nationals buzz

Nats grab second-generation hopeful, take shot on former first-rounder

June 08, 2013, 4:50pm

The Nationals have completed the First-Year Player draft, making their final seven picks (click here and here to get a rundown of today's previous draft action from MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr). At this point, most clubs are doing some serious prospecting on guy who may or may not pan out, but the Nationals came up with a couple of interesting names in the draft's later rounds. They took left-hander Jake Walsh out of Missouri with thir 34th-round pick, then followed up in the 35th with...

Comments

Tags:

draft karsten whitson lukas schiraldi nationals nationals buzz nationals farm report frontstory_nationals2

About Sunday night's game ... (updated)

June 08, 2013, 9:52am

Nationals

Because of Friday night's rainout - thanks, Tropical Storm Andrea - the Twins and Nationals will play a split doubleheader Sunday. You can check out the particulars here, including the times of the games and ticket exchange policies. Now if you're not heading to the (hopefully) sunny shores of the Anacostia on Sunday evening, you'll probably be watching the game on MASN. Because the network wasn't given permission to broadcast the game until Friday evening - long after most television...

Comments

Tags:

masn nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel

Nationals and Baseball Tomorrow Fund inspiring baseball's next generation

June 06, 2013, 11:59am

Nationals

Although my baseball-playing days began and ended at a young age, I'll never forget the time my parents handed me my first glove and T-ball bat. While I never lit up the infield or threw a no-no, I'm certain that the beginning of my baseball enthusiasm began the first time I tried on my glove. Whether it's someone like me or a major league player like Ryan Zimmerman, there was a point at which we were both introduced to the game. And now, the Nationals are giving you the chance to inspire...

Comments

Tags:

nationals nationals buzz nationals park olivia witherite

Rachel Levitin: Lacking consistency, Nats must hope shakeup helps fix team

June 06, 2013, 4:47am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Lacking consistency, Nats must hope shakeup helps fix team

A common saying among the Nationals' players and coaches this season is, "We're better than this." My question in retort is, "But, are you really?" Let's be frank here - this conversation has been running in circles for weeks now. Despite the thrilling victory on opening day in which Stephen Strasburg pitched a gem and Bryce Harper came up big at the plate, wins have been rare and cries lamenting that the team hasn't been meeting its potential are aplenty. Sure, the successful 2012...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

Ted Leavengood: Winning is never a sure thing

June 04, 2013, 5:31am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Winning is never a sure thing

The exuberant confidence that gripped Washington in March was a false dawn. It was not backed up by the play of the Nationals in Viera, Fla., and now two months later, the giddy talk about the postseason does not deserve ink. Happy talk does not win games. The precious commodities absolutely essential to winning - determination and focus -were not there in the spring and they have been missing for much of the first two months of the season. The hell-bent-for-the-World-Series Nationals have a...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ted leavengood

Nats seeking to end Space Coast Stadium lease in 2014 (shared site in Kissimmee?)

May 31, 2013, 6:49am

Nationals

Nats seeking to end Space Coast Stadium lease in 2014 (shared site in Kissimmee?)

Another sign that the Nationals will surely move out of Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., in the near future comes today courtesy of Florida Toady, the daily newspaper serving Brevard County (with a tip of the ol' ballcap to Federal Baseball). According to the paper, the Nationals have informed Brevard County commissioners of their intention to exit the facility as early as November 2014. The team's lease on Space Coast Stadium runs through 2017, but the Nationals can break the agreement...

