Nats still grinding it out

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CHICAGO — There was the 2-hour rain delay before the game ever began. There were the misplays across the diamond, with three of the four infielders either bench players or manning an unfamiliar position. And, of course, there was the gut-punch of Stephen Strasburg serving up the game-tying homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, forcing extra innings and the club's second 4-hour game in five days.

Yet the Nationals somehow emerged from all of that with a victory on Thursday, a 5-4, 13-inning triumph over the Cubs that required every ounce of fortitude this team still had in its reserve tank.

"It was pretty unbelievable, but for us to come back like that, that's huge," said Drew Storen, who wound up earning the save. "That's an easy game to just feel sorry for yourself, but we grinded it out. It wasn't the prettiest, but we got the win."

That's the way things are these days for the Nationals. Nothing is coming easily to this team, but every time it looks like Davey Johnson's squad is going to fold, it finds a way to keep fighting.

Instant analysis: Nats 4, Cubs 2

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Game in a nutshell: After a blowout loss on Monday night against their least-effective starter, the Nationals turned to their best pitcher to stop the bleeding and author a gem. Who would have imagined a month ago Jordan Zimmermann would fit the first description while Dan Haren would fit the latter? Obviously, it's been a strange season for the Nationals. Behind yet another dominant start from Haren, they put themselves in position to beat the Cubs. They had to scratch and claw their way to four runs, but that was enough, with Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard each retiring the side in the seventh and eighth and Rafael Soriano navigating his way through a shaky ninth to earn the save. So the Nationals avenged Monday night's 11-1 loss. They also gained a game on both the Braves and the Reds, who each lost.

Hitting highlight: It's been a chore for the Nationals to score runs. It never comes easy. And it certainly didn't tonight, though they somehow cobbled together enough key hits at the right

Storen shines in return

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ATLANTA — It would have meant more had it contributed to a Nationals victory instead of another discouraging loss to the Braves, but Drew Storen's return to the big leagues last night still deserves attention.

Positive attention, because Storen pitched quite well in his first appearance since his high-profile demotion to Class AAA Syracuse three weeks ago.

Given the ball for the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game, the right-hander retired three of the four Atlanta batters he faced, striking out two, throwing 13 of his 17 pitches for strikes and admitting afterward he didn't have to overcome any nerves.

"Surprisingly not," he said. "I love pitching here. If anything, the

Instant analysis: Braves 3, Nats 2 (10)

Associated Press

Game in a nutshell: The Braves jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Taylor Jordan, though it wasn't the rookie right-hander's fault. Both runs were unearned after errors by Wilson Ramos and Anthony Rendon. Jordan did well to keep the damage right there, departing after six innings. The Nationals then chipped away at the Braves pitching staff. They scored one run in the fourth on a double-play grounder. They plated the tying run in the eighth after some fireworks: Bryce Harper, who was plunked two weeks ago by Julio Teheran, was twice hit by pitches tonight, including an eighth-inning fastball in the upper back from Luis Avilan. The crowd of 35,663 gave Avilan as he walked off the field, warnings having been issued to both dugouts by the umpires. Jayson Werth then exacted some justice with a two-out, RBI single, tying the game and leaving the outcome in the hands of both bullpens. Craig Stammen did his job with two scoreless innings, but the Nationals couldn't push home the go-ahead run against Craig Kimbrel in the top of the ninth. In came Drew Storen for his first appearance since his recall from Class AAA Syracuse, and Storen came through with a scoreless inning that included a big strikeout of Evan Gattis. Ian Krol was given the ball for the bottom of the 10th, but his night didn't last long. Justin Upton crushed a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence to end this one and send the Nationals to another crushing loss.

Hitting lowlight: As has so often been the case this season, the Nationals had a few opportunities to plate runs, and they

Game 121: Nats at Braves

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

ATLANTA — Hello from Turner Field, where it's an unseasonably cool, 68 degrees, with a threat of rain throughout the weekend. Who would've thought the Nationals would need to break out their windbreakers for a mid-August series in Atlanta, but will be sweating next week in Chicago (where it's supposed to be humid and in the upper-80s)?

The Nats come to town having come THISCLOSE to a six-game winning streak at home, if not for Rafael Soriano's blown save yesterday evening. They face a much stiffer challenge this weekend, facing those powerhouse Braves, who have won 17 of their last 19 and opened up a commanding, 14 1/2-game lead in the NL East.

Speaking of Soriano, odds are he won't be available to pitch tonight after appearing in three straight games (and nearly suffering two straight blown saves). Tyler Clippard also has appeared the last three days, which could leave the recently recalled Drew Storen as Davey Johnson's closer tonight should the situation present itself.

First things first: The Nationals need a good start from Taylor Jordan, who could be making his final outing of the year before his team-imposed shutdown, and they need to score some runs off Atlanta rookie left-hander Alex Wood, before they can contemplate who is going to close tonight.

Updates to come, so please check back...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Turner Field
Gametime: 7:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 186
Weather: Cloudy, 68 degrees, Wind 10 mph in from CF

NATIONALS (59-61)
CF Denard Span
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Bryce Harper
RF Jayson Werth

Storen recalled, Mattheus to AAA

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[Updated 3:48 p.m.]

