Best of the Decade: Jayson Werth's epic Game 4 walk-off homer

Best of the Decade: Jayson Werth's epic Game 4 walk-off homer
As the Nationals celebrate 10 seasons in Washington, D.C., we reflect on some of the best moments since the franchise moved to the nation's capital. Each Wednesday through mid-August, check out Nationals Pastime for a remembrance of one of the watershed moments in Nationals history. Jayson Werth's arrival in D.C. late in 2010 was not unanimously approved. Many debated the seven-year, $126 million contract given to a 31-year-old who had only once been in an All-Star. Almost two years later, in...

Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond trigger offense to start road trip

Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond trigger offense to start road trip
The Nationals offense showed no jet lag after flying cross-country to face the Dodgers in the opener of a lengthy 10-game road trip. Washington rapped 13 hits and poured in eight runs as the lineup continues to show signs of gelling. The scorching bat of Ryan Zimmerman started the Nationals' attack in the second with a leadoff double ripped into the right-center field gap. Two batters later, Ian Desmond jumped on a hanging curveball from Dodgers left-hander Brett Anderson and deposited it over...

10 in 10: Youth Baseball Academy welcomes Nats to showcase summer progress

10 in 10: Youth Baseball Academy welcomes Nats to showcase summer progress
From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach...

Gio Gonzalez dominates in Nationals' 8-3 win

Gio Gonzalez dominates in Nationals' 8-3 win
Gio Gonzalez has pitched at a high level for the past two months. The left-hander raised it another notch Monday night, throwing eight scoreless innings in an 8-3 Nationals win. "I just thought he was in command the whole night," Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters. "The key for him is pitch count early and keeping it down. That allowed him to get through eight (innings). He pitched really well." Despite not losing since June 15, Gonzalez had labored through his last three...

Nats start road trip with impressive 8-3 win

Nats start road trip with impressive 8-3 win
Ryan Zimmerman continued swinging his red-hot bat, ripping a double to right-center in the second. It was Zimmerman's 10th extra-base hit in his last 13 games since returning from the disabled list. Two batters later, Ian Desmond launched left-hander Brett Anderson's hanging curveball over the wall in left for a two-run homer. Desmond leads the Nationals with six home runs and 15 RBIs since the All-Star break. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez has thrown two scoreless innings, yielding two...

Stephen Strasburg strikes out 12, Nats win 6-1

Stephen Strasburg strikes out 12, Nats win 6-1
Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon welcomed Stephen Strasburg back from the disabled list with a leadoff double in the first. No worries though as Strasburg retired the next three Rockies in order, stranding Blackmon after whiffing National League RBI leader Nolan Arenado on a filthy curveball. Strasburg threw 12 pitches in the opening frame, reaching 98 mph with the heater. In the second, Strasburg added two more strikeouts in a perfect inning. Clint Robinson picked up the Nationals first...

Desmond, Ramos and Robinson provide punch in Nats offense

Desmond, Ramos and Robinson provide punch in Nats offense
Lost a bit after another stellar performance from Joe Ross, and the subsequent big news that he was taking Doug Fister's spot in the rotation, was the spark that Ian Desmond provided early in yesterday's 8-3 win over Arizona. Desmond was given Wednesday off after going through a 4-for-31 stretch, which included a startling 14 strikeouts. In the second inning, Desmond jumped on right-hander Jeremy Hellickson's first-pitch changeup, smacking a no-doubter over the visitors' bullpen in deep...

Joe Ross leads Nats to 8-3 win

Joe Ross leads Nats to 8-3 win
For the third straight game, the Nationals have scored first. Ian Desmond mashed right-hander Jeremy Hellickson's first offering deep over the wall in the left-center alley in the second. The solo shot was Desmond's 12th homer on the season. Nationals rookie right-hander Joe Ross has struck out three over the first two innings while yielding one hit. Update: Desmond roped a double off the wall in left to start the fourth. A line drive single to center from Wilson Ramos gave the Nats runners...

Nationals recall Treinen, option Barrett (with lineups, updated)

Nationals recall Treinen, option Barrett (with lineups, updated)
The Nationals look for a series split with the Arizona Diamondbacks in Thursday's late afternoon tilt. The club announced prior to the game that right-hander Blake Treinen has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. Right-hander Aaron Barrett, who took the loss Wednesday night, was optioned to Syracuse to make room for Treinen, who has had five scoreless appearances with the Chiefs. Treinen recorded 14 strikeouts in 12 innings, allowing six hits since July 21 with Syracuse. Barrett is 3-3 with a...

Ian Desmond sits as erratic season continues

Ian Desmond sits as erratic season continues
Ian Desmond's erratic season in the field and at the plate has led him to be the most criticized Washington Nationals player this season. So it's quite ironic that public sentiment is for Danny Espinosa, the most criticized Nat of the past few years, to replace Desmond in the lineup. Either way, Desmond sits tonight and Espinosa makes his fifth start of the season at shortstop. "It creates opportunity for me to give Desi a rest, which is important," Nationals manager Matt Williams said....

Nats hoping comforts of home lead to more runs

Nats hoping comforts of home lead to more runs
The Nationals return to the comforts of their home ballpark tonight after a long 3-7 road trip over the past 11 days. They battled top flight pitching throughout the journey beginning with the likes Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole in Pittsburgh and finishing off with hot-shot young arms Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in New York. Despite Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman rejoining the team on the trip after long stints on the DL, the offense continues to sputter,...

