nationals buzz

David Huzzard: Baseball's maddeningly consistent inconsistency

June 03, 2015, 7:00pm

A friend of mine asked me the other day why it feels like we are having the same discussions every year on social media, and I answered that it's because it's different people. The conversation he's referring to is the one about why can't baseball teams just be consistent. The main answer is that the baseball season is not a victory march. Sure, a bunch of experts picked the Nationals to win the World Series before the season started, but that never meant it was going to be easy or that all...

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Rachel Levitin: Renion recalls Riggleman's abrupt resignation

June 03, 2015, 5:40am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Renion recalls Riggleman's abrupt resignation

The Nationals ran into a familiar face last week while in Cincinnati. Former Nats Manager Jim Riggleman, who served as manager from 2009 to 2011, caught up with general manager Mike Rizzo and reflected on his time with the ballclub. Riggleman is now the Reds' third base coach, after serving as a minor league manager in their system for a couple of seasons. According to reports, Riggleman doesn't harbor any ill will against the club and is happy to be working in baseball, regardless of the...

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Matt of Matt's Bats: No place in baseball for intentional plunkings

June 02, 2015, 5:18am

Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: No place in baseball for intentional plunkings

The week did not end well for the Nationals. The team was just swept by the Cincinnati Reds, a team that is 10 games out of first place in their division. The loss snapped the Nationals' streak of winning nine series in a row. Now, the Nationals come home to take on the highest run-scoring team in baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays. The worst thing that happened this weekend took place in Game 1 of the Reds series, when Tony Cingrani, a former starter and now middle a reliever, hit Bryce Harper...

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Opposite dugout: Something has to give between Blue Jays' bats and pitching

May 31, 2015, 8:31pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Something has to give between Blue Jays' bats and pitching

Manager: John Gibbons (8th season) Record: 23-29 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: LF Chris Colabello (.368/.417/.568 with 4 HR, 14 RBIs), 3B Josh Donaldson (.312/.372/.604 with 15 HR, 39 RBIs), 1B Edwin Encarnacion (12 HR, 32 RBIs), LHP Mark Buehrle (6-4, 4.97 ERA), RHP Roberto Osuna (1.75 ERA in 25 2/3 IP) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (0-3 in 2012) Pitching probables: June 1: RHP R.A. Dickey vs. RHP Jordan Zimmermann, 7:05 p.m., MASN June 2: RHP Marco Estrada vs. RHP Max...

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Marty Niland: Old-school approach could have served Nats well

June 01, 2015, 5:19am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Old-school approach could have served Nats well

With two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday came the pitch felt round the Natosphere. Reds reliever Tony Cingrani drilled Nationals slugger Bryce Harper in the back - right between the numbers - with a 94 mph fastball. No matter whether it was intentional, Harper was not happy, and neither were fans posting on Nats message boards. They demanded payback. The most obvious target was Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who exchanged words with the bruised Harper after...

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Opposite dugout: Poor hitting has hurt Reds in tough NL Central

May 26, 2015, 8:38am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Poor hitting has hurt Reds in tough NL Central

Manager: Bryan Price (2nd season) Record: 19-27 Last 10 games: 1-9 Who to watch: 2B Brandon Phillips (.297, 18 RBIS), 1B Joey Votto (.275, 7 HR, 21 RBIs), 3B Todd Frazier (14 HR, 28 RBIs), CF Billy Hamilton (18 SB), RHP Johnny Cueto (3-4, 3.03 ERA), RHP Aroldis Chapman (7 saves, 34 Ks in 20 1/3 innings) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-3 in 2014) Pitching probables: May 29: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Anthony DeSclafani, 7:10 p.m., MASN2 May 30: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Raisel...

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David Huzzard: Appreciating the Wright stuff

May 27, 2015, 5:45pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: Appreciating the Wright stuff

There was a time when Nationals fans were far fewer and had to forget about being Nationals fans. Hoping for a win from some of the lowly clubs this franchise put on the field from 2007-2011 was like hoping for the Marlins to do something competent. With all apologizes to Ryan Zimmerman and his numerous walk-offs between the summer of Soriano and Stephen Strasburg's debut. The Nationals weren't much of a drawing card. Those of us that did venture out to RFK Stadium or Nationals Park in the...