By Mark Zuckerman and Chase Hughes

Desperately in need of some late-inning relief help, the Nationals today recalled Drew Storen from Class AAA, optioning struggling right-hander Ryan Mattheus to Syracuse.

Storen, who had been demoted only three weeks ago, returned to Washington this morning and is available to pitch in this afternoon's series finale against the Giants.

Storen was sick with the flu the last game he pitched for the Nats and said he took a few days to recuperate before heading to Syracuse. Those days of rest helped the news set in and Storen emerge with a more positive outlook on the experience. 

"It was sort of a forced relaxation, so it took a couple days to go down there and like I said, worrying about all that other stuff that you can’t control and what’s already happened won’t do you any good, so you got to make the most of any situation. I had a good opportunity to get better and get back to being myself and it’d be stupid of me to waste it. So that’s how I look at it.

Storen now returns looking for a fresh start and an opportunity to help his team salvage their season. He called the feeling of being demoted compared with this recent call-up as "polar opposites."

"I’m pretty damn happy about it, to be honest with you," he said. "The way I look at it, in general with this whole year, this is kind of like Opening Day for me right now. It’s like five weeks or six weeks left, whatever it is, of the regular season, and just help these guys win and really get after it. I can’t really control or change what’s happened this year, but one thing I can do is really be productive at the end and help these guys win. So I’m excited to get back."

Tuesday morning tidbits

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Catching up on some things after a couple of days off...

— By almost every measure other than won-loss record, Stephen Strasburg has been better this season than in either of his two previous "full" seasons: 2010 and 2012. (Yes, I know neither of those actually was a full season, but I'm just trying to refer to everything other than his abbreviated 2011, when he made only five starts after returning from Tommy John surgery.)

Strasburg's ERA (2.83), WHIP (1.039) and hits allowed (6.7 per nine innings) all are better this year than in '10 or '12, but perhaps the most significant sign of his progress is this simple one: He's throwing more innings than ever before.

Indeed, Strasburg is average 6.36 innings per start this season. Compare that to his 5.69 mark in 2012 and his 5.67 mark in 2010. And Strasburg's number this year is skewed a bit by a pair of two-inning starts (May 31 when he strained his lat muscle in

Nats leave it up to Storen; Rizzo on Clippard

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Mike Rizzo took some time early Saturday afternoon to discuss sending struggling reliever Drew Storen to the minors. He said the decision to option him to Triple-A was made before Storen even took the mound during Friday’s doubleheader, even as he was battling the flu with a body temperature over 100 degrees. Rizzo now hopes Storen can work through both the confidence issues he may be dealing with, and also alter his mechanics to make his delivery quicker to the plate.

It was a tough decision for the Nationals to make, but Rizzo says it is best for the former first round pick.

“We felt that he was struggling, struggling with his mechanics, with his tempo with his delivery, with his arm slot, and we felt that we would do him better by letting him go down in a less stressful situation, work on his mechanics, get it fixed and get back up here and help us.”

Rizzo spoke with Storen about the move and said the 25-year-old was quite upset.

“He took it hard like a lot of guys that have established themselves in the big leagues take it,” Rizzo said. “I had a long conversation with him today and it was a very good conversation. I explained to him our rationale for it and that he’s a huge part of this organization and he’s going to be for a long time and just need to get him right.”

Rizzo acknowledged the fact bringing in free agent Rafael Soriano may have been the root of Storen’s downfall, but believes it should not have affected him as much as it potentially has.

A day, and night, of emotions

Associated Press

The emotional ups and downs of a baseball season can be draining for any club, let alone one expected to be among the sport's best but slogging its way through a prolonged train-wreck stretch of games. What the Nationals have experienced over the last 36 hours alone would normally be enough to fill a month.

It began Thursday afternoon with a wild victory over the Pirates that saw their closer blow a four-run lead in the top of the ninth, only to see their young star produce his first career game-winning homer in the bottom of the inning.

It continued Friday afternoon with an ugly, lopsided, 11-0 loss to the Mets that saw their former closer sent to the mound facing a 5-run deficit despite the fact he was battling flu-like symptoms and wasn't expected to pitch at all.

And then it was capped off Friday evening in the nightcap of a wild doubleheader with a familiar face providing a familiar thrill to lead the Nationals to a 2-1 win, only to be trumped in some ways by the postgame demotion of that former closer to the minors and critical comments from a teammate lobbed toward the organization.
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Storen sent to AAA, Clippard lashes out

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Drew Storen's roller-coaster season, which bottomed out Friday afternoon during a disastrous ninth-inning performance, will now transfer from the big-league mound in Washington to the minor-league stage in Syracuse, a not-unsurprising move that reverberated through the Nationals clubhouse and prompted a critical response toward the organization from one of his fellow relievers.

Storen was optioned to Class AAA following Friday night's game, a move the Nationals needed to make to clear spot on the big-league roster for reliever Ryan Mattheus, who came off the disabled list earlier in the day.

