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:

Bryce Harper Wears Derek Jeter Wrist Band

Bryce Harper, who even when he was playing in the league for the Nationals was still a Yankees fan at heart, was wearing a giant Derek Jeter wrist sweatband during Tuesday night's game vs the New York Mets. Is it cool he is repping a class act major leaguer or annoying because it is the Yankees? You make the call!

Seven Standing Ovations At Nats Park Last Night

The Washington Nationals are (as FP would say) "on some kind of" roll right now and fans are pumped up. The Nattys clinched the NL East Division Title on the road at the end of last week and just returned home to DC on Sunday night. Some Nats fans were so excited they ambushed the team when they arrived home from the airport.

The rest of us, who were crying after a Redskins loss, had to wait until Tuesday night's game to show the team our support. And boy was everyone excited for the first game back since clinching the division. I mean, just check out the SEVEN standing ovations that were given to the NL East Champs.

Keith Hernandez Bashes Bryce Harpers Swing, Harper Homers Immediately

During Saturday night's broadcast of the Nationals vs Mets on WPIX New York, former Mets great and current TV analyst Keith Hernandez had a few things to say about the way Bryce Harper swings a baseball bat. Hernandez was not impressed with the extremeness of the swing, and went on a good minute long rant about it on the air. But after that minute was up, Harper showed Hernandez just how "bad" of a swing he really had...and this happened.

Decision Making At An All Time Low For Nats

Nationals 0, Mets 2

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

A lack of hitting, some errors in the field, a running mistake, and a bad decision by Jayson Werth were all showcased during Sunday's 2-0 loss to the New York Mets.  The Nats managed just 4 hits on the day, only one more than errors committed, as the Mets took the series victory and the shutout in New York despite also getting just 4 hits.  It was a rough roadtrip for the Nats who ended 3-3 against subpar teams and who will now head home to face a tough upcoming schedule.

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.

Matt Harvey Outduels Stephen Strasburg, Mets Beat Nats

Nationals 1, Mets 7

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

In a matchup between two big name pitchers, Matt Harvey out-dueled Stephen Strasburg to lead the Mets to a 7-1 victory over the Nationals on Friday night.  Harvey was nearly unhittable, and Strasburg made a few mistakes in one of the biggest early season pitching matcups of the year.

Fans at Nats vs Mets Chant USA After Boston Marathon Bomber Caught

Here's what it looked like at the Nats vs Mets game on Friday night at Citi Field after the remaining suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings was caught via Amanda Rykoff on Vine.

Mets Fans Chant At Strasburg "Harvey's Better"

On Friday night in New York, a highly anticipated pitching matchup was going in the favor of Matt Harvey of the Mets.  Stephen Strasburg just gave up 2 homeruns in the 6th inning giving the Mets a 4-0 lead.  At that point, the 26,000 fans at Citi Field banded together and chanted loudly at Stephen Strasburg.

"Harvey's Better!  Harvey's Better!" ... Audio & video after the jump.

Series Preview: Nats @ Mets

 
Pitching Matchups, Times, & TV Listings 

• Friday, April 19, 7:10PM - Stephen Strasburg v. Matt Harvey (MASN2 HD)
• Saturday, April 20, 3:05PM - Gio Gonzalez v. Jeremy Hefner (FOX) 
• Sunday, April 21, 1:10PM - Jordan Zimmermann v. Dillon Gee (MASN2 HD)

 

After winning a three game set with the Miami Marlins, the Washington Nationals head north to New York where they will take on the New York Mets at Citi Field. This is the first match-up this year between the division rivals.  We've got our analysis, song of the series, our matchup to watch, and a classic series moment with FP and the clapper after the break.

Bryce Harper Spring Training Bobble

Here is Bryce Harper doing some Bryce Harper stuff during Saturday afternoon's Spring Training game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals.

Harper goes up for the easy catch, it bounces off his glove, it his his wrist of his free hand, and then he catches it..of course...

And the live clip:



Other Bryce Moments:

• Bryce Harper Is The Hulk In This Brawl
• Bryce Harper Breaking Several Bats
• Ozzie Guillen vs Bryce Harper, F You!
• Bryce Harper Bleeds His Own Blood!

Nats Complete Sweep Of Mets With Shutout

Nationals 2, Mets 0

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

Read the full box score at MLB

With Strasburg now shut down, John Lannan (3-0) took the rubber at Citi Field in NY
Wednesday for his third start going 5 2/3 innings with 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K. The offensively-
challenged Mets were held scoreless by the bullpen to get the win for Lannan. Drew
Storen stepped on with 2 on and 2 out in the ninth to save the 2-0 victory.

