Stammen adjusting to new role

Stammen adjusting to new role
It is what relievers are supposed to do. But Craig Stammen has only been a reliever for one week. The Nationals right-hander arrived in the fifth inning Saturday night after Jason Marquis struggled in getting guys out. The bases were loaded and there were no outs. The Diamondbacks third hitter, Justin Upton, was at the plate and the Snakes led 4-2. Stammen managed to induce a double play off the bat of Upton and struck out the dangerous Adam LaRoche. Facing only two batters, he got...

Detwiler will return to Florida next week

Detwiler will return to Florida next week
Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler will go back to Florida on Wednesday or Thursday to continue to rehab his sore right hip. Detwiler says the hip "feels pretty good, a little better every day." He will continue to work with the physical therapist next week in D.C. before heading back to Florida. Detwiler says he will throw simulated games at the Viera facility for about one week. He is eligible to come off the disabled list August 21. Detwiler last pitched August 5 in Phoenix,...

Mock with 7 K in rehab start for Potomac

Mock with 7 K in rehab start for Potomac
Nationals right-handed pitcher Garrett Mock was solid in a rehab start Saturday night in Potomac against Myrtle Beach, going four innings, scattering four hits, allowing one run with no walks and season-high seven strikeouts. Mock was throwing every pitch for strikes and even tried his sinker for the first time this season. Mock says he got "very good late movement on it. I was encouraged." He says he was getting strikeouts with his fastball and curve. "I was walking off the field and...

Maya did "wonderful" in pro debut

Maya did "wonderful" in pro debut
Nationals pitcher Yuneski Maya threw three innings and 30 pitches in a game Friday and did "wonderful considering he hasn't pitched competitively in quite some time," according to Williams. Maya allowed no hits, no runs, no walks and struck out one. "He commanded the ball well and his breaking stuff was good. Maya has good mound presence and the pitches he threw went where he wanted them to go. He did the little things well, fielded his position and showed some mound savvy," said...

Desmond loves being #2

Desmond loves being #2
A few weeks ago in Cincinnati I asked Ian Desmond if he preferred hitting in the 2 slot and he said he absolutely loved it. He always felt like he was more a part of the action in the 2 hole, and saw better pitches. At that time, he had had only 34 at bats in the 2 slot, but the numbers were much better for him at the plate from the top of the order than anywhere else. Now with 78 plate appearances in the #2 slot, the numbers are still very good and usually better than if he batted further...

Back to School Drive

Back to School Drive
My close friends know that I've been pining for fall for awhile. I'm ready for sweaters, scarves, boots, pumpkin spice lattes and a nice cool breeze at Nationals games. Tonight, I can pretend it's fall by donating notebooks, pencils and pens to the Nationals' fourth annual Back to School Drive. Fans may donate new school supplies at the Center Field Gates from the time gates open through the fourth inning. Backpacks, calculators, composition and spiral notebooks, crayons, glue sticks,...

Getting to 50 at a quicker pace

Getting to 50 at a quicker pace
The Nationals needed this one. After five difficult losses, John Lannan and Sean Burnett rode some early offense to a 4-2 victory over Arizona. With the Braves and Phillies waiting on the road, this was exactly what the Nats needed to separate themselves from years past. Friday's win was the 50th of the season for the Nats and now the team is just nine wins away from last year's total of 59. With 47 games remaining, if the Nats can go 25-21, just a little bit above .500 the rest of the...

Lannan looking to continue recent good feeling

Lannan looking to continue recent good feeling
Nationals left-hander John Lannan will make his 17th start Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has a 2-1 record with an 0.47 ERA in three career games versus the Snakes. He is also coming off a quality start at Los Angeles, where he went six innings, allowing only two earned runs on five hits, two walks, two strikeouts and a homer. It was his first win since May 28 and his first quality start since June 2. Lannan got out of his biggest jam in the fourth inning. Ryan Theriot...

Harris battling "mental grind" as Nats' skid continues

Harris battling "mental grind" as Nats' skid continues
The Marlins completed the three game sweep with a 5-0 win on Thursday, outscoring the Nats 22-7. The outfielders did their best to get on base against a very difficult Ricky Nolasco (13-8). Roger Bernadina led off the game with a double. Left fielder Willie Harris earned a walk against Nolasco and got a base hit in the seventh off of Jose Veras. Michael Morse had a tough 0-4. Harris said this shutout loss was similar to what happened to them throughout the series against the...

Owen Wilson to make Nats debut this December

Owen Wilson to make Nats debut this December
The romantic comedy "How Do You Know" staring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson is set to be released this Christmas. The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg pointed out this morning that a new movie trailer for the film is available. In the film, Owen Wilson plays Manny, a Nationals reliever and the love interest of Reese Witherspoon's character. Last summer, Nationals fans had the opportunity to sit in as extras for filming at Nationals Park. The film is...

