nationals buzz

Marty Niland: Jordan Zimmermann finally gets his due

August 03, 2012, 4:32am

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...

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David Huzzard: A little love for the long men

August 02, 2012, 5:20am

Nationals

David Huzzard: A little love for the long men

A good team, a winning team, is made up of a couple types of players. These are stars and role players. The guys that play their roles will never get as much credit as the Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg or Gio Gonzalez-type players, but they are equally important to any winning team, and at 62-41 that is what the Nationals are. One of the more overlooked roles is long relief. These are the pitchers whose chief duty is to come into a game when it is getting out of hand and to...

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Rachel Levitin: Which Nationals player is worthy of Ring?

August 01, 2012, 6:02am

Nationals

Forgive me while I sin momentarily and dream of baseball that has yet to played. And, no, I'm not talking about Washington baseball in October or the remaining games of the 2012 season. I'm talking about way out into the future, decades down the line. The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., inducted two new members on July 21. Then a week or so later, a friend and fellow baseball enthusiast packaged the Cooperstown 2012 induction program up and sent it to me in the mail....

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Stephen Walker: Enjoying the journey without knowing the destination

July 31, 2012, 5:16am

Nationals

Stephen Walker: Enjoying the journey without knowing the destination

The statheads are trying to ruin my delight in the Nationals' 2012 season, including Sunday's comeback win over the Milwaukee Brewers, the club's 24th so far. I'm trying hard not to let them. Now, I love baseball research and statistical analysis. The Society for American Baseball Research, SABR for short, has changed how fans, managers and front office personnel interpret, evaluate, and even enjoy teams and players. What's driving me crazy are recent analyses of the Nationals' chances...

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Ted Leavengood: Thanks to Johnson, Nats morph into a contender

July 30, 2012, 6:12am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Thanks to Johnson, Nats morph into a contender

The 2012 Nationals have moved beyond any centennial comparisons to Clark Griffith's inaugural year at the helm in D.C. Davey Johnson coming aboard in Washington 100 years after the Old Fox is a nice parallel. However, at this juncture, Johnson's ability to connect with his players and mold a winning club has put his team at a far more historic juncture. After Sunday's unbelievable comeback win against Milwaukee, the Nationals' 61-win record can be matched only by Cincinnati. The improbable...

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Marty Niland: Remembering your grandfather's Nats and the last time Washington led the majors

July 27, 2012, 4:55am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Remembering your grandfather's Nats and the last time Washington led the majors

At 20 games over .500, the Nationals have hit their high-water mark since moving to Washington in 2005, and with the right combination of events this weekend, they could find themselves with the best record in baseball. Think about that for a minute. Before this season, anyone who might even dare to form that combination of words would have been laughed out of town - just as the relocated Nats were regarded in many circles as the laughingstock of baseball Such a statement was completely...

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David Huzzard: Masterful Johnson blends ingredients into a winner

July 26, 2012, 4:47am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Masterful Johnson blends ingredients into a winner

A manager has something to do with winning, but whatever that is, it can't be measured and it is not certain how much it matters. Only that it does. If the average person were given the finest ingredients in the world they could not produce a dish as excellent as a master chef, and that is what Davey Johnson is as a manager. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo gave Johnson the ingredients, but Johnson has worked them into a dish that has produced a 58-39 record 97 games into the...

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Rachel Levitin: Context, not one loss, defines an entire season

July 25, 2012, 5:18am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Context, not one loss, defines an entire season

Life's pretty busy these days, what with the constant news cycle, work weeks that extend beyond 40 hours even if they shouldn't and the general buzz-buzz-buzz attitude that American culture unintentionally employs upon its citizens. That's why it makes sense that busy folks would be baseball fans. Here's my logic: It's a long season. There are at least 162 games in a season. That allows fans the opportunity to catch up if a game or two (or more) just so happen to be missed. And - just...

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Stephen Walker: Why the 2005 Nationals melted down against the Braves and the 2012 Nats didn't

July 24, 2012, 4:24am

Nationals

The brand-new Washington Nationals, attracting 35,000 fans a per game in D.C., visit Atlanta tied for first place with the Braves, who have ruled the National League East since 1991. The team that wins the three-game series will own first place. In Game 1, after eight innings, the Nationals lead 2-1. Ace and All-Star Livan Hernandez is masterful, baffling the Braves with his pinpoint control. However, to quell the Braves' strong lineup, he has thrown more than 100 pitches. Manager Frank...

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Ted Leavengood: Too good to fail

July 23, 2012, 5:56am

Nationals

It is certainly noteworthy that the two left-handed starters who fought for the last spot in the Washington rotation in March were the ones who stood up to the Braves four months later when the games really counted. Lohn Lannan lost out when the Nats came north in the spring, and he probably deserved better. But after this weekend, no one will ever again question whether he has enough heart to pitch in the majors. Assuming that the Lannan who pitched to a 4.89 ERA at Triple-A Syracuse was on...

