Washington Nationals

Stephen Strasburg's tenth start of the season began with a 31-pitch, 16-strike bottom of the first Tuesday night in AT&T Park in which he gave up two hits and two walks but no runs. The one run the San Francisco Giants did score on the Washington Nationals' 24-year-old starter came in a 13-pitch second. Gregor Blanco singled to left to start the inning and scored from second two outs later when Angel Pagan drove him in. The run got the home team within one after Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond had given the visiting Nats a 2-0 lead in the top of the first against Giants' starter Matt Cain. Strasburg's catcher, Kurt Suzuki, caught Pagan stealing in the next at bat after the Giants' outfielder's RBI single, and the Nationals' starter retired 14 of the next 16 batters he faced, including ten straight to end his start after seven innings of work in which he gave up five hits, three walks and the one earned run while recording seven Ks. Strasburg threw 108 pitches overall, 77 over his final six innings of work after the long first, but the lead he handed the Nats' bullpen was blown in the ninth and the Nationals lost the fourth-straight game when Yunkesy Maya gave up a Pablo Sandoval walk-off blast in the bottom of the tenth. "Stras had a rough start and threw a lot of pitches early, but gave us a good strong seven innings and we were in a position to win that and we didn't win it. It's tough." - Davey Johnson on squandering Stephen Strasburg's strong outing "We didn't get the hits when we needed to," Davey Johnson told reporters after the loss. The Nationals had their chances to add to their lead throughout the game, but after scoring twice early, they failed to add on over the next nine innings in AT&T Park. "When we had the table set and had the right guys up there," the Nats' skipper said, "we just didn't get it done and then we didn't hold them. Stras had a rough start and threw a lot of pitches early, but gave us a good strong seven innings and we were in a position to win that and we didn't win it. It's tough." Had it not been for the long first, Johnson said afterwards, he might have let Strasburg go deeper into the game than he did. "If he hadn't struggled the first couple of innings," Johnson said, "I think he had over 40 pitches or something after two. I probably would have even gone further with him, but he pitched a great game, set up for our pen and our pen just didn't hold it." "His velocity was good, his stuff was good, he mixed and matched three plus pitches in the strike zone for the most part," Nats' GM Mike Rizzo told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.'s Holden Kushner and Danny Rouhier on Wednesday morning, "and really kept a hot-hitting, very good lineup in check and certainly gave us a chance to win the ballgame, which is what we expect our starting rotation to do each and every night out there. We just couldn't close the deal out for him, but it was good to see him in command of a ballgame, go deep into a game when we really needed it." "His velocity was good, his stuff was good, he mixed and matched three plus pitches in the strike zone for the most part, and really kept a hot-hitting, very good lineup in check." - Mike Rizzo on Stephen Strasburg vs the Giants Strasburg threw 29 two-seam fastballs (18 for strikes; 62.07%), 37 four-seam fastballs (23 for strikes; 61.26%), 23 changeups (13 for strikes; 56.52% w/ six swings and misses) and 19 curves (8 for strikes; 42.11%). The changeup was filthy, but the fastball command wasn't there early as both the Nats' GM and Strasburg discussed. "He was spraying his fastball a little bit," Rizzo said on The Mike Rizzo Show, "and [he] had to battle through some long, leverage pitch type of innings and got through it and really pitched extremely well for us. And like I said, he did exactly what we expected him to do, is give us a chance to win and we were set up to win the ballgame, we just couldn't close the deal out and we lost another tight one." Your br

Nats southpaw Gio Gonzalez pitched brilliantly in San Francisco on Wednesday, and the Nationals denied the Giants a sweep of their series, winning in ten innings off of an Ian Desmond single. The team needed a pick-up after Tuesday night’s now-controversial debacle, and Gonzalez provided it. Gonzalez gave up only four hits and struck out [...]

We'd be remiss if we didn't post something about the t-shirt Dan Haren made for Nats pitchers featuring the pic of Steve McCatty in that 1984 issue of Playgirl, which officially blew up and became a "thing" on Tuesday: Haren got T-shirts of McCatty's Playgirl shot made today. "UNTUCK" on back. "Utter joy," Clippard said. "This is the best day of my life." — Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) May 21, 2013 Anyway, there's Gio above (Photo of TV via @NatitudeProblem) in a shot from Nats Xtra on MASN before Wednesday's Nats-Giants game. Sleeves cut off, too. Meanwhile, a pretty nice little outing for Gio on Wednesday: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 116 pitches, 73 strikes. Should've been good enough for the win, but, you know, these are the 2013 Nats. Befriend Nats Enquirer on Facebook. Follow on Twitter.

