A complete effort at the Fens

A complete effort at the Fens
BOSTON - The Nationals seem to be enjoying their time in Beantown. Through four innings tonight, the Nats have six extra-base hits - five doubles (two of which are from Danny Espinosa) and a home run. They lead 6-2, having put up three runs in both the third and fourth innings, and seemingly everything Red Sox lefty Felix Doubront serves up is getting smoked out to the gaps. The hardest-hit ball of the night came off the bat of (who else?) Bryce Harper, who absolutely demolished a Doubront...
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Clippard officially named closer, Lidge to set up

Clippard officially named closer, Lidge to set up
BOSTON - File this in the "duh department," but Tyler Clippard is the Nationals' closer. That's been perfectly clear considering the way manager Davey Johnson has handled his team's save opportunities since he announced he was going to a closer-by-committee two-and-a-half weeks ago. The Nationals have had five save chances, and all have gone to Clippard. But today, for the first time, Johnson actually referred to Clippard as his closer. The Nats' skipper also said that Brad Lidge, who...
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Lineups from a damp Fenway Park

Lineups from a damp Fenway Park
BOSTON - Literally as soon as I stepped foot in the press box at Fenway Park, the grounds crew pulled the tarp over the infield. I'm pretty excited to be here for this series (my first time at Fenway in a professional capacity), and I'm not going to let Mother Nature rain on my parade. Actually, they're only calling for a brief thunderstorm here shortly and then possibly another sprinkling later on. Nothing too big, it seems. With the Red Sox throwing two lefties this series and having...
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Shippin' up to Boston

Shippin' up to Boston
For whatever reason, the Nationals have no problem winning games early in series this season. Ten times this season, they've gone into the series finale with a chance to earn a sweep. Only once (not including a two-game, rain-shortened series win over Miami) have they actually brought out the brooms and finished the job. Kind of a quirky stat that is tough to explain, but as Ryan Zimmerman said last night, the fact that the Nats have had 10 shots to sweep means they're winning a good...
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Arm slot an issue in Wang's latest shaky outing

Arm slot an issue in Wang's latest shaky outing
As Davey Johnson puts it, when Chien-Ming Wang is throwing from the correct arm slot, his stuff is "almost unhittable". The problem was, Wang was rarely throwing from the proper arm slot today. As a result, he was very hittable. Wang allowed 12 baserunners (eight hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch) during his 5 1/3 innings against the Mets today, and while he only gave up two runs, it wasn't the type of outing the Nationals were looking for. Since returning to the Nats' rotation eight...
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Harper nursing sore back, insists he's fine

Harper nursing sore back, insists he's fine
Bryce Harper gave Nationals fans a scare when he dropped to his knees following a failed attempt at a diving catch in the top of the ninth inning this afternoon. Manager Davey Johnson made things sound even scarier when he said that Harper has been nursing a tender back lately, and that there's a chance the 19-year-old might need to miss tomorrow's game at Boston as a result of the injury. Harper brought the panic level down a few notches during his session with reporters. During that...
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Another average outing for Wang (Nats manage five hits in 3-1 loss)

Another average outing for Wang (Nats manage five hits in 3-1 loss)
Since getting inserted into the Nationals' starting rotation, Chien-Ming Wang has made two starts. Neither have been awful. Neither have been that good, either. Wang went 5 1/3 innings today against the Mets, allowing two runs on eight hits. The veteran righty walked three and struck out one, throwing 81 pitches, 54 for strikes. He tossed a 1-2-3 first inning, but things slowly went downhill from there. Wang loaded the bases in both the second and third innings, and was able to get out of...
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Lidge activated, Rodriguez lands on DL (Renda, Miller agree to terms)

Lidge activated, Rodriguez lands on DL (Renda, Miller agree to terms)
Davey Johnson indicated in his pregame session with reporters that in addition to Tyler Moore being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, another roster move might be on the way. That move was announced less than 20 minutes prior to today's first pitch. Reliever Brad Lidge has been reinstated from the disabled list, while fellow reliever Henry Rodriguez has landed on the 15-day DL with a strained right finger. Lidge missed the Nationals' last 38 games due to an abdominal injury which required...
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The art of facing a knuckleballer, plus DeRosa, Lidge, Mattheus updates

The art of facing a knuckleballer, plus DeRosa, Lidge, Mattheus updates
The next wave of injured Nationals appears to be close to returning. Manager Davey Johnson said today that infielder Mark DeRosa, who has been sidelined since April 29 with a strained left oblique, has been cleared to go on a rehab assignment, likely at Single-A Potomac. The discomfort in the oblique is still lingering, but DeRosa's going to try to play through it. "I'm going to let him go out, and for me, as much as experience as he's got, if he can go through a couple days without...
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An immature man's pitching matchup (Moore addition official)

An immature man's pitching matchup (Moore addition official)
Being as immature as I am, I can't help but chuckle at today's pitching matchup, which features the Nationals' Chien-Ming Wang against the Mets' R.A. Dickey. Wang vs. Dickey. For all the marbles. It was an incredibly low-key morning, as players slowly trickled into the Nats' clubhouse with their suits ready for the road trip which they'll leave for after the game. Tyler Moore has officially been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and Carlos Maldonado was placed on the 15-day DL with a...
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Nats' 3-4-5 looking like a dangerous group

