VIERA, Fla. - The Yankees didn't exactly bring their A-team with them today.
Brett Gardner, Russell Martin, Andruw Jones and Bill Hall are the only real recognizable names in New York's lineup, leaving Nationals manager Davey Johnson to wonder why Derek Jeter wasn't able to make the trip.
"It would probably be just a half-hour trip in his jet," Johnson joked.
Johnson offered a few injury updates during his pregame session with reporters, saying that left fielder Michael Morse still...
VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals host the Yankees today for a 1:05 p.m. game, and as promised, Bryce Harper is in the lineup, hitting seventh and playing right field.
And please, no jokes about him secretly trying to slip on a Yankees uniform.
Michael Morse is not in the Nats' lineup again today, but Roger Bernadina is back in there after being scratched from last night's game because of lightheadedness after having a tooth pulled. Bernadina will lead off and play left field.
Here's the Nats'...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - It's always nice watching a young player begin to grow in front of our eyes, to evolve from a guy getting by on talent to one who starts to really get it.
We saw a bit of that with Stephen Strasburg tonight; but we didn't see it until the Nationals starter's jersey was off and he had large bags of ice taped to various parts of his right arm.
Strasburg's line tonight wasn't pretty. He went four innings against the Braves, and allowed four runs on five hits with...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Despite being quoted as saying he doesn't think he has a good chance to make the Nationals' 25-man opening day roster, Bryce Harper said tonight that his goal remains the same: Start the season in a big league uniform.
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The balls are flying out of Champion Stadium tonight, as the Nationals and Braves have combined to hit four home runs through four innings of play.
Two have come off Nats' bats - a two-run shot from Chad Tracy and a solo blast by Jesus Flores - but the two that will draw the most attention were the homers hit off Nationals right Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg allowed four runs in his four innings of work, and surrendered longballs to Dan Uggla (a two-run shot in the...
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Bryce Harper won't just be returning to the lineup tonight for the first time in a week after suffering a left calf injury. He'll also be playing center field.
After a late lineup change, Harper will get the start in center for the Nationals tonight, with Roger Bernadina moving over to right field and Eury Perez manning left field.
Update: Bernadina has been scratched from tonight's lineup because he's experiencing lightheadedness after having a tooth pulled...
VIERA, Fla. - Michael Morse isn't in the Nationals' lineup tonight, but that doesn't mean the left fielder isn't getting work in today.
Morse, who is still dealing with a lat strain, will head over to a side field at the Nats' complex and play in a minor league game today. He plans on getting 6-8 at-bats during that game, which he much prefers over the 2-3 that he would get if he was to travel with the Nationals to Orlando for tonight's game against the Braves.
"I can actually work on...
VIERA, Fla. - While Bryce Harper's chances of making the Nationals' opening day roster have taken a hit as he's missed the last six days because of a left calf injury, general manager Mike Rizzo says that Harper still is in the mix for the team's starting right fielder job.
"We haven't made any decision to the contrary," Rizzo said. "He's still in the picture, and we're still early in the decision-making process."
Harper, the Nats' top prospect, has gone 5-for-11 (.455) in...
VIERA, Fla. - Teams around the majors have expressed interest in Nationals lefty John Lannan, but the Nats aren't anxious to move the 27-year-old starter, general manager Mike Rizzo said today.
"I am not actively shopping him," Rizzo said. "I haven't actively shopped him all year, all winter."
Rizzo wouldn't go as far as to say there's been "a lot" of interest in Lannan, but did say that teams in need of rotation help have inquired as to what it would take to land the lefty.
"I...
VIERA, Fla. - Manager Davey Johnson isn't ready to announce how his starting pitchers will line up for the first couple regular season series just yet, but that decision will come fairly soon.
While we've now been through the Nationals' rotation twice, Johnson wants to see each starter go one more time and get up around that 75-pitch limit before he makes any decisions on how things will play out in early April.
The two obvious candidates get the honors as the Nats' opening day starter...
VIERA, Fla. - Bryce Harper made it through today's workout without experiencing any issues with his ailing left calf, and the right fielder will return to the Nationals' lineup tomorrow evening against the Braves, as planned.