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Werth scratched from rehab start with Single-A Potomac

July 20, 2012, 12:31pm

Nationals

Werth scratched from rehab start with Single-A Potomac

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - If you were planning on heading to Pfitzner Stadium for Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth's injury rehabilitation assignment with the Single-A Potomac Nationals tonight, you may want to readjust your Friday evening plans. Werth has been scratched from tonight's game. In fact, he never even made it to Prince William County. Serveral minutes ago, he was spotted in the home clubhouse at Nationals Park. Based on the traffic gridlock I saw while zooming through the HOV lane on...

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Marty Niland: Hail to "The Chief" and Cordero's return for first-pitch ceremony

July 19, 2012, 6:49pm

Nationals

Marty Niland: Hail to "The Chief" and Cordero's return for first-pitch ceremony

For fans who have followed the Nationals since they moved from Montreal, it's not hard to forget the last time they were in first place this late in the season - that wonderful summer when baseball returned to the nation's capital in 2005. A big part of that success will be at Nationals Park tonight to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the opening of this weekend's National League East showdown with Atlanta. "The Chief," Chad Cordero, has been in town to conduct a celebrity...

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Christmas in July at Nationals Park this weekend

July 19, 2012, 4:54pm

Nationals

Just writing the title of this entry makes me wanna run jump into my Santa suit. On, Dasher! On, Dancer! On, Prancer and Vixen! On, Strasburg! On, Harper! On, Desmond, um ... Wait, I'm getting confused. Anyway, this weekend when the Nationals host the Braves, the team will host its annual Christmas In July Toy Drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. Throughout the weekend series, volunteers from the U.S. Marines Corps Reserve will accept donations of new,...

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Dream Foundation hosts K Street Cocktails reception

July 19, 2012, 4:49pm

Nationals

Dream Foundation hosts K Street Cocktails reception

It's easy to look at the Nationals on the field and be impressed. The team is atop the National League East and seems destined for a playoff berth. But off the diamond, the success of the Nationals organization is just as potent. The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation has been touching the lives of children all throughout our nation's capital and has been a beacon of hope for so many in the area. Recently, the Foundation announced it will host K Street Cocktails, a fundraising reception...

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David Huzzard: This time, Nats winning without smoke and mirrors

July 19, 2012, 5:49am

Nationals

David Huzzard: This time, Nats winning without smoke and mirrors

On September 17, 2005, the Nationals stood at 77-71 and had a 5-0 lead entering the bottom of the ninth against the San Diego Padres. Since entering the All-Star break with a record of 52-36 and 2 1/2-game lead in the National League East, the Nationals had fallen back to fourth place and stood eight games back in the division. The wild card was vaguely in reach, but it would take a near miracle run to claim it. If they could take this series against the Padres, they could get back in the race....

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Rachel Levitin: Missing my second home

July 18, 2012, 5:54am

Nationals

For the last two weeks, I've been stuck home sick from work. It sounds sort of nice, but I assure you that after a while, the novelty of that sentiment wears off and then the boredom hits. As a result, I had to miss one of my favorite baseball games of the year - the Fourth of July. As I sat home that day waiting for the results of that 9-4 victory against the then-first-place San Francisco Giants, I longed to be at the 100-plus degree ballpark sweltering in the hot, hot D.C. heat. That's...

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Stephen Walker: Nationals may miss Wilson Ramos more than anyone thinks

July 17, 2012, 6:02am

Nationals

As the Nationals continue to own the best record in the National League and maintain a 2 1/2-game lead in the NL East, injured catcher Wilson Ramos seems like a forgotten man. Unnoticed though he may be, Washington's baseball club misses Ramos more than most fans think. Jesus Flores, himself healthy for the first time in four years after overcoming a myriad of injuries, has filled in capably for the injured starter. Flores has excelled defensively and capably handled the Nationals excellent...

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New guest bloggers enter the lineup for the second half

July 10, 2012, 3:24pm

Nationals

New guest bloggers enter the lineup for the second half

Can you believe we've reached the All-Star break already, Nats fans? Opening day seems like only yesterday, yet here we are in the dog days of summer, halfway through the season. For the Nationals, it's been a dream start to 2012. The Nats currently sit with the best record in the National League at 49-34 and are in position to not only capture the NL East crown, but the franchise's inaugural postseason berth since moving to Washington seven years ago. As for us at MASNsports.com, it's...

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Ted Leavengood: A midterm examination

July 09, 2012, 5:29am

Nationals

The first half is in the books, and perhaps the better word to describe it is midterm exclamation. Even after losing the series to Colorado, there have still been 83 games played through injury and devastating heat to a result that few Nationals fans would have believed possible at the start. Suffice it to say that the Nationals have aced the first half of the season. They have the best record in the National League and are on pace to win 97 games. It is not difficult to think back to March...

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Tale of the helmet snatchers

July 05, 2012, 1:06pm

Nationals

When Ian Desmond returns to the Nationals dugout after hitting a home run, he gets the usual handshakes and high fives. But if you watch MASN, you'll see another courtesy extended a player who returns after circling the bases or some other significant offense accomplishment. The batting helmet on a player's head doesn't stay there for long. In a sea of arms, a teammate's hands reach out and pluck the headgear. What started as a simple congratulatory maneuver has become a celebratory rite...