Washington Nationals

The struggles of the Nationals’ bullpen reached a calamitous low this week, not all a result of their own doing. Ross Detwiler couldn’t make his start Monday because of a slight oblique strain and left-handed long reliever Zach Duke took his place … Continue reading →

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 riddled with injuries that seem to keep on coming, they're trying to break out of an offensive slump and the bullpen is having a hard time closing games out in save situations. How the Nationals will fare in 2013 is impossible to predict. The team looks great on paper, but translating that to the playing field has proven to be far more difficult for this roster than expected. Manager Davey Johnson remains confident in his players' abilities and the talent they posses, but confidence will only go so far. The trade deadline is a ways away at this point, but I wouldn't be too surprised if general manager Mike Rizzo made a few moves if the Nats are still struggling to win games in the middle of the summer. It's tough to say who, if anyone, would be a chip to deal in such a case but if this team doesn't rise to their potential soon it may come down to that. Rachel Levitin blogs about the Nationals for We Love DC, and will be sharing her observations about baseball in the nation's capital as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.

Despite going to Madison, I've never seen this seal until googling it. Vienna High School baseball continues its dominant ways, with the #1 DC-area Ranked Madison Warhawks and their next-door neighbor rival Oakton Cougars both taking home district tournament titles on 5/20/13. http://www.northernvasports.com/fairfax/madison-oakton-win-district-baseball-tourneys/article_99d411a8-c20e-11e2-9f6b-001a4bcf6878.html Madison blew through the Liberty District, getting a bye into the semis, winning in the semis against Stone Bridge 11-0 (with their starter taking a perfect game into the 7th) and then beating the #2 seed Langley Saxsons 11-2 in the final.  Oakton beat a couple of Northern Virginia heavyweights in Robinson and Chantilly, the latter in walk-off fashion, for their Concorde District title. The wins for Madison lately have vaulted them into some national prominence.  They’re #20 in the latest Baseball America top 25 poll (mostly b/c so many upper-ranked teams were dropped after losing in their state playoffs).  Honestly though I have a hard time putting Madison over Great Bridge HS (#22 in Baseball America), knowing what I know about that Chesapeake team (namely, Conner Jones).   USAToday’s latest ranking (dated May 8th so its way out of date) has Great Bridge #17 and Madison as a honorable mention.  I’m hoping for a Madison-Great Bridge state final. Both Madison and Oakton advance to the Northern Regional tournament, along with their fellow district quarter and semi-finalists.  No schedule yet but the pool of teams looks like this: District champs: Madison, Oakton, South County, Washington & Lee District finalists: Langley, Chantilly, Lake Braddock, Yorktown District qtr finalists: Stone Bridge, Marshall, TC Williams, West Potomac, Centreville, Robinson, Edison and Stuart The Regional tourney kicks off tomorrow night with this slate (home teams are the higher seeds, here’s the bracket): T.C. Williams (11-10) @ Oakton (17-4): a tough matchup for Oakton if TC Williams throws their ace Alec Grosser. Stone Bridge (11-11) @ Yorktown (17-5) Stuart (15-6) @ Langley (13-9) Robinson (10-12) @ South County (14-8) Edison (12-10) @ Madison (21-1) Chantilly (11-12) @ Lake Braddock (17-4) West Potomac (12-8) @ Centreville (15-4) Marshall (8-14) @ W&L (13-10); also a tougher matchup here if Marshall throws its lefty ace Mitch MacKeith Guessing on the seeds: Madison #1, Oakton #2, South County #3 and Washington & Lee #4.  Centreville #5, Langley #6, Yorktown #7, Lake Braddock #8.  This is slightly different from the district final results (Centreville and Chantilly seem switched if I’m reading the bracket correctly).   Madison gets an advantage by virtue of hosting its entire half of the draw plus the Regional semis and Final next week.  Regional Final set for 5/31 at 6:30pm at Madison. Predictions for the tournament: all the home teams hold serve in the first round, then Oakton, South County, Madison and Centreville into the regional semis with an all-Vienna regional final next friday.

Photo by USA TodayBy Michael HubermanCSNwashington.comThe Nationals got a much needed win in San Francisco on Wednesday to cap off their longest road trip of the season. Here’s a look at five players who were hot, and five players who were not over the past week.HOT:Stephen Strasburg, SP – 1-0/1.20 ERA/15 IP/11 SO/0.93 WHIPStrasburg started his week off with a bang, beating his hometown Padres and going a career-high eight innings for the win. Then, after pitching seven strong innings of one-run ball against the Giants, Strasburg was in line for his third win before his bullpen blew the lead in the ninth. Either way, over his last 20 innings Strasburg has been dominant, giving up just two earned runs and striking out 18. He has a 2.00 ERA through 27.0 innings thus far this month.Ryan Zimmerman, 3B – 7-24/2 HR/7 RBI/.414 OBP/.997 OPSThe rest of the team may be struggling to hit, but Zimmerman continues to produce at the plate. Zimmerman had himself a very good series against the Padres, going 5-for-14 with two home runs, six RBI, and two walks. After a slow start to the year Zimmerman has gotten into a groove offensively, and is now hitting .313/.421/.484 in May.Read more »

