Williams on Treinen, Span, Barrett and concerns so far

Williams on Treinen, Span, Barrett and concerns so far
The Nationals needed another fresh arm in the bullpen, so they sent hard-throwing right-hander Blake Treinen to Triple-A Syracuse and called up left-hander Xavier Cedeno. Treinen, 25, allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings in last night's 8-0 loss to the Cardinals and pitched to a 1.35 ERA over three appearances during his first career stint in the majors. Before Friday's game at Nationals Park, manager Matt Williams explained the roster move and detailed the plan for Treinen. "The plan for him...

Opposite dugout: Struggling on offense, Red Sox welcome Birds to Boston

Opposite dugout: Struggling on offense, Red Sox welcome Birds to Boston
Manager: John Farrell, second year Record: 7-9 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Mike Napoli (.304/.400/.500, 3 HR, 9 RBIs); OF Grady Sizemore (.273/.327/.455, 2 HR, 5 RBIs); RHP Jake Peavy (0-0, 1.93 ERA, .179 BAA); RHP John Lackey (2-1, 3.86 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 2-1, 11 runs scored, 7 runs allowed Pitching probables April 18: John Lackey vs. Chris Tillman, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 19: Felix Doubront vs. Bud Norris, 1:30 p.m., MASN HD April 20: Jake Peavy vs. Ubaldo Jimenez,...

Opposite dugout: St. Louis playing right cards in rotation

Opposite dugout: St. Louis playing right cards in rotation
Manager: Mike Matheny, third year Record: 9-6 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: C Yadier Molina (.352/.386/.574, 3 HR, 9 RBIs); 1B Matt Adams (.362/.393/.517, 7 XBH, 2 RBIs); RHP Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.89 ERA, 0.95 WHIP); RHP Adam Wainwright (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 6-0, 19 runs scored, 8 runs allowed Pitching probables April 17: Adam Wainwright vs. Taylor Jordan, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 18: Michael Wacha vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 19: Lance Lynn vs....

Walters, Werth and Roark discuss Nats' win over Marlins

Walters, Werth and Roark discuss Nats' win over Marlins
Jayson Werth and Zach Walters had as big a hand as anyone in the Nats' 6-3 come-from-behind win over the Marlins on Wednesday. Werth tied it with a three-run homer in the sixth and Walters gave the Nats a 4-3 lead with a homer in the eighth. Right-hander Tanner Roark also contributed, giving up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. All three talked about the win in the visiting clubhouse at Marlins Park. Walters on his approach to the at-bat where he homered: "Trying to get on base, first of...

Williams on comebacks: "It's a good thing. Not ideal, but good"

Williams on comebacks: "It's a good thing. Not ideal, but good"
The Nationals are now up to five comeback wins in 15 games, meaning more than half of their victories have come when the opponent scores first. The jury's out on whether that's the best way to build a winning record, but so far, it has the Nats coming home from a six-game road trip with a 9-6 mark. What exactly does it say about the Nats that they keep getting up after being knocked down? "Just that they fight. It's good that they fight," manager Matt Williams said after his team's 6-3...

Dietrich goes deep on Roark, Werth ties it (Walters homers, Nats win 6-3)

Dietrich goes deep on Roark, Werth ties it (Walters homers, Nats win 6-3)
Tanner Roark and Jose Fernandez were swapping zeroes... until Derek Dietrich stepped to the plate in the Marlins' half of the fourth. With two on and one out, Dietrich took Roark deep to right-center, breaking a scoreless tie with the three-run homer and putting the Nationals in a familiar position - comeback mode. This time, they're charged with erasing a 3-0 deficit against the Marlins ace, who has held the Nats scoreless on one hit while fanning five and walking none through four frames....

Updating Span's status, Fister's throwing schedule and more

Updating Span's status, Fister's throwing schedule and more
Denard Span, who was placed on the seven-day disabled list for concussions on Saturday, has returned to Washington ahead of the Nationals to be checked out by doctors and begin working his way back. Span had an appointment today and could potentially start a rehab assignment as early as Thursday. "If he passes his tests, which we expect him to do, he'll go out on a rehab assignment as early as tomorrow and get three at-bats and see how he feels after that," Nats manager Matt Williams said...

Opposite dugout: Marlins hope to stop spiral sparked in D.C.

