Gio Swings, Gio Misses, Gio Falls, Gio Wins

During Gio Gonzalez's latest pitching victory against the Dodgers he had a very comical plate appearance. The pitcher took a huge cut at a Zack Greinke pitch and his body twisted as he fell down to one knee. Here's Gio falling and his reaction to the situation:

Gio Gonzalez Has Blonde Hair...Well A Streak Of It

Here what Gio is looking like this offseason...nice blonde streak...

Fishing with the fam #butdiducatch #no #tryagain #imseasick #depinga #sapo #bait #butdidudie #nope #JsCrew #Js #hialeahkid

A photo posted by Gonzi (@icugonzi) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:34am PDT

15 Nats Clinching GIFs That Will Make You Smile

Here are a bunch of awesome GIFs from the Nationals celebrations last night after clinching the NL East Division Title. You've got hugs, high fives, screaming, dancing, yelling, toasts, smiles, crazyness and more. Check em' out (give them a minute to load I screwed up the sizes).

Top Scenes From Nats Clinching The Playoff

Well they've done it again. The Washington Nationals are 2014 NL East Champions! The scene after the game clinching in Atlanta looked like one heck of a celebration. Here are our top images and videos from the magic night.

Gio Gonzalez Puts A Redskins Hat On His Dog And Takes A Pic

Sometimes the different DC Sports teams all come together to provide worthy (or non-worthy) fun and excitement.  Instead of just posting it a zillion times, this segment will just link you over to the main story.

Here is a picture of Gio Gonzalez's dog wearing a Redskins hat. Gio even used the hashtag HTTR.

Head over to our Skins site to see the full photo and read the story.

Vin Scully Does A Spot On Gio Gonzalez Impersonation

On Monday night, Gio Gonzalez pitched for his first win in almost 2 months. But more important than that, Gio had the great fortune of being impersonated by Dodgers play by play announcer Vin Scully. The great broadcaster let the fans know exactly what the Nationals pitcher is saying when he talks to himself on the mound. It was pretty darn funny.

So this is what it sounds like when one of the greatest announcers in the history of sports does an impression of Gio Gonzalez.

Gio Gonzalez Hits Up In & Out Burger After Win

Gio Gonzalez picked up his first win in about a hundred years (since July 5th) after pitching animal style against the Dodgers on Monday night and after the game he headed out with family and friends to the best spot to get a burger on the west coast, In & Out Burger. As you can see, Gio was really into it, wearing the old fashioned In & Out burger flipper hat.

Gio Gonzalez Gets Hit In Head During Celebration, Suits Up In Body Armor

The picture above may look a little strange to Nats fans. It is Gio Gonzalez wearing a catcher's mask and a batting helmet (on forwards). So why is the Nationals starting pitcher suited up? To protect himself from flying helmets during homerun celebrations of course...seriously.  Watch the hit Gio took that caused him to take drastic defensive matters.

Gio Gonzalez Ice Bucket Challenge Features LaRoche & Span In Hot Tub

Here is a video of Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge while Adam LaRoche & Denard Span watch creepily from the hot tub behind them. Um. Yeah.

Gio Gonzalez Hugs Kurt Suzuki, Loving Natitude

Gio Gonzalez was one strike away from completing 7 strong innings on Friday night against the San Diego Padres.  But the lefty held on to his last pitch a little too long and his nasty curve hit the Padres batter right in the foot, ending Gio's night at 115 pitches.

After the ball hit the player's foot, Nats catcher Kurt Suzuki pounded the dirt.  He knew his buddy Gio had thrown his last pitch, and was so close to ending on a high note.  Suzuki walked out to the mound as Davey Johnson made the pitching change and he gave Gio a little head rub to show that he felt his pain.   Later when the inning was over, Suzuki and Gio smiled at each other and gave each other a hug Check out the GIF.

Gio Gonzalez Hanging With Psy, Ed Helms, Gerard Butler, & More

On Saturday evening, Gio Gonzalez Instagramed a group of pictures that he took at the White House Correspondents Dinner.  Gio got to get photos with Psy, Gerard Butler, Ed Helms, and more. Tyler Clippard was there too.

