Detwiler Gets 1st Win, Kurt Suzuki Rollin, Nats Beat Fish

Nationals 6, Marlins 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nationals	0	2	0	0	1	1	1	0	1		6	11	1
Marlins	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	7	1

Bryce Harper had a Jordan-esque day, Kurt Suzuki continued his hot hitting, and Ross Detwiler pitched nothing like a typical 5th starter to help the Washington Nationals defeat the Miami Marlins 6-1 on Wednesday night and take home the series victory.  The Nats offense got their mojo back and if not for a bad call by an ump at home plate, Detwiler would have picked up the shutout.

ZimmE5rman Errs, Harper Throws, Nats Lose

Braves 3, Nationals 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Braves	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1		3	8	1
Nationals	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	4	1

Read the full box score at MLB

For the second straight day a Ryan Zimmerman throwing error proved costly.  In the 3rd inning, the Nats third baseman made a bad throw to first base with 2 outs, giving the Braves an opportunity to knock out a costly 2 run homer in a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Nats Park.   It was another tough loss for the Nationals coming off a blown 9th inning just one day ago sending 42,000 people home with frowns with just a Gio Gonzalez bobblehead to comfort them.

Bryce Harper Goes Deep, Nats Win

White Sox 2, Nationals 5

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
White Sox	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	9	1
Nationals	0	0	0	2	1	2	0	0	x		5	11	0

Read the full box score at MLB

Bryce Harper stepped to the plate in the 4th inning and sent a baseball towards outer space, sparking a mid-game rally that helped the Washington Nationals defeat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night at Nats Park.  But Harper, who has 6 2-hit games in the first 8, wasn't the only one who was on point.

Reds Crush Nats, NEXT GAME!

Nationals 0, Reds 15

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	2
Reds	0	2	3	1	1	0	7	1	x		15	19	0

Read the full box score at ESPN

Welcome to Washington Dan Haren!  With the Nats new starter on the mound on Friday night, the Cincinnati Reds destroyed Washington at Great American Ballpark in a 15-0 beat down shutout.  The Nats didn't have much of a chance with the pitching staff giving up 19 hits and 7 homeruns to the Reds.

There was little to be exited about if you are a Nationals fan.  In their first true test of the season the Nats were embarrassed.  Haren only survived 4 innings giving up 9 hits, 6 runs, and 4 homers.  I'm not sure if he watched any of DC baseball last season, but that ain't gonna fly here.

Zach Duke was the only kind-of-bright spot out of the bullpen (5 earned runs lol) eating up 2 2/3rds middle innings after Haren's early exit to save some of the Nats pitchers.  But with Dukes departure in the 7th inning, in stepped Henry Rodriguez who gave up a walk followed by a grand slam.

Jayson Werth shows Davey Johnson that a fan reached out and touched a homerun to interfere

It is questionable that Rodriguez is on the roster, let alone being placed in actual Major League baseball games.  How can Davey have confidence to put this guy in anything that isn't an 8 run ballgame?

The recently shaved Danny Espinosa finally picked up a hit (LOL), and finished with a single and a double and the struggling Ian Desmond picked up a double on his final at bat.  Denard Span was on base 3 times with a single and two walks, and Lombardozzi came into the game to hit a double late.  Other than that, there was no offense whatsoever.  The Nats couldn't even muster a single run.

Game 4 of 162 isn't a time to panic.  These types of games happen, and a 15-0 blowout is the same as a 3-2 squeaker.  Tomorrow the Nats will have a chance to show the Reds that Friday night was a fluke.  But when this series is over we will know a little more about the Nats...

Nats Notes: The Nationals Middle Infield Starts Slow

The Nationals are off to a 3-0 start and are currently the only undefeated team left in Major League Baseball.  The pitching staff has been wonderful, the bullpen solid, the defense staunch, and the offense not so terrible.

However, lost in some of the excitement has been the slow start of the Washington Nationals middle infield, their 6th and 7th spot in the lineup, Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa.

The two are a combined 1-21 with 6 strikeouts.  They have been on base only 3 times (a walk and an infield hustle single by Desmond, and an error to get Espinosa on base).

It is hard to remember that far back, but Ian Desmond was actually the Nats opening day leadoff hitter to start the 2012 season.  He batted in the opening slot for almost 40 games.  The Silver Slugger award winner had a hit in 7 of his first 8 games in 2012, starting the season off hot with 14 hits in those opening contests.