Composed and confident, rookie Joe Ross continues to impress

Composed and confident, rookie Joe Ross continues to impress
FLUSHING, N.Y. - For the second time in less than two weeks, Nationals rookie right-hander Joe Ross went toe-to-toe with Mets ace Jacob deGrom, last year's National League Rookie of the Year. Ross was stingy, dominating eight of the nine batters in the Mets lineup. Lucas Duda, the lone exception, was the difference in the game. "He pitched well," Nationals manager Matt Williams said about Ross. "A couple of swings from Duda, other than that he pitched really well for us. He gave us a...

Lucas Duda, Mets take down Nats 3-2

Lucas Duda, Mets take down Nats 3-2
FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals were all over Mets ace Jacob deGrom out of the gates. Back-to-back one-out singles from Yunel Escobar and Bryce Harper gave the Nats runners at the corners. After Ryan Zimmerman drilled a ball right at Curtis Granderson, Jayson Werth worked a walk to load the bases. Ian Desmond then delivered a clutch two-out broken bat liner up the middle, which just squirted past Ruben Tejada. Escobar and Harper scored easily on the base knock. Wilson Ramos grounded out to end...

Matt Williams on Bryce Harper: "He needs to stay in the baseball game"

Matt Williams on Bryce Harper: "He needs to stay in the baseball game"
FLUSHING, N.Y. - In a tie game with postseason implications in a playoff-type atmosphere, Bryce Harper, arguably the MVP of the National League, got himself ejected after striking out in the 11th inning. "He needs to stay in the baseball game," manager Matt Williams repeated three times, after the Nationals lost 2-1 on Wilmer Flores' walk-off homer in the 12th. Home plate umpire Jerry Meals was inconsistent throughout the game. Meals punched out Jayson Werth on a low and outside fastball to...

Nationals game blog: Bryce Harper feasting on Marlins pitching this year

Nationals game blog: Bryce Harper feasting on Marlins pitching this year
MIAMI - The Marlins send veteran right-hander Dan Haren to the mound this afternoon. The former National beat his old team back on April 26 at Marlins Park, allowing two runs on three hits over five innings. Bryce Harper tagged Haren for one of those runs on a solo homer. Harper has feasted on Marlins pitching this season, batting .385 (10-for-26) with six home runs and 12 RBIs in eight games. Michael A. Taylor has homered in three of his last four games after blasting an opposite field solo...

Nationals game blog: Jordan Zimmermann starts series opener against Marlins

Nationals game blog: Jordan Zimmermann starts series opener against Marlins
MIAMI - On a day with trade rumors flying around and a deal actually made, there's still a baseball game to play tonight. The Nationals open a three-game series tonight against the Marlins in Miami to start a stretch of six straight games against National League East division foes. The Nats have the third-best record in the NL since June 19 at 18-12 (.600) behind only the Cardinals (21-12) and Giants (19-12). Over that stretch, the Nationals are outscoring their opponents 118-90. But a major...

Michael A. Taylor, Ian Desmond lead Nationals' offensive attack in 9-3 win

Michael A. Taylor, Ian Desmond lead Nationals' offensive attack in 9-3 win
PITTSBURGH - Whether it was adding Anthony Rendon and Yunel Escobar back to the lineup or the sight of Pirates right-hander A.J. Burnett on the mound, the Nationals' offense erupted in a 9-3 win over Pittsburgh. Burnett gave up a career-high 14 hits against the Nationals on June 19. Tonight, the Nats drilled the 17-year veteran for 11 hits and five runs before knocking him out in the sixth. "For us, it's a little bit of what we do," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "Yunel hit a couple...

Ian Desmond's hot streak continues in Nats' 9-3 win

Ian Desmond's hot streak continues in Nats' 9-3 win
PITTSBURGH - Ian Desmond continued his hot streak with a one-out single to right in the second. Jose Lobaton followed with a base knock to center, advancing Desmond all the way to third. Pirates starter A.J. Burnett then uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Desmond to race home safely for the game's first run. Desmond is 9-for-17 with three homers and five RBIs since Monday. The Pirates have one hit off Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez, though the left-hander has been helped by some stellar defense...

Ian Desmond is battling back

Ian Desmond is battling back
PITTSBURGH - All season long, Ian Desmond's teammates have picked him up, and last night he returned the favor. After Max Scherzer surrendered the lead on back-to-back homers in the fifth, Desmond evened the score to start the sixth with a solo bomb of his own. "I was pretty excited to get Max off the hook," Desmond said. Certainly, the numerous injuries have led to inconsistencies in the Nationals offense, but a season-long struggle from Desmond has interfered, as well. Desmond's average...

Max Scherzer frustrated after surrendering three homers in Nats' 7-5 loss

Max Scherzer frustrated after surrendering three homers in Nats' 7-5 loss
PITTSBURGH - A month ago, Max Scherzer dominated the Pirates en route to throwing his first career no-hitter. Pittsburgh exacted full revenge tonight, bombing three homers off the ace to beat the Nationals 7-5. Jung Ho Kang picked up the Pirates' first hit off Scherzer this year with a one-out single in the second. Scherzer then missed on a 93 mph fastball to Pedro Alvarez and it ended up 460 feet away in the Allegheny River for a two-run homer. The Nationals fought back with a four-run...