Harper, Desmond wise to seek hitting advice from Williams

Harper, Desmond wise to seek hitting advice from Williams
For 17 years, Nationals manager Matt Williams was one of the game's most intense players - but also one of its most dangerous hitters. Williams batted .268 for his career with 378 homers and 1,218 RBIs. But those numbers don't do justice to seasons like 1994, when he belted a league-high 43 homers for the Giants, or 1999 with the Diamondbacks, when he hit .303, pounded 35 homers and drove in an astounding 142 runs. Five times an All-Star, Williams banged out more than 30 homers six times and...

Danny Espinosa thrills in third act

Danny Espinosa thrills in third act
Nationals manager Matt Williams has been scrambling since Day One of spring training after countless injuries left him experimenting with guys playing positions where they had little or no experience before. The Nats have faced the most amount of adversity at third base, where Anthony Rendon went down with a sprained left MCL after making a remarkable diving stop in just his third Grapefruit League game. With infielder Yunel Escobar also sidelined for much of the exhibition season, Williams...

Strasburg overpowers Phillies in Nats' 4-1 win

Strasburg overpowers Phillies in Nats' 4-1 win
Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg is perfect through four innings. He's working quickly having only thrown only 32 pitches. He got Phillies second baseman Cody Asche swinging to end the first and center fielder Odubel Herrera whiffed to start the fourth. Third baseman Danny Espinosa, in only his second career start at the position, helped Strasburg with a spectacular sliding over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory on a pop fly from shortstop Freddy Galvis in the fourth. The Nats have only...

Ian Desmond's errors continue hurting Nats in loss

Ian Desmond's errors continue hurting Nats in loss
By no means was shortstop Ian Desmond the reason the Nationals lost 5-3 to the Phillies today, but his horrendous third inning played a major part. Desmond couldn't make a play on simple grounder from Phillies starter Aaron Harang that should've been the inning's second out. Who knows if it mentally bothered Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann, but he promptly gave up a double and a single. And just like that, the game was tied. Unfortunately for the Nats, Desmond's blunders weren't finished....

Phillies win 5-3 as Zimmermann takes second loss

Phillies win 5-3 as Zimmermann takes second loss
Back in the leadoff spot, center fielder Michael A. Taylor roped a single to left field to get things going early for the Nationals this afternoon. Shortstop Ian Desmond followed with a walk and Taylor then advanced to third on a groundout from right fielder Bryce Harper. Taylor would score the game's first run unchallenged when first baseman Ryan Zimmerman bounced out. The Nats have now scored in the first inning of the last four games. Starter Jordan Zimmermann has kept the Phillies hitless...

Williams continues to experiment with lineup (it's Jackie Robinson Day)

Williams continues to experiment with lineup (it's Jackie Robinson Day)
BOSTON - For the second straight day, Nationals manager Matt Williams has shuffled his lineup card to try and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Shortstop Ian Desmond moves up to the two-hole after a 3-for-4 night that included a double and two RBIs. Jayson Werth will be the designated hitter and bat third today after hitting cleanup and second in his previous two games. Werth is 0-for-7 with three strikeouts since returning to the ballclub on Monday. Left-hander Gio...

Recipe for disaster

Recipe for disaster
BOSTON - For the second straight night, Nationals manager Matt Williams watched as multiple defensive miscues forced a loss to the Red Sox. The Nats committed three errors and hit two batters in the seventh inning alone, which gave Boston three runs and the lead without even connecting on a single base hit. The Nats went on to lose 8-7. "Same recipe," Williams said. "If you put all the ingredients together the same way every time, then you're gonna get the same meal. That's what we've...

Horrendous defense leads to early exit for Zimmermann (Red Sox win 9-4)

Horrendous defense leads to early exit for Zimmermann (Red Sox win 9-4)
BOSTON - The pageantry of opening day at Fenway Park included New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Bob Kraft entering the field through the Green Monster each carrying a Lombardi Trophy hoisted above their shoulders. Moments later, Brady would skip the ceremonial first pitch to Red Sox star David Ortiz. The game began with Nationals center fielder Michael A. Taylor striking out for his 11th time in 26 at-bats. Third baseman Yunel Escobar then reached...

Werth hitting cleanup in return to Nationals

Werth hitting cleanup in return to Nationals
BOSTON - Left fielder Jayson Werth will hit cleanup in his return to the Nationals. Manager Matt Williams slotted Werth, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list this morning, into the fourth spot in the lineup for today's afternoon game at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has hit cleanup in each of the Nationals' previous six games this season, drops to fifth in the lineup. He is struggling, starting the season 3-for-26 (.130). Clint Robinson's...

More on Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and Tanner Roark's role

More on Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and Tanner Roark's role
It was a tough matinee for right fielder Bryce Harper in the series finale yesterday. A day after being praised for his patience at the plate, Harper fanned three straight times with wild cuts at Mets starter Matt Harvey's high heat. "He swung at some balls out of the strike zone," said Nationals manager Matt Williams. "The strikeouts were balls up in the zone. With Matt, that ball comes in there pretty quickly. One of the keys against him is to make sure we swing at strikes. He got Harp a...