SAN FRANCISCO — Washington Nationals trainer Lee Kuntz approached Davey Johnson in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game Wednesday, informing the manager that Bryce Harper’s left knee was sore. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Washington Nationals News

A reporter asked Washington Nationals' manager Davey Johnson how much his team needed Wednesday's road trip-ending win over the San Francisco Giants, which stopped a four-game losing streak. "We've needed them all," the 70-year-old skipper said, "We just take them one day at a time, but it's a good ballclub over there. They've got a good bullpen and they kept matching up with us and our guys battled and [Ian Desmond] got a big hit and I loved seeing it. It seems a long time coming." The hit Johnson's referring to was, of course, the Nats' shortstop's tenth inning RBI single that gave the visiting Nationals a one-run lead over the Giants in AT&T after Washington had blown a 1-0 lead in the home-half of the eighth. "They kept matching up with us and our guys battled and [Ian Desmond] got a big hit and I loved seeing it. It seems a long time coming." - Davey Johnson on Nats' 10th inning win in AT&T Desmond's single to right scored Harper from second after the 20-year-old outfielder doubled with one down in the top of the first extra frame of the second-straight extra inning game in the series in San Francisco. A night after a loss which he blamed on his own inability to catch a game-tying ninth-inning triple by the Giants' Gregor Blanco, Harper came back with a 2 for 5 finale on Wednesday in which he scored each of the two runs the Nationals managed to score. Harper hit a solo home run (his 12th of 2013) to left field off Madison Bumgarner in the top of the sixth, then put the Nationals on top again after they'd blown the lead his bat provided. "Before we went out to the field I think in the ninth inning, the trainer came over and said, 'Bryce hurt his knee again.' And I said, 'I don't want to hear it. Please don't tell me that.'" - Davey Johnson on Bryce Harper's swollen knee in AT&T And he apparently did it on a balky left knee. "It was a shocker," Johnson said, "Before he went up there -- before we went out to the field I think in the ninth inning, the trainer came over and said, 'Bryce hurt his knee again.' And I said, 'I don't want to hear it. Please don't tell me that.' And I looked at Bryce and said, 'Can you go?' And he said, 'Yeah. I'll go. I can go.' Then he got the big hit in the next inning. But I couldn't imagine having to take him out. I'm down to one player, running one player short on the bench anyway and having to take out [Harper] would have been all I can take." Harper apparently hurt the knee again on a line drive to right by Hunter Pence in the bottom of the eighth. With two runners on and the game tied at 1-1 following Buster Posey's RBI single off Drew Storen, Pence lined to right and a charging Harper made a sliding catch on the knee he injured running into Dodger Stadium's right field wall last week in Los Angeles. "He banged it up," Davey Johnson said, "And it was swelling up, and I said, 'We'll fix it tomorrow." Davey Johnson And Ryan Zimmerman On Bryce Harper Bunting Photo © Jason A. Watson/Getty Images Harper's home run was his first hit in 11 at bats going back to his second AB against the San Diego Padres in the finale of the previous series in Petco Park. Harper ended the road trip 5 for 21 with a double and two home runs. On the season, the second-year major leaguer now has a .288/.383/.612 line with seven doubles, a triple and 12 home runs in 41 games and 164 plate appearances, over which he's drawn 22 walks and struck out 27 times.

Via Fangraphs (click to embiggen) Not too shabby: Gio Gonzalez (+42.3%) goes 7.1 IP, striking out 5 and walking 2. He gives up 1 ER on a walk who comes around to score after he exits in the aeyth. SYSTEMS ACTIVE: Bryce Harper (+23.8%) jacks a oppo solo shot to put the Nats ahead in the 6th (+18.8%). He also hits a one-out double in extras (+11.6%). Uh-oh: Drew Storen (-22.7%) walks one and lets one of Gio's runner score to tie the game in the aeyth. RAAAAAAR! Tyler Clippard (+11.7%) fans two while keeping it tied with a scoreless 9th. Clutch (if that existed): Ian Desmond (+31.9%) singles in the go-ahead run in the 10th (+33.2%). Forget yesterday, untuck today: Rafael Soriano (+16.6%) keeps the ball in the yard to get the save.Gio has a strong outcome, the bullpen overcomes a minor hiccup, and Bryce Desmond comes through again.

Associated PressBryce Harper is congratulated by Ryan Zimmerman after homering in the sixth.Game in a nutshell: On the final day of the season's longest road trip, the Nationals desperately needed a big-time pitching performance from Gio Gonzalez and some rare offensive support. They got the former — Gonzalez carried a shutout in the eighth — but they didn't get the latter. Bryce Harper's solo homer in the sixth represented their only run in regulation. Even so, the Nationals had a chance to eke out a 1-0 victory, if only their bullpen could hold the lead. It couldn't. Drew Storen entered with one on and one out in the eighth and immediately walked Marco Scutaro before surrendering the game-tying single to Buster Posey. Never fear, though, because Tyler Clippard pitched a scoreless ninth to send the game to extra innings, at which point Harper doubled and later scored on Ian Desmond's clutch single to right field, giving the Nationals the lead again. Rafael Soriano then made up for his blown save last night with a clean bottom of the 10th, and the Nats headed back East with a 24-23 record and relieved to have at least ended this eventful trip on a positive note.Hitting highlight: Just because you're hitting second doesn't mean you have to hit like a traditional No. 2 hitter. Harper didn't quiteRead more »