GIFS: Julie Alexandria Gets The Gatorade Again

Julie Alexandria began her on-screen MASN career on Thursday night in a game against the Cincinnati Reds.  Since then, the Nats have started to break out of a slump going 2-0 with two big wins over a tough NL opponent.   When both games ended, Julie ended up walking away completely soaked in Gatorade.

Check out the GIFs of each of the 2 showers and relive what Alexandria is going to have to watch out for over the course of the next several months.

Gio Gonzalez Struggles, Braves Sweep Nats, Doh!

Braves 9, Nationals 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Braves	3	0	4	0	0	2	0	0	0		9	12	0
Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	2

Read the full box score at MLB

It may be early in the season but the Atlanta Braves just laid an ass-whooping on the Washington Nationals.  The Nats could only manage 4 hits for the 2nd straight day, and were shutout by the Atlanta Braves 9-0 giving them the series victory on a sweep.  Gio Gonzalez had his worst outing of the season and the offense made Braves starter Paul Maholm look like Nolan Ryan. (Although Maholm hasn't given up a single run all season!)

Washington Nationals Bullpen Attends Caps Game, Caps Collapse, Gio Chooses Soccer

A few Washington Nationals pitchers made the day/night baseball/hockey doubleheader on Saturday.  Tyler Clippard, Craig Stammen, and Drew Storen were spotted in a suite at Verizon Center during the Caps matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning following a loss of their own to the Atlanta Braves earlier that day.  The Caps were up 5-1 at one point, but you'll never guess what happened.

The Gio Gonzalez Bobblehead

Everyone loves a bobblehead...

On Saturday afternoon during the Washington Nationals 1pm game against the Atlanta Braves (a Strasburg start) the Nats are giving the first 15,000 fans a Gio Gonzalez Bobblehead.  Here is what it looks like from the website and from the Nats broadcast.

A Cool Story On Nats Bobbleheads and how Players perform on their day...

Viva LaRoche! Nats Beat White Sox Behind 4 Homers

White Sox 7, Nationals 8

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
White Sox	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	2		7	11	1
Nationals	0	0	0	1	1	4	1	1	x		8	13	0

Read the full box score at ESPN

Adam LaRoche was stuck in a rut.  He hadn't gotten a hit in his first fifteen at bats this season.  But on Tuesday night at Nats Park, after missing 2 straight games with a sore back, the slugger crushed his first two hits of the season, both homeruns, in a 8-7 win over the Chicago White Sox.

(A character from an HBO show joined the President's Race...lame...)

Gio Gonzalez started for the Nationals, but struggled early on raising his pitch count.  Much to his dismay, Captain Hook yanked Gio after 5 innings at 99 pitches.  Gio only gave up 1 earned run, on a bases loaded balk, and struck out 7.

Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper, and Adam LaRoche aptly named by FP as Murderer's Row

The Nats were in great position with a 6-2 lead heading into the 7th inning but Tyler Clippard gave up 3 runs and made the game much closer than it should be.  The Nats picked up insurance runs in the 7th and 8th, and Rafael Soriano came on in the 9th to seal the 8-5 victory.  Instead the new closer gave up a 2 run homer to Alex Rios and walked the game winning run before closing the game for his 3rd save of the season.

The Nationals finished the game with 4 homers, all big.  Ian Desmond a solo shot in the 5th, Jayson Werth (with a new walk-up song) hit a 2 run homer in the 6th, and LaRoche added one a few batters later in the 6th for his first hit of the season.  Bob Carpenter (continuing the hits) was so excited he exclaimed, "VIVA LAROCHE!" as the ball cleared the centerfield wall.

Later, in the 8th inning, LaRoche belted a second homer.

"He's baaaack!" - FP Santangelo

The Nats are now 5-2 with another 2 games against the White Sox starting tomorrow at 7...