Espinosa was 3rd in the Majors with 189 K's last season (you can count em' thats all 189)

Espinosa had a hit in 9 of the first 13 games in 2012 including an nice little 6 game hitting streak in there.  After that he crashed. By May he was hitting under .200 for the season.  But Davey Johnson stuck with him and by the end of the season his average was up to .247.  (He also was third in the MLB in strikeouts with 189.)

Ian Desmond should be fine.  The guy won the Silver Slugger last year and had a breakout season.  As for Espinosa, Davey Johnson will stick with him again...but this season he knows that he's got a reliable guy named Steve Lombardozzi waiting in the wings...

Danny Espinosa's Beard vs Jayson Werth's Beard: A Beard-Off

Danny Espinosa's new epic beard was a huge smash at Natsfest.  For most fans it was their first glimpse into the madness and it was quite shocking.  The topic of Espy's beard came up throughout the day at the fan event, and we captured a few of the beard zings.

At the end, a guy asks Jayson Werth if he and Espy will have a "Beard-Off".  Who do you think would win the Beard-Off?  When is it going to take place?  Let's get this done!  Take a look:




Other Natsfest Videos:

• Bryce Harper Disses The Crowd At Natsfest
• DCSN Historic Newsreel William Howard Taft
• Chicken Mode meets the DC Mayor
• Images From Natsfest
• Denard Span Goes Unrecognized

Player Pick Em: Mid Week Update

One series in the book, here is how the competition is setting up.

Out Front:  Gio Gonzalez (9.0 innings, 3 runs, 7 Ks)

On Deck:  Michael Morse (.333 with 2 homeruns and 4 RBIs)

In the Hole:  Danny Espinosa (.412 with a homerun and 3 RBIs)

Best of the Rest:  

• Ryan Zimmerman (.235 with 3 RBIS)

• Jayson Werth (.308)
• @meganreio
• @turtlezoot

• Adam LaRoche (.105 with 2 RBIs)

Standings:
@turtlezoot (3)
@meganreio (2)
@natsrgreat (1)
@DArkMEATHOOK (1)
@Sc0ttieDoesntNO (1)
@SCviaDC (1)
@Natsgirl19 (0)
@Yop1963 (0)
@MrNatsVL (0) 

Bernadina Disappears, Reappears With A Victory

Nationals 3, Astros 2 (12 Innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12		R	H	E
Nationals	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		3	6	0
Astros	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	5	0

Read the full box score at MLB

Roger Bernadina chased down a deep fly ball in centerfield.  Just when it looked like the ball would land on the ground and the Nats would lose, Bernadina leaped into the air and disappeared in a little cubby in the outfield fence.  When he finally emerged he had the ball in his glove and the Nationals had the victory.

Bernadina Makes The Game Saving Amazing Catch

In a game where offense was almost non-existent, Danny Espinosa drove in all 3 Nats runs including the game-winner in the 12th inning as the Nationals defeated the Astros 3-2 in 12 innings on Tuesday night.  With a Braves loss the Nats are now up 4 games in the division.

Ross Detwiler pitched 7 innings giving up just 3 hits and 2 runs, and the bullpen pitched 4 innings of 1 hit shutout baseball to keep the Astros quiet while the Nats waited for the offense to arrive.

The Astros scored 2 in the first inning but Danny Espinosa stepped up in the 2nd and jacked a 3 run shot.  After that...silence.  Well let me rephrase that.  Offensive silence.

Because the game was far from quiet.  There was one annoying fan who screamed like a maniac the entire length of the game.  With the stadium empty, his voice was louder and more annoying than you can imagine.  But don't worry, you don't have to imagine, read all about it and listen to it here.

Drew Storen ended up with the win and Bernadina's catch saved Tyler Clippard from blowing his 2nd save in a row.  Instead Clip notches his 23rd save.  Nats win.

The Nationals go for the series win in game 3 of 4 against the Astros on Wednesday night...

Related Stories:

• The Greatest GIF in history and the Saga Of Maniac Astros Fan
• Two Interesting Fans At The Ballpark

Phillies @ Nationals: Game Preview (8/1)

Phillies vs Nationals

7:05 PM Nationals Park

MASN-1

#1: Will FP Santangelo Wear His Shark Hat?

That Guy On The Bottom Interfered With A Nationals Out, But Was For Some Reason Still Happy

#2 Will The Game Get Rained Out

Story Lines:

• Nationals look to rebound after a humiliating loss last night.
• Edwin Jackson looks to move his record above .500 tonight.
• With Cole Hamels on the mound tomorrow, tonight's game is crucial for avoiding a sweep possibility.
• Still no Zimmerman, though he says he will play tomorrow for sure.

