Moore's hot start is no surprise to Williams

Moore's hot start is no surprise to Williams
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - One of the few roster questions the Nationals are facing this spring is what to do with Tyler Moore. The 28-year-old is out of minor league options, meaning he either needs to make the 25-man opening day roster or be subjected to the waiver wire on his way to the minors - and it's doubtful he'd pass through unclaimed. Moore, who has recognized his situation as "critical," has responded early for the Nats. After today's 9-8 Grapefruit League victory over the Braves,...

Zimmermann satisfied, while Moore's bat scorches early (Nats win 9-8)

Zimmermann satisfied, while Moore's bat scorches early (Nats win 9-8)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 9, Braves 8 Recap: Tyler Moore was 2-for-3 with a triple, home run and five RBIs. He started the Nats scoring in the second with a two-run shot over the right field wall and then his bases-loaded triple in the fifth gave the road team a 7-4 advantage. Moore is now 4-for-5 through the first two games of the exhibition season with two doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBIs. Jordan Zimmermann was solid in his first start of the Grapefruit League season,...

Video: Jeers and cheers for Gonzalez during comical bunting drill

Video: Jeers and cheers for Gonzalez during comical bunting drill
VIERA, Fla. - The 30 Nationals pitchers are placed into six groups during workouts. Gio Gonzalez's group - 1B, if you want to be specific - is not only loaded with some serious talent but also some funny characters. Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmerman, Jerry Blevins and Craig Stammen round it out. Sunday's morning workout began with this quintet's first bullpen session, where all pitch simultaneously for eight minutes. It was quite the scene to watch Gonzalez, Fister and Zimmermann on three...

Nats positional preview: Bullpen

Nats positional preview: Bullpen
With just two days left until pitchers and report to Space Coast Stadium for spring training, our positional breakdown reaches the relievers. A couple of major moves by Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo in January changed the whole dynamic of the bullpen. First, the departure of Tyler Clippard surprised many. The reliable right-hander was expected to resume his role as the eighth inning set-up man in 2015 until a trade sent him to Oakland for infielder Yunel Escobar. Clippard, a two-time...

Could Stammen find his role changing slightly?

Could Stammen find his role changing slightly?
We've talked about how Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano's departures create a hole at the back end of the Nationals bullpen, and how roles might have to be adjusted this upcoming season. There are certainly guys who could be used in higher leverage situations, should they prove they are capable of handling the load. We've mentioned Casey Janssen, Matt Thornton, Aaron Barrett, Blake Treinen and others as possibilities, with Janssen looking like the most likely eighth-inning option. Should...

Stammen joins Ramos, avoids arbitration (Espinosa, Lobaton agree to terms)

Stammen joins Ramos, avoids arbitration (Espinosa, Lobaton agree to terms)
The Nationals have been busy heading into Friday's deadline for arbitration-eligible players to come to contract terms before exchanging salary figures with their clubs. Earlier today, they announced that catcher Wilson Ramos had agreed to terms on a contract for 2015, avoiding arbitration. This evening, right-handed reliever Craig Stammen also came to terms, leaving the Nats with six unsigned players who are arbitration-eligible (the Nats removed one of their players on the list by trading...

With relief market active, Nats fielding inquiries on bullpen arms

With relief market active, Nats fielding inquiries on bullpen arms
SAN DIEGO - The relief dominoes are falling, and that makes it more possible that the Nationals will make a deal involving one of their bullpen arms. Overnight, the Astros agreed to terms with a pair of free agent right-handers, Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson. Neshek, the low sidearmer who pitched last season for the Cardinals, gets a two-year, $12.5 million deal with an option for a third. Gregerson netted $18.5 million for three years. Both will help to fill voids at the back end of the...

Nats tender contracts to all 10 remaining arbitration-eligible players

Nats tender contracts to all 10 remaining arbitration-eligible players
The Nationals announced today that they have tendered contracts to all 10 of their remaining arbitration-eligible players - left-handers Jerry Blevins and Ross Detwiler, right-handers Tyler Clippard, Doug Fister, Craig Stammen, Drew Storen and Stephen Strasburg, infielder Danny Espinosa and catchers Jose Lobaton and Wilson Ramos. This means that, at least for now, all 10 of those players will remain under the Nationals' control. It is still possible, however, for these players to be traded...

Nats now viewing NLDS as "a chance to do something special"

Nats now viewing NLDS as "a chance to do something special"
SAN FRANCISCO - The flight from D.C. to San Francisco wasn't as long as that ballgame was last night. After a 6:23 marathon in Game 2, which became the longest game time-wise in Major League Baseball postseason history, the Nationals find themselves in a tough spot, with their backs against the wall. They've now dropped the first two of a best-of-five series, and will need to take the next two here in San Francisco followed by a decisive Game 5 in D.C. in order to advance. A tall order, for...

Williams discusses Nats' 15-7 loss

Williams discusses Nats' 15-7 loss
The Nationals concluded their four-game-in-two-day stretch tonight by getting pounded by the Marlins 15-7, but that means nothing. Matt Williams' ball club had already clinched home-field advantage through the National League side of the playoffs earlier today by way of their 4-0 win over Miami, so the nightcap was meaningless from a standings perspective. The Nats got in their work, got a couple regulars some at-bats to stay fresh, and emerged healthy after a really rough last 48...