Nats' 3-4-5 looking like a dangerous group
For much of the first two months of this season, the Nationals have been working without two of their key power hitters. Now, even though Jayson Werth is still sidelined, they've finally got Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Michael Morse all healthy at the same time. And they know what that can mean for their outlook the rest of this season. "Oh, it's a whole new ballgame," manager Davey Johnson said. Tonight, we got a sample of what Nats fans have been waiting to see out of the middle...
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Maldonado to DL, Moore returns to Nats

Maldonado to DL, Moore returns to Nats
Manager Davey Johnson said after tonight's game that the Nationals will place catcher Carlos Maldonado on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury and will call up outfielder/first baseman Tyler Moore from Triple-A Syracuse. Maldonado said that he's having an issue with a muscle in the right side of his back, and described the injury as somewhat of a spasm. He has played in four games since getting called up from Syracuse back on May 15, going hitless in nine at-bats with two walks and...
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Veteran trio has Nats on top of Mets (Nats never trail in 5-3 win)

Veteran trio has Nats on top of Mets (Nats never trail in 5-3 win)
After a stretch where it seemed like none of the Nationals' middle-of-the-order hitters could get anything done at the plate, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Michael Morse have done all the damage for the Nats tonight. The three veteran hitters are now a combined 5-for-8 with a walk, and they've delivered all four Washington RBIs. LaRoche got the scoring started in the first, drilling a three-run homer to right. It gave the Nats an early 3-0 lead and snapped what had been a brutal slump at...
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Tough bullpen decisions to come shortly (plus Maldonado injury note)

Tough bullpen decisions to come shortly (plus Maldonado injury note)
With the addition of Michael Gonzalez a couple days ago, the Nationals now have four lefties in their bullpen. It might not be that way for long, however. Both Brad Lidge and Ryan Mattheus are closing in on returns to the Nats, and when the righties are ready to come back, the team will need to make some tough decisions on how they want to structure their bullpen. Lidge is pitching in his second rehab game for Single-A Potomac tonight as he works back from hernia surgery, while Mattheus, who...
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Final draft update (with Morse notes and quotes)

Final draft update (with Morse notes and quotes)
I'll say it again - if draft experts handed out grades based on the quality of the names in a draft class, the Nationals would be getting stellar marks. They took Stanford left-hander Brett Mooneyham in the third round, Clemson catcher Spencer Kieboom in the fifth, Florida Southern catcher Austin Chubb in the 21st (is Chubb a great name for a catcher, or what?) and prep outfielder Skye Bolt in the 26th. The draft is now complete after three long days, and here's how the Nats' class breaks...
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Nats lineup vs. Hefner, Mets

Nats lineup vs. Hefner, Mets
Who would you rather face if you were the Nationals - Johan Santana, coming off a no-hitter his last time out, or Jeremy Hefner, making his third career start? Yeah, me too. Santana might have been a bit tired had he pitched tonight on normal rest, but if I'm Nats manager Davey Johnson, I'll take a matchup with an unproven hurler over one with a worn-down yet in-the-zone veteran any day. The Mets have opted to push Santana back to Friday to give him a chance to rest up from his lengthy...
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Harper's play leaving teammates in awe

Harper's play leaving teammates in awe
The list of superlatives that were used to describe Bryce Harper in the Nationals' clubhouse late last night was a lengthy one. "He's a man-child," outfielder Michael Morse said. "He's unbelievable." "The kid's a gamer," said shortstop Ian Desmond. "He's unbelievable. One of the best players I've ever seen, to be honest." This all came after Harper delivered another big-time moment - his first career walk-off hit in the Nats' 7-6 12-inning win over the Mets last night. It was...
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Nats just wouldn't give up in wild, wacky 12-inning affair

Nats just wouldn't give up in wild, wacky 12-inning affair
Well, this one was nuts. Twelve innings, 14 total pitchers used, three blown Mets leads in the eighth inning or later, countless misplayed balls (two in the bottom of the 10th by poor Jordany Valdespin), three wild pitches and the first walk-off hit by a teenager in nearly 24 years. It felt like it might never end, but it did. A thrilling - and exhausting - contest finally went to the Nationals by a 7-6 score. "It was a wild game," manager Davey Johnson said. "They didn't play very well,...
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How 'bout some bonus baseball? (Harper walks 'em off in 12)

How 'bout some bonus baseball? (Harper walks 'em off in 12)
As if nine innings of tonight's Nationals-Mets contest hasn't been entertaining enough, we're going to extras. The Nats and Mets are tied 4-4 after nine in an up-and-down game which saw both teams squander a lead in the late innings. After tying it in the eighth, Washington had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth when Roger Bernadina singled with two outs, bringing Bryce Harper to the plate and the crowd to its collective feet. Harper smoked a ball to left field on a line, but...
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Morse is on the board (we're tied in the ninth)

Morse is on the board (we're tied in the ninth)
In his 10th at-bat of the 2012 season, Michael Morse got into the hit column. Up in the bottom of the fourth, Morse roped a double to the opposite field in right-center and galloped into second base standing up. It was a vintage Morse swing and result, and had to feel nice for the big guy after going hitless in his first nine at-bats since coming off the disabled list. Unfortunately for the Nationals, Morse stayed stuck at second, as Ian Desmond flied out to shallow center and Danny Espinosa...
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