Williams on letting Papelbon pitch the ninth: "I didn't get all the facts at that time"

Williams on letting Papelbon pitch the ninth: "I didn't get all the facts at that time"
Nationals manager Matt Williams took responsibility for allowing right-hander Jonathan Papelbon to continue to pitch after a physical dugout altercation in the eighth inning of Sunday's 12-5 loss to the Phillies. Williams said Papelbon would not have pitched in the ninth inning if he had known the extent of the altercation, where Papelbon appeared to put his hand around the neck of teammate Bryce Harper, when it happened on the left side of the dugout near the steps to the field. During games,...

Ian Desmond on curtain call in ninth inning Sunday: "That was pretty special"

Ian Desmond on curtain call in ninth inning Sunday: "That was pretty special"
Shortstop Ian Desmond went 3-for-3 and slammed his 19th homer of the season in what may very well have been his final home start for the Nationals in their 12-5 loss to the Phillies. Desmond scored twice and has now hit safely in five of his last six games. He received a nice ovation from the 28,661 fans at Nats Park after he was replaced by shortstop Trea Turner in the ninth inning. "That was pretty special," Desmond said. "Bittersweet. Spent a lot of time here and have a lot of special...

Jonathan Papelbon attacks Bryce Harper in dugout, Nats lose 12-5

Jonathan Papelbon attacks Bryce Harper in dugout, Nats lose 12-5
Playing in possibly his second-to-last home game at Nationals Park, Ian Desmond pulverized a hanging slider from right-hander Aaron Harang, sending the ball smacking off the second deck facade in right-center field for a solo homer with two outs in the second. It was Desmond's 19th longball of the season. Moments later, Matt den Dekker drilled Harang's first-pitch heater deep over the center field wall for back-to-back homers. Statcast estimated Desmond's blast at 430 feet and den Dekker's...

Bryce Harper to Mets: "I hope they win it all and good luck to them"

Bryce Harper to Mets: "I hope they win it all and good luck to them"
Moments after Bryce Harper smacked a walk-off double scoring Anthony Rendon for a 2-1 win in the 12th inning, the young slugger found himself swarmed by his teammates with his jersey being ripped off. An icy Gatorade bath along with some chocolate syrup followed. By the time Harper made his way to the Nationals clubhouse, he stood in front of his locker while veteran Ian Desmond's two young boys played a few feet away. Despite the Mets clinching the National League East and eliminating the...

Ian Desmond on playing for the Nationals: "It's all a blessing"

Ian Desmond on playing for the Nationals: "It's all a blessing"
One week remains in the Nationals season and it also could mark the end of veteran shortstop Ian Desmond's time with the organization he grew up with. Desmond, the longest tenured Expos/Nationals player, becomes a free agent at the end of the 2015 season. Although it may not have to come to an end if the club provides say a qualifying offer, Desmond looked back on his career so far and appreciated the opportunity he got in playing for the Nationals. "It's all a blessing," Desmond told 106.7...

Tanner Roark used his changeup effectively to keep Nationals in game vs. Orioles

Tanner Roark used his changeup effectively to keep Nationals in game vs. Orioles
Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark was able to keep his team in the game Thursday. He allowed only three runs over five innings and left with his team down 3-0. The Nationals rallied in the bottom of the fifth with two runs and then added two more runs in seventh inning to take a short-lived 4-3 advantage. The Orioles won the game 5-4 on a Matt Wieters two-run shot off of Blake Treinen in the eighth. "Felt good. A lot of my pitches were working today," Roark said. "I utilized the changeup a...

Stephen Strasburg delivers dominant performance, Nats win 13-3

Stephen Strasburg delivers dominant performance, Nats win 13-3
The Nationals jumped on Marlins rookie left-hander Justin Nicolino early. Yunel Escobar drew a one-out walk and Bryce Harper followed with a single to center. Jayson Werth then hammered Nicolino's changeup over center fielder's Marcel Ozuna's head bringing Escobar and Harper racing to the plate for the game's first runs. Ian Desmond followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Werth. The Marlins got one back in the second when right-hander Stephen Strasburg walked Derek Dietrich....

Ian Desmond opens Nats' final homestand with homer, four RBIs

Ian Desmond opens Nats' final homestand with homer, four RBIs
Ian Desmond was one of the few offensive bright spots for the Nationals in their untimely 6-4 loss to the Marlins last night. The 29-year-old smacked a two-run homer in the second to even the score and then drove in two more in the eighth on a clutch two-out single, accounting for the entire Nats tally on the scoreboard. Desmond's home run delivered the only runs the Nationals managed against Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosarts. "To be honest, I just caught it a little out front," Desmond...

Time running out for Nats after 6-4 loss

Time running out for Nats after 6-4 loss
The Nationals got off to a rough start on their final homestand, suffering a costly 6-4 loss to the Marlins. Certainly the Nats will point to dropping six straight to the first-place Mets if they fail to make the playoffs, but they have also lost three of four to the Marlins over the last week. At 19 games under .500 for the season, Miami holds a 9-7 record over Washington this year. Right-hander Tanner Roark was done in by the longball in his third straight start. Martin Prado blasted a...

Tanner Roark allows two home runs in 6-4 loss to Marlins

Tanner Roark allows two home runs in 6-4 loss to Marlins
Right-hander Tanner Roark had a rough first inning against the Marlins on Thursday. His fifth, and last inning, was even worse. Roark allowed a two-run shot to Martin Prado in the first frame and a three-run homer to Justin Bour in the fifth. That provided the Marlins almost all the offense they needed in a 6-4 win. "I gave up six runs," Roark said. "As a starter, you're not supposed to do that. You're supposed to limit the damage done, and I didn't do my job today. Honestly, that's the...

