Dan Kolko

Gonzalez does his part, but Nats can't hold lead (Nats lose 3-1 in 10 innings)

Gonzalez does his part, but Nats can't hold lead (Nats lose 3-1 in 10 innings)
Gio Gonzalez did all he could tonight. He threw six scoreless innings, tied a career high with 11 strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.89. Thanks to a Roger Bernadina pinch-hit single to right in the sixth, the Nationals had a 1-0 lead when Gonzalez left the game. They just couldn't hold it. Drew Storen surrendered back-to-back two-out hits in the top of the seventh, allowing the Dodgers to tie the game at 1-1. Skip Schumaker doubled off the wall in right-center, then came around on Mark...
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Dan Kolko

Déjà vu all over again (updated again)

Déjà vu all over again (updated again)
For the second straight night, the Nationals had a golden opportunity against Dodgers pitching, loading the bases early in an inning. For the second straight night, the Nats squandered the chance, left the bases loaded and heard a chorus of boos from the crowd at Nats Park. Last night, the Nats had the sacks packed with none out in the fourth and failed to score. Tonight, they had the bases juiced with one out in the first, with a chance to pounce all over Zack Greinke, who hadn't allowed a...
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Dan Kolko

Detwiler out through the homestand

Detwiler out through the homestand
The Nationals had hoped to have Ross Detwiler back in their rotation coming out of the All-Star break, ready to go after missing some time due to a lower back strain. Now, barring a surprise development, Detwiler, who last pitched July 3, won't be appearing in a major league game until after the current 11-game homestand. Detwiler threw a bullpen session today, but it was a brief one. The left-hander threw just 20-25 pitches, and manager Davey Johnson said pitching coach Steve McCatty...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche out of Nats lineup again

LaRoche out of Nats lineup again
Davey Johnson said last night that if Adam LaRoche was healthy enough to return to the Nationals' lineup, he'd bat Bryce Harper in the leadoff spot tonight and move Denard Span down in the order. Well, LaRoche is out of the Nats lineup yet again due to a bout with the flu. And as a result, Span remains in the leadoff spot and Harper is back hitting cleanup for a second straight day. The Nats' lineup is actually the same tonight as it was last night, with the exception of a new starting...
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Dan Kolko

Tracy's struggles could expand Rizzo's to-do list

Tracy's struggles could expand Rizzo's to-do list
The Nationals will try and keep their spirits high, remain optimistic and keep the faith that they can make a run over their final 66 games and reach the postseason. It sure would be easier to do that, however, if they didn't open the second half with another dud of a performance, one that assisted in dropping them back into third place in the National League East for the first time since June 8 and moved them seven games back of the Braves in the division. The Nats have a host of problems...
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Dan Kolko

Hearing from Soriano, Harper and Strasburg

Hearing from Soriano, Harper and Strasburg
The 1-2 pitch that Andre Ethier golfed over the right-center field fence for the game-winning homer off Rafael Soriano actually wasn't in a bad spot. Don't believe me? Check out the strike zone plot on BrooksBaseball.com. Soriano had set Ethier up by pounding four fastballs on the outside corner to start the at-bat, and being ahead in the count, the Nationals' closer then tried to bury a slider down below the zone. That's what he did, but Ethier stayed on the pitch and drove it out for...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson discusses Nats' 3-2 loss

Johnson discusses Nats' 3-2 loss
The Nationals had hoped to come out of the All-Star break refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to turn their season around. If that turnaround is coming, it'll have to wait another day. The Nats fell to the Dodgers 3-2 tonight, smacking nine hits, but going just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They had just one RBI on the night, with their other run coming in on a wild pitch, and missed multiple opportunities to put crooked numbers up on the scoreboard. The biggest missed opportunity...
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Dan Kolko

Soriano serves one up in the ninth (Nats lose 3-2)

Soriano serves one up in the ninth (Nats lose 3-2)
Entering in a 2-2 game in the top of the ninth inning, Rafael Soriano only threw five pitches before the game was no longer tied. Andre Ethier took a 1-2 slider from Soriano and golfed it just over the high wall in right-center for his sixth homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead over the Nationals. It was Ethier's first homer since June 11. Soriano, meanwhile, has now allowed a run in two of his last three outings. He had been pretty solid for much of the season but has hit a...
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Dan Kolko

More of the same in the second half (updated)

More of the same in the second half (updated)
If the first five innings of tonight's game are any indication, some time off over the All-Star break apparently hasn't changed much about this Nationals team. The Nats trail 2-1 after five innings despite loading the bases with no outs in the fourth inning. They got nothing in that frame and had boos rain down upon them as they walked off the field. After Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper singled with no outs and Jayson Werth followed with a walk to load the bases in the fourth, Ian Desmond...
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Dan Kolko

A Mattheus update plus Johnson's outlook on the second half

A Mattheus update plus Johnson's outlook on the second half
The Nationals have 11 home games in the next 10 days, a lengthy homestand coming out of the All-Star break and a chance to get things going in the right direction after playing a disappointing first half of the season. Davey Johnson's club has gone 27-18 (.600) at home this season, leading you to believe the Nats will have a bit of an edge over the next week and a half. But Johnson doesn't necessarily see things that way. In his mind, the Nats just need to play better, and if they do, it...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche battling flu, Detwiler's return not imminent