Comments

Tags:

frontstory_nationals3 nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel space coast stadium spring training

David Huzzard: The end of the 100-inning reliever

May 29, 2013, 5:19am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The end of the 100-inning reliever

Baseball is always looking to innovate. Most baseball fans' bookshelves include books like Moneyball and The Extra 2 Percent - books about how the A's and Rays innovated in order to win at baseball despite not having the money to win the way everyone else did. This desire to find advantages is nothing new to baseball and wasn't always about statistical analysis. Candy Cummings was a major league pitcher from 1872-77 and is in the Hall of Fame as the pitcher credited with inventing the...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Nationals react to death of Dr. Lewis Yocum

May 28, 2013, 2:05pm

Nationals

News that noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum died Saturday of cancer was greeted by sadness in the Nationals clubhouse before Tuesday night's game against the Orioles. Dr. Yocum had performed Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on Nats pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman, consulted last winter on second baseman Danny Espinosa's shoulder injury and was a presence in the Los Angeles Angels clubhouse when right-hander Dan Haren pitched in Anaheim. "He's been unbelievable...

Comments

Tags:

dan haren danny espinosa davey johnson dr. lewis yokum jordan zimmermann nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel frontstory_nationals3

Espinosa hoping to return Wednesday from broken wrist (8:25 p.m. start expected)

May 28, 2013, 1:21pm

Nationals

Espinosa hoping to return Wednesday from broken wrist (8:25 p.m. start expected)

Second baseman Danny Espinosa, who has not played since May 22 while rehabilitating what was discovered to be a broken right wrist, took batting practice and participated in fielding drills before Tuesday's game against the Orioles. If all goes well, and he experiences no setbacks, Espinosa expects to be cleared to play Wednesday when the interleague series moves to Baltimore for two games. "It's calmed down, it feels good," he said before taking BP. "I think the doctor will be here in a...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper danny espinosa davey johnson nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel ross detwiler frontstory_nationals3

Orioles-Nationals lineups for Tuesday

May 28, 2013, 11:27am

Nationals

Right-hander Nathan Karns takes the hill for his first major league start tonight. Here is the Nationals lineup for tonight's 7:05 p.m. game against the Orioles, who send rookie right-hander Kevin Gausman to the mound for his second major league start. For the Orioles LF Nate McLouth 3B Manny Machado RF Nick Markakis CF Adam Jones 1B Chris Davis C Matt Wieters SS J.J. Hardy 2B Yamaico Navarro P Kevin Gausman For the Nationals CF Denard Span 2B Steve Lombardozzi 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B...

Comments

Tags:

nathan karns nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel frontstory_nationals3

Ted Leavengood: The malaise of near-.500 baseball

May 28, 2013, 5:05am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: The malaise of near-.500 baseball

The pitching match-up favored Washington at Nationals Park yesterday. Gio Gonzalez had home field advantage and the better record in the majors going for him against the Orioles' Jason Hammel. But he could not beat Hammel because he could not get Yamaico Navarro out. The scrub second-baseman, just up from Triple-A Norfolk, got a key hit for the Orioles in the fourth inning that proved the undoing of the Nationals. When things are going well for a team, their call-ups from Norfolk will...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ted leavengood

Marty Niland: Looks like Strasburg has learned his lesson

May 27, 2013, 4:26am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Looks like Strasburg has learned his lesson

Two weeks ago, Stephen Strasburg was taken to task in this space for basically acting childish on the mound. He lost his composure after a throwing error in a scoreless game against the Chicago Cubs, allowing four unearned runs to score and letting the game get out of hand. It was a game he - and just about all Nationals fans - would like to forget. It seems that's exactly what happened. In three starts since that tragic outing at Nationals Park, Strasburg has pitched more like the mature...

Comments

Tags:

davey johnson guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz stephen strasburg

Rachel Levitin: It's tough to predict whether Nats will rebound from struggles

May 23, 2013, 9:58am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: It's tough to predict whether Nats will rebound from struggles

At the end of each month of play last season, I remember sitting down along side some of my fellow Nats bloggers and chatting up a storm about how we just couldn't believe how well this team was doing week in and week out. No one wanted to get ahead of themselves by predicting a possible extraordinary outcome in fear of jinxing the team. Now the team that proved itself worthy of the postseason (despite an early exit in the first round), is struggling to find its footing. The Nationals are...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

When Nationals' opponents #whiff, you can help D.C. youth win

May 21, 2013, 5:34pm

Nationals

With a staff led by pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, who thrive on strikeouts, the Nats often force their opponents to whiff when they come to the plate. But did you know that when the Nationals record a strikeout, you have the power to support the D.C. chapter of the RBI League? Each time the Nats record a K, you can tweet with the @Nationals' Twitter handle and the hashtag #whiff. By doing so, you'll record another vote for the D.C. RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities)...

