Fister not sharp again, but Harper and company play longball

Fister not sharp again, but Harper and company play longball
VIERA, Fla. - Nationals right-hander Doug Fister has struggled the past few times he's taken the hill. The Marlins tagged Fister for three home runs in the Nats' 11-7 win this afternoon. He's allowed 13 earned runs and given up six homers in just five starts this spring. "Basically command (was the issue), mostly on the sinker," said Fister. "Making sure that it's down and on the corners. It was up a little bit too much today. Gotta keep it down, but in and out it wasn't too bad. I'm...

Jordan Zimmermann stellar again, not optimistic about contract extension

Jordan Zimmermann stellar again, not optimistic about contract extension
VIERA, Fla. - On a windy day with storms all over Florida, Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann was able to bear down and deliver another solid performance in today's 1-1 tie with the Cardinals. The right-hander allowed just one run while scattering four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in six innings. "I felt good, felt strong," said Zimmermann. "Arm felt fine. It wasn't the ideal conditions to pitch in today, but I survived." "I didn't have very good control of anything. Moving...

Jose Lobaton flashing the lumber (another tie for Nats)

Jose Lobaton flashing the lumber (another tie for Nats)
NATIONALS QUICK WRAP Score: Nationals 1, Cardinals 1 (nine innings) Recap: Jordan Zimmermann allowed just one run on four hits with two walks, a hit batter and four strikeouts in six innings. Catcher Jose Lobaton drove in the Nats' only run when he doubled home second baseman Dan Uggla in the second. It was part of a 3-for-3 day for Lobaton that included two doubles. Need to know: The Nats offense is sputtering the past three games, having scored only four runs in 27 innings. Reliever Drew...

Max Scherzer, Wilson Ramos are still working to get on the same page

Max Scherzer, Wilson Ramos are still working to get on the same page
VIERA, Fla. - The first time Wilson Ramos crouched behind the plate to catch Max Scherzer, he lasted only three pitches before realizing it was the wrong time to break in a new mitt. The Nationals catcher grabbed his old, broken-in glove and settled back in to begin learning the newest member of the Nats' elite rotation. "Everything's moving," Ramos said with a bit of amazement. "That's impressive. Pitchers like him, not too many in this game." Familiarizing himself with Scherzer's...

The plan is for Scherzer to go three innings (with lineups)

The plan is for Scherzer to go three innings (with lineups)
JUPITER, Fla. - Right-hander Max Scherzer gets his second start of the exhibition season today against the Miami Marlins. He's expected to pitch three innings or around 55 pitches, according to Nationals manager Matt Williams. Jose Lobaton will get his first chance of the spring to work with Scherzer behind the plate. Danny Espinosa starts at shortstop today and should get more opportunities to familiarize himself with batting from the right side against right-handed pitching with former...

Nats positional preview: Catcher

Nats positional preview: Catcher
With just about two weeks remaining until pitchers and catchers report, we begin our daily position-by-position breakdown of the Nationals. We lead off with catcher. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has assembled one of best starting pitching rotations in the past few decades. The staff possesses a unique array of pitches and personalities. Manager Matt Williams and pitching coach Steve McCatty will mostly rely on Wilson Ramos to handle each of them behind the plate throughout the...

By one metric, Ramos and Lobaton a formidable tandem behind the plate

By one metric, Ramos and Lobaton a formidable tandem behind the plate
Not so long ago, general managers putting together their rosters didn't fret much over catchers. You had your starter, who hopefully could hit a little and was at least passable defensively. And you had a backup, whose skill set was the opposite of your starter. If the starting backstop was a good defender, you looked for a backup with a decent bat; if your starting catcher was better with the stick than the glove, you looked for a good catch-and-throw guy who might function as a late-inning...

Interpreting Rizzo's comments on bolstering Nats' bench options (with minor league note)

Interpreting Rizzo's comments on bolstering Nats' bench options (with minor league note)
SAN DIEGO - The dance between reporters seeking information and team executives reluctant to part with it is the crux of many conversations at the Winter Meetings. Whether it's an informal chat in the hotel bar or the packed lobby, or every afternoon's formal interview session, the tango begins anew with every conversation. We want information. They want us to have only the information they want to share. We ask, they answer. We ask again, they rephrase the original response - or scowl,...

Watch four "Nationals Classics" on MASN HD this week

Watch four "Nationals Classics" on MASN HD this week
As the weather continues to get colder in the Washington D.C. area, the hot stove continues to heat up around the baseball world. While general manager Mike Rizzo continues to work on the Nationals' roster at the Winter Meetings, relive four magical games from the 2014 season. By all accounts, 2014 was the season of walk-off wins for the Nationals. And no, I'm not just talking about the 10-game winning streak in August, Many of the Nats' walk-off wins came before and after the winning...

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...

Turning our attention back to the bench

Turning our attention back to the bench
As it stands right now, the Nationals appear to have at least three, and possibly four, of their bench spots for 2015 accounted for. Kevin Frandsen avoided arbitration the other day, signing a $1 million contract for next season, with another $300,000 in incentives possible. He'll be back as the team's versatile, do-everything right-handed bat. Frandsen can play first, second, third or left field, and is always eager to put on the catching gear and catch a bullpen session when needed. Jose...

