Washington Nationals

After a career-best offensive season for the Washington Nationals in 2012, first baseman Adam LaRoche was awarded the first Rawlings Gold Glove of his career Tuesday night, recognizing his superb defense for the National League East champions. 

LaRoche, known throughout his career as a sure-handed first baseman, had never received the annual award. He becomes just the second Nationals player ever to be honored with one — and the first since third baseman Ryan Zimmerman brought home the organization's first in 2009. Senators catcher Earl Battey earned the first of his three career Gold Gloves in 1960, his lone season in Washington... read more

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth to show them how to win. His game-ending homer Thursday night extended their surprising season.

Werth led off the bottom of the ninth inning by driving Lance Lynn's 13th pitch into the left-field stands to give the Nationals a 2-1 victory over the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and force a Game 5 in their NL division series.

As he circled the bases, Werth raised his right index finger in a "No... read more

WASHINGTON -- Set aside the high-pressure task of postseason pitching that Chris Carpenterroutinely masters for the St. Louis Cardinals and think about this:

Even the take-it-for-granted act of breathing feels odd on occasion now that he's missing a rib and two neck muscles.

Taking the mound for only the fourth time in 2012 after complicated surgery to cure numbness on his right side, the 37-year-old Carpenter spoiled the return of postseason baseball to Washington by throwing scoreless ball into the sixth inning, and the defending champion Cardinals beat the Nationals 8-0 Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in their NL division series... read more

The exhilaration of the Washington Nationals’ first division crown still coursed through the air at Nationals Park on Tuesday night. The clubhouse had a faint day-after smell ofchampagne, beer and carpet cleaner. Fans cheered at the introduction of their “National League East champion Washington Nationals.” The team’s playoff future was nearly set.

Save two important factors: where and whom they would play. Entering their penultimate regular season game, the Nationals had a vague idea what opponent they would face in their National League Divisional Series... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com | 9/19/2012 8:21 PM ET

LAD@WSH: Zimmermann hurls six innings of one-run ball

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals need one more victory to clinch a playoff spot after they edged the Dodgers, 3-1, in the first game of a doubleheader at Nationals Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The Nationals won their 90th game, and it marked the seventh time that manager Davey Johnson guided a team to 90 victories in a season. The last one came in 1997, when he was manager of the Orioles... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com | 9/5/2012 12:59 AM ET

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals are known for their dominating pitching this year, but it was their offense that carried them on Tuesday night. Washington collected 19 hits and pounded the Cubs, 11-5, at Nationals Park.

The Nationals hit a team-record six home runs against seven Cubs pitchers. Ian Desmond had four RBIs and Adam LaRoche hit two home runs as part of a 4-for-4 night.

"I think it goes back to Spring Training. We knew what we were capable of doing," LaRoche said about the offense... read more

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The first winning season in franchise history didn't thrill Washington Nationalsmanager Davey Johnson when he was reminded of it.

"I guess," Johnson said and paused. "I wasn't real concerned about it."

The Nationals, who moved to Washington for the 2005 season, had never won more than 81 games. After their 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday, they have their 82nd victory, a 6½-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East and the best record in the majors... read more

WASHINGTON -- Because the Washington Nationals have an innings limit for star right-hander Stephen Strasburg, there aren't many starts left in his remarkable season.

On Tuesday night, Strasburg ignored that talk and weathered his first major league rain delay, striking out 10 and allowing one run in six innings for his 15th win as the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1.

For weeks, the impending shutdown of Strasburg (15-5) has been the talk of baseball and though the Nationals haven't said exactly what their limit is, it's thought to be between 160 and 180 innings. After this start, his fourth straight win, when he allowed four hits and walked one, he has thrown 145 1/3 innings... read more

By Andrew Simon / MLB.com

The Nationals sit atop the National League East, but will face a difficult task on Monday night, when they open a three-game Interleague series against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Brandon Morrow takes the mound for Toronto, and scoring runs against the 27-year-old right-hander has proven problematic. He leads the Major Leagues with three shutouts, including a two-hitter on Wednesday against the White Sox.

