Nationals draft preview: Prep OF Bubba Starling

Nationals draft preview: Prep OF Bubba Starling
There has been a lot of talk over the past few years regarding the Nationals building up their minor league system by stocking it with pitchers. After all, pitching has taken a front seat in the major leagues the past few seasons and you can never have enough good pitchers as bargaining chips when you are looking for a certain position player to get you over the hump. But then there are those pure athletes or can't-miss prospects on the offensive side you have to take a look at. The Nationals...

Nats place Slaten on DL, recall Stammen from Syracuse

Nats place Slaten on DL, recall Stammen from Syracuse
The Washington Nationals today placed left-handed pitcher Doug Slaten (left elbow ulnar neuritis) on the 15-Day Disabled List and recalled right-handed pitcher Craig Stammen from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Stammen went 5-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 10 starts with Syracuse, posting a 4.0/1 (52 SO/13 BB) strikeout-to-walk ratio in 63.1 International League innings pitched...

Nationals draft preview: UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer

Nationals draft preview: UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer
The Nationals could very well have their shot at not one, but two front-line UCLA right-handed starters Monday in the draft. The hard-throwing Gerrit Cole that we previewed Thursday, and right-hander Trevor Bauer. What is the difference between the two? Cole may throw a little harder, but Bauer makes more hitters miss, according to Jim Callis, executive editor for Baseball America. He sees good things from both choices, but thinks Bauer might be the better long-term choice. "(Bauer's...

Nationals have no answers for D-backs' Collmenter, 4-0

Nationals have no answers for D-backs' Collmenter, 4-0
The Nationals' three-game winning streak has come to an end, thanks to a 4-0 victory Friday night by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Washington managed just three hits off Arizona right-hander Josh Collmenter, while Michael Morse, the team's hottest hitter, went 0-for-4, including striking out for the game's final at-bat. It was the first time Morse had been held hitless in 12 games. Johnny and Phil ask Jim Riggleman his thoughts on the Nats' 4-0 loss to the Diamondbacks Nationals right-hander...

Nationals draft preview: UCLA righty Gerrit Cole

Nationals draft preview: UCLA righty Gerrit Cole
The Nationals have picks No.6, No. 23 and No. 34 to begin Monday's First-Year Player Draft and, according to Baseball America's updated mock draft, could get the most highly touted pitcher in college baseball in 2011. This year's draft appears to be top heavy, strewn with power pitchers with collegiate experience in big time programs, such as Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen, who will most likely be taken at No. 3 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. A pair of UCLA right-handers could be...

Dave Nichols: History not kind to Nats on West Coast trips

Dave Nichols: History not kind to Nats on West Coast trips
The Washington Nationals' 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks kicks off an 11-game West Coast road trip that will see them visit San Francisco and San Diego as well. It's a brutal trip, not as much for the quality of competition - though that's tough enough - but just for the nature of the trip. Imagine how you'd feel waking up in a different city every third day for almost two weeks, four time zones from home. History hasn't been all that kind to the Nats on these extended west coast...

Nationals Park hosts Congressional Bank Baseball Classic

Nationals Park hosts Congressional Bank Baseball Classic
Though the Nationals are out of town, fans can still enjoy the national pastime at Nationals Park this Sunday. The annual Congressional Bank Baseball Classic begins at 9 a.m. and lasts throughout the entire day. The event showcases the Districts' best high school teams and players as they compete at Nationals Park. Schools set to participate in the tournament include the Maret School, Sidwell Friends, Cardozo High School and Woodrow Wilson High School. Additionally, at 2 p.m., Washington,...

Prospect Hague has "good throwing day" in Florida

Prospect Hague has "good throwing day" in Florida
Single-A Potomac Nationals shortstop Rick Hague played in only four games this season before going down with a shoulder injury. The Nationals have high hopes for the young Rice University product, but want to be careful with his shoulder before they return him to Woodbridge, Va. Hague is currently in Viera, Fla., rehabbing during extended spring training. Nationals infield coordinator Jeff Garber updated Hague's status with some positive news. Garber said Tuesday was a "good throwing day"...

Rizzo will move Harper from Hagerstown, just not yet

Rizzo will move Harper from Hagerstown, just not yet
Although he has slowed down a bit at the plate recently (.222 in his last 10 games, but 4-for-6 in his last two games) after a scorching few weeks, No. 1 prospect Bryce Harper continues to progress very well for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns. Harper is batting .331 through 50 games with 14 doubles, 11 homers and 36 RBIs. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is happy with what he sees from Harper and his situation in Hagerstown. "His development is obviously a focal point for us,"...

Dave Nichols: Who is Laynce Nix?

Dave Nichols: Who is Laynce Nix?
With all the injuries, losses and hitting woes for the Washington Nationals, one player has exceeded any type of projection or prediction, and his name is Laynce Nix. His home run and phenomenal catch in yesterday's 2-1 win over Philadelphia has made him a pretty popular player right now. Nix is a 30-year old left-handed outfielder from Texas. He's stocky and powerful, but runs pretty well for a big guy and is not a liability on defense. He signed as a free agent this past offseason when he...