Pitching Match Up:

• Vance Worley
• 5-6 with a 3.88 ERA.
• Has given up 41 hits over his last ~27 innings of work.
• Give up double digit hits 3 times this season, including a game against the Nats.

• Edwin Jackson
• 6-6 with a 3.52 ERA.
• Pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball his last time out.
• Has not given up double digit hits at all this season.

Who to Watch:

• Juan Pierre
• Apparently he is a Nats killer?  Batting ..375 lifetime against Jackson.
• Went 3-5 last night with 2 runs scored.
• Also had 2 stolen bases last night.

• Danny Espinosa
• Batting .222 against Worley with 1 homerun and 2 RBIs lifetime.
• Went 0-4 last night with 2 strikeouts.
• Also stranded 3 men on base.

Keys to the Game:

1. Get Runners In.  Nats had 12 men left of base last night.  Middle of the lineup was particularly bad in this area.
2. Stop Runners.  The Nats also allowed 3 stolen bases.  Got to stop giving away bases to guys like Pierre.
3. Work the Count.  The Nats only drew 1 walk the entire game last night.

 

Player Pick 'Em: Midweek Update

Mid week update time:

Out Front: 

• Adam LaRoche .400 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored.

In the Hunt:

• Michael Morse .231 with 2 homers and 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

Best of the Rest:

• Danny Espinosa .385 with 1 homer, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

The Rest:

• Ryan Zimmerman .267 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. 

• Bryce Harper .250 with 1 homer, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

Gio Rebounds, Nats End Dickey's Streak

Nationals 5, Mets 2

Gio Gonzalez and the Washington Nationals stopped R.A. Dickey and his 11 game winning streak in New York on Tuesday night as the Nats defeated the Mets 5-2.  Gio rebounded after his worst game of the season with his 13th win, going 7 innings, 2-hitting the Mets, and giving up just one run in only 87 pitches.


Dickey struggled late in the game, giving up 4 runs in the 6th inning after giving up just 1 earned run (2 runs) in the first 5 innings.  The knuckleballer finished with 7 strikeouts but gave up 8 hits and 4 earned runs.

Maybe This Is What Miguel Batista Meant!

Adam LaRoche homered for the Nats and finished 2-3 with a walk.  Three other Nats who have been on fire kept smoking.  Ryan Zimmerman, Roger Bernadina, and Danny Espinosa finished a combined 7 for 13.  Morse also picked up another hit in the victory.


Another interesting night from the bullpen with Craig Mattheus only facing one batter, the same way Storen did on the previous night.  However, unlike Drew, Mattheus gave up a homer.  If this trend of facing one batter keeps up, how will it make the bullpen feel?  Will Davey figure it out soon?


Day game tomorrow in NY as the Nats go for the sweep...

Nats Offense On Fire, Detwiler Delivers

Nationals 9, Braves 2

Ross Detwiler  had a good day, but the Washington Nationals offense and 18 hits led the team to a 9-2 victory and a series split with the Braves on Sunday afternoon at Nats Park.  The Nats are now up 3.5 games on the Braves.

Less than 24 hours after John Lannan walked into the dugout after a 7th inning to a standing ovation, Ross Detwiler received the same treatment, pitching 7 innings of 7 hit baseball, giving up only 2 runs, 1 earned.  That is now 3 games in a row where the starter went 7 full innings.

To give you an idea of how well things were going for the Nats, in the 5th inning, Roger Bernadina was intentionally walked (does that ever happen?) to get to minor-league catcher Sandy Leon who proceeded to belt in his first 2 career RBIs on a bases loaded double.

Four Guys On Fire

Ryan Zimmerman hit 2 homers on a 3 for 5, 3 RBI night.  In the month of July, Ryan Zimmerman has hit safely in 16 out of 18 games, batting .414 with 9 homeruns.

Michael Morse also had 3 hits and in his last 9 games is batting .405.

Roger Bernadina reached base 4 out of 5 times at the plate, going 3 for 4 with an intentional walk and 2 RBIs.  The Shark is on fire and has 11 hits in his last 19 at bats.

Danny Espinosa has also been on fire as of late.  He went 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 RBIs on Sunday continuing his 8 game hit streak.  Espy has 14 hits in those 8 games.

The Nats head to NY for a series with the Mets...No Rest

Shark Attack, Nats Bite Braves

Nationals 5, Braves 2

After being shutout in the day session of a doubleheader, the Washington Nationals rallied in 3 consecutive innings to take the night game from the Braves 5-2.  Two unlikely heroes helped the Nats go back up 2.5 games in the division, John Lannan and Roger Bernadina.  FP dubbed it "Shark Week"

Lannan came out slow in the first inning, allowing 2 runs, but settled in, receiving a standing ovation when he left after pitching 7 innings.  The lefty made a case for being the guy to replace Strasburg at the end of the season while picking up his first win of the season.

