Stephen Strasburg watched the Nationals and Rockies combine for 21 runs on 28 hits, including four homers on Tuesday night. He entered Wednesday's start having lost his only two outings at Coors Field, dinged with a 5.56 ERA. But the talented right-hander blocked all of that out as he blitzed the Rockies lineup with a blazing, high-90s fastball, a baffling changeup and a filthy curveball in the Nationals' 4-1 win. The Rockies combined an error and a wild pitch to score an unearned run off...

The Nationals' offensive struggles continued in last night's 3-2 loss to the Orioles. In six of the last 10 games, the Nationals have scored two runs or fewer, resulting in six losses. Tyler Moore and Michael A. Taylor delivered two-out RBIs in the fifth inning yesterday, but that was all the Nats could manage despite collecting 10 hits on the night. Moore's run-scoring double was the Nationals only extra-base hit. "Two runs in this stadium is tough," Moore said. "We need to score more,...

A sold-out Nationals Park watched the home team notch its eighth straight series win with today's 4-1 win over the Phillies. The Nationals are on a 19-5 clip over their last 24 games, vaulting them to first place in the National League East, and the fans are responding. 41,044 filled the ball park to see their young, budding superstar Bryce Harper drive in the go-ahead run in the fifth and another in the seventh to reclaim the major league lead with 41 RBIs. "I thrive on big crowds," Harper...

Ryan Zimmerman's dramatic walk-off blast overshadowed many significant moments in last night's 11th come-from-behind win, and rightfully so. But, the Nationals were able to get to Zimmerman's extra inning heroics because Wilson Ramos aggressively stepped to the plate in the sixth and blasted a game-tying solo home run. "In that situation, we were down by one and I get three balls in a row and I saw the third base coach he give me the green light to swing the bat," Ramos said. "But, I'm...

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson returned to Nationals Park today as the team honored its first manager by unveiling his name in the Nationals Ring of Honor. Robinson became the Nationals first manager, guiding the team from Montreal to Washington. "I take a lot of pride in it," Robinson said. "The players were great. It was a good situation for us coming from Montreal although it was kind of bittersweet to leave those fans up there." Robinson's Nationals greatly overachieved in their first...

The Nationals have finally reached the end - and yet just the beginning. Six weeks ago, it started with some of the game's elite pitchers reporting to the same clubhouse in Space Coast Stadium. You could probably say the hype machine officially commenced in mid-January when the Nats stunned the baseball world by signing right-hander Max Scherzer. But it was really the first day of spring training when the Nats embarked on this journey, as the barrage of never-ending questions regarding...

JUPITER, Fla. - Nationals manager Matt Williams is concerned Anthony Rendon will not be ready for the beginning of the season after revealing that his third baseman underwent a second MRI exam on his sprained left MCL yesterday. Rendon has not played since injuring the knee while making a brilliant stop against the Braves on March 9. The Mets come to Nationals Park in just 13 days for the official start of the 2015 season. Williams' optimism for Rendon's availability is fading quickly. "I...

VIERA, Fla. - Michael A. Taylor came to Viera with the goal of making a shorter trip back north to D.C. instead of to Triple-A Syracuse at the end of spring training. He had no idea that would entail being the Nationals' opening day center fielder. That could be Taylor's role since Denard Span's abdominal surgery has likely cost him the beginning of the season. Taylor has answered the call by hitting .292 with a homer, two triples, a double and three RBIs in eight starts this spring....

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - An ingrown toenail has forced Stephen Strasburg to be scratched from making his second start of the spring today. Highly ranked prospect A.J. Cole, who was scheduled to pitch at some point against the Mets, will now get the ball first. It will be Cole's second appearance of the exhibition season after giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits in 2 1/3 innings against the Cardinals on Saturday. This is actually the second go-around for Cole with the Nationals, who...

VIERA, Fla. - All position players are due to report for Nationals spring training today. As of Monday evening, outfielders Jayson Werth and Mike Carp, and infielders Wilmer Difo and Yunel Escobar were the only players who had not yet appeared at Space Coast Stadium. Much of the focus will be on Escobar when he trots out to his new second base position on Thursday, the first day of full-squad workouts. The Nationals traded Tyler Clippard, one of baseball's most reliable relievers, in order to...

SAN DIEGO - Last spring, the Nationals intended to give third baseman Ryan Zimmerman some reps at first base, the first steps in preparation for an eventual positional switch. Manager Matt Williams devised some interesting wordplay to cover the order in which Zimmerman, dealing with right shoulder soreness that had limited his availability two weeks before camp broke, would tackle those assignments. "I want him to play third first - no pun intended - and then play first second," Williams...