An emotional Ian Desmond provides walk-off win

An emotional Ian Desmond provides walk-off win
On an emotional night, Ian Desmond delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th inning, scoring Bryce Harper to give the Nationals their fifth straight win in a 2-1 triumph over the Braves. It's been a season full of ups and downs for Desmond, who is likely to be playing his last year with the Washington Nationals, the only professional organization he has known. But news of the passing of Kimberly Knorr, wife of Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr, on Tuesday extended far deeper...

Nats win 2-1 in 11th on Desmond's sacrifice fly scoring Harper

Nats win 2-1 in 11th on Desmond's sacrifice fly scoring Harper
The Braves have base hits in five of seven innings against Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann, but nothing to show for them. Zimmermann has thrown 76 pitches through seven scoreless frames with no walks and two strikeouts. Anthony Rendon gave the Nationals their only baserunner against Braves starter Shelby Miller on a single in the fourth. Otherwise, Miller has completely shut down the Nats with four strikeouts through six innings. Ian Desmond committed his 16th error of the season on a...

Williams makes All-Star case for Escobar; light practice for Zimmerman

Williams makes All-Star case for Escobar; light practice for Zimmerman
After sitting out last night and missing two of the last four games, shortstop Ian Desmond returns to the lineup as the Nationals look to claim their second straight series win tonight. "I just wanted to give him a rest and let him clear out and get back at it," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "So he did a lot of work in the cage yesterday. He did all the defensive drills early that we did yesterday. So he's ready to go. Back in there." Desmond, who owns hitting streaks of 10 and 13...

Zimmermann aims to find winning ways (with lineups)

Zimmermann aims to find winning ways (with lineups)
Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound in the midst of a personal three-game losing streak. Over the uncharacteristic stretch, Zimmermann has been tagged for 13 runs in 15 1/3 innings (7.86 ERA) and opponents have batted .386 against him. The 29-year-old right-hander is 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 12 career starts against Atlanta. The Nationals have won both of Zimmermann's outings versus the Braves this season. Ian Desmond returns to the Nationals lineup this evening. He continues to struggle through...

Matt Williams and Ian Desmond on another rest day for shortstop (updated, Desmond starts)

Matt Williams and Ian Desmond on another rest day for shortstop (updated, Desmond starts)
Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond is out of the lineup for a second game in a row as manager Matt Williams wants him to take a "mental rest." Since June 9, Desmond has gone 4-for-36 (.111) with 16 strikeouts. "It's rest, it's clear," Williams said. "It's good work, it's all of those things. It's important for him to get back to where he wants to be, and if a couple of days does that, and at the end of the year he'll look back and go, 'Yeah, maybe that was good.' It's never easy to...

Ian Desmond sits as struggles continue

Ian Desmond sits as struggles continue
For the second time in the last week, Ian Desmond is out of the starting lineup for the Nationals. Desmond has struggled at the plate for most of the season. In 17 games this month, Desmond is hitting only .143 (9-for-63) with one homer and three RBIs. Before tonight's game, manager Matt Williams discussed what he's looking for Desmond to accomplish during the day off. "I hope he rests," Williams said. "The last day off, he refused to rest. He took extra batting practice, back to the...

Little League travel team, featuring Mo'Ne Davis, pays visit to Nationals

Little League travel team, featuring Mo'Ne Davis, pays visit to Nationals
The Little League Anderson Monarchs, featuring 13-year-old Little League World Series pitcher Mo'Ne Davis, paid a visit to Nationals Park on Thursday for the Nationals game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Monarchs are a travel team, based out of Philadelphia, on a barnstorming tour across America as a tribute to Jackie Robinson, the Negro Leagues and the Civil Rights Movement. Anderson manager Steve Bandura said that his team was so excited to visit the Nationals and the Nationals Youth...

Offense disappears for Nats in 5-0 shutout

Offense disappears for Nats in 5-0 shutout
The Nationals team charter may have misplaced the team's bats somewhere on the 924-mile trip back to D.C. from St. Petersburg, Fla. A day after banging out a team-record 23 hits and pouring in a season-high 16 runs, the Nationals managed to squeeze out just two singles while being shut out 5-0. "It happens," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "If I had the formula ... if anybody had that formula, we'd certainly do something about it. We'd love to get 23 hits every day and score a whole...

Souza returns to Nats Park and lifts Rays past his former team, 5-0

Souza returns to Nats Park and lifts Rays past his former team, 5-0
It is the trade that is talked about a lot, mostly because the Nationals received right-hander Joe Ross and shortstop Trea Turner in the three-team deal that involved the Padres and the Rays. The Nationals traded for Ross, who is currently in the starting rotation, and now finally Turner, who had three hits for Double-A Harrisburg Wednesday, in their part of the 11-player deal. Tampa Bay got power hitting outfielder Steven Souza Jr. in the deal that sent Wil Myers to San Diego. Nationals fans...

Souza opens scoring against buddy Zimmermann (Rays win 5-0)

Souza opens scoring against buddy Zimmermann (Rays win 5-0)
The Nationals and Rays play game three against each other tonight, but this time in D.C. It is the first time that right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and now Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. have been on the same field playing in the same game since Zimmermann's first career no-hitter September 28, 2014. Souza arrived in that game in the ninth inning and played left field. His diving catch robbed Christian Yelich of extra bases with two outs in the ninth inning. The incredible catch also earned...