LaRoche battling flu, Detwiler's return not imminent
I approached Adam LaRoche in the Nationals' clubhouse a bit ago to check in on him and ask if he was feeling OK, seeing as how he's been held out of the Nats' lineup for tonight's game against the Dodgers. "You might want to keep your distance," LaRoche responded in a quiet, somewhat raspy voice. LaRoche has been dealing with the flu over the last couple of days, an illness that has left him drained and his body feeling achy. As a result, he'll sit tonight's game out, meet with a team...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche not in Nats lineup, Harper hitting cleanup (with Dodgers lineup)

LaRoche not in Nats lineup, Harper hitting cleanup (with Dodgers lineup)
Davey Johnson has done some more tinkering to his lineup for the first game of the second half, and one of the moves makes me wonder if something's up. Adam LaRoche is not in the Nationals lineup today. Chad Tracy will instead play first base. The Nats are facing Dodgers right-hander Ricky Nolasco today, and Tracy (like LaRoche) is a left-handed hitter, so it's not as if Johnson is taking LaRoche out as some sort of platoon. The first game after the All-Star break, LaRoche just isn't in...
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Dan Kolko

Pitching match-ups and a pitcher that could be relocating

Pitching match-ups and a pitcher that could be relocating
If you've struggled with the lack of real baseball this week, if you feel like there's been a hole in your summertime routine without the Nationals and hundreds of
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Dan Kolko

A look at what lies ahead

A look at what lies ahead
We've taken a peek back at the Nationals' first 95 games. It might not have been a pleasant experience for you, but we did it. Now, let's look ahead. The Nats have 67 games remaining, 67 chances to chip away at the Braves' six-game lead in the National League East and the five-game deficit for the final Wild Card spot. How tough a road do the Nats have ahead of them? Well, it's not easy, but there are some chances here to get things going in a positive direction. Of the Nats' 67...
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Dan Kolko

The big remaining questions

The big remaining questions
For those questioning the decision to name Mariano Rivera the Most Valuable Player of last night's All-Star Game, let me ask you this: Who would you have selected? No player on either team had more than one hit. Two of the three runs that were scored all game came in on a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout. Should Jose Bautista earn MVP honors for flying out to center, plating the game-winning run in the fourth inning? The only run-scoring hit came off the bat of Jason Kipnis, whose...
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Dan Kolko

Harper goes 0-for-2 in American League's 3-0 All-Star Game win

Harper goes 0-for-2 in American League's 3-0 All-Star Game win
The National League All-Stars trail 1-0 after four innings in the Midsummer Classic, and much like the Nationals, the lack of offense has been an issue for the NL squad tonight. Only one National League hitter has reached base tonight - Carlos Beltran - and the NL squad wasn't able to make anything of that lone opportunity, even after pinch-runner Andrew McCutchen stole second base. Facing White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, arguably one of the toughest southpaws in the game right now, Bryce...
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Dan Kolko

Handing out some first-half hardware (Mattheus bumped up in rehab assignment)

Handing out some first-half hardware (Mattheus bumped up in rehab assignment)
Yeah, Bryce Harper didn't bring home the Home Run Derby trophy, finishing in second place behind Athletics slugger Yoenis Cespedes, but there is a silver lining here: With Harper just 20 years old, imagine how many more times we'll get to watch him hit bombs in the Derby and take a run at that hardware. Harper put on quite a show last night, and it had to be truly special to compete on that stage with his dad, Ron, pitching to him. I don't know of many father/son activities that are better...
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Dan Kolko

Harper advances to second round of Home Run Derby (Harper is runner-up)

Harper advances to second round of Home Run Derby (Harper is runner-up)
Yoenis Cespedes has set the bar pretty darn high, crushing 17 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby. Bryce Harper didn't quite get to that level, but he showed well in his first-round hacks, hitting eight homers off pitches thrown by his dad, Ron. Performing in his first home run derby since taking part in an aluminum bat showcase at Tropicana Field when he was 15 (the event that made Harper a YouTube sensation), Harper got off to a strong start tonight, roping a line drive homer...
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Harper batting ninth in NL All-Star lineup

Harper batting ninth in NL All-Star lineup
You know what's weird? Seeing Bryce Harper's name in the No. 9 spot in a batting order, that's what's weird. Harper will hit ninth for the National League All-Star team, which makes me wonder whether Harper has ever, in his life, hit ninth before. It probably ensures that Harper will only get on at-bat in the Midsummer Classic. Harper will play center field. Here's the National League starting lineup: 2B Brandon Phillips RF Carlos Beltran 1B Joey Votto 3B David Wright LF Carlos...
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Dan Kolko

A look back at the first half

A look back at the first half
We've officially finished up the first half of the 2013 season. We'll ignore the fact that the Nationals have already played 95 games (59 percent of their season) and continue calling the pre-All-Star break portion of the schedule the first half. Is it weird that's a little bit of a pet peeve of mine? Yes? I thought so. The Nationals head into the All-Star break with a 48-47 record. They went 27-18 at home, 21-29 on the road and have a run differential of minus-14 to this point. They've...
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