Dan Kolko

Final thoughts after a convincing three-game sweep

Final thoughts after a convincing three-game sweep
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Before I pack up and leave the Citi Field press box, here are a few final thoughts: At the moment, the Nationals are tied with the Yankees for the best record in baseball. They're 19 games above .500, tying the franchise's high-water mark, set during the 2005 season. They've won five in a row, knocked the Mets 11 1/2 games back in the division and improved their road record to 30-20. If you've noticed this team gaining some swagger in recent weeks, there's a reason...
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Dan Kolko

So far, another gem from a Nationals starter (updated)

So far, another gem from a Nationals starter (updated)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Over their last five games entering today, Nationals starters pounded the zone with fastballs, allowing them to keep their pitch counts low and work deep into games. Stephen Strasburg's following suit today. The Nationals righty needed just 48 pitches through four innings of work and now sits at 68 pitches through five, largely because he's challenged Mets hitters today. He worked mainly off his fastball, mixing in his changeup to keep hitters off-balance. Strasburg has...
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Dan Kolko

Today's Nats-Mets lineups

Today's Nats-Mets lineups
FLUSHING, N.Y. - It'll be the 10-win Stephen Strasburg against the one-win Jeremy Hefner at Citi Field today as the Nationals and Mets wrap up a three-game set. Twice this season, the Nats have taken the first two games of a series against the Mets only to drop the finale, failing to record the sweep. Today they'll rely on Strasburg as they try to notch their fifth straight victory. In his only career start at Citi Field coming into today, Strasburg fired six scoreless innings, allowing...
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Dan Kolko

Nats pull out all the stops against Dickey

Nats pull out all the stops against Dickey
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Adam LaRoche used Roger Bernadina's bat in his first three trips to the plate tonight. The switch-hitting Danny Espinosa hit right-handed against a right-handed pitcher. Jesus Flores and Michael Morse attacked the ball early instead of waiting for it to get deep into the zone. The Nationals tried everything against Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. And after five innings of mostly ineffectiveness, all the tinkering started to pay off in the sixth. Washington's hitters...
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Dan Kolko

Big sixth inning gives Gonzalez a cushion (Nats beat Mets 5-2)

Big sixth inning gives Gonzalez a cushion (Nats beat Mets 5-2)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals had done very little against R.A. Dickey through five innings tonight, notching just three hits and going down on strikes seven times. The sixth was a different story. The Nats exploded with five straight two-out hits, scoring four runs and turning a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead. The outpouring of offense started with Adam LaRoche's two run homer off Dickey, a monster shot which was launched about halfway up the second deck in right field. It was LaRoche's 17th...
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Dan Kolko

Gonzalez looking to get back on track (with lineups)

Gonzalez looking to get back on track (with lineups)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - This is kind of remarkable given where his season numbers lie at this point, but over his last nine starts, Gio Gonzalez has pitched to a 4.93 ERA. Over that time, he's given up 27 runs and 49 hits over 49 1/3 innings. The last time he threw, Gonzalez delivered his worst start as a member of the Nationals, going just 3 1/3 innings and allowing six earned runs. That start, ironically enough, came against the same Mets team he'll face tonight. He'll again oppose R.A....
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Dan Kolko

Battling against Young, coming up large late

Battling against Young, coming up large late
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Chris Young's fastball tops out at about 85 mph. He doesn't have a dazzling curveball or possess any dynamite secondary pitch. Still, he manages to keep the Nationals at bay. Including tonight's seven-inning performance in which he allowed just two runs, Young has pitched to a 3.00 ERA over 18 innings against the Nats this season. "Chris pitched against us the last few times and he's been tough," Ryan Zimmerman said. "He's done a great job keeping that ball right...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson discusses Nats' hard-fought, extra-inning win

Johnson discusses Nats' hard-fought, extra-inning win
FLUSHING, N.Y. - For much of tonight's game, the Nationals couldn't touch whoever was standing on the mound for the Mets, Chris Young or otherwise. After the first inning, which featured a two-run homer from Bryce Harper, the Nats went seven straight innings without a hit and went eight innings without getting on the scoresheet. Then, they finally broke through in a big way in the 10th, pounding out six runs and grooving to an 8-2 win. "It was nice that the bats woke up," said a muted...
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Dan Kolko

We go to extras in New York (Nats put a thumping on Mets in 10th)

We go to extras in New York (Nats put a thumping on Mets in 10th)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - As the rain continues to fall, the Nationals and Mets continue to play. We're heading to extra innings, tied 2-2. A combination of Michael Gonzalez, Ryan Mattheus and Tom Gorzelanny held the Mets scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, and we go to the 10th at Citi Field. Gorzelanny allowed a two-out double to Daniel Murphy in the ninth, but was able to retire Jason Bay on a grounder to third to end the inning. Ryan Zimmerman made a sparkling play on Bay's ground ball,...
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Dan Kolko

Harper back in the homer column (bullpen maneuvers backfire)

Harper back in the homer column (bullpen maneuvers backfire)
FLUSHING, N.Y. - In his first trip to the Big Apple as a big leaguer, Bryce Harper didn't take long to make a statement. Harper smacked a two-run home run off Chris Young in the top of the first inning, giving the Nationals what's now a 2-1 lead. Welcome to New York, rook. It was Harper's first home run since all the way back on June 28. He had gone 81 at-bats without a homer prior to launching an 85-mph fastball from Young into orbit. Can we really call an 85-mph four-seamer a fastball?...
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Byron Kerr

Gonzalez endures shortest outing of season, "felt a little flat"

