Bryce Harper homers off, and is awed by, Clayton Kershaw
Bryce Harper entered Tuesday night with great anticipation. Dodger Stadium felt more alive to him because of the presence of Clayton Kershaw, the excitement dialed up from the night before. “That’s a...
View ArticleMore from the Nationals’ ridiculous win
We could spend the next week breaking down the Nationals’ insane, 8-5, 14-inning victory Wednesday afternoon. It happened to come at a pivotal moment, giving the Nationals a series victory against a...
View ArticleNats’ Anthony Rendon adds base-stealing to his growing repertoire
In the fall of 2012, Nationals first base coach Tony Tarasco still held the role of minor league outfield coordinator. He roved between affiliates and worked with prospects on baserunning and outfield...
View ArticleThe Nationals face the Braves with a comfortable lead
The Nationals welcome the Braves to Washington beginning Monday for a three-game series, the final home series against Atlanta. After this, only one more set remains between the division rivals. With...
View ArticleMatt Williams pulls string in Monday’s win and players adjust
In Monday’s 2-1 win over the Braves, Nationals Manager Matt Williams turned to his lineup card often. He used two catchers, a move needed after he pinch ran for Wilson Ramos in a crucial spot. In the...
View ArticleAdam LaRoche’s hot hitting is boosting the Nationals
Over the past week, Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche is 9 for 19 and has reached base in 15 of his 25 trips to the plate. He has smashed four home runs in six games. With Tuesday’s performance, in...
View ArticleClass AAA Syracuse’s coaching staff joins the Nationals for September
In the Nationals’ dugout during Thursday’s game in New York were three new faces. Class AAA Syracuse Manager Billy Gardner Jr., hitting coach Joe Dillon and pitching coach Paul Menhart. Every...
View ArticleThe Nationals haven’t lost a Jordan Zimmermann start since July 28
As the Nationals steam roll towards a division title and the playoffs, they are putting themselves in an enviable position. Once they clinch, which seems all but inevitable over the next week as the...
View ArticleStephen Strasburg reaches important goal of 200 innings
When Stephen Strasburg showed up to spring training in 2013, he had grand goals for the first unrestricted season of his professional career, and one of them included throwing more than 200 innings. He...
View ArticleScenes from a joyous Nationals’ celebration
No celebration in the Nationals clubhouse would be complete with Drake LaRoche. The LaRoche family makes their home in Fort Scott, Kansas and the 11-year-old was in school on Monday. The following day,...
View ArticleNationals close the book on the Braves
Roughly 37 years ago – or, no, wait, maybe it was June – there existed rampant concern that the Nationals’ inability to beat the Braves would undermine their chances to reclaim the National League...
View ArticleGio Gonzalez hitting a groove at the right time
Since Gio Gonzalez returned in mid-June from his career-first stint on the disabled list for shoulder inflammation, he has fluctuated between dominant and inconsistent. But after Gonzalez’s two-run,...
View ArticleNationals milestones within reach
With one week left in the regular season, the Nationals have little left to accomplish as a team. There is the business of securing homefield advantage, but even that seems to be a foregone...
View ArticleA case for Anthony Rendon’s NL MVP candidacy
The Nationals lineup is so deep that four hitters — Jayson Werth, Ian Desmond, Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche — have driven in 80 runs each. They were the first team in the majors to reach that mark....
View ArticleThe Nationals face a tough decision with the postseason rotation
Tanner Roark was, again, strong on Tuesday. He gave up two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings against the Mets. He is four outs away from reaching 200 innings for the first time at any level of his...
View ArticleNationals could be rooting for chaos in the NL Central race
Scoreboard-watching has become a limited endeavor. The National League’s playoff teams were set when the Brewers lost to the Reds on Thursday afternoon. The Nationals and Dodgers have won their...
View ArticleBehind Jordan Zimmermann’s no-hitter was Wilson Ramos
The first no-hitter in Nationals history provided different meaning to different people, from Jordan Zimmermann on the mound, to Steve McCatty in the dugout, to Steven Souza Jr.’s parents sitting in...
View ArticleThe top 12 moments of the Nationals’ season
The most thrilling part of the Nationals’ season begins on Friday when they host the winner of Wednesday’s wild-card game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. This slower period in...
View ArticleShould the Nationals want to play the Giants or Pirates?
All across the Washington area, Nationals fans will settle in front of television screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday and face a decision: root for the San Francisco Giants or the Pittsburgh Pirates? The...
View ArticleHow the Nationals match up against Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy
The Nationals will wake up Thursday with their mission a lot clearer: Prepare to face the Giants. After San Francisco’s 8-0 victory of the Pirates in Pittsburgh thanks to Madison Bumgarner’s dominating...
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