Opposite dugout: Marlins hope to stop spiral sparked in D.C.
Manager: Mike Redmond, second year Record: 5-8 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: RF Giancarlo Stanton (.291/.339/.564, 4 HR, 16 RBIs); 3B Casey McGehee (.298/.382/.447, 6 XBH, 11 RBIs); RHP Jose Fernandez (2-1, 3.78 ERA, 23 K); RHP Tom Koehler (1-1, 3.00 ERA) Season series vs. Nats: 0-3, 8 runs scored, 22 runs allowed Pitching probables April 14: Brad Hand vs. Jordan Zimmermann, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 15: Tom Koehler vs. Stephen Strasburg, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 16: Jose Fernandez vs. Tanner...

Opposite dugout: Same old Rays ride arms into first meeting with O's

Opposite dugout: Same old Rays ride arms into first meeting with O's
Manager: Joe Maddon, ninth year Record: 7-6 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: OF Matt Joyce (.355/.475/.613, 2 HR, 7 RBIs); 2B Ben Zobrist (.277/.382/.489, 3 HR, 6 RBIs); LHP David Price (2-0, 2.91 ERA, 21 2/3 IP, 22 K, 2 BB); RHP Grant Balfour (4 saves, 0.00 ERA, .071 BAA) Season series vs. O's (2013): 13-6, 104 runs scored, 86 runs allowed Pitching probables April 14: Chris Archer vs. Wei-Yin Chen, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 15: Jake Odorizzi vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 16: David...

Williams on Strasburg, saving the 'pen and two big homers

Williams on Strasburg, saving the 'pen and two big homers
With the bullpen thin, the Nationals needed a strong outing from their starter Thursday, and Stephen Strasburg came through. Strasburg held the Marlins to one run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out 12 and walking one. That kept the Nats up 2-1 until they put up a five-spot in the eighth inning to pull away for a sweep-clinching 7-1 victory. It also made it so manager Matt Williams could get through the game with the few relievers he had fully available. Jerry Blevins tossed one...

Opposite dugout: Braves take on top division rival for last time until June

Opposite dugout: Braves take on top division rival for last time until June
Manager: Fredi Gonzalez, fourth year Record: 5-4 Last 10 games: 5-4 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.419/.514/.677, 2 HR, 5 RBIs); LF Justin Upton (.264/.324/.441, 2 HR, 3 RBIs); RHP Julio Teheran (1-1, 2.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP); RHP Aaron Harang (1-1, 0.71 ERA, 0.71 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 2-1, 9 runs scored, 5 runs allowed Pitching probables April 11: Julio Teheran vs. Tanner Roark, 7:30 p.m., MASN HD April 12: Alex Wood vs. Taylor Jordan, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 13: Aaron Harang vs. Gio...

Opposite dugout: Blue Jays take powerful bats into Baltimore

Opposite dugout: Blue Jays take powerful bats into Baltimore
Manager: John Gibbons, second year Record: 5-5 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: RF Jose Bautista (.233/.452/.667, 4 HR, 6 RBIs); LF Melky Cabrera (.333/.333/.644, 4 HR, 5 RBIs); LHP Mark Buehrle (2-0, 0.64 ERA, 14 IP, 14 K, 2 BB); RHP Sergio Santos (3 saves, 2.70 ERA) Season series vs. O's (2013): 9-10, 97 runs scored, 94 runs allowed Pitching probables April 11: Dustin McGowan vs. Chris Tillman, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 12: Drew Hutchison vs. Bud Norris, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 13: Mark Buehrle...

Opposite dugout: Fish hope to keep flying in D.C.

Opposite dugout: Fish hope to keep flying in D.C.
Manager: Mike Redmond, second year Record: 5-2 Last 10 games: 5-2 Who to watch: RF Giancarlo Stanton (.345/.406/.655, 2 HR, 7 R, 12 RBIs); 3B Casey McGehee (.375/.467/.625, 5 XBH, 10 RBIs); SS Adeiny Hechavarria (.393/.379/.464, 3 RBIs, 6 R); RHP Tom Koehler (1-0, 3.00 ERA) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 5-14, 52 runs scored, 86 runs allowed Pitching probables April 8: Henderson Alvarez vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 9: Jacob Turner vs. Tanner Roark, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 10: Tom...