Stephen Strasburg held a one run lead through seven on Tuesday night in AT&T Park in San Francisco only to have the Washington Natonals' bullpen blow a 2-1 lead in the eighth. Gio Gonzalez took the mound on Wednesday afternoon and held the Giants scoreless through seven and 1/3 only to watch his 1-0 lead evaporate in the eighth when the runner he put on with a one-out walk in the eighth scored after Drew Storen had taken over. Neither of the Nats' starters received a decision. Gonzalez entered the series finale with the defending World Series Champions with a 1.83 ERA, six walks (2.75 BB/9) and 16 Ks (7.32 K/9) in three May starts and 19.2 IP so far in the second month of the season over which he'd held opponents to a .178/.250/.288 line. When he was done for the day he'd lowered his ERA from 4.01 on the year to 3.66 and impressed his manager, Davey Johnson, who praised Gonzalez's effort after the game. "Gio pitched a heck of a ballgame," Johnson told reporters after the Nationals' 2-1 win. "It was like Stras. The bullpen faltered and -- you know, walking the first hitter, Storen coming in, that's a no-no. But, great win. [Tyler Clippard] did a good job and [Rafael] Soriano did his job. So it makes the trip home easier." As for the reasons behind Gonzalez's success, the Nationals' 70-year-old skipper said the lefty had everything working and had his catcher pushing him. "Between innings [Kurt] Suzuki was getting all over him. 'When I say come in, come in.' But it was fun to watch and I really didn't even want to hook him when I had to..." - Davey Johnson on Gio Gonzalez "He threw his curve ball over a lot, and that was a good pitch for him" Johnson explained, "He was locating his fastball, although some time between innings [Kurt] Suzuki was getting all over him. 'When I say come in, come in.' But it was fun to watch and I really didn't even want to hook him when I had to. He had a four-hitter going and a shutout, but it was the right situation and unfortunately we didn't get a win for him." The Nationals finished their 10-game trip to LA, San Diego and San Francisco 4-6 with a 24-23 record overall. The Nats are 4.5 games behind the NL East's first place Atlanta Braves and just a game ahead of the resurgent Philadelphia Phillies, who've won seven of their last ten to pull within one game of .500 at 23-24 heading into this weekend's three-game series in the nation's capital. "They played their hearts out. They battled all the way to the end and the bullpen kept us in the game and that's how it's supposed to be. We came out on top." - Gio Gonzalez on Nats' win over the Giants "It's going to be a good flight back home," Gonzalez told reporters after the game, echoing the sentiments expressed by his manager. "Especially the way these guys played. They played their hearts out. They battled all the way to the end and the bullpen kept us in the game and that's how it's supposed to be. We came out on top and especially against a team like that. They're really good, so you just have to try to minimize the damage as much as possible and give us a chance." Stephen Strasburg's Overlooked Outing In AT&T Photo © Jason O. Watson/Getty Images Thanks to 20-year-old Nats' slugger Bryce Harper's 12th home run and tenth inning run scored, Gio Gonzalez's start wasn't squandered as Strasburg's had been the night before. Though the Nats ended the trip a game above .500 and snapped their four-game losing streak on Wednesday, Davey Johnson wasn't happy with how things went on the trip. "This was a great road trip to get through," Johnson said, "Glad to be going home and coming home with a win. A tough one." Explaining the struggles the team has endured, the Nationals' manager said it's still a problem with the offense. "Again, our offense has just been down," the skipper said, "We've got a whole bunch of guys that need to start stepping it up and I think we'll do that when we get home."

Among many other traits, Bryce Harper has shown an uncanny ability to learn from his mistakes and rarely, if ever, repeat them. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Washington Nationals News

How many games can you win with a good start and Bryce Harper carrying the Nats to victory? Hopefully about 70 more. The Nats end the west coast trip 4-6, when 6-4 was the goal so they are now behind for May, but only by a couple games. A day off and a the Nats enter, to me, the most interesting stretch of games theyhave all year.3 home series that the Nats should win - Phillies, Mets, Twins4 games vs their interarea rival - The OriolesA road series vs their crucial interleague rival - The BravesIt just feels like a lot can go wrong here or a lot can go right. The blessing is that it ends with the Mets and the Twins so barring complete embarrassment to start there's that chance for a redemption with a strong 5-1 or 6-0 finish. The Nats still aren't hitting but they miss Cliff Lee and it's likely Chen will still be out for the Orioles when the two teams meet. So if there's any time to turn it on, it's now.At the same time if any problems after this break you feel they have to move on them. One month slump? Ok. Two months? Getting very tired of it. Three months? You don't go to 3 months. Not unless this is a star player you are talking about. As bad as they've been you can try one last stretch with the guys you have now. But after this stretch, with the All-Star break staring you in the face, you'll be forced to do something. Last chance boys.

