Talking Strasburg with Steve McCatty

Talking Strasburg with Steve McCatty
Prior to Stephen Strasburg's start against the Atlanta Braves, Rob got the opportunity to sit down with Nats' pitching coach Steve McCatty to talk Strasburg and his development so far as a Major Leaguer. Rob also got the opportunity to ask McCatty what Strasburg did wrong in his last start against the Royals. Watch to see what his weaknesses were, that way you can see if he adjusts tonight as he faces the Braves.

Talking Strasburg with Steve McCatty

Talking Strasburg with Steve McCatty
Prior to Stephen Strasburg's start against the Atlanta Braves, Rob got the opportunity to sit down with Nats' pitching coach Steve McCatty to talk Strasburg and his development so far as a Major Leaguer. Rob also got the opportunity to ask McCatty what Strasburg did wrong in his last start against the Royals. Watch to see what his weaknesses were, that way you can see if he adjusts tonight as he faces the Braves.

Ben Revere looking to rack up RBIs for Bryce Harper and crew

Ben Revere looking to rack up RBIs for Bryce Harper and crew
Before Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo acquired outfielder Ben Revere in a trade with the Blue Jays for reliever Drew Storen on Friday night, the main offensive question skipper Dusty Baker faced was who to place at the top of his batting order. Revere's arrival in Washington solves that issue. "He's hit at the top of the lineup each stage of his career," Rizzo said. "He's got a propensity to steal you a base in big situations and he's the type of leadoff hitter that is very tough...

Treinen fishing for consistency as he prepares for next season

Treinen fishing for consistency as he prepares for next season
Right-hander Blake Treinen went from pitching in 15 games in 2014 to a career-high 60 games in 2015. But he was used in more specialty situations last season, as his innings total only went from 50 2/3 innings to 67 2/3 innings. It was the epitome of an up-and-down season for Treinen. In March and April, his ERA was 4.22. In May, he had a 3.00 ERA, allowing only five runs in 15 innings. In June, he reached a 4.38 ERA in 12-plus innings. In July, he allowed four earned runs in just three innings...

Former Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty trying to catch on with hometown Tigers

Former Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty trying to catch on with hometown Tigers
A year ago, Steve McCatty was still recovering from the stinging disappointment of the Nationals' early exit from the postseason. But there was still a bright offseason ahead, and added excitement and expectations when the Nats added ace Max Scherzer to McCatty's pitching staff. Now the former Nationals pitching coach is attempting to land the same job with Scherzer's old team. According to a report from MLB.com, McCatty is one of the finalists to fill the Tigers' vacant pitching coach...

Stephen Strasburg dealing with right shoulder blade issue

Stephen Strasburg dealing with right shoulder blade issue
Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg lasted only three innings before discomfort underneath his right shoulder blade forced him to leave the an eventual 2-1 loss to the Marlins. "It's just something that's been lingering, and I just felt it more and more," Strasburg said after the game. "I feel like it was something, I feel like I could've gone through it. But at this point in the season, you just want to get it right and not alter your mechanics too much. I think that's the big thing....

Nationals will retain entire coaching staff for 2015

Nationals will retain entire coaching staff for 2015
A day after Matt Williams won National League Manager of the Year honors, the Nationals announced that they will welcome back his entire coaching staff from the 2014 season. All seven members of the Nats coaching staff - bench coach Randy Knorr, pitching coach Steve McCatty, hitting coach Rick Schu, third base coach Bobby Henley, first base coach Tony Tarasco, bullpen coach Matt LeCroy and defensive coordinator/advance coach Mark Weidemaier - will be back in 2015. This marks the first time...

About the first-inning deficits

About the first-inning deficits
PHILADELPHIA - The comebacks are nice, obviously. Nine comeback wins in 30 games is pretty darn impressive. The problem there is that in order to come back to win a game, you have to trail. And the Nationals would prefer that they don't trail in games as often as they have. Yesterday marked the eighth time already this season that Nationals pitchers have allowed at least three runs in the first inning. That's 27 percent of the time. Not good. What is there to explain these first-inning...

McCatty on Fister's start: "He had no complaints" (rain delay update)

McCatty on Fister's start: "He had no complaints" (rain delay update)
LAKELAND, Fla. - Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty and manager Matt Williams delayed their departure for today's game against the Tigers in order to watch right-hander Doug Fister throw two innings in a minor league game. McCatty liked what he saw, but wasn't ready to slot the right-hander, who is progressing in his recovery from right elbow inflammation, for his first regular season start. "It was fine," McCatty said. "He gave up a hit on a curveball, but he hasn't thrown that...

Fister passes bullpen session, will be re-evaluated Saturday

Fister passes bullpen session, will be re-evaluated Saturday
LAKELAND, Fla. - On a day when he watched his mound staff get battered for 22 hits and 12 runs, Nationals manager Matt Williams got a dose of good pitching news. Right-hander Doug Fister, who has been sidelined since March 2 with inflammation in his pitching elbow, threw a bullpen session without any problems this morning in Viera. While the Nationals will wait to see how Fister feels tomorrow before plotting out next steps, this morning's bullpen represented a step in the right direction for...

