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The Nationals’ slow offensive start

GameSetMatch — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:03:20 +0000

Once his team joined him in the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, Manager Jim Riggleman had a message for his players. “We haven’t got started yet,” he said. Riggleman told them he liked their intensity and the way they were grinding through games, and that they could be upbeat about their 3-4 record because their offense had not yet come close to hitting stride.

That would be the positive to draw from Washington’s first full week. Certainly, it wouldn’t be the starting pitching, which has consisted of one excellent start, two passable ones and four clunkers. The Nationals staff has thrown 32 1/3 innings, fewest in the majors despite five teams having played just six games. (Tracee Hamilton will chat about the Nationals and Jason Marquis’s poor start this morning at 9:30.)

Their offense has also lagged near the bottom. They’ve scored 3.71 runs per game, 25th in the majors. The Nationals are drawing walks — they have 29 as a team, 10 from Adam Dunn, who is tied for the league lead. But they’re not hitting — their .218 batting average, second lowest in the majors.

Click here to read the full article – By Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post

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Strasburg allows 2 hits in spring debut

GameSetMatch — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:44:12 +0000

Top draft pick Stephen Strasburg has made his spring training debut for the Washington Nationals, pitching two scoreless innings against the Detroit Tigers.

Starting for Washington, Strasburg threw 15 of his 27 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits, successive two-out singles by Don Kelly and Alex Avila in the second. But the right-hander finished off Brent Dlugach with a bending, 81 mph breaking ball for an inning-ending strikeout.

Strasburg’s four-seam fastball was consistently measured in the 97-98 mph range and he struck out two Tuesday. But he had some problems with location and threw first-pitch strikes to only two of the eight batters he faced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Nats close on a roll, beating Braves in 15 innings

GameSetMatch — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:43:34 +0000

Alberto Gonzalez drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the 15th inning and the Washington Nationals closed the season with a seven-game winning streak, beating the Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Sunday.

Playing the longest game since the franchise moved to Washington from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals became the first team in baseball history to close the season with seven straight wins after losing the first seven. Still, they finished 59-103 — the worst record in baseball.
Atlanta, which got within two games of the wild-card lead with six remaining, finished with a season-high six-game losing streak. Logan Kensing (1-2) earned the win with two scoreless innings, striking out Brooks Conrad on a checked swing for the final out with runners at second and third.

Elijah Dukes started the winning rally off Boone Logan (1-1) with a one-out walk. Mike Morse flied out, but Wil Nieves and Gonzalez came through with back-to-back singles to break a tie that had stood since the seventh.

Click here to read the full article – By PAUL NEWBERRY of timesunion.com

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Nationals Beat Mets on Wild Throw in Eighth Inning

GameSetMatch — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:29:19 +0000

Another meltdown by the New York Mets gave the Washington Nationals a rare winning streak.

With the help of two wild throws on potential double-play grounders in the eighth inning, the 103-loss Nationals scored the tiebreaking run in a 4-3 win over the Mets on Tuesday night for their second straight win.

“It was kind of embarrassing to watch that kind of play — especially at that time of the game,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “Poor, poor, poor defensive play.”

With one out and the scored tied at 3, Mike Morse walked against Nick Green (1-4) and Justin Maxwell ran for him. Cristian Guzman grounded to shortstop, but former Nationals infielder Anderson Hernandez’s toss to second was off target, allowing Maxwell to advance and Guzman reached first.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of Long Island Press

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Nats’ Desmond making most of his call-up

GameSetMatch — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:51:20 +0000

Ian Desmond had plenty of time to contemplate his first week in the big leagues and everything that would entail, perhaps more than most gifted minor league prospects who dream of reaching the top level.

Unlike thousands of other young ballplayers, Desmond got his first glimpse of the majors at the age of 19. Summoned to the Washington Nationals’ big league camp during the spring of 2005 because of a lack of shortstop depth in the system, he spent weeks playing with and against top competition and even had a Hall of Famer for a manager.

Frank Robinson was immediately struck by Desmond, not only his physical skills but his advanced baseball instincts and understanding of the sport.

“I’m telling you, his instincts are better than some guys I’ve seen play the game for 20 years,” Robinson said that spring. “He doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the situation.”

Click here to read the full article – By Mark Zuckerman of The Washington Times

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Nats’ bats pummel Marlins pitching

GameSetMatch — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:40:38 +0000

Mother Nature provided more than three hours of rain delays, but the Nationals were able to get enough done early thanks to some quality starting pitching and timely hitting.

John Lannan threw five solid innings and the Nationals’ offense pummeled Marlins pitching to push Washington past Florida, 7-2, at Land Shark Stadium on Sunday.

The left-hander picked up his ninth win of the year after holding the Marlins to one run on six hits while striking out three and walking one. But even though his performance was impressive, it was his offense that gave the Nationals a series win over their division rival.

Click here to read the full article – By David Villavicencio of MLB.com

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Nats ask Guzman to play second base in 2010

GameSetMatch — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:50:36 +0000

The Nationals may not be looking to sign a free agent like second baseman Orlando Hudson this offseason. It was learned that general manager Mike Rizzo and interim manager Jim Riggleman had a private meeting with shortstop Cristian Guzman on Thursday afternoon and asked him to switch to second base for the 2010 season.

Guzman, who did not give Rizzo and Riggleman an answer, was in shock and told them he never played second base in his life. The only other position Guzman has played other than shortstop was in the 2008 All-Star Game when he played third base for the National League team.

If Guzman agrees to the switch, that means the Nationals most likely will look for a shortstop during the offseason.

Will Ian Desmond get that chance to become the everyday shortstop? It’s hard to tell, but he got off to a quick start on Thursday night by going 2-for-4 and driving in four runs in his Major League debut against the Phillies.

Click here to read the full article – By Bill Ladson of MLBlogs.com

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Nationals put Morgan on DL, call up Orr from Chiefs

GameSetMatch — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:08:09 +0000

Nyjer Morgan likes to slide headfirst. The dangerous habit caught up with the Washington Nationals’ leadoff hitter.

Morgan was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a broken left hand, a day after he was injured stealing third base in a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Manager Jim Riggleman said he talked with Morgan a few weeks ago about trying to do it feet-first, which is less hazardous to player’s health.

Riggleman said Morgan agreed, but hasn’t been able to break the habit. Now he’s out for the season.

“I think most guys who are stealing bases the last 10 years, that’s the only way they’ve done it,” Riggleman said. “We’ve just got to really impress on him, and others in the system, that we need to kind of mandate that you’re just going to have to learn how to go feet-first.”

Click here to read the full article – By of cnycentral.com

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GameSetMatch — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:52:43 +0000

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Livan signs deal, returns to Nationals

GameSetMatch — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:33:30 +0000

The Nationals signed right-hander Livan Hernandez to a Major League contract on Tuesday night, six days after the Mets gave the veteran his unconditional release.

Hernandez, who went 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA for New York, will be in the rotation and serve as a mentor for Washington’s young starting pitchers.

In fact, he will start against the Cubs on Wednesday night, while right-hander J.D. Martin and left-hander John Lannan will be pushed back a day and pitch on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Click here to read the full article – By Bill Ladson of MLB.com

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