Stephen Strasburg's roller coaster season continues (with lineups)

Stephen Strasburg's roller coaster season continues (with lineups)
PHILADELPHIA - The roller coaster ride of a season continues for Stephen Strasburg tonight with the right-hander's 20th start of the year. Strasburg is coming off a hard luck loss to the Mets last Wednesday where he breezed through the first seven innings before surrendering a game-tying leadoff homer to Kelly Johnson in the eighth. After fanning Kirk Nieuwenhuis for his season-high 13th strikeout of the game, Strasburg was yanked when he yielded a single to Curtis Granderson. Yoenis Cespedes...

Nationals game blog: Jordan Zimmermann looks for momentum in stretch run

Nationals game blog: Jordan Zimmermann looks for momentum in stretch run
PHILADELPHIA - Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann heads to the mound tonight looking to collect his 13th win of the season. The Phillies are the lone National League team that Zimmermann has a losing record against, coming in at 6-7 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 career starts. Zimmermann has allowed just three runs over his last three outings, going 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA while striking out 15 over 18 2/3 innings. After batting .314 with six homers and 18 RBIs in August, Ian Desmond's bat has cooled down...

Nats drop fifth straight, manage only three hits in 2-0 shutout loss

Nats drop fifth straight, manage only three hits in 2-0 shutout loss
Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark rolled through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. Three singles, a walk and a hit batter in the frame led to the Marlins' first run. With runners at the corners and one out, J.T. Realmuto ripped a line drive single to right, scoring Christian Yelich. An infield base hit from Ichiro Suzuki loaded the bases, but Roark was able to get Miguel Rojas to ground out to prevent any further damage. The Nationals only managed three...

Sluggish start to critical road trip for Nats in 2-1 loss

Sluggish start to critical road trip for Nats in 2-1 loss
After suffering a devastating sweep at the hands of the Mets, the Nationals desperately needed a strong start to their six-game road trip. That didn't happen with the offense coming out of the gates sluggish and, once again, the bullpen stumbling late as the Nats lost 2-1. The Mets won their second straight over the Braves, so the Nationals fall 8 1/2 games back in the National League with their fourth straight defeat. A one-out walk to Martin Prado led to the only run against Nationals...

Nats fall 2-1, drop fourth straight

Nats fall 2-1, drop fourth straight
Marlins left-hander Jarred Cosart walked Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper in the first inning, but the Nationals stranded both when Yunel Escobar popped out and Ian Desmond struck out to end the inning. Gio Gonzalez was rolling through the first three innings until he issued a one-out walk to Martin Prado in the fourth. Justin Bour followed with a single to right, advancing Prado to third. With runners at the corners, Marcell Ozuna hit a slow bouncing ball to Desmond, who could only get the force...

Nationals game blog: Nats looking for Gio Gonzalez to be the stopper

Nationals game blog: Nats looking for Gio Gonzalez to be the stopper
The Nationals send Gio Gonzalez to the mound tonight to face his hometown Marlins. The left-hander is 10-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 26 starts this season. He's coming off one of his best outings, holding the Braves scoreless over six innings in an 8-2 win last Saturday. Gonzalez was rocked in his only start against the Marlins this year, surrendering six runs on 10 hits in a 6-2 loss in Miami on April 26. Jayson Werth continues to thrive in the leadoff spot. In 20 games at the top of the order,...

Too many times, Bryce Harper has been a one-man gang this season

Too many times, Bryce Harper has been a one-man gang this season
The theme of Bryce Harper displaying another dominant performance but the Nationals falling short once again played out in last night's dismal 5-3 loss to the Mets. Harper jumpstarted the Nationals offense early, ripping Jacob deGrom's heater over the wall in right for a two-out solo home run. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 97.3 mph fastball was the fastest pitch Harper has ever homered against. After the Mets tied it up in the second, Harper answered back with a leadoff double...

Desmond on sweep by Mets: "Pretty devastating"

Desmond on sweep by Mets: "Pretty devastating"
To gauge how much the 5-3 loss and sweep at the hands of the New York Mets affected the Nationals clubhouse, just go to the longest-tenured Nationals player, shortstop Ian Desmond. "Pretty devastating," Desmond said. "Put ourselves in a good position coming into this series. Obviously not where we'd like to be, but we gave ourselves a chance. Obviously, a lot more optimistic coming into this series than exiting it. "Is it over? No. Until the numbers tell you it's over it's not over. We...

Max Scherzer looks to set tone against Mets (with lineups)

Max Scherzer looks to set tone against Mets (with lineups)
The Nationals are set to begin an enormous series against the Mets with ace Max Scherzer on the hill. Scherzer has experienced two hard-luck starts against New York this year, going 0-2 with a 0.61 ERA. Two costly errors from Ian Desmond led to Scherzer's first loss against the Mets on opening day. Desmond has cleaned up his fielding and since the All-Star break, his bat has been red hot. In his last 45 games, Desmond is slashing .299/.368/.543 with 10 homers, one triple, eight doubles, 18...

Gio Gonzalez dominates, Bryce Harper homers (Nats win 8-2)

Gio Gonzalez dominates, Bryce Harper homers (Nats win 8-2)
The Nationals received a gift in the third and they took full advantage of it. Ian Desmond lifted a routine fly ball to center to start the inning. Cameron Maybin never saw it, barely taking a few steps forward with his arms extended. Left fielder Nick Swisher raced over, but was too late and Desmond reached on a double. After Wilson Ramos grounded out and Gio Gonzalez struck out, Desmond scored when Shelby Miller uncorked a wild pitch and the Nats lead 1-0. Jayson Werth then hit a ground rule...