Morrow almost completely ditched his changeup and curveball against Chicago, to great effect.

"It was all fastball-slider," he said afterward... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Adam LaRoche drove in four runs and Edwin Jackson tossed seven innings to help the Nationals defeat the Mets, 5-3, at Nationals Park on Wednesday night.

Prior to the game, LaRoche was in a serious slump. He saw his batting average go from .339 on May 16 to .267. He also was hitless in 13 at-bats during the current homestand, but he made up for it in one game. He gave Washington the lead in the first inning by hitting a three-run homer on the first pitch -- a curveball -- he saw from Mets right-hander Jeremy Hefner.

LaRoche said he wasn't looking for the curveball... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- The Mets made one thing clear to the Nationals on Tuesday night: They are going to be tough to deal with in the National League East. But Washington prevailed, 7-6, on a walk-off single by Bryce Harper in the 12th inning at Nationals Park.

"Wild game. It wasn't a very well-played game, but it was nice to come out on top," manager Davey Johnson said.

The Nationals were down, 6-5, when they rallied in the 12th against reliever Elvin Ramirez. With no outs, Ian Desmond doubled to left field, scoring Michael Morse, who led off the frame with a double... read more

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Atlanta Braves beat Washington Nationals 3-2 as Craig Kimbrel throws scoreless ninth - MLB Update

Right fielder Jason Heyward singles in the fifth and helps Michael Bourn and Dan Uggla to score as the Atlanta Braves win 3-2 against the Washington Nationals in second game of the two match series on June 3, 2012, at Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

First inning ended with the Nationals managing a two run lead. For the rest of the innings, the Nationals were shut-out. Meanwhile, the Braves added occasional runs and somehow maintained the lead... read more

By Jon Star / MLB.com

The Nationals dropped the first two games of the three-game set in Miami, and salvaging the finale of their nine-game road trip comes with a stiff test in the form of Marlins starter Josh Johnson.

Johnson takes the ball not only looking to push Miami to a sweep and move within one-half game of Washington in the National League East standings, but to also extend his undefeated record against the Nats. The right-hander owns a 7-0 record and 3.22 ERA in 14 career starts vs. the Nationals, and Miami in 10-4 in those outings.

Johnson doesn't shy away from that mark nor the importance of his role in taking on the division-leading rivals in front of the home crowd... read more

By Zack Meisel / MLB.com | 5/28/2012 6:55 PM ET

Anibal Sanchez has toed the rubber against the Nationals 18 times in his career. He has never left with a loss.

The Marlins will look for their league-high 20th win in the month of May on Tuesday, and they'll turn to perhaps their steadiest starter to do so.

Sanchez -- who owns a 7-0 record and 2.10 ERA in 111 2/3 innings against Washington -- will look to move past his last appearance, a forgettable outing amid a season filled with quality starts. On Thursday, Sanchez surrendered a season-high five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 14-7 loss to San Francisco... read more

Daniel Shirey, US Presswire

ATLANTA (AP) – Davey Johnson didn't expect Gio Gonzalez to be this good.

Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper hit his second home run in as many days against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

Johnson and the Nationals hope Bryce Harper, only 19, keeps proving he's as good as his billing.

Harper hit his second homer in two days, Gonzalez gave up only one hit in seven innings and the NL East-leading Nationals beat the struggling Atlanta Braves 7-2 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep... read more

By Paul Hagen / MLB.com | 05/20/12 7:41 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have had 225 consecutive regular season sellouts at Citizens Bank Park, and Monday night's game with the Nationals doesn't figure to be any different.

