Losing streak ends with 3-2 Nats win

Losing streak ends with 3-2 Nats win
MILWAUKEE - Tanner Roark is through three scoreless innings against the Brewers. Now if only the offense could do something to help the right-hander. Roark has allowed one hit - Jonathan Lucroy's leadoff single in the second - walked one and struck out three. Jonathan Villar drew a leadoff walk in the first, but was erased trying to steal on a strong throw from catcher Jose Lobaton. The Nationals are still searching for their first hit. Ben Revere's sharp two-out grounder to second could have...

Cubs score late to drop Nats 4-3

Cubs score late to drop Nats 4-3
In a tie game in the ninth inning, Jonathan Papelbon would usually be summoned. But with the closer on the disabled list with a intercostal strain, left-hander Sammy Solis battled through the eighth and ninth innings. With the score tied at 3-3 in the ninth, the Cubs used an Albert Almora Jr. RBI double to take a 4-3 lead. The Nats were unable to score a run in their last at-bats against Hector Rondon. The Cubs evened the series with the 4-3 victory. The Nationals had trouble solving Cubs...

Espinosa's home run barrage continues (Werth walk-off wins it)

Espinosa's home run barrage continues (Werth walk-off wins it)
Danny Espinosa is on some kind of home run barrage right now. The oft-maligned, light-hitting shortstop has been making a case for himself over the last two weeks with an impressive power display, and he is up to it again this afternoon. Espinosa's leadoff homer in the bottom of the second gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead over the Phillies and kept his run alive. He has now homered eight times in his last 14 games. This latest blast, on Adam Morgan's first pitch of the bottom of the second,...

Shields ransacked in Chicago debut (Nats win 11-4)

Shields ransacked in Chicago debut (Nats win 11-4)
CHICAGO - On the bright side for James Shields and the White Sox, there's nowhere to go but up from here. The Nationals are putting a hurting on Shields in his White Sox debut, pounding out six runs on seven hits (three of them homers) in two innings to open up a commanding 6-0 lead at U.S. Cellular Field. Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Drew and Danny Espinosa all homered in their first at-bats, the latter two prompting the crowd to boo their recently acquired veteran right-hander. Shields, just...

Werth makes most of day off, launches grand slam off bench

Werth makes most of day off, launches grand slam off bench
Different players approach days off in different ways. Some like to take a full mental and physical break, and just watch the game from the dugout, available only in case of emergency. Others like to take the opportunity to work on something, maybe find what has been missing from their swing that perhaps provoked the day off. Jayson Werth has taken both approaches during his career, preferring rest when he's physically ailing but wanting to tinker when he's healthy and perhaps struggling. So...

Harper, Ramos deliver during three-run rally (Nats win 10-2)

Harper, Ramos deliver during three-run rally (Nats win 10-2)
The Nationals have nearly been no-hit by Michael Wacha before. They certainly didn't want to find themselves in that same boat today, so it's safe to say they breathed a sigh of relief when Michael A. Taylor broke up the right-hander's shot at history before things started to get too serious. And then it's safe to say they were downright giddy when Taylor's double in the bottom of the fourth set the table for a three-run rally that has given them a 3-1 lead. Taylor's leadoff double...

Cardinals pile up early runs off Gonzalez (Nats lose 9-4)

Cardinals pile up early runs off Gonzalez (Nats lose 9-4)
As he walked off the mound following a dominant top of the first, having struck out all three batters he faced on 15 pitches, Gio Gonzalez had the look of a pitcher primed for a big night. As he walked off the same mound following a disastrous top of the second, having allowed four runs on 40 pitches, Gonzalez had the look of a pitcher primed for a long night. Suffice it to say that things escalated quickly here at Nationals Park, where the Cardinals lead 5-2. The Cardinals rocked Gonzalez...

Scherzer allows grand slam, Cardinals down Nats 6-2

Scherzer allows grand slam, Cardinals down Nats 6-2
Last Sunday in Miami, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer pitched well in an 8-2 victory over the Marlins. After that game, Scherzer said he felt like he might be rounding into "midseason form." Friday night against the Cardinals was a different story. Scherzer's season-long issue of allowing home runs continued. But this time, it was a major home run that changed the complexion of the game. With the bases loaded and a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, Stephen Piscotty launched a grand slam...

Home run barrage follows early zeros (Nats win 7-4)

Home run barrage follows early zeros (Nats win 7-4)
Matt Harvey and Stephen Strasburg spent the first three innings of tonight's rematch trying to one-up each other, posting dueling zeros on the scoreboard to the delight of many in the crowd and the disgust of others in what has turned into a bipartisan ballpark. But then came the fourth inning, which featured three solo homers: one from the Mets' Asdrubal Cabrera, then back-to-back shots from the Nats' Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon to give their team a 2-1 lead. Strasburg had retired the...

Nats get blown out 7-1 in second game of doubleheader

Nats get blown out 7-1 in second game of doubleheader
Doubleheader sweeps are no easy task. Certainly not when they require a Tanner Roark victory over the Marlins. Needing their otherwise effective right-hander to reverse his recent trend against Miami, the Nationals instead watched a familiar storyline play out tonight. They lost the nightcap of a split-doubleheader 7-1, with every run charged to Roark. The Nationals had taken this afternoon's opener 6-4 behind an effective start from Stephen Strasburg, some clutch hits from several members of...

