Dan Kolko

Heaping some praise on Harper

Heaping some praise on Harper
Bryce Harper felt he lost the Nationals the game two nights ago when he let Gregor Blanco's fly ball get over his head, allowing the game-tying run to score with two outs in the ninth inning. You can certainly argue that Harper's play on that fly ball was merely one of many factors that led to the Nats blowing Tuesday night's game, but there's no arguing that Harper carried the Nats to a massive victory yesterday with his play on both sides of the ball. Harper is lauded by scouts,...
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Dan Kolko

Gonzalez hands a lead over to the 'pen (Nats pick up a monster win in extras)

Gonzalez hands a lead over to the 'pen (Nats pick up a monster win in extras)
The last two times the Nationals have handed their bullpen a lead in the late innings, that lead has disappeared and extra innings have been needed. Gio Gonzalez has given everything he had today, throwing 116 pitches over 7 1/3 scoreless innings, and now he'll hope the Nats bullpen can lock down a win. It's 1-0 Nats, with Bryce Harper's solo homer in the sixth still the only run on the board. The Nats had a golden chance to tack on an insurance run or two in the top of the eighth, but...
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Dan Kolko

The beat goes on (Harper goes yard)

The beat goes on (Harper goes yard)
The first ball the Nationals hit out of the infield today came off the bat of their pitcher, Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez's line shot up the middle in the third inning also got the Nats in the hit column for the first time today. That's where this offense is at right now. The Nationals' 1-8 hitters are 0-for-9 with a walk and five strikeouts in the first three innings this afternoon. Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner has looked really sharp - especially in the first inning when he struck out...
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Dan Kolko

Desmond hitting cleanup in West Coast finale

Desmond hitting cleanup in West Coast finale
The Nationals will happily put a cap on their rocky 10-game West Coast road trip today when they face the Giants in the finale of this three-game set. Manager Davey Johnson has tweaked his lineup again, moving Ian Desmond into the cleanup spot and bumping Adam LaRoche down to the No. 5 hole in the order against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner. Tyler Moore will play left field and hit sixth today. Bumgarner is coming off the worst start of his career; he allowed nine runs his last...
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Dan Kolko

Sifting through another game the Nats would like to forget

Sifting through another game the Nats would like to forget
I was thinking about writing another "Taking the good with the bad" blog post this morning, but I realized there wasn't enough good to match up with all the bad we saw last night in the Nationals' 4-2 loss to the Giants. On the same night that the Braves tied their game in the bottom of the ninth inning and then won it with a walk-off in the 10th, the Nats saw their 2-1 lead disappear in the ninth and then were sent home in the 10th when Pablo Sandoval demolished a Yunesky Maya changeup...
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Dan Kolko

We go to extras as Nats blow another save (Nats lose 4-2 in 10 innings)

We go to extras as Nats blow another save (Nats lose 4-2 in 10 innings)
The Nationals were a strike away from putting an end to their two-game funk and giving Stephen Strasburg his third win of the season. Instead, we keep playing. Rafael Soriano blew his third save of the season, and second in as many chances, with Gregor Blanco's RBI triple with two outs in the bottom of the ninth plating Andres Torres and knotting this game, 2-2. Soriano left a two-strike pitch a little up and over the middle of the plate, and Blanco - the former Syracuse Chief - struck it...
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Dan Kolko

Coming out swinging (here comes the bullpen)

Coming out swinging (here comes the bullpen)
After notching just three hits all of last night, the Nationals have three hits and two runs through their first inning tonight. The Nats have handed Stephen Strasburg an early 2-0 lead over the Giants, with Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond both tallying RBI doubles off Giants right-hander Matt Cain. Denard Span got it all started with a hot-shot single up the middle and, after moving into scoring position on a Bryce Harper sacrifice bunt, he came around on Zimmerman's double to the...
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Dan Kolko

Harper bumped up to No. 2 spot in lineup, Espinosa returns

Harper bumped up to No. 2 spot in lineup, Espinosa returns
Davey Johnson has been searching for a serviceable No. 2 hitter ever since Jayson Werth needed to be moved out of that spot and then landed on the disabled list. Instead of continuing to rotate guys with paltry on-base percentages and minimal power production into the two-hole, Johnson has decided to just bump everyone up a spot. Bryce Harper will hit second tonight, marking the first time that Harper's name has been written into the No. 2 spot all season. Harper hit second in 117 of his...
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Dan Kolko

What to expect from the two new relievers (roster moves official)

What to expect from the two new relievers (roster moves official)
The Nationals will have two new faces in their bullpen tonight when they take on the Giants in game two of this three-game set in San Francisco. Well, one of the faces will be new. To those who have followed the Nats for a few years now, the other should be familiar. Right-hander Yunesky Maya and left-hander Fernando Abad will be activated by the Nats prior to tonight's game out west. Maya, who signed a four-year, $6 million deal with the Nats in 2010, has appeared in 15 games (10 starts)...
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Dan Kolko

