Rizzo: Rutledge possesses "skill set we really go after"

Rizzo: Rutledge possesses "skill set we really go after"
The Nationals' first-round selection in the First-Year Player Draft, right-hander Jackson Rutledge, said he was pretty excited when he got the news the Nationals had chosen him with the 17th pick in the draft. "Hearing my name called was kind of an out-of-body experience," Rutledge said. "It's something you dream of and it (did not) really hit me until it happened." General manager Mike Rizzo was equally excited to be able to select Rutledge and feels the big right-hander brings a lot to...

Tracking down former Nats pitchers

Tracking down former Nats pitchers
Yesterday, we tracked down some former Nationals position players to see what has become of them since we last saw them. Today we look at former pitchers, with some particularly notable and memorable names in this bunch. ROSS DETWILER The sixth overall pick in the 2007 draft had a few big moments during his Nationals career - most notably, he tossed a gem in the must-win Game 4 of the 2012 National League Division Series against the Cardinals - but he never could sustain it. The Nats decided...

Sitting down with Ross Detwiler

Sitting down with Ross Detwiler
Ross Detwiler is a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He is back from offseason hip surgery and in the Nats' rotation. He and Rob Dibble sat down to discuss a variety of topics including the health of his hip, the impact of catcher Ivan Rodriguez and the young staff of the Washington Nationals, now and in the future. Watch the video below to see the whole interview between Rob and Ross.

Sitting down with Ross Detwiler

Sitting down with Ross Detwiler
Ross Detwiler is a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He is back from offseason hip surgery and in the Nats' rotation. He and Rob Dibble sat down to discuss a variety of topics including the health of his hip, the impact of catcher Ivan Rodriguez and the young staff of the Washington Nationals, now and in the future. Watch the video below to see the whole interview between Rob and Ross.

At Triple-A, Cutter Dykstra finishes comeback with ninth-inning hit

At Triple-A, Cutter Dykstra finishes comeback with ninth-inning hit
At Triple-A, Jason Martinson and Cutter Dykstra provided dramatic ninth-inning hits as Syracuse came back to stun Lehigh Valley 5-4 on Monday. Martinson doubled to begin the scoring in the ninth, bringing home Josh Johnson to tie the game at 4-4. Martinson got to third on a fielding error. Dykstra punched a ball through the shortstop hole for the game-winning single. Syracuse starter Bruce Billings went five innings, surrendering only one earned run on five hits, with one walk and five...

Nationals early camp prospect capsule: Joe Ross and Abel de los Santos

Nationals early camp prospect capsule: Joe Ross and Abel de los Santos
The two newest pitchers acquired in trades in the offseason debuted for the Nationals in their early camp roster game against the Astros on Thursday. Nationals minor league pitching coordinator Paul Menhart said that right-handed starter Joe Ross and right-hander Abel de los Santos "threw very well" and had "impressive first outings" yesterday in their organizational debuts. Nats director of player development Mark Scialabba also confirmed the pair "pounded the strike zone and were...

Rizzo on Harper grievance and absence, Werth and Detwiler deal

Rizzo on Harper grievance and absence, Werth and Detwiler deal
Bryce Harper's upcoming grievance hearing to determine whether he can opt out of his contract and into salary arbitration will be held Tuesday in New York. But the potentially contentious faceoff has already had an effect on Harper and the Nationals. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the star outfielder opted not to attend NatsFest, though he had previously been listed by the team among the participating players, because of the hearing, which will be held in New York. "We're...

Would the Orioles bring back McLouth?

Would the Orioles bring back McLouth?
The Winter Meetings are over, team officials have returned home and now we'll wait to learn how strong a foundation for trades was laid in San Diego. The Orioles still need at least one outfielder, a left-handed reliever and backup catcher. They'd also like to obtain a right-hander for the bullpen, though they seem pretty deep in that area. Never can have too many, I suppose. The Nationals were supposed to make blockbuster trades all over the Manchester Grand Hyatt - executives and scouts...

What went wrong with Detwiler? (trade officially announced)

What went wrong with Detwiler? (trade officially announced)
As much as I enjoy the Winter Meetings, it's always good to be back home. As I was settling into my aisle seat on Southwest Flight 144 out of San Diego yesterday afternoon, news broke that the Nationals had finally pulled off a trade. Dealing left-hander Ross Detwiler was not unexpected. Because he throws from the port side, he was attractive to plenty of teams. Because he can both start and relieve, other clubs valued that versatility. The return in the trade with the Rangers wasn't...

Reports: Nats deal Detwiler to Rangers (update)

Reports: Nats deal Detwiler to Rangers (update)
Ross Detwiler lost his spot in the Nationals rotation before last season and now he's moving on. The Nats have traded the 28-year-old left-hander to the Texas Rangers for two minor leaguers, according to Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan. In return for Detwiler, Washington will reportedly receive an infielder and a reliever. Detwiler was selected by the Nats in the first round of the 2007 draft and had spent his entire career with the club. In seven seasons, he went 20-32 with a 3.82 ERA in 132...