Roark still having trouble figuring out Marlins (Nats lose 7-1)

Roark still having trouble figuring out Marlins (Nats lose 7-1)
There's something about the Marlins that turns Tanner Roark from a dominant big league pitcher into just another guy on the mound. Who knows why this is, but facts are facts. And the fact is, the Marlins hit Roark like no other team in baseball. It's happening again tonight, with Miami plating three early runs off Roark to take a lead over the Nationals in the nightcap of their split doubleheader. Roark managed to get out of the first inning unscathed, which was no minor achievement for him....

Teams continue to play Walk-a-Bryce (Nats win 5-3)

Teams continue to play Walk-a-Bryce (Nats win 5-3)
Joe Maddon started the trend last weekend in Chicago. Now the craze is catching on elsewhere. Everybody in baseball wants to play Walk-a-Bryce. The Marlins became the latest team to pitch around Bryce Harper, walking the Nationals star in each of his first two plate appearances, not even making much of an attempt to give him anything to hit. Right-hander Tom Koehler walked Harper on four straight balls in the bottom of the first inning. Two innings later, he walked him on five pitches - though...

Strasburg deal is official

Strasburg deal is official
The Nationals officially announced their seven-year contract extension with Stephen Strasburg and plan to hold a 2:15 p.m. news conference to discuss their new deal with the right-hander. Strasburg and the club came to terms on the contract, which a source familiar with the deal confirmed is worth $175 million, last night. The 27-year-old then started the Nats' interleague series opener against the Tigers, giving up four runs over seven innings, striking out 11 while walking three batters. The...

Nationals rally on night Strasburg reportedly gets big extension

Nationals rally on night Strasburg reportedly gets big extension
Right-hander Stephen Strasburg started his 139th career game with the Nationals on Monday night, taking a no-decision in an eventual 5-4 walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers. Clint Robinson cranked a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to complete the comeback for the Nationals, his first ever walk-off shot. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Nationals, who trailed 4-1 in the sixth. But the news most will remember from Monday was that Strasburg had reportedly signed a...

Runs not at a premium on cold, windy day at Wrigley (Nats lose 8-5)

Runs not at a premium on cold, windy day at Wrigley (Nats lose 8-5)
CHICAGO - On a cold, windy afternoon at Wrigley Field, where the ball isn't likely to leave the yard with nearly as much ease as it did yesterday, the Nationals and Cubs knew they'd have to manufacture their offense. The Nats did just that in the top of the third, using both a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. Moments later, it was the Cubs' turn to advance a runner via bunt, setting up the RBI triple that tied this game. But then Kris Bryant proved it possible to drive...

Nationals shut out by Cubs, 5-2, in opener of key series

Nationals shut out by Cubs, 5-2, in opener of key series
CHICAGO - The opener of a marquee series between the National League's top two teams featured plenty of big names, plenty of dominant pitching performances and some highlight-reel defense. What it didn't include was very much offense by the visitors. The Cubs managed to pull off a 5-2 victory over the Nationals thanks to a pair of big hits by Ben Zobrist: His two-run single to right in the bottom of the fourth, then his two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, spoiling a mostly strong...

First-inning offense continues, even without Harper (Nats win 2-0)

First-inning offense continues, even without Harper (Nats win 2-0)
KANSAS CITY - The Nationals continue to do damage in the first inning, even if Bryce Harper isn't contributing to it. With Harper mired in a sudden slump, the Nats have had to turn to others for offense. They delivered all weekend during a three-game sweep in St. Louis, and they delivered again in the top of the first tonight in their interleague series opener in at Kauffman Stadium, scoring two quick runs to take an early lead. Michael A. Taylor and Anthony Rendon set the table with a leadoff...

Game underway after 36-minute delay

Game underway after 36-minute delay
The start of today's Phillies-Nationals game has been delayed due to rain. The original scheduled first pitch at Nationals Park was 4:05 p.m. The Nationals have announced they are hoping to begin the game at 4:40 p.m. The Nats are heading on a 10-game road trip after the game and are hoping to get this game in before they depart for St. Louis. The Nationals next face the Phillies at home June 10-12 with no off-day before or after that series. After that, the final series at home against the...

Gonzalez, Hellickson locked in pitchers' duel (Nats lose 3-0)

Gonzalez, Hellickson locked in pitchers' duel (Nats lose 3-0)
The good news: Gio Gonzalez continues to pitch like a new man. The bad news: His Nationals teammates are making Jeremy Hellickson look just as good so far tonight. Both Gonzalez and Hellickson have posted dueling zeroes for four innings, turning a chilly Wednesday night at Nationals Park into a bit of a surprising pitchers' duel between the Nats and Phillies. Gonzalez set the tone right from the outset, getting through a scoreless top of the first on 14 pitches. He then retired nine...

Belisle lands on DL with strained calf, Solis recalled

Belisle lands on DL with strained calf, Solis recalled
Unable to wait and see how severe Matt Belisle's calf injury is, with more fresh arms needed for their bullpen tonight, the Nationals have placed the veteran right-hander on the 15-day disabled list and recalled lefty Sammy Solis from Triple-A Syracuse. Solis will be in uniform and available out of the Nationals bullpen for tonight's game against the Phillies, giving manager Dusty Baker a much-needed arm that can throw multiple innings in case something happens to starter Gio Gonzalez early...