Dan Kolko

Opening up the unwritten rulebook

Opening up the unwritten rulebook
ST. LOUIS - As if the Nationals don't see enough young hurlers with upper-90s fastballs in their own division - with Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez, Craig Kimbrel and others - they had to deal with another one last night. Michael Wacha is just 22. He's made just 15 big league appearances. But when you throw 98 mph and can control a changeup that comes in around 88-89, you've got a good chance to be successful in the bigs. Add in a sharp curveball, and you can see why they're excited about...
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Dan Kolko

Zimmerman, LaRoche and Span discuss Wacha's dominance

Zimmerman, LaRoche and Span discuss Wacha's dominance
ST. LOUIS - It's been a bit of a rough 24 hours for the Nationals. They were eliminated from postseason contention last night, and tonight, they came within an out of being the first D.C. team to be no-hit since 1966. Ryan Zimmerman saved the Nats from that distinction with his infield hit with two outs in the top of the ninth, a chopper that deflected off Cardinals starter Michael Wacha's glove. Shortstop Pete Kozma's throw to first was just wide of the bag, and Zimmerman evaded Matt...
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Dan Kolko

Hearing from Johnson and Matheny after Wacha's near no-no

Hearing from Johnson and Matheny after Wacha's near no-no
ST. LOUIS - Davey Johnson, a Texas A&M guy, couldn't help but be impressed with what Michael Wacha, another A&M guy, did tonight, as the 22-year-old right-hander came just inches away from a no-hitter in the Cardinals' 2-0 win over the Nationals. Wacha was one out away from being the first Cardinals pitcher to throw a no-hitter in St. Louis in 30 years, but Ryan Zimmerman's slow tapper deflected off Wacha's glove, and Pete Kozma's barehanded grab and throw pulled Matt Adams off the first...
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Dan Kolko

Wacha think of the rookie? (Nats nearly no-hit in 2-0 loss)

Wacha think of the rookie? (Nats nearly no-hit in 2-0 loss)
ST. LOUIS - Apologies for that awful pun in the headline. This is how I entertain myself over the course of a 162-game season. Cardinals starter Michael Wacha has absolutely dominated the Nationals through four innings tonight, retiring all 12 batters he's seen, six of whom have gone down on strikes. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, has touched 98 mph with his fastball, shown impressive feel for his changeup and used...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson on playing his starters and Lombardozzi's strong season

Johnson on playing his starters and Lombardozzi's strong season
ST. LOUIS - Davey Johnson says he didn't sleep too well last night. Can't really blame him. In his last season as manager of the Nationals, he officially saw his team get knocked from the playoff picture last night. The season that Johnson labeled as "World Series or bust" back at the Winter Meetings reached bust here in St. Louis, leaving Johnson to go through all the what-ifs as he laid in bed last night. Eventually, he got to sleep, and made his way over to the ballpark earlier today....
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Dan Kolko

Even after elimination, Nats sticking with regular lineup

Even after elimination, Nats sticking with regular lineup
ST. LOUIS - Prior to yesterday's game, Davey Johnson said that even if his team was to be eliminated from the playoff picture, he still planned on "putting my best foot forward" by starting his regular players down the stretch. Johnson is a man of his word. The Nationals skipper is running out his normal starting lineup today in game two of this three-game set against the Cardinals. Johnson talked last night, after the Nats had been eliminated, about wanting to deliver some payback to the...
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Dan Kolko

Harper: "I've got to try to be in this lineup every night"

Harper: "I've got to try to be in this lineup every night"
ST. LOUIS - It was a pretty innocuous question, but one that drew an interesting answer. After the Nationals were eliminated from postseason contention last night, Bryce Harper was asked how much he thinks back to the early part of the season and what could have been different when the Nats struggled to gain momentum and put together any extended period of strong play. "I wasn't there for a month," Harper replied. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm a game-changer or...
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Dan Kolko

Dealing with the defeat

Dealing with the defeat
ST. LOUIS - One image from the postgame scene in the Nationals clubhouse last night stays with me above all others this morning. That image is Bryce Harper seated at his locker, staring at nothing in particular. Harper was in full uniform, his feet resting on the wooden beams on either side of his locker. He stayed in that position for nearly 45 minutes after the game, refusing to change out of his clothes and move on from the idea that the Nationals still had a chance at postseason...
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Dan Kolko

Hearing from Desmond, LaRoche and Harper after Nats are eliminated

Hearing from Desmond, LaRoche and Harper after Nats are eliminated
ST. LOUIS - A harsh reality hit the Nationals tonight following their 4-3 loss to the Cardinals, a defeat that came just minutes after the Pirates and Reds had taken care of business and earned late wins. "The postseason door is officially closed," Ian Desmond said. The Nats will have five more regular season games and then head their separate ways, bound for the offseason after a turbulent 2013 campaign that saw them struggle through the first four months of the season before putting...
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Dan Kolko

Davey Johnson: "We gave it a good fight. We just came up short"

Davey Johnson: "We gave it a good fight. We just came up short"
ST. LOUIS - Minutes after his team had been mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture, Davey Johnson held back tears as he discussed the Nationals' dreams of postseason baseball coming to an end. Johnson, the Nats' 70-year-old skipper who is in his final season at the helm of this team, spoke evenly, and his voice didn't break at any point during his session with reporters, but you could see the sadness on his face. The Nationals' 4-3 loss to the Cardinals coupled with wins by...
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Dan Kolko