Rizzo quashes Scherzer speculation, says he's met with Zimmermann's reps

Rizzo quashes Scherzer speculation, says he's met with Zimmermann's reps
SAN DIEGO - The notion of free agent Max Scherzer reuniting with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, the man who drafted him in Arizona, was just too tantalizing a storyline to ignore at baseball's Winter Meetings. And then, on the day that Scherzer's agent, Scott Boras, held court for reporters pressed five and six deep for the better part of an hour, Rizzo went and threw cold water on the idea. In his daily briefing with reporters. Rizzo said the Nationals are not likely to get involved...

Nats tender contracts to all 10 remaining arbitration-eligible players

Nats tender contracts to all 10 remaining arbitration-eligible players
The Nationals announced today that they have tendered contracts to all 10 of their remaining arbitration-eligible players - left-handers Jerry Blevins and Ross Detwiler, right-handers Tyler Clippard, Doug Fister, Craig Stammen, Drew Storen and Stephen Strasburg, infielder Danny Espinosa and catchers Jose Lobaton and Wilson Ramos. This means that, at least for now, all 10 of those players will remain under the Nationals' control. It is still possible, however, for these players to be traded...

It's time for teams to tender

It's time for teams to tender
The latest deadline in the offseason schedule comes at midnight, when all 30 major league teams must decide whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. That means throughout the day, we'll have plenty of news popping up on teams who have offered contracts to players, reached terms with others and cut some loose, allowing them to become free agents. The Nationals had 11 (and possibly 12 - more on that in a minute) players eligible for arbitration entering this...

What to do with Detwiler?

What to do with Detwiler?
As I mentioned yesterday, we shouldn't expect to hear much news about Nationals players being non-tendered this offseason. The Nationals have 11 arbitration-eligible players (a list that you can find here), and are expected to tender contracts to pretty much all of them. The only real question mark, in my mind, is Ross Detwiler. Detwiler, a No. 6 overall pick of the Nats in the 2007 draft, has had a bit of an up-and-down last few seasons. In 2012, he established himself as a legitimate major...

Williams discusses roster decisions involving Soriano, Detwiler, Hairston

Williams discusses roster decisions involving Soriano, Detwiler, Hairston
The Nationals' starting lineup for Game 1 of the National League Division Series didn't feature any surprises. The back end of the team's 25-man roster might have surprised some. The Nationals opted to put Rafael Soriano on their roster for the NLDS, while Ross Detwiler was left out of the eight-man bullpen. Detwiler had one clunker down the stretch, allowing three runs in an inning against the Braves, but was unscored upon in seven of his eight September appearances. Soriano was tremendous...

Update on Desmond's back and the pitchers speak after 6-4 win

Update on Desmond's back and the pitchers speak after 6-4 win
The Nationals' quick start paid dividends late in a 6-4 series-clinching victory over the Braves on Tuesday night. First baseman Adam LaRoche, the co-Player of the Week in the National League, had two singles and two RBIs has the Nationals built a 5-0 lead against right-hander Ervin Santana after two innings. "That doesn't happen too often against that guy," LaRoche said. "He's a pretty good pitcher. He's got a few different pitches and a lot of times they all look the same coming out of...

Nationals need Blevins and Detwiler to be more consistent

Nationals need Blevins and Detwiler to be more consistent
It is important for the left side of the Nationals bullpen to regain some consistency as the September stretch run soon commences. Left-hander Jerry Blevins has hit a couple of rough spots. In his last 10 appearances, Blevins is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA. He has allowed eight earned runs in the past 10 2/3 innings. Blevins has a 2.31 ERA versus left-handed batters and an 8.31 ERA against right-handed hitters. Left-hander Ross Detwiler is 1-0 with a 5.84 ERA in his last 10 games. He also has allowed...

Hearing from Strasburg, Detwiler, Storen, Rendon and Frandsen after marathon loss to Reds

Hearing from Strasburg, Detwiler, Storen, Rendon and Frandsen after marathon loss to Reds
Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg did not factor in the decision of Monday's 4-3 loss in 15 innings to the Reds. But Strasburg was able to go seven innings and allowed just two runs. "Felt pretty good, battled," Strasburg said. "Fastball was up a little bit tonight. Trying to keep it close." A key play in the game came in the seventh when the Nationals were able to get Billy Hamilton caught between third and home plate. Strasburg could see Hamilton leading off of third base. "I...

Nationals need confident Detwiler to solidify left side of bullpen

Nationals need confident Detwiler to solidify left side of bullpen
Losing 8-0 is never fun. But getting Ross Detwiler some extended work is a promising sign. Doug Fister struggled in his first start for the Nationals, surrendering seven runs, five of them earned runs, in 4 1/3 innings. Detwiler had a very difficult May 6 against the Dodgers, giving up four runs on three hits himself, over one inning. But Friday he was able to hang in there, getting out of the fifth inning for Fister. Detwiler went 2 1/3 frames, scattering three hits, one hit batter, striking...

Patrick Reddington: Finally, it's time for Fister's debut

Patrick Reddington: Finally, it's time for Fister's debut
Gio Gonzalez said this winter that he was a "big, big fan of Doug Fister." The acquisition of the 6-foot-8 right-hander, according to Gonzalez, was like "knowing that you just got the brand-new car you wanted for Christmas." "For me," Gonzalez said, "when you've got someone with that kind of presence, he's going to set the tone in the fourth spot, fifth spot, first spot, second spot. It doesn't matter where he is in that rotation. He's just going to be to us an ace." Ross Detwiler,...