Sanchez continues hot hitting in Hagerstown

Sanchez continues hot hitting in Hagerstown
Another future star in the Nationals organization is tearing it up in his first week at Hagerstown. It is shortstop Adrian Sanchez. The Maracaibo, Venezuela product turns 20 years old on Monday, and is hitting a ridiculous .448 with 13 hits in seven games for the Suns, with one homer and 7 RBI. He has had multi-hit outings in six of the last seven games he has played. The switch-hitting Sanchez was a non-drafted free agent signed at the beginning of 2007 and had hit .272 in 124 games the...

Harper is "begging to play"

Harper is "begging to play"
With less than a week remaining until the August 16 deadline, Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, remains confident that Harper will sign with the Washington Nationals before midnight Monday and said it would be "silly" if both sides don't figure it out in time. "In my opinion, Bryce is the greatest amateur player ever to play baseball, and I am talking Mickey Mantle and others," Chambers said. "He won the Golden Spikes Award. He achieved all of his goals. What else can he...

Syracuse Chiefs Visit Golisano Children's Hospital

Syracuse Chiefs Visit Golisano Children's Hospital
Check out this video of the Syracuse Chiefs visiting the Golisano Children's Hospital on August 9th. Andrew Kown, Josh Wilkie, Pete Orr, Chase Lambin, Jeff Mandel, Adam Carr and Seth Bynum were among the players who took time away from their busy schedules to lift the spirits of a few Syracuse area children coping with medical problems. Bynum even plays the piano in the clip. "This is a great opportunity for our players to make a positive impact on the community," said Chiefs General...

Olsen done with Arizona, ready for Fish

Olsen done with Arizona, ready for Fish
Nationals left-hander Scott Olsen does not want to talk about the loss to Arizona last week in which he allowed a three-run homer to Mark Reynolds. Olsen says that is in the past and it is time to focus on Florida. After he called the outing "terrible (and) awful", you can understand why he wants to just move on. He has had seven days to prepare for another matchup against his former team and needs the win to get the Nats back in the series. Game Two has Olsen (3-3, 4.12) facing off...

Uggla and Ramirez find way to solve Strasburg

Uggla and Ramirez find way to solve Strasburg
Okay, so he is human. The Marlins scored six runs on Stephen Strasburg in Tuesday's 8-2 win at Nats Park, doubling the most earned runs Strasburg had allowed in nine previous major league starts. Second baseman Dan Uggla got on Strasburg early with a two-run blast in the first inning and then a two-run double in the third. Uggla said Strasburg wasn't in the same groove as the first time he faced him on July 16. "It is his first start back. He was out there, kind of feeling for it a...

Maya to pitch Friday in GCL game

Maya to pitch Friday in GCL game
Nats pitcher Yunesky Maya is scheduled to pitch two to three innings Friday for the GCL Nationals, according to pitching coordinator Spin Williams. Maya, who pitched for Cuba in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics, threw 30 pitches in two innings earlier and Williams says Maya "has done everything pretty good. His velocity is 88 to 90 MPH and he has two breaking balls and a straight change." If everything goes well on Friday, Maya will have one more game before getting a shot in...

Wang will pitch sideline session Friday

Wang will pitch sideline session Friday
Nationals pitcher Chien Ming-Wang is making slow progress in his rehabilitation from major shoulder surgery, but there are encouraging signs. Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams told me Wang will throw a sideline session in Viera, FL on Friday. "It was major shoulder surgery, similar to the Drew Brees injury, and we are still a long way away. But I am encouraged with the progression I am seeing from him compared to the last time I worked with him. I used to see tension on his face...

Zimmerman Hosts "A Night at the Park"

Zimmerman Hosts "A Night at the Park"
On an off-night after a long West Coast road trip, nine Washington Nationals skipped a night of rest and family time to support Ryan Zimmerman's inaugural ziMS Foundation event in Washington D.C. "A Night at the Park" formally launched the foundation in the nation's capital, introducing Nationals fans and Washington elite to Zimmerman's important cause. "This has been my home for the past five years. I've grown fond of this city," Zimmerman said. "We ultimately want to make the...

Strasburg back for big series against the Fish

Strasburg back for big series against the Fish
It's a big game tonight for the Nationals and their young star Stephen Strasburg as he is scheduled to make his first start since July 27 when he was scratched prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves. If he is able to return from the shoulder inflammation, it will be Strasburg's first game since July 21 at Cincinnati. Strasburg has a 5-2 record with a 2.32 ERA, the best among NL rookie starters. Anibal Sanchez gets the nod for the Fish, who arrive six games in front of the Nats in the...

Washington Nationals Pay Tribute to Hall of Famers with Ring of Honor

 Washington Nationals Pay Tribute to Hall of Famers with Ring of Honor
The Washington Nationals will honor Hall of Famers with ties to Washington's baseball heritage by installing a Hall of Fame Ring of Honor at Nationals Park above the PNC Diamond Club directly behind home plate. The display, which features Hall of Famers from the Washington Nationals, Washington Senators, Homestead Grays and Montreal Expos, will be formally presented tonight during a special presentation recognizing Andre Dawson's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame before the...