Gonzalez endures shortest outing of season, "felt a little flat"
That was a rare experience to see Gio Gonzalez not get to the fifth inning in a start for the Nationals. Coming into Thursday's assignment against the Mets, Gonzalez had gone at least five frames in 16 of his initial 18 starts in a Nationals uniform. There was June 3 when he lasted only 4 2/3 innings in a loss against the Braves. You had to go back to the opening week and his Nationals debut to see a shorter stint, just 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision April 7 at the Cubs. But Gonzalez lasted...
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Dan Kolko

This one's gotten ugly (Nats lose 9-5)

This one's gotten ugly (Nats lose 9-5)
You could tell Davey Johnson was throwing in the towel on today's ballgame when he let reliever Craig Stammen hit for himself in the fifth inning. Johnson really waved the white flag when he had Mark DeRosa take over for Ryan Zimmerman at third base in the top of the sixth. This one hasn't been pretty from the Nationals' perspective, as they trail 9-2 through six innings. And Johnson's decided to rest a couple of his starters, including Jesus Flores, with the game seemingly out of...
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Dan Kolko

Shooting for the sweep, looking forward to Leon

Shooting for the sweep, looking forward to Leon
In case you didn't happen to see it, reliever Miguel Batista called his squad "the best team in baseball" after last night's game. Yes, the same Miguel Batista who allowed two huge runs over two-thirds of an inning in yesterday's 4-3 Nationals win. Yes, the same Miguel Batista who suits up for the New York Mets, who are currently a game above .500 and eight games back of the Nationals in the National League East. "Right now they're playing good baseball, but I don't believe they're a...
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Byron Kerr

LaRoche to go with "Plan C" against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey

LaRoche to go with "Plan C" against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey
First baseman Adam LaRoche has nothing scientific in his approach to facing Mets knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey on Thursday. He won't be studying multiple DVDs on the lack of spin to the knuckleball or break down every aspect of his at-bat. LaRoche said you have to keep it simple because there isn't anything similar than facing a pitcher as unique as Dickey. "I remember facing (Tim) Wakefield just a handful of times and thinking, 'This is pretty good,' after not seeing it every...
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Dan Kolko

Another gem from Zimmermann (plus roster move)

Another gem from Zimmermann (plus roster move)
The move isn't official just yet, but the Nationals will place catcher Jhonatan Solano on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique and recall Sandy Leon from Double-A Harrisburg to serve as their backup catcher. Leon played one game (well, four innings, really) with the Nats this season before suffering a high-ankle sprain on a play at the plate, landing him on the DL. He's expected to be with the Nationals for Thursday's 12:35 p.m. start. Davey Johnson got a kick out of Tuesday's...
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Byron Kerr

Clippard not fazed by recent struggles, manages 15th save

Clippard not fazed by recent struggles, manages 15th save
Nationals closer Tyler Clippard was cruising along in his new role until the last few games. He had converted 14 of 14 save opportunities, but had one somewhat shaky outing in Miami. Then, returning home, Clippard has allowed five runs in the last two games. On Wednesday, Clippard notched his 15th save by striking out the side in the ninth. But he also allowed a pair of solo homers to the Mets' David Wright and Jason Bay. Clippard said that can happen when you go out and attack with...
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Dan Kolko

Werth back taking batting practice (with Nats lineup)

Werth back taking batting practice (with Nats lineup)
Still no Nationals lineup just yet, as the team could yet again be checking on Ian Desmond's status before setting their starting nine for tonight's game against the Mets. While we wait on the Nats lineup, I've got some good news to pass along on Jayson Werth, who is currently taking part in some early batting practice along with Chad Tracy. This is the first time I've seen Werth taking BP since suffering a broken wrist back in early May. Manager Davey Johnson said yesterday he expected...
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Dan Kolko

Reliving last night's thriller

Reliving last night's thriller
This is just one man's take, but I feel like last night's game was about as much fun as a baseball game can be in the middle of July. Some might prefer a 1-0 pitchers' duel. I'll take a back-and-forth, standing ovation-inducing, walk-off-ending 5-4 contest between two division rivals. Actually, if you think about it, last night's game had it all. If you're the pitchers' duel type, that's what you got for seven innings as Ross Detwiler and Jon Niese befuddled hitters and tossed up...
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Dan Kolko

Johnson recaps a wild 5-4 extra-inning win

Johnson recaps a wild 5-4 extra-inning win
Davey Johnson walked into the interview room next door to the Nationals' clubhouse, sat down at the table in front of reporters and broke into a big smile. "Wow! That's my kind of ballgame," Johnson said. This was certainly another crazy one, one which saw the Nats jump out to a 2-0 lead, lose it in the ninth when Tyler Clippard blew his first save since taking over the closer duties, tie it up in the bottom of the ninth on a dramatic two-out, two-strike RBI single by Danny Espinosa, fall...
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Dan Kolko

Detwiler, Niese dueling in D.C. (Nats win an insane ballgame)

Detwiler, Niese dueling in D.C. (Nats win an insane ballgame)
We've cruised through 5 1/2 innings at Nats Park, and Ross Detwiler and Jon Niese are locked in quite a pitcher's duel. The Nationals have a 1-0 lead after Tyler Moore went yard in the bottom of the fifth, a blast which got the Nats their first baserunner since Bryce Harper singled with one out in the first. It was Moore's fifth homer of the season and his first since June 27. Prior to the Moore longball, Niese had set down 12 straight Nats. Detwiler has been pretty darn effective...
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