A trade that quietly reaped benefits

A trade that quietly reaped benefits
When assessing the roster moves made by Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo that made a major impact on the Nats' division title, a couple jump out at you. The trade that brought Asdrubal Cabrera over just before the non-waiver trade deadline gave the Nationals an experienced infielder who delivered a number of clutch hits and played a smooth second base. The waiver claim that added left-hander Matt Thornton to the bullpen in early August bolstered the left side of the 'pen and added a...

Williams on lineup stability: "We trust our guys, we have faith in our guys"

Williams on lineup stability: "We trust our guys, we have faith in our guys"
SAN FRANCISCO - Constructing a lineup when you're down two games to none in a best-of-five series isn't easy. You might want to shake things up a bit, find a way to inject some life into your team, especially when the lineup you've gone with in Games 1 and 2 has only scored three total runs and is batting .160 to this point. But you also don't want to blow things up and send a message to your team that you're panicking. The Nats have had plenty of offensive success over the last few...

Nationals catchers stingy on stolen bases (LaRoche award finalist)

Nationals catchers stingy on stolen bases (LaRoche award finalist)
While watching the miraculous Royals comeback Tuesday and thrilling(!) 9-8 12-inning dispatch of the A's, I marveled at the speed and running ability of the home team. Kansas City stole seven bases in the game. During each comeback attempt, the Royals took an extra base on steals and wild pitches. Instead of relying on base hit after base hit, the Royals needed just a couple per inning to score runs. The Nationals were sixth in the National League in stolen bases with 101. The Dodgers (138)...

Clubhouse chatter after Nats finish 9-2 road trip with 2-1 win

Clubhouse chatter after Nats finish 9-2 road trip with 2-1 win
There were a few tense minutes while Marlins hitters were crushing balls with authority in the ninth inning, but Rafael Soriano worked his way around a leadoff pinch-hit double by Reed Johnson and finished off a 2-1 Nationals win Sunday afternoon with his 32nd save. The Nats end their final regular season road trip with a 9-2 record and have upped the win count to 91. Not too shabby. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg worked seven shutout innings today, picking up his 13th win. He had to deal with...

Williams on the Strasburg-Lobaton battery and Frandsen

Williams on the Strasburg-Lobaton battery and Frandsen
Stephen Strasburg's numbers this season are noticeably different when Wilson Ramos and Jose Lobaton are behind the plate this season. In 14 starts throwing to Ramos, Strasburg has a 3.30 ERA. In 11 starts with Lobaton at catcher, Strasburg has posted a 2.94 ERA. So as the Nationals right-hander takes the mound tonight in Seattle, he's again paired with the backstop with which he's had the most success - Lobaton. This marks Strasburg's fourth consecutive start with Lobaton serving as...

Hearing from Strasburg, Lobaton, Hairston, Harper and Espinosa after 14-6 win

Hearing from Strasburg, Lobaton, Hairston, Harper and Espinosa after 14-6 win
It did not work out for right-hander Stephen Strasburg on Sunday, after allowing five runs on eight hits in four innings. But his teammates got back in the game and then overtook the Giants 14-6. "Yeah, it's huge. They picked me up," Strasburg said of his teammates. "Obviously, I didn't go out there and pitch like I wanted to, but there's going to be games like that and they came up big." Home runs by leadoff man Gregor Blanco and Travis Ishikawa set the tone as the Giants piled up a...

Lobaton gets start in finale vs. Giants (with Giants lineup)

Lobaton gets start in finale vs. Giants (with Giants lineup)
The Nationals are seeking their fourth straight series win this afternoon. With a win over the Giants, the Nats will finish their 10-game homestand with a 9-1 record. Stephen Strasburg will face the Giants' Ryan Vogelsong. Strasburg is 2-0 with 0.60 ERA in 15 innings pitched over his last two starts. Catcher Jose Lobaton was behind the plate in both of Strasburg's previous two starts. For the Nationals CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond LF...

Nationals lineup for series finale vs. Mets

Nationals lineup for series finale vs. Mets
Jose Lobaton will once again get the start behind the plate for the Nationals this afternoon. Wilson Ramos, who has been on the Paternity List since Tuesday, is still at the hospital with his family following the birth of his first daughter. Jordan Zimmermann will take the mound for the Nats. Over his last two starts, Zimmermann is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA and has struck out 14. He will be facing rookie Jacob deGrom. For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam...

Cabrera activated, Barrett optioned; Lobaton talks trade (plus lineup)

Cabrera activated, Barrett optioned; Lobaton talks trade (plus lineup)
The Nationals officially activated infielder Asdrubal Cabrera today and optioned right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett to Triple-A Syracuse. The club acquired Cabrera and cash considerations yesterday in exchange for infielder Zach Walters. Cabrera has made 149 starts at second base in his career and is a career .270 hitter. The 26-year-old Barrett is 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 40 appearances for the Nationals. Blake Treinen, who was called up Thursday, will remain with the team. Nationals...