On the verge of elimination (Nats lose, won't be postseason-bound)

On the verge of elimination (Nats lose, won't be postseason-bound)
ST. LOUIS - Not only are the Nationals losing here in the late innings in St. Louis, but the Pirates and Reds just won in dramatic fashion. With their win, the Pirates will clinch a playoff spot if the Nats lose here tonight. Same deal with the Reds. Put in other words, the Nats are three outs away from elimination. The Nats go into the top of the ninth inning trailing the Cardinals 4-3. A Ryan Zimmerman RBI groundout in the eighth cut the Cardinals' lead in half, but the Nats will need a...
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A big blast, then a few zeros (Roark finally allows a homer)

A big blast, then a few zeros (Roark finally allows a homer)
ST. LOUIS - Jayson Werth got the road trip started on a positive note early on tonight. Boy, did he ever. Werth demolished a 2-2 curveball from Adam Wainwright way out to left field for a two-run shot in the top of the first inning, giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead right off the bat. It was an absolute bomb, one that nearly traveled to the "Big Mac Land" sign on the facade of the second deck in left field. The Cardinals estimated the ball traveled 439 feet, which sounds about right. It...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson on rotation alignment, battle with Cards and Zimmerman's defense

Johnson on rotation alignment, battle with Cards and Zimmerman's defense
ST. LOUIS - Tanner Roark gets the start tonight for the Nationals in the opener of their three-game set with the Cardinals, but this will probably be the last time we'll see the rookie right-hander start a game this season. Manager Davey Johnson has laid out his rotation for the remainder of the season, and he'll have Roark move back to the bullpen following tonight's game. Gio Gonzalez will start tomorrow night, followed by Jordan Zimmermann in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Then...
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Dan Kolko

Roark vs. Wainwright tonight in St. Louis (Holliday scratched)

Roark vs. Wainwright tonight in St. Louis (Holliday scratched)
ST. LOUIS - We've got a pretty strong pitching matchup tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, as Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright will oppose Nationals righty Tanner Roark. If I had written that sentence back in June, you all would've thought I was drunk. But while Roark obviously isn't on Wainwright's level, he has burst onto the scene over the last couple of months and started to turn some heads. Roark is 7-0 with a 1.08 ERA over 41 2/3 innings this season. He's yet to allow a...
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Dan Kolko

How much roster turnover will be needed?

How much roster turnover will be needed?
Well, here we go. The final stretch. The Nationals will kick off a three-game series against the Cardinals in St. Louis tonight, then fly to Phoenix for three more to close out the regular season. They currently sit five games back of both the Pirates and the Reds with six games to play. If the Nats make up those five games, they'll have a one-game playoff to determine who will earn the final National League wild card spot. In order to pull one of the greatest comebacks ever and earn that...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson on pregame ceremony: "I was really moved by everything"

Johnson on pregame ceremony: "I was really moved by everything"
The Nationals will mathematically remain alive into their series-opener in St. Louis tomorrow regardless of what happens tonight in the nightcap of the doubleheader between the Nats and Marlins, but this afternoon's action might've effectively ended any real chances the Nats had at a playoff spot. Their loss combined with the Reds' win puts the Nats 5 1/2 games back of both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh entering tonight's game. At best, the Nats will head on the road sitting five games back...
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Homers hurt Haren again (Nats lose 4-2, Braves clinch NL East title)

Homers hurt Haren again (Nats lose 4-2, Braves clinch NL East title)
Dan Haren is done after six innings of work this afternoon, and if not for two mistakes that turned into home runs, the veteran right-hander might've turned in a pretty strong outing. As it is, it will still officially go down as a quality start, but Haren and the Nationals trail 3-0 in the sixth. Haren gave up a two-run bomb to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning on a 90 mph fastball over the fat part of the plate, and two innings late, it was Christian Yelich crushing an 85 mph cutter...
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Dan Kolko

Davey Johnson honored in pregame ceremony (with game update)

Davey Johnson honored in pregame ceremony (with game update)
On what will likely be the last day that Davey Johnson stands in the Nationals Park dugout as manager, the Nationals honored Johnson with a ceremony lasting more than 10 minutes before this afternoon's game. The ceremony included a video tribute, the presentation of a Tiffany crystal from Nationals ownership, inscribed with, "In celebration of your decorated baseball legacy and contributions to the Washington Nationals," and interviews with some of Johnson's former and current...
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The day after the delay

The day after the delay
How do players spend their time during a 3-hour, 45-minute rain delay? Much the way you'd expect, I guess. They lay around on sofas. They watch college football. They
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Dan Kolko

Solano behind the plate, Lombardozzi playing second in Game 1

Solano behind the plate, Lombardozzi playing second in Game 1
What a gorgeous day it is at Nationals Park. You'd have never known that the entire stadium nearly got washed away last night. We've got sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s today, and if you're a Nationals fan, you probably can't ask for a much better day as the home schedule wraps up. Two ballgames in nice weather with the Nats still holding out hope of a playoff spot. Dan Haren will start game one today, and he'll throw to Jhonatan Solano. Wilson Ramos will catch Stephen Strasburg...
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