Nationals & Gio Gonzalez Defeat The Marlins, Bob Carpenter's Voice Cracks

Nationals 3, Marlins 0

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

Read the full box score at MLB

It was a cold, cold night at Nats Park on Wednesday, but it didn't stop the Nationals and Gio Gonzalez from heating up during a 3-0 win against the Miami Marlins.  The Nats shutout the fish for the 2nd straight game and have yet to give up a run on the season with new closer Rafael Soriano picking up his 2nd save in the process.

The star of the game was Gio Gonzalez who battled some early headaches, made love to his hands, and hit a homerun in the victory.  Gonzalez pitched through the pain, getting massaged during each half inning, and made it through six innings giving up just 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 5.  Not bad for a guy who felt like he was being hit with a "sledgehammer".

Bryce Harper (Terrible hashtag and all) continues to be the offensive catalyst and is now 4 for 8 on the season after going 2-4 with a double on Wednesday.  He has scored 3 of the Nats 5 runs this season.

Jayson Werth failed to pick up a hit on 4 at bats, but made some nice hustle plays in the outfield to limit extra bases for Marlins players, which in turn probably preserved the shutout.

Mattheus and Storen pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th, and Soriano came in to record a shaky but scoreless save (giving up a hit and a walk in the 9th).  The following is Bob Carpenter's reaction to a dropped foul ball that could have ended the game...very Brady Bunch like:




Nats look to finish off the Marlins on Thursday, an early 4pm start time...

Gio Gonzalez Has Brain Freeze, Gio Gonzalez Goes Yard, Makes Love To His Hand?

After the first inning of Wednesday Night's contest between the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins, a sleeveless (its freakin' cold out there) Gio Gonzalez walked off the mound appearing to be in pain.  Gio grimaced as he put his hand to his temples, looking to have a headache of some sort.  Gonazlez was shown walking down into the locker room (probably to grab some Advil)

When asked after the game about it, Gio responded:

"My head felt like it was getting nailed right in there like a freaking sledgehammer...every inning I was going down there and (inaudible) was massaging it and massaging it, he's got the lucky fingers right now"

And about the cold weather?

"I felt like I was making love to my hand"

FP Santangelo suggested it could be a "brain freeze" and then asked Bob Carpenter if he ever got a brain freeze from drinking a slurpee.  Bob replied with a little dig at the relationship of himself and FP:

2012 Memories: The Home Opener Win

The Home Opener

The Washington Nationals started off their amazing 50 home win season with a bang.  On April 12th, during the home opener against the Cincinatti Reds, the Nationals scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat the Reds much to the delight of the almost 41,000 fans wearing their free Nats opening day hats (which don't fit).

Gio Gonzalez, coming off a terrible Nats debut, was in what would soon be known as classic Gio-Mode.  Gonzalez pitched 7 innings and only gave up 2 hits while striking out 7.  But the Nats didn't reward Gio with his first Nats win.  Brad Lidge gave up 2 in the 9th to scratch Gio's name off the decision.

The Nats were coasting, up 2-0 since the 5th inning, but 2 Reds runs in the 9th inning caused the crowd to get a little bit anxious.  But in extra innings a wild pitch by Alfredo Simon sent Ryan Zimmerman home from where he stood on 3rd base.  As Zim hustled down the line, the batter, Roger Bernadina, was screaming at him to go back.  But Zimmerman made his decision.

As he slid into home plate the capacity crowd erupted in cheers, but nobody was happier than Gio Gonzalez.  Although his team cost him the win, he didn't care.  He only cared about one statistic...a win in the standings.

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Stay Tuned For More Of Our 2012 Washington Nationals Memories!  And Read The Current Ones!

Gio Gonzalez vs Clayton Kershaw

Gio Gonzalez and Clayton Kershaw are mortal enemies.  At least when it comes to video game contests.  At least when the company tells them to be.

MLB 2K13 "Perfect Game Challenge" has the two guys going after each other with trash talk via YouTube and Twitter.  Today they released some new twitter trash talk.

From Gio:

"Kicked out of the game once again...Just like the senior prom"

From Kershaw:

"First he's in a zone, and now he's out...what a slaughter"