The story of the offense, and of the entire day was Roger Bernadina.  The "Shark" went 2 for 3 in the early game and then exploded with 3 more hits and the game winning RBI at night.  That is 5 for 7 on the day with an RBI a run scored and a stolen base.  Not bad for one day's work.


Trailing 2-0, after the Nationals scored on a wild pitch in the 5th, Ian Desmond plated the game tying run in the 6th on a bases loaded fielder's choice and then left the game, appearing to be having some more oblique trouble.  Desmond has been avoiding the DL and trying to contribute to the team, but it may be time to give him a longer break.

Then, after Bernadina's clutch hit tied the game in the 7th inning, Espinosa drove in an insurance run in the 8th.  Bryce Harper kept his iron man streak alive, making a pinch hit appearance after missing most of the first game after fouling off a bunt that hit him in the ankle.

Harper got a standing ovation from the crowd and then went on to steal 2nd where his "limp" magically disappeared.  Danny Espinosa came in and hit a double to score Harper who limped into the dugout.  Bryce took the field in the 9th in right.

The Nats picked up another run on a booted grounder by the Braves later in the 8th and Clippard came on in the 9th to pick up his 16th save of the season.  Clippards 8th appearance in a row where he allowed a base runner.

The Nats try to salvage a tie in the series on Sunday afternoon.  Desmond, Harper, and Flores could be game time decisions.

Braves @ Nationals: Game Preview (7/20)

Braves vs Nationals

7:05 PM Nationals Park

MASN-1

Story Lines:

• The innings limit of 160 for Strasburg has disappeared.  GM Rizzo is going to use an "eye test" to decide when to shut him down.
• The Braves will look to start narrowing the 3.5 game gap between them and the Nats tonight.
• Drew Storen is back with the Nationals after his lengthy DL time.

Pitching Match Up:

• Tommy Hanson
• 10-5 with a 4.02 ERA.
• Last time out against the Nats he gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings.
• Gave up 6 runs in 5.1 innings last start.

• Stephen Strasburg
• 10-4 with a 2.66 ERA.
• Last start against the Braves he only went 3 innings because of dehydration.
• Pitched 6 innings of shutout ball last start.

Who to Watch:

•  Dan Uggla
• Hitting .538 with 2 homeruns and 8 RBIs against Strasburg lifetime.
• Has 12 homeruns this season (on pace for 21).
• Is only hitting .216 on the year.

• Danny Espinosa
• Hitting .375 against Hanson lifetime.
• Has 24 extra base hits on the season.
• Leads the team in stolen bases (14) and strikeouts (101).

Keys to the Game:

1. Stras-time.  With the burden of the innings limit slightly lessened now, Strasburg will need to deliver a big time performance tonight.
2. Quick Innings.  With a double header looming, a quick game is very important.
3. Get to the late innings.  Storen, T-clip, and Burnett make a formidable end of the game combination.

Player Pick 'em: Mid Week Update

One series in the books and a 4 game series coming up.  It's time to check on the player pick 'ems.

Out Front:

• Jordan Zimmermann: 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 4 strikeouts. Win. 
• @Yop1963

In the Hunt:

• Danny Espinosa: .364 with 1 RBI.
• @meganreio

Best of the Rest:

• Ryan Zimmerman: .300 with a homerun. 
• @SCviaDC
• @turtlezoot

The Rest:

• Jesus Flores: .111.
• @Natsgirl19 

Standings: 
@turtlezoot (1)
@Sc0ttieDoesntNO (1)
@meganreio (1)
@Natsgirl19 (0)
@SCviaDC (0)
@Yop1963 (0)  

Beaspinozerman Is No Match For The Marlins

Marlins 5, Nats 3

There was no fallout from the Ozzie Guillen and Bryce Harper saga, but the Nationals were still hit in the mouth by the Miami Marlins, suffering a 5-3 loss on Monday night in south Florida.  The Nats notched 11 hits, 9 of them coming from only 3 players, but they stranded 8 runners and hit only 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.


Edwin Jackson pitched only 5 innings and gave up 6 hits and 4 of the 5 Marlins runs.  It wasn't his worst performance of the season but the Nats bats were not hot enough to generate more than 3 runs.

The Nats offense was a three headed monster.  Michael Morse, Danny Espinosa, and Ryan Zimmerman (or Beaspinozerman) combined for 9 hits, 3 each.  Zimmerman & Espinosa each fell short of the cycle missing by a homer and a triple respectively.  Zim was on base all 5 times he came to the plate.