Except for the part about this being the first meeting between the two National League East contenders since left-hander Cole Hamels hit Nats phenom Bryce Harper with a pitch in a nationally-televised game 15 days ago. And the part where Hamels admitted it afterward that he did so intentionally, and was suspended five games for his candor... read more

By Josh Liebeskind / MLB.com | 5/17/2012 10:16 PM ET

As long as Adam Jones keeps swinging for the fences, the Baltimore Orioles have to feel good about their chances of staying atop the American League East. And if Jones can homer on Friday against the Nationals, there's no reason why Baltimore shouldn't be optimistic as it opens Interleague Play against its geographical rival.

After Jones hit his 13th homer of the season in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Royals -- his third in as many days -- the Orioles had won 12 of the 13 games in which the center fielder has gone deep... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

PITTSBURGH -- What's the definition of the word "dominance"? Stephen Strasburg. The right-hander was almost unhittable as the Nationals defeated the Pirates, 4-2, at PNC Park on Thursday night.

In his six innings on the mound, Strasburg struck out 13 batters and walked three... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com |

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals continue to show that they are going to be tough foes in the Nationals League East. On Saturday afternoon, left-hander Gio Gonzalez had another solid outing, helping the Nationals defeat the Phillies, 7-1, in front of 39,496 at Nationals Park... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper had his best game as a member of the Nationals on Wednesday night, but it was Ian Desmond's two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave them a 5-4 win over the D-backs at Nationals Park... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Ian Desmond's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning helped the Nationals edge the Marlins, 3-2, at Nationals Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Nats improved their record to 12-4 and have won their fifth consecutive series to start the season

The game was tied at 2 when the Nationals took advantage of a throwing error by Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- It's two weeks into the 2012 season, and Nationals manager Davey Johnson said the weekend series against the Marlins is key. It's the first time the two National League East rivals have met during the regular season this year... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals scored two runs in the eighth inning and edged the Astros, 3-2, at Nationals Park on Wednesday night.

Washington was down a run before rallying off three Houston relievers who had problems throwing strikes... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Nationals manager Davey Johnson knows how to push the right buttons, and Monday was just one more example, as Johnson decided to sit Danny Espinosa for a day and start Steve Lombardozzi at second base.

The move paid off -- big time -- as the Nationals defeated the Astros, 6-3, at Nationals Park... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals received another well-pitched game on Saturday. This time it came from right-hander Edwin Jackson, who helped Washington defeat the Reds, 4-1, at Nationals Park.

Washington has now won five consecutive games and is off to a 7-2 start, the best mark since the franchise moved to the nation's capital... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals continue to show their fight on the diamond while having good luck at the same time. Jayson Werth's RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning gave the Nationals a 2-1 victory over the Reds at Nationals Park on Friday the 13th... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- It was the home opener at Nationals Park on Thursday afternoon, and Washington edged the Reds, 3-2, in 10 innings, thanks to a wild pitch.

The game was tied at 2 when the Nationals scored the winning run against reliever Alfredo Simon... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The pitching duel between right-hander Stephen Strasburg and left-hander Johan Santana was as advertised on Wednesday afternoon. Strasburg won the battle as the Nationals blanked the Mets, 4-0, at Citi Field... read more

By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- If the Mets and Nationals have their way, youngsters Lucas Duda and Stephen Strasburg will square off plenty of times going forward in National League East play. Duda came away victorious in that battle of power versus power on Tuesday, homering off Strasburg to lead the Mets to a 2-0 victory over the Nationals at Digital Domain Park... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Recent news out of camp is that Skip Schumaker’s oblique problems have taken a turn for the worse.  It’s officially a muscle tear, meaning he won’t be adjusting his batting gloves 13-times between EVERY pitch for quite a while.  I’ve always found Skip to be more of a clubhouse guy than a huge asset on the field anyway, especially at second, but I do root for his recovery.  As an outfielder off of the bench to spell the starters or provide late inning defense and occasional pinch-hitting, as I was hoping it would shape out this season, I think his value increases greatly... read more

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

VIERA, Fla. -- Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg arrived at Space Coast Stadium on Sunday and -- unlike last year -- doesn't have to worry about the restrictions that he had to deal with during the exhibition season... read more