Ryan Zimmerman loves Coors Field (Nats win 5-4)

Ryan Zimmerman loves Coors Field (Nats win 5-4)
Most hitters love playing at Coors Field. That's no secret. The ball travels further at altitude. Breaking pitches have less spin, leaving more balls hanging up in the zone. Ryan Zimmerman really, really loves playing at Coors Field. Zimmerman smoked a two-run homer to left with two outs in the third inning, giving the Nationals a 2-1 lead and further inflating Zimmerman's career numbers in Colorado. In 29 games at Coors Field, Zimmerman is now batting .365 (42-for-115) with eight home...
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Detwiler returns, Davis optioned, Kobernus in left again (with All-Star note)

Detwiler returns, Davis optioned, Kobernus in left again (with All-Star note)
Ross Detwiler's last start in a Nationals uniform came all the way back on May 15, when he left his start against the Dodgers after just three innings with a strained muscle in his lower back. Nearly a month later, after a painstakingly slow rehab process, the left-hander will finally return to the rubber in a big league game. Detwiler will get the ball for the Nats in this afternoon's series finale against the Rockies. He'll look to pick up where he left off in mid-May, having posted a...
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New group of call-ups generating a spark

New group of call-ups generating a spark
Last season, when the Nationals had players go down due to injuries, their call-ups and reserves stepped up in a big way and played a major factor in the team's overall success. Bryce Harper and Tyler Moore got called up from Triple-A Syracuse and Steve Lombardozzi and Roger Bernadina came off the bench to help the Nats overcome injuries to Michael Morse and Jayson Werth. After the season-ending knee injury to Wilson Ramos, Kurt Suzuki came in, managed the pitching staff beautifully and...
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Nats win 5-1 in Ohlendorf's dazzling debut

Nats win 5-1 in Ohlendorf's dazzling debut
Even if you had faith that Ross Ohlendorf was going to follow up his last three starts at Triple-A Syracuse - in which he allowed just three earned runs and struck out 27 over 17 1/3 innings - and pitch pretty well tonight, you probably couldn't have imagined this. Pitching in Coors Field against a Rockies team with the third-highest batting average in the majors and third-most home runs of any big league squad, Ohlendorf held the Rockies to just two hits and one run over six fantastic...
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Ohlendorf off to a good start (a heck of an outing)

Ohlendorf off to a good start (a heck of an outing)
I had seen Ross Ohlendorf messing with an old-school wind-up when he threw back in spring, but forgot just how awesome it was until he fired his first pitch to Dexter Fowler tonight. I love the arms rocking back and forth and the slow turn on the rubber. Feels like I'm watching a game in the early 1900s. Ohlendorf is off to a fantastic start to his Nationals debut, throwing three scoreless innings thus far out at Coors Field. The veteran right-hander has retired nine of the 10 hitters he's...
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Ramos suffers setback in return from hamstring injury (with Espinosa note)

Ramos suffers setback in return from hamstring injury (with Espinosa note)
Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who has already landed on the disabled list twice this season due to a hamstring strain, suffered a setback in his rehab and likely won't be returning before the All-Star break, according to MASN's Julie Alexandria, who is with the team in Colorado. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters that Ramos pulled up doing first-to-third drills while at the Nationals' minor league complex in Viera, Fla. Ramos had reported to Viera last Wednesday night and had been...
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Ohlendorf making Nats debut at Coors Field

Ohlendorf making Nats debut at Coors Field
The Nationals send right-hander Ross Ohlendorf to the mound at Coors Field tonight, hoping the veteran can square the series at a game apiece in his Washington debut. In three career starts in the Mile High City, Ohlendorf is 1-1 with a 6.94 ERA, having only lasted a combined 11 2/3 innings and yielding four homers in the thin Denver air. Maybe Ohlendorf can use his Princeton education to come up with a game plan to keep the ball in the park. He hasn't pitched in the majors since last...
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Ohlendorf coming up, Garcia transfered to 60-day DL

Ohlendorf coming up, Garcia transfered to 60-day DL
The Nationals have announced they've officially selected the contract of right-hander Ross Ohlendorf from Triple-A Syracuse, and they'll hand the ball to the 30-year-old tonight out in Colorado. To make room for Ohlendorf on the 25-man roster, the Nats optioned right-hander Nathan Karns to Double-A Harrisburg. Karns went 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in three starts with the Nats. To make room for Ohlendorf on the 40-man roster, which is currently full, the Nats have transferred right-hander...
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Unable to go streaking

Unable to go streaking
You ready for something remarkable? The Nationals, a team loaded with talent and built up by expectations of a deep playoff run, have not won more than two consecutive games in over a month. It's pretty tough for a team not to run off a simple three-game winning streak at some point over an extended stretch. The lowly Marlins put together three wins in a row a couple of weeks ago. Bo Porter's Astros had a six-game winning streak recently. The Nats, however, continue to be stuck in neutral,...
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Nats acquire RHP Ian Dickson from Cubs for Henry Rodriguez (Karns optioned)

Nats acquire RHP Ian Dickson from Cubs for Henry Rodriguez (Karns optioned)
A week after designating right-hander Henry Rodriguez for assignment, the Nationals have traded the flame-throwing but inconsistent 26-year-old to the Cubs for minor league right-hander Ian Dickson. Dickson's numbers are far from impressive; the 22-year-old has posted a 6.88 ERA in 11 games (35 1/3 innings) for high Single-A Kane County this season. A 35th-round pick of the Cubs back in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Lafayette College, Dickson has struck out 8.2 batters per nine...
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Haren and Span doing the job early (Nats lose 8-3)