Comments

Tags:

nationals nationals buzz olivia witherite

David Huzzard: Inside the Nats' offensive struggles

May 22, 2013, 4:53am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Inside the Nats' offensive struggles

There is no possible way to make it sound good that the Nationals' offense has scored only 3.41 runs a game and OPS'd a measly .654. In most offensive categories, they are better than only the Marlins. The Nats have faced a lot of good pitchers and good teams early in the season, and that has something to do with the poor offense, but that doesn't make it this dreadful. In April, the issue was that the Nationals got no offense from the third and first base positions as they put up an OPS...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Ted Leavengood: Is it time to fish or cut bait?

May 21, 2013, 5:20am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Is it time to fish or cut bait?

The end of a tough road trip may not be the right moment, but the time is coming for the 2013 Nationals to fish or cut bait. The basic facts were laid out in a USA Today article Monday that cited the Nationals' offense as 29th in batting average and OBP, and 27th in runs scored among major league teams. It did not get better last night as another struggling pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, found his A-game against the Nationals, crafting a three-hit shutout over five innings before leaving with a...

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon chris marrero danny espinosa guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz roger bernadina ted leavengood tyler moore

Ted Leavengood: A glass half-full

May 13, 2013, 3:46pm

Nationals

Losing two home games against the Chicago Cubs is disheartening and, after the excellent game Friday night, it was as if a switch just flipped and the progress of the prior week vanished in the flash of a Stephen Strasburg meltdown. There wasn't much to like on Saturday and Sunday unless you are a ticket rep for the Nationals. They are selling ducats like snow cones in 100-degree heat. Sky-high expectations bring in the fans and despite the cool weather and the failure of the real Nationals...

Comments

Tags:

drew storen guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg ted leavengood

Rachel Levitin: A little perspective, please

May 16, 2013, 5:21am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: A little perspective, please

After this past weekend's series loss to one of the worst teams in baseball and a pair of losses in Los Angeles this week, the Nationals continue to battle in their pursuit of meeting the expectations imposed upon them. But here's the thing: For all the hiccups this team has encountered, they're still just one game behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. To me, this season is all about perspective for the Nationals and their fans. Who could have ever predicted the...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

David Huzzard: Advanced metrics hint that Suzuki would flourish in two-hole

May 14, 2013, 3:42pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: Advanced metrics hint that Suzuki would flourish in two-hole

Danny Espinosa, Steve Lombardozzi and Roger Bernadina all have something in common - and they shouldn't. Each and every one of them has an under-.300 on-base percentage and all of them have batted second. Overall, Nationals No. 2 hitters are hitting .176/.216/.275. That isn't just bad production, that is horrid. The plan for the Nationals was to have career .267/.361/.460 hitter Jayson Werth in that spot, but that hasn't worked out as Werth moved down in the order when Ryan Zimmerman was...

Comments

Tags:

danny espinosa david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger jayson werth kurt suzuki nationals nationals buzz roger bernadina steve lombardozzi

Marty Niland: Nats must learn to overcome their own failures - and success

May 12, 2013, 6:08pm

Nationals

Marty Niland: Nats must learn to overcome their own failures - and success

A baseball team can't win on talent alone. It also takes discipline, maturity and courage, qualities that key members of the Nationals seemed to be lacking against the Chicago Cubs this weekend. In dropping games Saturday and Sunday to the last-place team in the National Legaue Central, the Nats' 24-year-old pitching phenom and 70-year-old manager both showed they have something to learn about handling both adversity and success. Stephen Strasburg has shown plenty of talent since the Nats...