How a trade and a season at Double-A jump-started Blake Treinen's career

How a trade and a season at Double-A jump-started Blake Treinen's career
VIERA, Fla. - After a day filled with travel yesterday, the Nationals will hop back on the team charter buses today and make the trip to Lake Buena Vista to face the Braves, the second time in four days they've seen the reigning National League East champs. Stephen Strasburg will get the ball for the Nats, making his first start of spring. A number of starting position players are scheduled to make the trip today, including Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche and Anthony...

Final notes and quotes, plus Day 4 photo gallery

Final notes and quotes, plus Day 4 photo gallery
VIERA, Fla. - Tanner Roark has been quietly going about his business so far this spring, but very little about pitching coach Steve McCatty is quiet. So when Roark was wrapping up his bullpen session this morning, McCatty turned to minor league pitching coordinator Spin Williams and took a playful shot at Roark, well within earshot of the right-hander. As most of you surely know, Roark's name is pronounced "Ro-ark," but when he first came up to the big leagues last season, many people...

Knorr excited to return as bench coach (plus McCatty note)

Knorr excited to return as bench coach (plus McCatty note)
Randy Knorr might not have gotten the Nationals' managerial job, but he will return as the team's bench coach next season. And Knorr says he's thrilled to be back in that role. Knorr, who had been one of a handful of candidates to interview for the Nats' managerial vacancy, finalized his deal to return as bench coach today, he said. General manager Mike Rizzo and new Nationals manager Matt Williams both reached out to Knorr last week and let him know they hoped he would take the bench...

Moving ahead, what happens to the coaching staff?

Moving ahead, what happens to the coaching staff?
NatsTown is prepared for a new manager, and one should be named during the first week of November. But whether general manager Mike Rizzo decides to turn the managerial reins over to an in-house candidate or picks someone from outside the organization to succeed Davey Johnson, there will likely be a ripple effect that changes the makeup of the Nationals coaching staff. A new manager will want the latitude to assemble his own staff. Obviously, if either current third base coach Trent Jewett or...

Nats players pulling for Knorr, McCatty as offseason begins

Nats players pulling for Knorr, McCatty as offseason begins
PHOENIX - The Nationals' 2013 season is over. "World Series or bust" came up bust. One thing that's strange about professional sports is how quickly the focus inevitably turns once a season ends. A week ago, the Nats embarked on a road trip still hoping to pull off a miraculous run into the postseason. Two days ago, they ran out their regular lineup and played a game for their manager, who was trying to reach a statistical milestone. But after yesterday's game, as the Nats packed their...

Final thoughts from players, coaches on Johnson's last game

Final thoughts from players, coaches on Johnson's last game
PHOENIX - Pitching coach Steve McCatty, like most of the Nationals' coaches, has an interesting relationship with Davey Johnson. Johnson will tend to yell a decent amount. He demands plenty from his coaches. He'll complain about mistakes and ask why various moves weren't made. Then, he'll share a laugh with whoever he was yelling at just seconds or minutes earlier, cracking that big smile that we've seen so many times over the last two and a half years. Was today, Johnson's last day as...

McCatty: Strasburg's forearm irritation not because he was trying new pitch

McCatty: Strasburg's forearm irritation not because he was trying new pitch
Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said Stephen Strasburg wasn't trying a new pitch in Thursday's bullpen session in New York. There was the possibility, raised by manager Davey Johnson today, that the reason Strasburg came down with the irritation in his throwing arm was because he had tried a new pitch in the throwing session. Strasburg was scratched from Friday's scheduled start with right forearm tightness. "I was standing there," McCatty said. "All pitchers play with grips all...

Ramos and McCatty on Strasburg's first complete game, shutout

Ramos and McCatty on Strasburg's first complete game, shutout
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg said earlier in the season that going just six innings wasn't cool anymore. On Sunday, it must have felt really cool as Strasburg tossed 99 pitches in his first complete game shutout of his career, beating the Phillies 6-0. Catcher Wilson Ramos said he was impressed because Strasburg battled through a tweak of his groin on his second pitch to Dominic Brown in the second inning, which could have unraveled the start before he even got going. However,...

Pregame notes on the Braves, Werth's bat and McCatty's return

Pregame notes on the Braves, Werth's bat and McCatty's return
We've covered the Biogenesis story from a couple different angles, with reactions to Gio Gonzalez being cleared of wrongdoing and 13 players being suspended for purchasing/taking performance-enhancers. Now how about a non-PED blog entry for the first time in a while? Sounds good to me. The Nationals enter this three-game set with the Braves tonight well-aware of where things stand with 51 games remaining on their schedule. They're 12 1/2 games back of Atlanta in the National League East and...

McCatty update plus Nats trade deadline chatter

McCatty update plus Nats trade deadline chatter
DETROIT - Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty is not with the team here in Detroit as he recovers from an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, but he's expected to be released from a D.C. hospital tomorrow, according to manager Davey Johnson. McCatty needed to be taken to a hospital prior to Sunday's game against the Mets, and the Nats had hoped that McCatty would be well enough to join them on the team charter to Detroit yesterday afternoon. But doctors have decided to keep...