Miscues, lack of offense haunt Nats in season's first series

Miscues, lack of offense haunt Nats in season's first series
The Nationals were overwhelmed by Mets starter Matt Harvey in today's 6-3 loss. Pitching for the first time in a regular season game since Tommy John surgery in October 2013, Harvey struck out half the batters he faced. Nats right fielder Bryce Harper was a victim three times while violently hacking at 97 mph fastballs high and away in each at-bat for third strikes. "He's tough out there," said Harper. "I keep saying it, I've said it a million times, he's gonna be Cy Young (winner) one...

Harvey steals spotlight in matchup with Strasburg (Mets win 6-3)

Harvey steals spotlight in matchup with Strasburg (Mets win 6-3)
For the third time in this series, an error by Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond has led to runs for the Mets. With one out in the third and Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson on first base, third baseman David Wright hit a tailor-made double play grounder right at Desmond. He misplayed the hop and by the time he was able to gather and throw to first, it was too late and both runners were safe. Then the wheels fell off. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg missed on a curveball inside that struck...

Williams on Desmond's slow start, plus updates on injured starters

Williams on Desmond's slow start, plus updates on injured starters
Shortstop Ian Desmond has had a rough start on offense, going 0-for-7 with two strikeouts and no walks in the first two games. On Thursday morning, Nationals manager Matt Williams said he believes he knows why Desmond has had a slow start and what he'll need to do to change things at the plate. "I think the first two games anyway, his timing is a touch off, he looks a touch late to me, so he's working hard on making sure he is on time," Williams said. "When it's on time it's special,...

First impressions from the first day of a new season

First impressions from the first day of a new season
Nothing says opening day more than Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon, right? Not exactly. Opening day conjures images of Clayton Kershaw's curveball, Adam Wainwright's heat and Justin Verlander's postseason bling. But Colon, the 41-year-old pitcher with a roundish body, pitched six strong innings in the Mets' 3-1 win versus the Nationals on Monday at quiet Nationals Park. The Mets' No. 5 starter was a surprising choice for the start because the Mets also have Jacob deGrom, the National League...

Errors undo Scherzer's spectacular debut

Errors undo Scherzer's spectacular debut
Whispers began traveling throughout the ballpark of the possibility for history in the making as Nationals starter Max Scherzer secured his second out in the sixth inning with the scoreboard still reading zero in the hit column for the Mets. With the Nats clinging to a 1-0 lead, Scherzer surrendered his second walk of the day to Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson, the only two stains on an impeccable pitching line until that point. What happened next immediately changed the attitude of the...

Desmond, Uggla and Williams react to dropped pop-up in loss to Mets

Desmond, Uggla and Williams react to dropped pop-up in loss to Mets
A pair of miscues by Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond overshadowed an impressive debut for Max Scherzer in Monday's 3-1 opening day loss to the Mets. The first fielding mistake cost Scherzer a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning. With two outs and a runner on first, David Wright's pop-up behind second base was dropped by Desmond and the Mets were in business with runners on second and third. Second baseman Dan Uggla appeared early on to have a good beat on the pop up, waving away the other fielders,...

With new locker location, Desmond ready for opening day

With new locker location, Desmond ready for opening day
To begin 2015, there are some subtle changes to the makeup of the Nationals and the way things look in the clubhouse. First baseman Adam LaRoche has moved on to the Chicago White Sox. Sporting a new haircut and thicker goatee, veteran shortstop Ian Desmond has moved his clubhouse locker location over to the stall previously occupied by LaRoche. He is now right next to Tyler Moore and closer to Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman. Bryce Harper's locker is now to his right. Desmond remembers when he...

Bryce Harper triples, Mike Carp homers (Nats win 8-2)

Bryce Harper triples, Mike Carp homers (Nats win 8-2)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 8, Yankees 2 Recap: Right fielder Bryce Harper got the Nats started early with a RBI triple off Yankees starter CC Sabathia. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman and shortstop Ian Desmond pushed runs across the plate with a single and double, respectively, to give the Nats a three-run first inning. First baseman Mike Carp popped a three-run homer in the seventh, his first of the spring. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing one run on six...

Nats have fielding concerns as opening day nears

Nats have fielding concerns as opening day nears
TAMPA - Spring training statistics are fairly ridiculous to dissect given the amount of minor leaguers that participate and the inconsistent lineups. But one category the Nationals didn't want to lead during the exhibition season was errors committed. Their 34 errors are tied with the Giants for the most this spring, although the Nats have reached their total in three fewer games. Ironically, the two teams tied for 100 errors last season, leaving them sitting right in the middle of the pack of...

Doug Fister rocked for two homers, Yunel Escobar debuts with hit (Nats win 7-6)

Doug Fister rocked for two homers, Yunel Escobar debuts with hit (Nats win 7-6)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 7, Yankees 6 Recap: Right-hander Doug Fister struggled in his fourth spring start, allowing four runs on seven hits, including two homers, in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked none, but saw his spring ERA climb to 4.97. Fister helped his own cause with his bat, however, hitting a two-run single in the fourth. Shortstop Ian Desmond and catcher Jose Lobaton each added two RBIs. Trailing the Yankees 6-4 in the seventh, the Nats scored three times on...