Top to bottom, Nationals pound Rays 16-4

Top to bottom, Nationals pound Rays 16-4
The Nationals finished up their six-game road trip with a relentless barrage of offense in tonight's 16-4 drubbing of the Rays. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash used two position players to pitch the final two innings while the Nats racked up a single-game team record 23 hits. The onslaught began with a monumental clout off the bat of Clint Robinson that literally never came down. The towering solo shot rattled around in the catwalk above the covered field and was never seen again. The Nats...

Notes on Roark, Fister, Strasburg and Desmond

Notes on Roark, Fister, Strasburg and Desmond
With the approaching return of Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg from the 15-day disabled list, it appears Tanner Roark's stint in the starting rotation is coming to an end. Depending on how Nationals manager Matt Williams chooses to slot out his starters for the remainder of the week, tonight could be Roark's last or at least second to last start for a while before heading back to the bullpen. Since Fister landed on the DL, Roark has started four games, posting a 4.63 ERA while walking four...

Notes on Turner, Hague, Keyes, Desmond, Jordan and Wooten

Notes on Turner, Hague, Keyes, Desmond, Jordan and Wooten
Ricky Hague had a smashing debut for Triple-A Syracuse with a three-run homer in the Chiefs' 8-1 dispatch of Toledo. It was Hague's first homer since June 27, 2014 while with Double-A Harrisburg. He finished 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs in his Triple-A debut. Kevin Keyes also debuted with an RBI double in his first at-bat. He also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Taylor Jordan had a nice bounce back performance extending to seven innings, allowing five hits, no runs, no...

Bryce Harper returns, will DH vs. Rays (with lineups)

Bryce Harper returns, will DH vs. Rays (with lineups)
Bryce Harper missed his second game of the season yesterday after catching a fastball on the inside of his left knee in the ninth inning on Saturday. Harper is set to return tonight as Nationals manager Matt Williams has the 22-year-old penciled in as the designated hitter for the interleague contest against the Rays. It will be the first time Harper will serve as the DH in his four-year career. The Nationals will obviously welcome Harper's bat back to the lineup. He is slashing .529/.636/.941...

Marty Niland: Dealing Desmond, prospects might put Nats over the top

Marty Niland: Dealing Desmond, prospects might put Nats over the top
A banged-up, scuffling Nationals team has gotten up off the mat to win back-to-back games for the first time in almost three weeks and stay within spitting distance of the equally banged-up and scuffling New York Mets in the National League East. Now it's time for general manager Mike Rizzo to show us what he has and give his team the tools to put the division away. It's fair to say that the Nats have medium to long-term needs that can only be filled through a trade, as do their main division...

The long wait for Trea Turner is over (updated)

The long wait for Trea Turner is over (updated)
A day after rookie Joe Ross was stunning while snatching his first major league win, it appears the Nationals are primed to receive the final piece of the haul resulting from last December's three-team trade with the Padres and Rays. Highly regarded Padres shortstop prospect Trea Turner was widely known as the deal's player to be named, who would eventually join Ross with the Nationals once an antiquated Major League Baseball restriction on his departure expired. San Diego selected Turner...

Nats outplayed all over the field in 8-4 loss

Nats outplayed all over the field in 8-4 loss
Not much is going right for the Nationals these days. Even the normally reliable Jordan Zimmermann scuffled through his second rough start in a row as the Brewers doubled up the Nats 8-4 on Friday night. It started off poorly for Zimmermann, who walked Brewers center fielder Gerardo Parra on four pitches with one out in the first. It seemed as if Zimmermann might escape, with an inning-ending double play ball off the bat of right fielder Ryan Braun, but a brief moment of hesitation from Ian...

Zimmermann knocked out early (Nats lose 8-4)

Zimmermann knocked out early (Nats lose 8-4)
Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann was forced to battle through a 31-pitch first inning that resulted in two unnecessary Brewers runs. Indecisiveness between Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon on a poorly played ground ball left the Brewers with right fielder Ryan Braun on first base instead of the inning ending on a double play. First baseman Adam Lind followed with a single and then third baseman Aramis Ramirez ripped a two-run double that rolled to the wall in left to give the Brewers the early...

Nats hoping Zimmermann delivers in homecoming (with lineups)

Nats hoping Zimmermann delivers in homecoming (with lineups)
The Nationals enter tonight's matchup in Milwaukee as losers in 10 of their last 13 games. Jordan Zimmermann will take the hill in hopes of creating some momentum for the Nats. Zimmermann returns to his home state, where he holds a 2-0 record with a 1.50 ERA against the Brewers at Miller Park. Overall, the Wisconsin native is 4-0, having allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his five career starts against Milwaukee. Zimmermann experienced defeat in his last start for the first time since...

Desmond sits, Espinosa in (with lineups)

Desmond sits, Espinosa in (with lineups)
After starting in all 59 of the Nationals' games this season, Ian Desmond is out of the lineup tonight. Danny Espinosa, who has been swinging a hot stick, starts at shortstop in place of Desmond. Desmond has struggled at the plate where he is just 5-for-43 (.116) in his last 11 games. Meanwhile, Espinosa is batting .313 (10-for-36) over the same stretch, which also includes two homers and three doubles. With Ryan Zimmerman heading to the 15-day disabled list earlier today, Williams has opted...