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Rachel Levitin: Retracing Wrigleyville roots amid Nationals conversation

May 27, 2015, 5:52am

Nationals

When I was in Chicago earlier this month, I found myself wandering around the neighborhood I grew up in - Wrigleyville. Back then, I wasn't old enough to appreciate an Old Style at Murphy's Bleachers on the corner of Waveland and Sheffield. But a few weeks ago, I was. One of my favorite parts of growing up in a baseball town like Chicago is that people there, at least in my mind, seemed to really enjoy sports. They enjoyed watching sports, talking about sports and knew intricacies about each...

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Matt of Matt's Bats: Has Desmond put rocky start in rear-view mirror?

May 26, 2015, 6:12am

Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: Has Desmond put rocky start in rear-view mirror?

Ian Desmond started the season off rocky. By rocky, I mean nine errors and 23 strikeouts in April. But Desmond, who some could argue is the best shortstop in baseball, has started to turn it on and is playing more like the Desmond we knew in past years. As showcased in the Nationals' series against the Yankees and Phillies last week, Desmond still has some pop in his bat. He hit two home runs, just missed a third and is on a 10-game hit streak. While he wasn't as productive to start the...

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Opposite dugout: Youth movement has served improved Cubs well

May 24, 2015, 10:04am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Youth movement has served improved Cubs well

Manager: Joe Maddon (1st season) Record: 24-19 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Anthony Rizzo (.316/.440/.574 with 9 HR, 29 RBIs, 9 SB), 3B Kris Bryant (.273, 5 HR, 29 RBIs), RF Jorge Soler (.280, 16 RBIs), SS Starlin Castro (.271, 24 RBIs), LHP Jon Lester (4-2, 3.56 ERA), RHP Hector Rondon (9 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-4 in 2014) Pitching probables: May 25: RHP Tanner Roark vs. LHP Tsuyoshi Wada, 2:20 p.m., MASN2 May 26: RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Kyle...

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Marty Niland: Fans need to show patience with Strasburg

May 25, 2015, 7:05am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Fans need to show patience with Strasburg

The Nationals are flying high, winners of eight straight series, all alone in first place, 2 1/2 games up on the New York Mets in the National League East. But it seems all the fans want to talk about is Stephen Strasburg's pitching troubles. On talk shows, Internet message boards and Facebook groups, there's no shortage of opinions about why Strasburg (3-5, 6.50 ERA) is struggling and what the team should do about it. The main complaint about the first overall pick in the 2009 draft is that...

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#TalkToMeFP: MASN's F.P. Santangelo takes over @masnNationals Twitter account

May 22, 2015, 7:42am

Nationals

This past Wednesday before the Nationals wrapped up their two-game sweep of the Yankees, MASN's very own F.P. Santangelo took over the @masnNationals Twitter account to chat with Nats Nation. And when we say "took over," we mean took over. He made the account completely his. He changed the avatar, the name and even the description, adding a play off his in-game catch phrase. F.P. literally became the face of Nationals on MASN. Fans were able to tweet their Nationals questions and thoughts to...

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Opposite dugout: Recent hot streak doesn't mask Phillies' lingering issues

May 20, 2015, 10:46am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Recent hot streak doesn't mask Phillies' lingering issues

Manager: Ryne Sandberg (3rd season) Record: 18-25 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 1B Ryan Howard (.257/.307/.521 with 9 HR, 21 RBIs), SS Freddie Galvis (.319, 11 RBIs), CF Odubel Herrera (.262, 13 RBIs), RHP Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.24 ERA), RHP Aaron Harang (4-3, 1.82 ERA), RHP Jonathan Papelbon (11 saves, 1.50 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-3 Pitching probables: May 22: RHP Sean O'Sullivan vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m. MASN May 23: LHP Cole Hamels vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 4:05 p.m.,...

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David Huzzard: Should Nationals be targeting Rockies' Tulowitzki?