The Nationals hit into 4 double plays, 2 to end innings including a backbreaking GIDP by Jesus Flores in the 6th inning that squandered a bases loaded 1-out situation. 

Sidenote:  The Marlins have a weird mascot race at their ballpark where 4 giant mutated sea creatures race around the ballpark.  One of the players in the Marlins dugout decided to pull a Randall Simon and mess with the mascots.  However, instead of hitting one in the head with a bat, the mystery player just threw a cup of water on them.  What a great prank.  You really soaked them.  Terrible Video below.





Aren't you glad you wasted those 15 seconds?  With the loss the Nats and Marlins 4 game set ended up in a tie.  The Nats come back home on Tuesday for a 3 game set against the Mets.

Player Pick 'em: Midweek Update

A sweep of the Giants is in the books, here is how we stand in this weeks competition:

Leading the Way: 

• The Field - Espinosa (.545), Desmond (.455), Morse (3 RBIs), LaRoche (3 RBIs).
• @turtlezoot

Best of the Rest:

• Bryce Harper - .429 with 3 RBIs and 4 Runs scored.
• @natsgirl19
• @meganreio

The Rest:

• Ryan Zimmerman - .231 with 3 RBIs, 4 Runs scored, and a Home Run.

•  Gio Gonzalez - Has his start Saturday.
• @Sc0ttieDoesntNO 

Standings:
@Sc0ttieDoesntNO (1)
@meganreio (1)
@Natsgirl19 (0)
@turtlezoot (0)

Same Uniforms, Same Result

Giants 5, Nationals 6

The Nationals beat the Giants and swept the series on a night where both teams wore the same uniforms they did during the 1924 World Series.  The Nationals/Senators won that as well.

Detwiler and Mr. Perfect (Matt Cain) both pitched well, each surrendering 3 runs.  The main difference in the two clubs came from the bullpen in the late innings.  H-rod and T-clip combined to throw scoreless 8th and 9th innings.  The Giants went into the bottom of the 9th with a two run lead, a lead that closer Santiago Casilla blew.

Now about that...

Tyler Moore doubled, Lombardozzi bunted him over to second and reached on an error by Casilla.  Then Bryce "NotanAllstar" Harper singled Moore home.  Lombo would get thrown out at home, but Harper would cross the plate on a Adam LaRoche ground ball.  Might want to think that not-an-allstar thing MLB.

Earlier in the game Desmond and Espinosa hit back-to-back homers off of Cain in the 7th and Harper doubled DeRosa home.  Morse scored on a Desmond ground ball in the 2nd, and that is how the Nationals got to 6 runs this game.

A great win for the Nats, and a great series sweep over a team that many considered the hottest club in the majors.  Next up, the Rockies come to town.  

 

Player Pick 'em Mid Week Update

With one series in the books lets take a look at how this weeks competition is going!  Who picked who is listed under each player.  If you want to play next week let me know (@dru90).


Leading the Pack:

• Michael Morse (Dru):  .474 average with 5 runs and 5 RBIs.
• @Sc0ttieDoesntNO
• @meganreio

Best of the Rest:

• Danny Espinosa: .200 average with 3 runs and 1 RBI.
• @natsgirl19

The Rest:

• Stephen Strasburg (Chris): 6 IP with 6 hits, 3 runs, 8 Ks. 

• Tyler Clippard (Cammy):  Did not pitch.

Player Pick 'em

 

Last week's winner:  Dru with Ian Desmond who batted .250 with a homerun and 3 RBIs and awesome fielding.  LaRoche had a great game Saturday, but only batted .105 with 1 RBI all week.  Wang....yeah.

This week we have a new challenger to the mix.  Sandra (@natsgirl19) has decided to throw her hat into the ring and show us how its done.

• Dru: Michael Morse.  Time for beast mode to come alive in Colorado.  Plus he is on my fantasy team and I need points.
  
  
• Sandra: Danny Espinosa. She picked Danny because he is really starting to heat up at the plate recently.
• Cammy: Tyler Clippard.  She picked T-clip because she remembered his name and she already picked Jesus in a prior week.
• Chris:  Stephen Strasburg.  2 starts this week, this is a no-brainer.  No analysis required.  You may as well give me the W right now!

Standings:
Dru: 2
Chris: 1
Cammy: 0

Email Dru if you want to join the competition this week.  Just pick send an email before first pitch on Monday with one of the four players listed, 'the field' if you think someone else will do better, along with your twitter name, real name, facebook name, or whatever.