Ian Desmond Attempts To Block Umpire's Throw

During Thursday afternoon's ballgame against the Mets, Ian Desmond was upset about a strike two call earlier in his at bat and decided to give the umpire some guff. Check it out as Desmond tries to do a basketball blocked shot as the ump attempts to throw the baseball back to the pitchers mound between innings. LOL:

Adam LaRoche Almost Kills Ian Desmond

This is why I never stand out in the on deck circle. Adam LaRoche was batting against the Braves on Monday night and on the first pitch his bat slipped out of his hands. The bat went flying towards the backstop/dugout/on deck circle and crashed into the netting only feet away from teammate Ian Desmond. Here is what that looked like.

Nats Dugout Exhibits Teamwork On Alley-Oop Homerun Celebration

It seems like every single night during this crazy homerun barrage the Nationals are putting on there is a variation of their 2014 homerun basketball helmet shot celebration.  At one point Jayson Werth was shooting 3 pointers, Gio Gonzalez was almost decapitated, and on Monday night half the dugout got involved with a 5 man alley-oop helmet dunk after a Jayson Werth homerun. Check out the GIF of this somewhat excessively complicated but hella-fun routine.

The Jayson Werth 3 Point Basketball Helmet Shot, Latest Nationals Celebration

The Nats are having some serious fun right now. And with that fun comes new ways to celebrate homeruns.  The classic Gum Showers and Hugs & Low Tens that made 2012 such a fun year have moved on, but leave it to the Nats to think up some fresh celebrations as they push towards the playoffs in 2014.  Their latest celebration?  The Jayson Werth 3 Point Helmet shot. Check out these GIFs:

Ian Desmond & Steak

With Ian Desmond's strange new obsession with Steak (tweeting #steak, saying 'steak' at the end of postgame interviews) we figured that we needed to come up with different steak for each type of hit that Ian Desmond got.  We looked no farther (or further, I hate English) than our favorite fast food restaurant, Taco Bell, whose menu is always bursting with #Steak.  Here's what we came up with:

Bryce Is The Man, Nats Beat Mets

Nationals 7, Mets 6

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

"You're the f**king man!"  That's what the Bryce Harper fan who recorded Harper's second homerun, the game winning homerun, that gave the Nationals the 7-6 victory over the New York Mets.  The Nationals scored all 7 runs on homers, helping out Gio Gonzalez who struggled on the day before he was knocked out of the game early.

Ian Desmond Signs Autograph For "Bryce Harper"

Here's Ian Desmond signing an autograph for a fan in a Bryce Harper mask.  I don't think that Desmond even notices.

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.

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...

Nats Blow Lead, Beat Reds In Extras

Nationals 7, Reds 6 (11 Innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11		R	H	E
Nationals	0	0	2	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	2		7	10	3
Reds	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	2	0	1		6	13	0

Read the full box score at MLB

Tim McClelland Just Called Strike 3...

The Nats bounced back from an embarrassing 15-0 loss on Friday to defeat the Reds 7-6 in an 11 inning affair on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.  Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos hit 2 big time homeruns (watch at bottom) in the 11th inning to help the Nats make up for a blown save in the 9th inning by Rafael Soriano.

With Ross Detwiler set up for the win after 6 innings of 1 hit ball and a 5-3 lead, the Reds scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to stun the Nats and new closer Rafael Soriano.  But the Nats fought off the adversity, taking home the win in extras.

Great American Ballpark once again showed why it is one of the toughest parks on pitchers as the Nationals hit 5 homeruns in the contest. (Cincinnati hit 7 the night before).  Bryce Harper hit a 2 run shot in the 3rd inning, Wilson Ramos hit a 2 run shot in the 6th inning, Werth hit a solo shot in the 7th, and then Desmond and Ramos homered in the 11th to seal the victory.

Man With Baby Catches Jayson Werth's Homerun Ball (FP: "That is impressive...just don't drop the kid")

With the score 5-2 in the bottom of the 8th with the tying run at the plate, Davey Johnson let Drew Storen fight through the situation.  An Ian Desmond error allowed a run to score and a terrible throw by Bryce Harper who tried to throw out a guy at home who had already scored, allowed the runners to advance and the tying run to stand on 2nd base.  Storen stepped up and struck out Xavier Paul to end the danger and the inning.

But in the bottom of the 9th, the collapse was completed.  Sin-Soo Choo lead off the inning with a homer, and then Joey Votto hit a triple off the wall and scored on a wild pitch.  It was Rafael Soriano's first blown save of the season.

Craig Stammen pitched the 10th and 11th innings giving up a run, but taking home the win.

One of the most interesting plays of the game was a Bryce Harper single up the middle.  Reds shortstop Zack Cozart came across the infield and booted the grounder, the ball rolling a few feet away right in the 1st-2nd baseline.  Bryce Harper hustled to first base, then took a big turn around the bag, considering trying to take 2nd base on the play.  Only Bryce.

The Nats and Reds meet again on Sunday afternoon...

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...