Haren and Span doing the job early (Nats lose 8-3)
Dan Haren got smacked around pretty good his last time out, allowing five runs on seven hits in just four innings of work in a loss to the Mets. Haren was left incredibly frustrated with himself after the game, saying he felt like he was letting his team down. Tonight, Haren's the one frustrating the Rockies. The veteran right-hander has pitched four scoreless innings thus far tonight, allowing just two runners to reach base in that span. Haren's retired 11 of the last 12 Rockies hitters...
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Harper to rest a week after getting cortisone, PRP shots in knee

Harper to rest a week after getting cortisone, PRP shots in knee
Bryce Harper will miss at least another week due to bursitis in his left knee, a diagnosis that was confirmed by Dr. James Andrews upon Harper's visit to the renowned orthopedic surgeon on Monday. According to MASN's Julie Alexandria, who is with the Nationals out in Colorado, Harper was given a cortisone shot in the inflamed bursa sac in his left knee yesterday, and was also given a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) shot, as well. That news was passed along to reporters by Nationals head trainer...
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Nats sign veteran righty Mark Lowe to minor league deal (with lineups)

Nats sign veteran righty Mark Lowe to minor league deal (with lineups)
The Nationals added some bullpen depth today, signing veteran right-handed reliever Mark Lowe to a minor league deal. The team announced that Lowe has been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. Lowe started this season with the Angels, posting a 9.26 ERA in 11 2/3 innings. He allowed 11 hits, walked 11 and struck out seven in his 11 appearances with the Angels. Over his eight-year big league career, the 30-year-old Lowe has a 4.17 ERA. He's coming off a fairly strong 2012 season, in which he...
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Looking at the impact of the two new lefties

Looking at the impact of the two new lefties
Asked recently whether he's more comfortable with the current makeup of the Nationals bullpen than he was earlier in the season, manager Davey Johnson responded with a fairly resounding, "Yeah." A large part of that is due to the presence of two guys who many Nats fans had never heard of coming into this season - Fernando Abad and Ian Krol. The two left-handers haven't been on the Nats' major league roster for too long, but they've already made a fairly significant impact. Abad (a...
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Waiting to hear on Harper

Waiting to hear on Harper
A day after Bryce Harper went to Florida to get a second opinion on his swollen left knee from Dr. James Andrews, we're still waiting on the details of Andrews' findings. The Nationals have been pretty quiet on the Harper front so far, choosing not to release much information to this point, but we should know more today on what lies ahead as far as treatment options on Harper's knee and the rehabilitation process needed to get Harper back on the field. One sign that Harper received some...
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More on Moore

More on Moore
I'll say this: Tyler Moore took the news of his demotion like a pro last night. It's probably pretty easy for a guy who has just gotten sent down to the minor leagues to wallow in self-pity or make up excuses for his poor performance. Moore could've cited his inconsistent playing time as a reason for his .149 average and .464 OPS. He could've snuck out of the clubhouse before reporters entered or had a negative attitude about needing to go back down to Triple-A Syracuse to try and get his...
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Some leftovers from a long day of ball

Some leftovers from a long day of ball
I almost didn't recognize my own house when I finally returned to the front doorstep last night. After spending nearly 15 straight hours at Nationals Park yesterday, I was starting to believe I'd need to eventually curl up and grab some shut-eye in the press box. I'm not sure the stadium employees would've enjoyed that too much. After a rough, deflating, extra-inning loss to the Twins on Friday night, the Nationals were happy campers last night. They picked up two big wins yesterday to...
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Johnson discusses Nats' doubleheader sweep

Johnson discusses Nats' doubleheader sweep
Nationals players and coaches showed up to the ballpark before 10 a.m. today. So did reporters, but that's neither here nor there. About 14 hours later, the Nats will file out of the home clubhouse at Nats Park exhausted and a bit physically worn down, but they'll at least have two more wins in the standings than they did when they arrived this morning. They'll also be back to .500 and will head out on their nine-game road trip in a much better mental state than if they would have dropped...
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Nats option Tyler Moore to Syracuse

Nats option Tyler Moore to Syracuse
The Nationals were allowed to have 26 players on their active roster today because of the doubleheader, but now that the two games today are over and done with, a cut needed to be made. The guy to go down will be Tyler Moore. After calling up first baseman Chris Marrero earlier today, the Nats decided to option Moore to Triple-A Syracuse after tonight's 5-4 win over the Twins. Despite having a very impressive rookie campaign last year, when he hit 10 homers and slugged .513, Moore has...
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Karns smacked around in the nightcap (Nats win 5-4, sweep doubleheader)

Karns smacked around in the nightcap (Nats win 5-4, sweep doubleheader)
In what very well could be his last start with the Nationals for a little while, Nathan Karns got hit pretty hard in just three innings of work. Karns allowed four runs on five hits over his three frames. He walked three, hit a batter, allowed a home run and struck out two. He needed 74 pitches to get through three innings and retired just nine of the 18 hitters that he faced. With Ross Detwiler and Stephen Strasburg looking like they're on the verge of returning to the Nats' rotation...
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