With expanded rosters, Williams not afraid to play the match-ups

With expanded rosters, Williams not afraid to play the match-ups
The team goal is always most important in professional sports. Personal accomplishments are cool and all, but at the end of the day, players will tell you that batting titles, Gold Gloves and other individual achievements don't mean nearly as much if the team hasn't had success. Professional athletes are still proud, competitive people, however. They want to be put in situations where they can help the team and pull their share of the weight. But now that we're in the final stages of the...

Starting to get a little bit of a 2012 vibe

Starting to get a little bit of a 2012 vibe
Back in 2012, the Nationals had a knack for the dramatic. They excelled in the late innings that season, posting 37 comeback wins. 10 times that year did they get to celebrate a walk-off win on the field at Nationals Park, games that seemed to build momentum and bring the clubhouse even closer together. It's still just mid-August, but it seems like the 2014 Nationals are following that same script, to an extent. So far this season, just a little over three-quarters of the way through the...

Stammen, LaRoche and Zimmermann after another walk-off Nats win

Stammen, LaRoche and Zimmermann after another walk-off Nats win
Momentum and motivation are terms thrown around a lot in sports and many times in the game of baseball. That feeling a player gets when the tide turns, the momentum switch that happens can be from a big hit or a great defensive play. Or even getting out of a bases loaded jam with no outs in a tie ball game. Extra innings, especially. Nationals reliever Craig Stammen (3-4) got into just such a quandary in the 11th inning Monday night in a tie game against the Diamondbacks. With the bases...

Williams on Werth, Souza, the bullpen and more

Williams on Werth, Souza, the bullpen and more
Jayson Werth is noticeably absent from the lineup for tonight's series opener against the Braves. Over the last few days, Werth has been dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries, and Nationals manager Matt Williams wanted to give the veteran a night off. This comes one night after Werth played all 13 innings in the Nats' 5-3 win over the Mets. "He's pretty banged up. He's been dealing with the shoulder, the ankle," Williams told reporters prior to Friday's game in Atlanta. "Long...

Williams after the Nats' 13-inning walk-off win

Williams after the Nats' 13-inning walk-off win
It took nearly five hours and 13 innings, but the Nationals earned a series win over the Mets. Bryce Harper's two-run walk-off homer gave the Nats a 5-3 win over the Mets. The bullpen pitched 6 2/3 innings scoreless innings, highlighted by three scoreless frames from Craig Stammen. On Harper's two-run, game-winning homer: "That was a good swing. He had a couple of good ones today. It's coming. I'm happy for him, happy for our guys they battled. It's even better that (Harper's)...

Roark, Desmond and Stammen after 7-3 loss to Orioles

Roark, Desmond and Stammen after 7-3 loss to Orioles
Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark got to the seventh inning again. Previously he had finished five straight seventh innings and won four of those decisions. On Monday, he couldn't get through that frame as the Orioles scored three times and went on to earn a 7-3 comeback win. "Ball's up, elevated, wasn't hitting my spots," Roark said. "Like I've told you guys many times before, balls up and not hitting your spots, then you get hit hard, and that's what happens." Before Roark took...

Williams on Roark, Span and more after 7-3 loss

Williams on Roark, Span and more after 7-3 loss
The Nationals held a 3-2 lead through six until the dormant-of-late Orioles offense awoke and put five unanswered runs on the board, leading to a 7-3 win for the visitors. Tanner Roark pitched pretty well until the O's pounced on some pitches up in the zone in the seventh, and after Roark departed, Baltimore only kept on coming. The O's out-hit the Nats 14-8, and 10 of the Baltimore hits came in the seventh inning or later. Wilson Ramos homered for the Nats, while Denard Span went 2-for-4...

Bullpen hitting a bit of a rough patch

Bullpen hitting a bit of a rough patch
Throughout most of the season, the Nationals' bullpen has been one of the team's strong suits. Nats relievers have taken slim leads and held their opponents at bay, and when the Nats have trailed in ballgames, the guys out in the 'pen have done a tremendous job of keeping the deficit where it is, allowing the position players a chance to come back in the late innings. Of late, however, the bullpen has slipped a little bit. Dating back to June 14, Jerry Blevins has seen his ERA jump from...

Bullpen's success due to solid contributions from one to seven

Bullpen's success due to solid contributions from one to seven
It is amazing to think about how productive the bullpen has been this season for the Nationals. Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen and Rafael Soriano have been very efficient in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames. Soriano is 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA with 23 saves this season. Storen is 2-1 with a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings. Clippard is 6-2 with a 1.93 ERA in 42 innings. What is truly amazing is the trio's recent ability to close out games. Soriano did have one hiccup, but these numbers are nothing short...

Zimmerman, Werth and bullpen find a way to beat the Brewers 5-4 (updated)

Zimmerman, Werth and bullpen find a way to beat the Brewers 5-4 (updated)
The Nationals battled with the Brewers all day, finally ending it on a Jayson Werth double that scored Anthony Rendon all the way from first base in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 victory. The up-and-down affair had both teams with leads. The Nationals led 1-0. Milwaukee went up 2-1 and then 3-1. The Nationals tied it on a Ryan Zimmerman two-run shot in the fourth. They went ahead 4-3 on a wild pitch. The Brewers scored a run in the top of the ninth on a Rickie Weeks base hit to even the...