Opposite dugout: Yankees still looking to hit early stride

Opposite dugout: Yankees still looking to hit early stride
Manager: Joe Girardi, seventh year Record: 3-3 Last 10 games: 3-3 Who to watch: 3B Yangervis Solarte (.471/.526/.706, 4 doubles, 5 RBIs); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.333/.417/.429, 2 doubles, 3 SB); RHP Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 8 Ks, O BB); RHP Hiroki Kuroda (0-1, 3.00 ERA) Season series vs. O's (2013): 10-9, 72 runs scored, 77 runs allowed Pitching probables April 7: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 1 p.m., MASN HD April 8: Ivan Nova vs. Wei-Yin Chen, 1 p.m., MASN HD April 9: Masahiro Tanaka...

Williams on the sweep, Roark, tomorrow's starter (plus Zimmerman)

Williams on the sweep, Roark, tomorrow's starter (plus Zimmerman)
Manager Matt Williams covered an array of topics after Thursday's 8-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field, including Jordan Zimmermann's status, Tanner Roark's quality spot start and the Nats' sweep. Perhaps the main topic is whether Zimmermann can start the Nationals' home opener Friday after being scratched Thursday because of flu-like symptoms. The first indication that Zimmermann might be on track to prevent the Nats from employing a bullpen game tomorrow is the fact that the team used...

Roark comes through to give Nats quality in a pinch

Roark comes through to give Nats quality in a pinch
Tanner Roark didn't know he'd be on the mound Thursday until right around three hours before first pitch. Jordan Zimmermann walked in sick and the Nats turned to tomorrow's scheduled starter in a pinch. Didn't turn out to be much of an obstacle once he got past allowing a two-run Mets rally in the first inning. The Nationals right-hander held New York scoreless over his last five frames, opening his season with a quality start - two earned runs in six innings to earn the decision in an 8-2...

Roark recovers for quality start, Nats add to lead (Nats win 8-2)

Roark recovers for quality start, Nats add to lead (Nats win 8-2)
Tanner Roark's day is done after a solid recovery from his rough first frame. When the Nationals right-hander allowed two runs in the first inning, prospects for a good day seemed dim. But he bounced back to put together a quality start, finishing with two earned runs on six hits in six innings. Roark struck out five and walked three on the way to opening his season with a quality start. Roark held the Mets scoreless over his final five frames, buying the Nats time to come back, which they...

Rocky start for Roark (Nats take 3-2 lead)

Rocky start for Roark (Nats take 3-2 lead)
Perhaps it was the lack of mental preparation that came with last-second notice that he'd be starting today, but Tanner Roark's first inning was one he'd rather forget. The Nationals right-hander allowed two runs on three hits, a walk and a sac fly in the first inning to put the team in an early 2-0 hole. Daniel Murphy started the rally with a one-out single before David Wright singled on a lazy pop fly that center fielder Denard Span lost in the sun. Curtis Granderson followed with an...

Williams on Zimmermann, Roark and the upcoming pitching situation (plus video)

Williams on Zimmermann, Roark and the upcoming pitching situation (plus video)
The Nationals were hoping to get their first regular season look at Jordan Zimmermann this afternoon, but will have to wait after the right-hander fell ill last night. Tanner Roark, originally scheduled to pitch Friday, will start the series finale against the Mets. Before Thursday's game at Citi Field, manager Matt Williams said that Zimmermann is running a fever and spent all night sick to his stomach. Zimmermann is being treated with fluids and will head back to Washington ahead of the...

Opposite dugout: Braves in town to reopen rivalry with Nats

Opposite dugout: Braves in town to reopen rivalry with Nats
Manager: Fredi Gonzalez, fourth year Record: 2-1 Last 10 games: 2-1 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.333/.500/1.000, 2 HR, 2 RBIs); RF Jason Heyward (.250/.308/.500, 1 HR, 2 RBIs); RHP Julio Teheran (1-0, 3.00 ERA); RHP Craig Kimbrel (2 saves, 0.00 ERA) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 13-6, 73 runs scored, 49 runs allowed Pitching probables April 4: David Hale vs. TBA, 1 p.m., MASN HD April 5: Julio Teheran vs. Stephen Strasburg, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 6: Alex Wood vs. Taylor Jordan, 1:30...