a root canal at 2 o'clock," Johnson said before the Nationals battled the Braves at Champion Field on...

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Nats unveil plans for opening day ceremonies

March 21, 2013, 2:39pm

Nationals

Nats unveil plans for opening day ceremonies

Opening day may not be until April 1, but the Nationals have begun filling in the blanks about who will participate in what ceremonies to mark the 2013 season's first game at Nationals Park against the Miami Marlins. First, there's free stuff in your future - assuming you're one of the first 20,000 fans through the gates for the 1:05 p.m. contest. That's how many opening day caps will be distributed, courtesy of GEICO. Additionally, Nats fans are encouraged to wear red to show their...

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Another road start for Haren (plus Nats-Braves lineups)

March 21, 2013, 8:17am

Nationals

Another road start for Haren (plus Nats-Braves lineups)

VIERA, Fla. - Dan Haren gets another crack at finding his velocity and command tonight when the Nationals venture to Champion Field for a 6:05 p.m. game against the Atlanta Braves. So far this spring, Haren hasn't looked very good, posting a 5.79 ERA in four starts. A look inside the stats makes Haren's spring starts look even more confounding. In 14 innings pitched, he's yielded 15 hits and nine runs. But most of the damage has been of his own doing - Haren's allowed only three walks,...

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Nats acquire pitcher Ian Krol to complete Morse deal

March 20, 2013, 1:34pm

Nationals

Nats acquire pitcher Ian Krol to complete Morse deal

JUPITER, Fla. - The player to be named is no longer nameless. The Nationals today acquired left-handed pitcher Ian Krol from the Oakland A's, completing the Jan. 16 deal for outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse. Morse was shipped to the A's in exchange for Krol and right-handers A.J. Cole and Blake Treinen. Oakland then flipped Morse to Seattle for catcher John Jaso. The 21-year-old Krol was drafted by the A's in the seventh round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. In four seasons on...

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Johnson willing to give Rodriguez chances to overcome command issues

March 20, 2013, 1:56pm

Nationals

Johnson willing to give Rodriguez chances to overcome command issues

JUPITER, Fla. - Henry Rodriguez will be given every opportunity to work through his command issues, manager Davey Johnson said yesterday after another rough outing from the hard-throwing right-hander. "He's a power arm and he hasn't pitched a lot. ... He didn't pitch winter ball," Johnson said when asked about Rodriguez's struggles. "Once he's healthy, I need to go to him more, try to wear him down and get him comfortable going out there. It's just a matter of him getting enough...

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With opt-out looming, Young's strong effort will force decisions

March 20, 2013, 1:10pm

Nationals

With opt-out looming, Young's strong effort will force decisions

JUPITER, Fla. - Chris Young's outing Wednesday against the Miami Marlins - five scoreless innings of two-hit ball with nine straight batters retired at one point - may have created quite the win-win dilemma for the veteran right-hander. Young's most effective of three starts this spring lowered his Grapefruit League ERA to 3.00 and set the stage for some serious decision-making. Because he has a March 24 opt-out clause in the minor league deal he inked in February, there's no guarantee...

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Werth, Harper making trek to Jupiter worthwhile (Nats win 7-5)

March 20, 2013, 9:51am

Nationals

Werth, Harper making trek to Jupiter worthwhile (Nats win 7-5)

JUPITER, Fla. - Given his druthers, Jayson Werth would probably prefer to have remained back at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, done his work early and called it a day. Instead, he's here at Roger Dean Stadium, plugging along with the rest of what's expected to be the Nationals' regular season lineup. For a guy who didn't relish the 90-minute or so bus trek down Interstate 95 - which manager Davey Johnson is well aware of, but really doesn't care about - Werth is making the most of the...

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Case closed: Johnson doesn't think 'pen needs second lefty

March 20, 2013, 8:11am

Nationals

Case closed: Johnson doesn't think 'pen needs second lefty

JUPITER, Fla. - With less than two weeks left in camp, Davey Johnson is still fielding questions about whether he needs a second left-hander in his bullpen. And the Nationals manager continues to insist that he's confident that his hard-throwing right-handers can be effective against even the most dangerous left-handed sticks. One word summed up Johnson's feelings: "Stuff." The Nationals continue to look at left-hander Fernando Abad, a non-roster invitee, as a potential complement to...

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Nationals-Marlins lineups (plus Bernadina, Soriano notes)

March 20, 2013, 7:48am

Nationals

JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals get another look at right-hander Chris Young today against the Miami Marlins, and it could be their last. Signed to a minor league deal Feb. 22 as part of general manager Mike Rizzo's offseason attempt to bolster the Nats' starting pitching depth, Young has an opt-out clause in his contract. He can leave the club March 24 if he doesn't think he'll have a shot at a roster spot - or if he thinks he can find a major league job elsewhere. The Nationals have him...

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For first base coach Tarasco, focus on preparation leads to new opportunity

March 19, 2013, 6:24am

Nationals

For first base coach Tarasco, focus on preparation leads to new opportunity

VIERA, Fla. - Perhaps no role on a coaching staff is more misunderstood than that of the first base coach. New Nationals first base coach Tony Tarasco knows this. He realizes fans see him point a runner toward second base on a sure-fire double down the line, or grab the batting gloves from a player who has just drawn a walk, and think he has the cushiest job on the diamond. Tarasco, in his first season on Davey Johnson's staff after seven seasons in Washington's minor leagues as an...