Another hit, and not in a good way

Another hit, and not in a good way
The frustration is building. And it's not being put to a productive use. As if yesterday's 8-0 loss wasn't enough, a loss that dropped the Nationals to a 23-22 on the season, manager Davey Johnson told reporters after the beatdown at the hands of the Giants that reliever Ryan Mattheus, one of the Nats' key setup guys, broke his right hand Sunday evening when he punched a locker. Mattheus had allowed five runs in an inning of work Sunday, more than doubling his ERA, sending it to 4.96. He...
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Dan Kolko

Nats smoked out west again (Mattheus to DL; Abad, Maya coming up)

Nats smoked out west again (Mattheus to DL; Abad, Maya coming up)
Sunday's game was pretty ugly. This one rivaled it. The Nationals dropped a 13-4 decision to the Padres on Sunday and followed that up with an 8-0 blowout loss to the Giants tonight in the first game of a three-game set. Zach Duke gets stuck with the loss after allowing four runs over 3 1/3 innings in a spot start, but he was far from the only Nationals player to underperform tonight. Craig Stammen surrendered two runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 frames. Henry Rodriguez gutted his way through...
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Dan Kolko

Duke done in the fourth (updated again)

Duke done in the fourth (updated again)
Making his first big league start since July 10, 2011, Zach Duke could go just 3 1/3 innings tonight, and as we go to the fifth inning, Duke and the Nationals trail the Giants 5-0. Duke didn't pitch incredibly poorly tonight, allowing just one extra-base hit in his spot start, but the Giants just base-hit him to death. They put up seven hits on Duke, knocking the veteran left-hander from the game. Craig Stammen came in to relieve Duke and allowed three runs (two of which were charged to...
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Dan Kolko

Harper returns, Espinosa, Suzuki sit (with Giants lineup)

Harper returns, Espinosa, Suzuki sit (with Giants lineup)
Tonight's Nationals lineup will feature Bryce Harper. It will not feature Danny Espinosa or Kurt Suzuki. Harper returns to the Nats lineup after missing the last two games with a sore left knee, an injury suffered during his collision with the right field wall in Dodger Stadium a week ago. The 20-year-old will return to his normal No. 3 spot in the order and will play right field. Steve Lombardozzi will hit in front of Harper and will play second base. Lombardozzi will replace Danny...
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Dan Kolko

Deciding on Duke (plus some interesting catching numbers)

Deciding on Duke (plus some interesting catching numbers)
I came across
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Dan Kolko

Still waiting for things to turn

Still waiting for things to turn
The first quarter of the Nationals' 2013 season has been marked by some pretty dramatic inconsistencies. Their record currently at a decent but disappointing 23-21. The Nationals have had stretches where it looked like they were ready to put it all together and begin playing to their potential, like during their five-game winning streak two weeks ago. The vibe in the clubhouse would begin to change, the momentum would seem to start picking up and you'd start thinking that the Nats would...
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Dan Kolko

LaRoche and Zimmerman continue to rake (Nats lose 13-4)

LaRoche and Zimmerman continue to rake (Nats lose 13-4)
For as ice cold as Adam LaRoche was a few weeks ago, he's that scorching hot right now. LaRoche is on a 16-game hitting streak, with his seventh-inning RBI single extending that run. During those 16 games, LaRoche is hitting .382 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .462. Yeah, that would qualify as being on fire. He's not the only one. Ryan Zimmerman is 2-for-4 with three RBIs today, and he also notched an RBI single in the seventh. Over the last 11 games,...
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Dan Kolko

A rocky start (and a rocky fifth inning)

A rocky start (and a rocky fifth inning)
Six Nationals have come to the plate so far today. All six have been retired by Padres starter Andrew Cashner. Eleven Padres hitters have come to the plate thus far. Five reached base off Dan Haren, and three came around to score. The Nats trail the Padres 3-0 in the finale of this four-game set, which doesn't bode well for Davey Johnson's club, given the lineup the Nats have in play today and the way that this club has struggled scoring runs late in games. Four of the guys in the Nats...
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Dan Kolko

Harper, Desmond out of Nats lineup

Harper, Desmond out of Nats lineup
After a couple days out of town, I'm back in action. Who missed me? Thanks to the MASNsports.com crew for filling in for me recently. Looks like I missed a couple impressive pitching performances. Anyway, enough about me and on to the stuff that matters. Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals lineup again today, missing his second straight contest with a bruised left knee. Ian Desmond will also sit out today, but his absence is merely due to a scheduled day off. This will be the first game...
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Dan Kolko

Checking in on Anthony Rendon

Checking in on Anthony Rendon
When guys get a stint in the big leagues and then head back to the minors, it's easy to forget about them. You don't see a guy every day, don't get a chance to watch him perform, you lose track of him a bit. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Anthony Rendon is playing well enough back at Double-A Harrisburg that it's worth discussing how he's performed. Since returning to Harrisburg after a brief stint in the majors, Rendon has played 12 games. In that time, he's 18-for-44 with three...
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Dan Kolko

Adding to the list of walking wounded

Adding to the list of walking wounded
Just as Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth appear to be closing in on a return to action, the Nationals have to deal with two more players making their way into the training room. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters last night that catcher Wilson Ramos reinjured his left hamstring in the Nats' 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, and left-hander Ross Detwiler had back spasms knock him out of yesterday's game after just three innings. Ramos' injury appears to be the more serious of the two, according to...
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