Ryan Zimmerman extended his hit streak to 16 games with a solo shot in the 4th, his 22nd
of the year. All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond added another solo shot in the eighth, his
23rd of the year.

One discouraging thing for the Nationals was the team could not plate runners when they had big opportunities.  In the 6th innings the Nats had the bases loaded with 0 outs and they couldn't get a run.  Then in the 7th inning there was a bases loaded 1 out situation where Adam LaRoche grounded into a double play.

The Nats have been depending an awful lot on the long ball and have been stranding a lot of runners on 3rd base with less than 2 outs.

The Nats head to Atlanta for a 3 game series with the Braves starting on Friday...

Ryan Zimmerman Almost Knocks Over David Wright, Wright Gets Him Out

On Tuesday night in NY, Ryan Zimmerman hit a sharp grounder to the Mets thirdbaseman David Wright.  The ball was hit so hard that it knocked Wright off balance for a second before he spun around and gunned down Zimmerman at first.

It was an interesting looking play.  Check it out:

FP Santangelo Calls The Cops On Annoying Clapper Then Gives Him A Present

During Tuesday night's broadcast of the Nationals vs Mets game, a clapping fan sitting outside of the press box was driving Bob Carpenter and FP Santangelo crazy.

At one point in the broadcast you could hear FP "SHHHHHHH" ing the guy.  Then later in the game you could hear the guy clap a few times and Bob Carpenter started cracking up.  It may have been worse than screaming Astros fan?  Should I interview this guy?

At one point FP took to the telestrator to delete the fan from the game.  It did not work.

"That's the clapper. Dude, knock it off alright.  We are SO DONE with whatever you are clapping about.  It is not that exciting, trust me." -FP Santangelo

That quote was followed by clapping...can't win...listen to the clip below:

Later in the broadcast, FP told security to ask the kid to stop clapping.  FP demanded prison time, but security guy just told him to stop.  In return for the compliance, FP made sure the kid got a nice gift.  A Mike Piazza bobblehead.  Not even a current player FP?

With the Clapping stopped, Tyler Moore came up to bat (later) and crushed a 2 run pinch hit homer to give the Nats the lead.  That was totally a Mets Rally Clap that FP Shut down!

Hipster Mets Fan Jumps In No Man's Land To Get A Ryan Zimmerman Homer

Here is a Ryan Zimmerman bomb in the 3rd inning of Monday night's Nats vs Mets game.  The ball goes into the black section in centerfield and a hipster in a neon shirt jumps over the rail and kind of waits for the ball to roll to him.  He then falls on the ground like a dope and celebrates.

Most likely he was ejected from the game, and possibly worse...Well actually there is not much worse than being that guy.  GIF after Jump:

E-Jax Falls to Mets.

Nationals 0, Mets 2

That title is a bit misleading.  Sure Edwin Jackson took a lost tonight 0-2 at the hands of the New York Mets.  Sure, the only two runs the Mets recorded on the night came off of Jackson pitches.  However, it should not be over looked that E-jax went 7 strong innings, striking out 11 batters while surrendering those 2 runs.

Jackson pitched well enough to win, or at the very least get a no decision.  The two runs he surrendered came at the very end of his night, in the 7th inning.  It just so happened the Nats couldn't get anything going at the plate.  Espinosa recorded 2 hits, and there were a handful of other guys with 1 hit.

Hopefully the offense shows up tomorrow as the Nats try to win the series before squaring off against the Atlanta Braves.  

 

Grand Slam Gives Nats Win Over Mets.

Nationals 6, Mets 4

The Nationals took the first game of their three game series from the Mets tonight by the score of 6 to 4.  Detwiler pitched 6 innings while giving up 3 runs for his 7th win of the season.  However, the real story of the night was the longball.

Michael Morse stepped up in the 4th inning with the bases loaded after 3 singles.  He did not waste the opportunity as he belted a grand slam to give the Nats a 4-2 lead.

Harper followed up in the 5th inning with a 2 run shot of his own to give the Nationals 6 runs.  The Mets would try to mount a comeback, but could only manage 2 runs the rest of the game.

Storen pitched well in the 8th, and T-clip notched another save, despite walking 2 people in the 9th.

The Nats are back at it again tomorrow night looking to clinch the series behind Edwin Jackson.  If Jackson wins tomorrow, then all of the Nationals starting pitchers will be over .500 on the season.