Confront his fear of walls? Check (video here). Hit an opposite field home run? Check (video here). Make a great sliding catch in the eighth? Check (video here). Hurt his knee again on that catch and scare the crap out of Davey Johnson late in the game because of said knee? Check ("It’s a little swollen." said Harper after the game). Score the eventual game-winning run on an Ian Desmond single with his helmet flying off? Check (video here). Write "Pray 4 OK!" on the brim of his cap? Check (video here). Hold a baby? Check (Photo via his sister). The only thing Harper didn't do yesterday was untuck his shirt like Rafael Soriano after a must-win game (seems odd to say that in May). Still, all is apparently forgiven between Harper and Raffy. West Coast trip from hell ends 4-6. Nats 4 1/2 back of the Braves in the NL East. (Screencaps via MLB.com, MASN/TV) Befriend Nats Enquirer on Facebook. Follow on Twitter. Related articles Rafael Soriano rips Bryce Harper for miscue Bryce Harper runs into Dodger Stadium wall, leaves game shaken up and bleeding... Bryce Harper and Johnny Manziel hug it out at Petco Park Bryce Harper on that triple over his head: "I don't want to hit the frickin' wall full-on." Video: Bryce Harper's new GEICO commercial

Bryce Harper admitted Tuesday night to a specific kind of vulnerability, and Wednesday afternoon another deep flyball and another looming wall tested it. On Tuesday night, Gregor Blanco smashed a ball over his head that could have been the final … Continue reading →

Team Yesterday Today Probable Pitchers Syracuse OFF DAY @ Columbus, 7:05 p.m. Mandel (0-1, 6.29) vs. House (1-2, 5.22) Harrisburg Lost, 7-6 @ Erie, 11:05 a.m. Jordan (1-0, 0.00) vs. Lobstein (5-2, 3.14) Potomac Postponed @ Frederick, 11:00 a.m. Hill (4-1, 2.31) vs. Petersime (1-4, 8.24) Hagerstown Lost, 6-2 vs. Lexington, 7:05 p.m. Pineyro (3-2, 3.96) vs. Stumpf (3-1, 1.49) Syracuse Chiefs — OFF DAY The Chiefs’ eight-game Ohio swing continues with a four-game weekend set in Columbus. After a 3-1 series win in Toledo, Syracuse is 13-9 on the road and has climbed out of the I.L. North cellar, a ½ game ahead of the Rochester Red Wings. Erie 7 Harrisburg 6 • Karns 6IP, 8H, 5R, 4ER, BB, 9K, 2HR • Broadway 1⅓ 2H, 0R, 0BB, K • Barrett (BS, 1; L, 1-1) ⅔ IP, 2H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 0K • Head 2-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI, OF assist at 2B • Hood 2-4, R, 2B, OF assist at HP • Nicol 1-3, R, HR, 4RBI, SF In a game that saw six lead changes, it was the last that hurt the most as a two-out single drove in the tying run and an error let in the winning run as the Seawolves stopped the Senators, 7-6. Starter Nathan Karns suffered his first multi-HR game as a pro, surrendering two solo shots and five runs total on eight hits and a walk while striking out nine. Sean Nicol drove in four, three with a HR in the 4th and fourth with a sacrifice fly in the 9th. Jerad Head and Ricky Hague also went deep. Aaron Barrett put on the first two batters he faced but then got two flyball outs before giving up a second hit for the single-and-error that halted the Harrisburg win streak at five. Roster moves: LHP Bill Bray was placed on the 7-Day DL to make room for RHP Rob Gilliam, who was promoted from Potomac. Potomac vs. Frederick — PPD Apparently, just the threat of rain can cause a delay as the P-Nats and Keys waited more than an hour before any rain actually fell at which point the game was called due to the “threat of increasingly torrential thunderstorms.” The game is scheduled to be made up on June 14th, when two teams next meet in Frederick and will turn a four-game set into a five-game series (and quite possibly six, given today’s forecast). Greensboro 6 Hagerstown 2 • Turnbull (L, 2-2) 4IP, 5H, 5R, 0ER, BB, K, 0HR • Henke 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K • Ramos 2-3, R, BB, RBI, SB • Severino 1-3, 2B, BB The good news is that none of the five runs Kylin Turnbull gave up were earned. The bad news is that they still count on the scoreboard, which ended with Greensboro on top of Hagerstown, 6-2. Turnbull gave up five hits and one walk, struck out one, but gave up no homers for the first time in five starts for the Suns. “Help Me” Wander Ramos singled twice, scored a run, drove in a run, and stole a base to pace the Hagertown offense, which was held to seven hits and four walks and mustered just one hit in 12 chances with runners in scoring position.