Dan Kolko

The break they've been waiting for

The break they've been waiting for
SAN FRANCISCO - As the ball got past Pablo Sandoval's outstretched glove hand and trickled down the left field line, multiple Nationals knew that moment could be it. It could be the momentum-shifter, the play that they had been looking for. "I mentioned it yesterday, that we just need one break," reliever Drew Storen said. "It's been a tough couple games here to start. And we got our break." Prior to starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner's errant throw to third on Wilson Ramos'...
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Dan Kolko

Nats live to see another day with 4-1 win in Game 3

Nats live to see another day with 4-1 win in Game 3
SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals said coming into San Francisco that if they just played their game and got a break or two along the way, that they could very easily come back to win this series. They might have just gotten that break. Madison Bumgarner's throwing error on a Wilson Ramos sacrifice bunt led to two runs, and the Nats tacked on an additional run in the seventh inning to take a 3-0 lead. Ramos came up with two on and nobody out after Ian Desmond's leadoff single and a Bryce Harper...
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Dan Kolko

A scoreless ballgame through five

A scoreless ballgame through five
SAN FRANCISCO - Doug Fister's command hasn't been there early on. But he's thrown two scoreless innings, keeping this game knotted at zeros as we go to the third. Fister has needed 43 pitches to get through two, including 27 in the second inning, when the Giants loaded the bases on a Pablo Sandoval single to left-center and two walks. That brought up Giants starter Madison Bumgarner with the bases loaded, and by no means is the left-hander (who bats right-handed) an easy out. Bumgarner has...
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Dan Kolko

Williams on lineup stability: "We trust our guys, we have faith in our guys"

Williams on lineup stability: "We trust our guys, we have faith in our guys"
SAN FRANCISCO - Constructing a lineup when you're down two games to none in a best-of-five series isn't easy. You might want to shake things up a bit, find a way to inject some life into your team, especially when the lineup you've gone with in Games 1 and 2 has only scored three total runs and is batting .160 to this point. But you also don't want to blow things up and send a message to your team that you're panicking. The Nats have had plenty of offensive success over the last few...
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Dan Kolko

Nats going without Zimmerman in Game 3 lineup

Nats going without Zimmerman in Game 3 lineup
SAN FRANCISCO - After the Nationals scored just three runs in the first two games of the National League Division Series, Matt Williams is running out the same lineup again for Game 3. That means no Ryan Zimmerman, who Williams said he would consider adding to the lineup against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco's Game 3 starter. Zimmerman has not played third base since returning from a strained right hamstring in late September, leaving left field or first base as the only...
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Dan Kolko

Preaching patience at the plate

Preaching patience at the plate
SAN FRANCISCO - There's been a lot of attention put on Matt Williams' decision to take Jordan Zimmermann out in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series in favor of Drew Storen. Williams' plan didn't go as he had hoped, the Nationals' 1-0 lead evaporated, and they ended up losing 2-1 in 18 innings. Some fans and media members also spent part of Friday night and Saturday morning discussing Stephen Strasburg's outing, in which he went five innings and allowed two...
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Dan Kolko

Moving on from the marathon

Moving on from the marathon
SAN FRANCISCO - Postseason losses can be tough to deal with. Postseason losses in 18-inning games can be brutal. Postseason losses that put you down 0-2 in a five-game series can be torturous. But the Nationals say they're moving on from last night's 2-1 loss to the Giants, a loss that left them another defeat away from elimination. They hopped on busses for the airport after 1:30 a.m. on the east coast, boarded their cross-country flight to San Francisco and arrived around 5:30 a.m....
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Dan Kolko

Williams on decision in ninth: "I kicked myself ... but we have a reason for that move"

Williams on decision in ninth: "I kicked myself ... but we have a reason for that move"
SAN FRANCISCO - The Nationals have the day off in the sense that they don't have a game to play today. They will get the afternoon and evening to acclimate themselves to the Pacific time zone and to get a bit of a breather before tomorrow's Game 3. They do have an optional workout here at AT&T Park, however, and Matt Williams was impressed with the turnout he saw from his players. "The buses are full," Williams said. Williams and tomorrow's starter, Doug Fister, met with the media this...
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Dan Kolko

Nats now viewing NLDS as "a chance to do something special"

Nats now viewing NLDS as "a chance to do something special"
SAN FRANCISCO - The flight from D.C. to San Francisco wasn't as long as that ballgame was last night. After a 6:23 marathon in Game 2, which became the longest game time-wise in Major League Baseball postseason history, the Nationals find themselves in a tough spot, with their backs against the wall. They've now dropped the first two of a best-of-five series, and will need to take the next two here in San Francisco followed by a decisive Game 5 in D.C. in order to advance. A tall order, for...
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Dan Kolko

Desmond could miss postseason action due to birth of son

Desmond could miss postseason action due to birth of son
As Ian Desmond takes part in the National League Division Series, his mind is also with his pregnant wife Chelsey, who is currently in Sarasota, Fla., with her and Desmond's families. Depending on when Chelsey ends up giving birth to the couple's third son, Desmond might need to step away from the Nationals' postseason run to tend to his family. Desmond said prior to Game 2 that Chelsey is currently three centimeters dilated, and while all is well with mom and baby - which is obviously most...
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Dan Kolko