Mets @ Nationals: Series Preview

The Nats are 73-45.  They are the best team in baseball, and they are coming back home to face the New York Mets in a three game series.  The Mets are 17.5 games out of first place, and below .500 on the season.  Here is how the series stacks up:

• Friday: 7:05 PM, Santana (6-8) vs Detwiler (6-5).
• Saturday: 7:05 PM, Niese (9-6) vs Jackson (7-7).
• Sunday: 1:35 PM, Hefner (2-4) vs Gonzalez (15-6).

Game of the Series:  Saturday.  If Detwiler doesn't take a loss Friday, and Jackson wins Saturday, every Nat's starter will have a winning record for the season.  Wow.

Sound of the Series:  With all the Strasburg news in the National media it seems everyone is coming out and talking about how it used to be in the old days with pitchers.  Lots of talk about different generations of ball players.


Prediction Time:
Time to see what I know about baseball by picking how the games are going to fall.

• Nationals WIN Friday.
• Nationals WIN Saturday.
• Nationals WIN Sunday.

Nationals SWEEP Series 3-0.

Strasburg Shuts Down Mets, Nats Having Fun

Nationals 5, Mets 2

The Nationals may be shutting down ace Stephen Strasburg at the end of the season, but it isn't time yet.  On Wednesday afternoon in New York, Strasburg led the Nationals to a 5-2 victory with 11 strikeouts, 4 hits, and only 1 run through 7 innings.  With the win the Nats have won 5 in a row and swept the Mets for the first time this season.

Strasburg was dominant in his 94 pitch outing.  If it wasn't for the Tommy John then Strassy would have probably been able to go another inning or for the complete game.

Morse & Espinosa went back to back in the 2nd inning and Adam LaRoche hit a 2 run bomb in the 7th to highlight the Nats scoring.

Davey Johnson almost bungled the game for Strasburg in the 8th.  With a 5-1 lead he opted to give Henry Rodriguez a chance.  H-Rod walked the first two batters and after 3 pitching changes and a run, David Wright came to the plate as the tying run.  Davey let Storen pitch to Wright of all people, and the former closer saved the day retiring the Mets All-Star.

Four pitchers in the eighth inning.  Strange matchup pitching in games that aren't that close.  Letting pitchers face only 1 batter.  Several interesting/crazy moves by the Nats skipper.

Clippard came in and picked up his 18th save with a perfect 9th.

FP Quote of the Night: "Beasts don't usually like the daytime" following a Michael Morse 2nd inning solo homerun.

Hot Nats Bats:  Espinosa is now on an 11 game hitting streak with 2 more hits on the day.  During the streak Espy is batting over .400.  Red hot Roger Bernadina also picked up another hit giving him a 6 game hitting streak in which he has batted .522!  Morse's homer continues his hot month of July where he has hit in 17 of his last 20 games.

The Nationals are having fun out there.  Lots of smiles, low tens, high fives, and hugs.    (or Peace, Love, & Homeruns) The fun heads to Milwaukee on Thursday...

Nationals @ Mets: Game Preview (7/25)

Nationals vs Mets

12:10 PM Citi Field

MASN-1

Story Lines:

• The Mets will try to avoid their second consecutive sweep by winning today.
• The Nationals are trying to win their 5th game in a row.
• Johan Santana is on the DL, so Jeremy Hefner is replacing him in the rotation.

Pitching Match Up:

• Stephen Strasburg
• 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA.
• Hasn't pitched beyond 6 innings since June 20th.
• Gave up 4 runs in 5.1 innings during his last start.

• Jeremy Hefner
• 1-3 with a 5.85 ERA.
• Last time he faced the Nats, he surrendered 3 runs in 6 innings.
• Has given up 5 runs in his last 3.1 innings.

Who to Watch:

• Adam LaRoche
• Homered off Dickey last night to give the Nats the lead.
• His last two homeruns have come off the Mets.
• Batting .667 lifetime against Hefner with 1 homerun and 3 RBIs.

• Ike Davis
• Batting .400 lifetime against Strasburg.
• Went 1-4 in last nights game.
• His last 2 homeruns have come off of Nationals pitching.

Keys to the Game:

1. Strasburg Double Digit K's.  Time for Stras to bring home the sweep.
2. Hit Hefner Hard.  He's back in the rotation because of Santana's injury.  Hit him hard, early..and the Nats can get to the bullpen quickly.
3. Strikeout Ike.  He is the only Met's player who has more than 1 hit against Stras.