Johnson likes idea of Harper staying in Hagerstown for a while

Johnson likes idea of Harper staying in Hagerstown for a while
Nationals senior advisor to the general manager Davey Johnson has been working diligently on next week's First-Year Player Draft and watching a lot of baseball at low Single-A Hagerstown this season. Johnson will attend this year's draft and put in his two cents' worth in on players the Nationals might consider. Washington holds picks No. 6, 23 and 34 to start the June 6 draft. Meanwhile, Johnson said the Suns have a very talented squad up and down the roster and the pitching has been...

Nix sensed the ball could be coming his way in series clincher over Phillies

Nix sensed the ball could be coming his way in series clincher over Phillies
Nationals left fielder Laynce Nix had a feeling it would happen. He had seen this scenario come up in a game before. Playing in left field, you have to be ready to make a play on every pitch. Nix says when Phillies pinch-hitter Domonic Brown stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, his team hanging on to a 2-1 advantage, he sensed the ball could be coming to him. "It was right after a pitching change," Nix said. "It is easy to sort of get on your heels and not be ready. But...

Nix's homer, diving catch beat Phillies 2-1

Nix's homer, diving catch beat Phillies 2-1
Laynce Nix hit the go-ahead home run and made a sprawling catch in left field that saved multiple runs to preserve the Nationals' hard-fought 2-1 win over the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies before 24,495 at Nationals Park on Wednesday. Left-hander John Lannan (3-5) notched his first career win over the Phillies in 14 starts, spinning 5 1/3 innings, scattering four hits and allowing one unearned run. He struck out one and walked three for his first win since April 20. Drew Storen...

Storen: Nationals are America's team

Storen: Nationals are America's team
National pastime in the nation's capital, meet your leader. Reliever Drew Storen launched a campaign during his recent visit to the MLB Fan Cave asking fans to adopt the Nationals as America's team. Here's his campaign video: The spoof mentions realistic reasons (close proximity to the White House) and funny reasons too (like the team's facial hair diversity). Can the Nationals be America's team?

Dave Nichols: An early look at potential Nats All-Stars

Dave Nichols: An early look at potential Nats All-Stars
With the calendar flipping to June, it's not too early to start thinking about who might represent the Washington Nationals at the mid-summer classic, the 2011 All-Star Game on July 12 in Phoenix. It's an honor for players to be voted in by the fans, but the first early results posted by Major League Baseball show no Nationals player in the top five in voting for position players or top 15 outfielders. Unfortunately, $126 million isn't enough to buy Jayson Werth a few All-Star votes. But...

With two more HRs against Phils, could Espinosa be a power hitter for the Nationals?

With two more HRs against Phils, could Espinosa be a power hitter for the Nationals?
Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa feels like he might have something going here. With a pair of homers Tuesday night in a 10-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, Espinosa now has the team lead and a career-high 10 home runs on the season. Espinosa has hit the three total round trippers in the series against pitchers named Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. And with four homers in the past five games, Espinosa senses he is in a groove at the plate. It is no fluke. Last season, Espinosa...

Zimmerman scheduled to play first game in Florida on Wednesday

Zimmerman scheduled to play first game in Florida on Wednesday
The Nationals have confirmed that third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will be playing in his first game at extended spring training in Viera, Fla., on Wednesday. Zimmerman continues rehabilitation from abdominal surgery in early May. The original timetable had Zimmerman, who has been sidelined since April 9, returning in mid to late June. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said today that Zimmerman is progressing. "The one thing that was not coming along as quickly as some other stuff about his...

Nationals break ground on youth baseball academy

Nationals break ground on youth baseball academy
For years, the Washington Nationals have dreamed of building a youth baseball academy in the District of Columbia. They battled through multiple layers of government, pledged $3.5 million dollars to the project, studied Harlem RBI and other programs, and finally broke ground today on the new facility. The Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy will conduct after-school and summer programs that integrate baseball, academics and the value of teamwork for youths 8 to 18 living in...

Pirates-Nationals rainout rescheduled for July 2 single-admission doubleheader

Pirates-Nationals rainout rescheduled for July 2 single-admission doubleheader
The May 17 Nationals-Pirates game at Nationals Park has been rescheduled as part of a traditional, single-admission doubleheader on Saturday, July 2, with the first game beginning at 3:35 p.m. The second game will follow at 7:05 p.m. or later, depending on when the first game is completed. Season tickets and individual game tickets for the postponed May 17 game can be exchanged at the Nationals Park Box Office for seats of equal or lesser value for the July 2 doubleheader or any remaining...

Dave Nichols: Losses make big picture tougher to see

Dave Nichols: Losses make big picture tougher to see
The Washington Nationals are struggling. Like, really struggling. After Monday's 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, they have lost their last three games - all by one run. They have lost eight of their last nine, 10 of 12 and 13 of 17. The Nats are losing close games (5-12 in one-run games in 2011) and blowouts (1-6 when the game is decided by five or more runs). After 53 games, nearly a third of the season, they are 22-31, a .415 winning percentage. Over a 162-game schedule, that works...