Post no-no, Zimmermann ready for start in Game 2 (with start times)

Post no-no, Zimmermann ready for start in Game 2 (with start times)
Six days ago, Jordan Zimmermann delivered the start of his life. He retired 27 of the 28 batters that he faced. He struck out 10. He threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history. Now, the Nationals need the right-hander to put that outing behind him, go out and deal again. Boy, do they need it. I shouldn't say "put that outing behind him" as if anyone's concerned about Zimmermann moving past his no-hitter. The players and coaches inside the Nats clubhouse know what type of guy Zimmermann...
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Dan Kolko

Trying to turn the page

Trying to turn the page
The Nationals had the last four days to look ahead to this afternoon's ballgame. The last two and a half weeks, if you count the time since they clinched the National League East title. They had a couple of days to wonder about whether they would face the Giants or the Pirates, and a couple more to map out how they might match up against San Francisco. Now they have less than 24 hours to turn the page and move on to a crucial Game 2. In the regular season, the focus is on the big picture. You...
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Williams discusses roster decisions involving Soriano, Detwiler, Hairston

Williams discusses roster decisions involving Soriano, Detwiler, Hairston
The Nationals' starting lineup for Game 1 of the National League Division Series didn't feature any surprises. The back end of the team's 25-man roster might have surprised some. The Nationals opted to put Rafael Soriano on their roster for the NLDS, while Ross Detwiler was left out of the eight-man bullpen. Detwiler had one clunker down the stretch, allowing three runs in an inning against the Braves, but was unscored upon in seven of his eight September appearances. Soriano was tremendous...
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Dan Kolko

Here's your Game 1 Nationals lineup (with Giants lineup)

Here's your Game 1 Nationals lineup (with Giants lineup)
The Nationals lineup for Game 1 of the National League Division Series looks a lot like the Nationals lineup for the last handful of weeks of the regular season. As expected, Ryan Zimmerman will come off the bench, with Anthony Rendon staying at third base and the Nats' regular outfield remaining in place. For the GiantsCF Gregor Blanco2B Joe PanikC Buster Posey3B Pablo SandovalRF Hunter Pence1B Brandon BeltSS Brandon CrawfordLF Travis IshikawaRHP Jake Peavy For the NationalsCF Denard Span 3B...
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Strasburg ready to deal with the emotion of his first playoff start

Strasburg ready to deal with the emotion of his first playoff start
Happy postseason, folks. Playoff baseball officially started three days ago. Nationals players and fans have had to wait patiently for their time to come, but we're now just a few hours away from the start of the National League Division Series and Stephen Strasburg's first pitch. It won't just be Strasburg's first pitch of this postseason, of course. It'll be the first playoff start of his career, the first time he's taken to a big league mound in October. And there's a lot of pressure...
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Dan Kolko

Zimmerman on his hamstring: "It keeps feeling better and better each day"

Zimmerman on his hamstring: "It keeps feeling better and better each day"
The deeper the Nationals are able to go into the playoffs, the more Ryan Zimmerman's right hamstring will have a chance to get back to full strength. For now, Zimmerman will have to continue plugging away, hoping he can get healthy as soon as possible and willing to contribute as much as he can prior to that. Zimmerman took part in yesterday's intrasquad scrimmage at Nationals Park, playing left field and getting some at-bats to continue to try and hone his timing. He then took BP and shagged...
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Nats set rotation for first three games of NLDS (plus more notes)

Nats set rotation for first three games of NLDS (plus more notes)
When the Nationals made the postseason in 2012, right-hander Stephen Strasburg had been shut down for the season after reaching an innings limit in the season following Tommy John surgery. This time around, Strasburg will get the ball for the first postseason game the Nats play. Manager Matt Williams announced this afternoon that Strasburg will start Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Giants. Strasburg will be followed by right-handers Jordan Zimmermann, who will start...
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The experience factor

The experience factor
After three days of relative quiet, Nationals Park will open its doors to the media again late this morning, as the Nats will hold their league-mandated workout leading up to the National League Division Series. Nationals players had Monday off, then a heavy workout at the park on Tuesday, followed by an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday. Those sessions were closed to the public and the media. Now they'll have a light workout on the field again today, this one with plenty of cameras and...
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Giants advance to face Nats in NLDS

Giants advance to face Nats in NLDS
The Nationals' opponent in the National League Division Series is finally set. It'll be the Giants coming to D.C. to face Matt Williams' ballclub. San Francisco advanced with an 8-0 win over the Piratesin the NL wild card game. Half of those runs came from one Brandon Crawford swing of the bat, as the Giants shortstop crushed a fourth-inning grand slam to put his team on top and give the dominant Madison Bumgarner more than enough run support. Bumgarner was terrific, and the good news for...
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Who do you want - Pirates or Giants?

Who do you want - Pirates or Giants?
The postseason is officially under way, and we've now reached October. And if what we're about to see over the next month in any way resembles the drama and excitement we witnessed last night during the American League wild card game, we'll be in good shape. The Royals pulled out a thriller over the A's last night, coming back from a four-run deficit in the late innings to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and then again coming from behind with two runs in the bottom of the 12th to...
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