"Lemonade! Lemonade!" A vendor was clearly audible in the mix along with the announcers and other crowd sounds on the broadcast of this afternoon's series finale between the visiting Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants in AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. Giants' lefty Madison Bumgarner was in the process of putting the Nats down in order in what ended up being a 14-pitch, 1-2-3 first in which he struck out the side. Angel Pagan hit the sixth pitch of Gio Gonzalez's first to right for an opposite field single to lead off the home-half of the inning. A walk to Marco Scutaro was followed by a fly to right by Buster Posey on which Pagan advanced to third. Home plate ump Gary Darling liked Gonzalez's 0-2 curve to Hunter Pence, though Pence and the Giants' bench objected to the called strike three. A 2-2 curve to Brett Pill got the Giants' first baseman swinging for out no.3 and got the Nationals' starter out of a scoreless first after 23 pitches. 0-0 in game three of three in AT&T. The Giants' had the National League's 3rd highest average against lefties (.265), and they were ninth in the NL in OBP (.304) and SLG (.372) before this afternoon's matchup against the Nats' lefty Gio Gonzalez. The Nationals entered the game with an NL-worst sweep, (.191/.263/.287), 15th of 15 across the line, with no luck at all (.242 BABIP also 15th) to the Giants' .315 BABIP, which was good for third overall in the National League. But it's really just fair to say the Nationals aren't hitting good (or well, whatever) in general. No need to get specific. Ian Desmond walked in an eight-pitch at bat in the top of the second, but Madison Bumgarner retired the next three Nats in order to get through two scoreless on 34 pitches. Still 0-0. Andres Torres lined one over Denard Span and bounced a ground-rule double into the center field stands with one down in the Giants' second. Two outs later, however, Torres was stranded at second after Gio Gonzalez popped up Brandon Crawford and struck Bumgarner out to end a 15-pitch frame at 38 pitches overall. The Giants' left-handed starter left a 1-2 fastball to Gio Gonzalez up in the zone and surrendered the first hit of the game for the Nationals with one down in the top of the third. Denard Span struck out for the second time in two at bats vs Madison Bumgarner for the second out of the inning though and Bryce Harper flew to right to end the frame. Still 0-0. 54 pitches for Bumgarner. Gio Gonzalez was at 47 overall when Buster Posey grounded to sharply to third with two down in the Giants' third. Ryan Zimmerman made a backhanded play, but the force knocked him back, so his throw was wilder than usual but Adam LaRoche was his Gold Glove self, going up to get the high throw and applying the tag when Posey avoided the first swipe but went past the bag. 3 outs. Adam LaRoche "doubled" when his broken bat fly to left died just inside the line halfway into the outfield. Tyler Moore spit on three offspeed pitches out of the zone from Bumgarner after he'd fallen behind 0-2, but he hit a one-hop liner out to Brandon Crawford at short for the third out of a scoreless Nationals' fourth. Gio Gonzalez needed 18 pitches to retire the Giants in order in bottom of the fourth. After Hunter Pence flew out to right, the Nats' lefty got Brett Pill looking with a 1-2 heater knee-high outside and got a grounder to short from Joaquin Arias on his 65th pitch of the game. Grounder. Desmond. Out. 65 pitches after four. Eight straight and 12 of 13 set down by the Nats' starter after the first two runners of the game reached base. Danny Espinosa was 0 for 2 today and 1 for 29 two at bats into the 10th game of 10 on the Nationals' road trip. Gio Gonzalez bunted Kurt Suzuki over to second after the Nats' catcher connected for the third hit of the game off the Giants' starter, but Bumgarner popped Denard Span up to end a seven-pitch, two-out at bat after which it was still scoreless in San Francisco. 0-0. Gio Gonzalez got t

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) League. At the end of each month, the team with the most votes will receive $10,000 for its local chapter of the RBI League. The organization's goal is to "increase participation and interest in baseball and softball among underserved youth," and its graduates include the Dodgers' Carl Crawford, the Yankees' CC Sabathia and the Braves' Justin Upton. P&G's Head & Shoulders is heading the campaign, and in addition to the $10,000 prize each month, the company will donate $1 to the RBI League for each strikeout recorded in the majors this season. So, whenever you see a Nats pitcher freeze a batter or induce a swing with two strikes at a nasty slider, be sure to tweet to the @Nationals with #whiff. Through the MASN Nationals Twitter account, we will be joining the initiative to help the Nats fight for the most tweets in the majors and to help increase the amount of youth thriving in baseball and softball in the D.C. region. Be sure to give us a follow to join along with us as we tweet to help the D.C. youth win.

This morning, Rafael Soriano strolled to the back corner of the Nationals clubhouse inside AT&T Park. Dressed in all back, he dropped a bag in his chair and removed silver headphones from ears, hanging them on a hook in his … Continue reading →