Nats Player Dresses Up As The Easter Bunny, Easter Natitude

Happy Easter everyone.  Some of the Nationals got together to celebrate the holiday including this mystery National dressed as the Easter Bunny (I waited all night to find out who it is, no dice):

Tweeted By Zach Duke

Tweeted By Ross Detwiler

The Easter Bunny clearly has #NATITUDE this year. #Nats twitter.com/Munsonism/stat…
— Tar Heel #Natitude (@Munsonism) March 31, 2013

7 Washington Nationals Make MLB Top 100 Right Now

The MLB Network recently ran their "Top 100 Right Now" the top 100 players in the Major Leagues at the current time.  The list included play last season including post-season play (which is clearly how 2 Dodgers made the top 5 and an Angels player was #1)

MLB Network counts down the top MLB players overall, taking into account players in their prime who are coming back from injuries, younger players expected to break out and veteran players with proven track records. The ranking includes World Series MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, A.L. and N.L. MVPs, Rookies of the Year, Gold Glove Award winners and All-Stars. MLB NETWORK

The Nats had 7 players on the list, up from 4 during the 2012 offseason:

92.  Jordan Zimmermann
75.  Ian Desmond
73.  Adam LaRoche
54.  Bryce Harper
49.  Gio Gonzalez (Last Season #88)
29.  Ryan Zimmerman (Last Season #22)
26.  Stephen Strasburg (Last Season #98)

Not sure how Bryce Harper is #54 when they describe the list as considering "younger players expecting to break out".

A few notable things:

• Michael Morse was #95 last year and #85 now on the Mariners
• They put Mike Trout as #1 after basically 1 season in the majors, and Bryce didn't crack the top 50.  Can't wait for Bryce to see that, he will not take it lightly.
• They put RA Dickey the NL Cy Young winner at #50, 1 behind Gio Gonzalez who lost.
• Stephen Strasburg, who wasn't the Nationals best pitcher last season finished almost 25 spaces ahead of Gio, who was.
• No Jayson Werth
• This is just a list, and I don't think it was done very well

The Nationals tied for the lead with 7 players on the list with the St. Louis Cardinals, and I swear I'm not lying, the Philadelphia Phillies.  WHAT?  The Phillies!?  In case you forgot they finished 17 games behind the Nats last season.

And your top 5:

5.  Clayton Kershaw
4.  Matt Kemp
3.  Miguel Cabrera
2.  Justin Verlander
1.  Mike Trout

Keep ranking the Nats players low...

Bryce Harper Gets Biebered, Impersonates The Rock, Then Disses Nats Fans Sort Of

On Saturday afternoon at Natsfest, Gio Gonzalez and Tyler Clippard hosted a "talk show" in front of Washington Nationals fans.  Their guests included Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann, and Rookie of the Year, Bryce Harper.

Gio was very personable, although most of his questions were "Tell us about yourself", "What toys did you buy" and "How bout the fans".  Desmond talked about how he wanted Spring Training to start, Zimmermann talked about getting married in the offseason while Gio kept talking about his smile, and Bryce Harper once again provided some stomach churning awkward moments (just like on Kimmel).

Harper comes on stage to a familiar song, does a weird WWE Rock move, then proceeds to dis the entire Natsfest and Nationals fans...sort of.  Watch the video to see what he says that gets the crowd all up in arms:



More Videos From Natsfest:

• Danny Espinosa's Beard Takes Over
• DCSN Historic Newsreel William Howard Taft
• Welcome To DC Denard Span
• Chicken Mode meets the DC Mayor
• Images From Natsfest

Super Dezzy, Ian Desmond's Flying Catch

On Friday night against the Marlins in front of a subdued crowd, Ian Desmond had the crowd on their feet after making a 2 out diving catch on a line drive that was about to be a base hit.  Dezzy flew through the air like Superman and belly flopped on the ground sliding on the grass like it was a slip & slide with his hands outstretched.


Gif after Jump

Nats Brawl Phase 5: Catcher Slap And Ian Desmond Takes Down The Umpire

Oh you though this brawl was over?  Not quite.  The Cubs catcher,Steve Clevenger, who was shoving Morse was acting like a maniac.  He ran into the pile swinging at anything that moved.  Ian Desmond almost took a fist to the back but it turned into a kind of slap/shove and as he backed away he bumped into an umpire bringing him to the ground.

The catcher was ejected...suspension?

Weekly Fan Poll: Ian Desmond & The DL

===================================

Last Week's Question:  What did you want to happen with the closer situation for the Nats?

Results:  Tyler Clippard had a really rough week, and Drew Storen came back to the team.  As the week went on, people may have wanted to change their votes.  37% wanted to stick with Tyler Clippard and only 14% wanted to throw Storen right back in.  However, almost 30% wanted to slowly phase Storen back into his role, and 18% wanted a closer by committee.  

===================================

This Week's Question:  Who is to blame for Ian Desmond going on the DL?

Ian Desmond started complaining about his injured oblique even before the All-Star break.  The injury caused him to miss the All-Star game, but Dezzy came back to the Nats after the break and attempted to play.  He was clearly injured and looked like he couldn't swing the bat.  


In the series last week against the Mets, Desmond was given some rest, but two nights in a row he was put in towards the end of the game instead of held out.  The guy has heart and he doesn't want to sit out.  But now he will be sitting out for weeks.  So...who's fault was it?

Who is to blame for Ian Desmond going on the DL?

Desmond Tears Oblique, Hits DL

Davy Johnson had some bad news in the post-game presser after the Nationals defeated the Braves on Sunday afternoon.

"It's kind of a bittersweet day, cuz we lost Desmond.  Desmond's going down, he's got a little tear in that oblique area, so that's the bad news".

The problem was discovered after an MRI.

If you remember when the problem first hit Ian, instead of sending him straight to the DL to rest, Davey kept letting the All-Star convince him to get back out there on the field.  It may have already been torn before that, but while playing through the pain was a gutsy move by Desmond, it could have ended up being more harm than it was worth.

"He said it felt like someone hit him with a bat"

Johnson said that the recovery time is unknown, and that the solution will be rest.  The Nats manager thought it may be similar to an earlier season injury to Mark DeRosa, missed almost 2 months, but they would know more after talking to doctors.

Davey said Corey Brown is "probably" the guy that will be called up.

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.