Left fielder Michael Morse will not travel to Disney to face Atlanta after seeing action at DH the last two games.
As reporters walked into the clubhouse following tonight's 6-3 Nats' loss to Detroit, the replay of the game was airing on MASN on the lone clubhouse...
VIERA, Fla. - Edwin Jackson should have been out of the first inning having retired the side in order. Instead, he needed to face an extra hitter when left fielder Jason Michaels dropped a lazy fly ball, and Jackson followed by giving up a two-run homer to the next batter he faced.
Jackson could've benefited from a double play on a sharply-hit ground ball hit up the middle in the fourth inning. Instead, shortstop Ian Desmond stumbled and only managed to get a force at second base by taping...
VIERA, Fla. - How many bad jokes can I make about Ryan Zimmerman being on fire?
Nobody touch his bat; you might scald your hands. Don't look directly at him, you might hurt your eyes.
OK, two is enough.
Zimmerman is now hitting a whopping .615 this spring after doubling to right-center in his second at-bat tonight. The Nationals' third baseman is 8-for-13 in Grapefruit League action, and remarkably, six of his hits are for extra bases. He also has the Nats' lone RBI of the night, which...
VIERA, Fla. - While the bulk of the spots on manager Davey Johnson's bench are accounted for at this point, the battle for the last slot might get fierce.
Johnson said today that the competition for the final bench job "probably won't be settled until the last day" of spring, allowing outfielders Brett Carroll and Jason Michaels and infielders Chad Tracy, Mark Teahen and Andres Blanco plenty of time to sort out who will crack the 25-man roster.
First baseman Tyler Moore, who has hit 31...
VIERA, Fla. - Here are a few rapid-fire injury updates before I have to pop right back down to the field in a couple minutes.
You ready? Here we go.
As I mentioned a bit ago, Bryce Harper is in tomorrow's Nationals lineup, but manager Davey Johnson wants to watch him get a full workout today. If Harper comes through the workout feeling OK, he'll be in there tomorrow against the Braves.
Johnson noted how Harper was here at 7:15 this morning, raring to go. Today marks the sixth straight day...
VIERA, Fla. - We can't count on the 80 degree weather here to cool down Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is absolutely scorching right now.
Zimmerman is on a tear to start his spring, hitting .583 with five of his seven base hits going for extra bases. The new $100 million man has two homers and three doubles in 12 at-bats.
That hot stretch continued yesterday, as Zimmerman went 2-for-3 with a homer and a double in the Nats' 8-4 win over the Cardinals.
You love to see the strong...
VIERA, Fla. - The Nationals trimmed nine players from their stable of players at big league camp today, including two of their top three picks in the 2011 draft.
First-round pick Anthony Rendon, who has seen time at multiple infield positions this spring, and third-round left-handed pitcher Matt Purke were both optioned to Single-A Potomac.
Infielder Carlos Rivero was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while six others - right-handed pitchers Austin Bibens-Dirkx and Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy...
Nationals manager Davey Johnson hasn't been shy about making it known that he's looking for some additional left-handed pop off the bench this season.
I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson started renting billboard space around Viera or posting "Help Wanted" signs throughout the Nats' clubhouse.
Enter Chad Tracy, a 31-year-old corner infielder who spent last season playing in Japan.
Tracy slugged 27 homers with the Diamondbacks in 2005, and then hit 20 more the next season. Since then,...
In the span of just a couple seconds, everything changed for Drew Storen.
He was no longer Drew Storen, major league closer. He was "Tinkerbell."
Unfortunately.
"This is the worst nickname in history," Storen said with a wry smile.
The nickname didn't come from a teammate or an opponent trying to get a rise out of Storen. The 24-year-old can thank his manager for the constant stream of jokes that might be heading his way over the course of the next few months.
Nationals manager Davey...
VIERA, Fla. - On practically any other team, Ross Detwiler would be spending his spring competing for a spot in the starting rotation.
Unfortunately for the lefty, that's not the case here.
When you're part of a pitching staff that features Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, Chien-Ming Wang and John Lannan, you're likely to find yourself stuck in the bullpen, fighting for whatever innings are left over. That's the case with Detwiler, the No. 6 overall pick...