May 20, 2015, 7:35pm

Nationals

When the Nationals signed Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million contract, they signaled that they were not only going for it in 2015 but where going to be competitive for a long time. Unfortunately, many ignored the fact that it was a multi-year contract and labeled it a win-now move. The Nationals are very interested in winning in 2015 and general manager Mike Rizzo has shown a willingness to do what it takes to construct a roster capable of doing just that, but he also wants to be able...

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Rachel Levitin: Another memory for Nats fans, Zimmerman to cherish

May 20, 2015, 6:02am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Another memory for Nats fans, Zimmerman to cherish

Since their inception in 2005, the Nationals have gone from a cellar-dwelling team to a two-time National League East championship ballclub eager to take home baseball's top prize of a world championship. There have been several major milestone moments along the way, including the team's first no-hitter pitched by Jordan Zimmermann in 2014 and the back-to-back No. 1 draft picks of Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010 that added talent - and mainstream buzz within the American...

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Matt of Matt's Bats: The Nationals' secret slugger

May 19, 2015, 6:29am

Nationals

Last week, I wrote about Bryce Harper and how he is surging at the plate. Harper has become the best baseball player in all of Major League Baseball right now. His six home runs, 13 RBIs and .455 batting average this past week helped the Nats go 5-2 and outscore their opponents 53-35. Now that Harper has won two consecutive National League Player of the Week awards, I wanted to let you in on the other secret to the Nats' recent success: Wilson Ramos. Harper is getting all the attention he...

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Opposite dugout: Surprising Yankees confounding the experts by succeeding

May 16, 2015, 12:48pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Surprising Yankees confounding the experts by succeeding

Manager: Joe Girardi (8th season) Record: 22-17 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.327/.411/.374 with 28 R and 14 SB), LF Brett Gardner (.303 with 3 HR, 16 RBIs, 10), DH Alex Rodriguez (10 HR and 22 RBIs), 1B Mark Teixeira (11 HR and 28 RBIs), RHP Dellin Betances (4-0, 0.00 ERA, 32 Ks in 21 IP), LHP Andrew Miller (0.00 ERA, 13 saves, 29 Ks in 17 2/3) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-0 in 2012) Pitching probables: May 19: RHP Nate Eovaldi vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez,...

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Marty Niland: Solid anchor Scherzer has been worth every penny

May 18, 2015, 5:30am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Solid anchor Scherzer has been worth every penny

Lots of people thought the Nationals already had the best starting pitching in the major leagues before Jan. 21, when Max Scherzer joined the team with a seven-year, $120 million free agent deal. Some might even have thought it was a superfluous move by the Nats, an investment that might have been better made in another big bat or re-signing one of the key players whose contacts are set to expire after the 2015 season. But six weeks into the 2015 season, there's little doubt that the 2013...

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Opposite dugout: Padres hoping busy offseason pays dividends in NL West

May 11, 2015, 1:46pm

Nationals

Opposite dugout: Padres hoping busy offseason pays dividends in NL West

Manager: Bud Black (9th season) Record: 18-17 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: LF Justin Upton (.276, 8 HR, 24 RBIs), CF /1B Wil Meyers (.291, 5 HR, 19 RBIs), RF Matt Kemp (21 RBIs), RHP Andrew Cashner (1-6, 3.07 ERA, 45 Ks in 44 IP), RHP Craig Kimbrel (10 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-4 in 2014) Pitching probables: May 14: RHP Doug Fister vs. RHP Tyson Ross, 10:10 p.m., MASN May 15: RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Odrisamer Despaigne, 10:10 p.m., MASN2 May 16: RHP Max...

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David Huzzard: Overlooked and underappreciated

May 13, 2015, 8:23pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: Overlooked and underappreciated

By many metrics, the Nationals' starting staff is the best in the majors, the offense is scoring 4.77 runs a game and if one wants to find a weakness with this team, one might point to the bullpen. The Nationals bullpen isn't statistically bad by ERA, FIP or fWAR, but it has blown the third-most saves in the majors and has blinked first in several tie games. The Nats have struggled to find a replacement for Tyler Clippard with Casey Janssen on the disabled list, and don't even ask what...