"This is what's best for him," manager Davey Johnson said. "He'll probably have a hard time coming to grips with that. But it is the best thing for him."

An elite closer in 2011 who saved 43 games for a Nationals club that won only 80 for the season, Storen missed the first half of 2012 after undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow but pitched effectively down the stretch to re-earn the closer's job heading into the postseason.

Mattheus back on active roster

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Major-league clubs are allowed to add an extra, 26th man for doubleheaders, and the Nationals couldn't have asked for better timing in that regard today, with Ryan Mattheus ready to return from a broken right hand.

Mattheus, on the 15-day disabled list since he broke that hand punching his locker May 19 in San Diego, was officially activated before the first game of today's day-night doubleheader against the Mets. He's available to pitch in both games, and manager Davey Johnson plans to use him if the situation arises.

"It was a long time off," Mattheus said. "It's tough to sit back and watch the games from that perspective. It's just great to know that I can go out there and contribute today. So yeah, it's an amazing feeling being back."

The right-hander was understandably embarrassed by the nature of his injury, and he had to spend the last two months watching the Nationals struggle as penance for his mistake.

"The nature of my injury — knowing that it was self-inflicted — and then seeing the struggles that this team's going through, it's tough to deal with. But hopefully I'll be back and contribute and we can turn this thing around."
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Detwiler's diagnosis; Davey on Storen

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Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler is back from his meeting with back specialist Robert Watkins - a trip out to the doctor’s clinic in Los Angeles on Wednesday – and is now recovering from what was diagnosed as a herniated disc.

Watkins told Detwiler he does not need surgery and did not administer any shots during their appointment. If all goes well over the next few weeks while he rests the injury, he should be able to return in early September.

“They say he’s the best back guy in the world, so that’s why I went out there,” Detwiler said. “I didn’t really know what to expect and he kind of talked me through it and I don’t have to have surgery so that’s the number one thing right now.” 

Detwiler - who hasn’t pitched since July 3 – said he will do core exercises in the meantime while he rests his back. He won’t be able to throw for a while, but wants to heal the right way this time and not rush his way back. Trying to power through the pain may have slowed down his recovery in the first place.

Downward spiral continues

Associated Press

The continued devolution of the Nationals nearly reached epic proportions Wednesday night when they entered the bottom of the sixth inning against Francisco Liriano without having recorded a base hit.

In the end, the events of the ninth inning in a 4-2 loss to the Pirates might actually have proved more painful than a no-hitter.

After squandering Stephen Strasburg's best start of the season and watching as relievers Drew Storen and Fernando Abad turned a 1-run deficit into a 4-run chasm in the top of the ninth, the Nationals nearly stormed all the way back in the bottom of the inning, only to see the game end on a blown call by umpire Laz Diaz.

"It's no secret that the ball definitely isn't bouncing our way," said Denard Span, who hit the groundball that resulted in the controversial, game-ending double play. "That wasn't the story of the game tonight, but anything could've happened if that play isn't called there."

Who knows what would have happened had Diaz correctly seen Wilson Ramos elude second baseman Neil Walker's tag on the final play of the game? The Nationals still would have trailed by two runs, with one out and two men on base. But it was a fittingly bitter way for this club's sixth straight loss to go in the books.

"Not even close. He never tagged me," Ramos said. "He told me: 'He tagged you. I didn't hear, but I saw it.' I said: 'Sure, you didn't see anything. Not even close.' But I don't know, maybe he wanted to go home."
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'Bad day' ends with another loss

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This is what it has come to for the Nationals. After falling for the fourth straight game, the ninth time in 11 games, after falling to three games below the .500 mark for the first time in nearly two years, after an emotional day that saw their popular hitting coach fired, they were left citing the positives from their 6-5 loss to the Pirates.

Despite trailing by five runs early, the Nationals rallied to get within a run and were 180 feet from tying the game in the bottom of the ninth. Was it wrong to consider this an encouraging development, given the situation this team is in right now?

"No, not at this point," Adam LaRoche admitted. "We're looking for anything positive to take out of a ballgame, and that was a great run late. Tying run in scoring position and one hit away. You can't expect to drive that run in every time. We don't give ourselves that many opportunities right there. So it was nice to have."

Maybe it's all the Nationals can do, cling to whatever glimmer of hope there is on a given night. There wasn't much else to be hopeful about on Monday, a day that left manager Davey Johnson weathered and worn down.
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Instant analysis: Dodgers 3, Nats 1 (10)

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Game in a nutshell: If you thought Friday night's game was frustrating, how about the first three innings of this one? The Nationals put six men on base against Zack Greinke and couldn't bring any of them home, leaving many in the sellout crowd of 41,816 to boo the home team. Fortunately, Gio Gonzalez was in top form, dominating over six scoreless innings. And then, the Nats finally got a big hit with a man in scoring position when pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina singled to right to score Chad Tracy in the bottom of the sixth. Unfortunately, Drew Storen immediately gave the run back in the top of the seventh on a pair of two-out hits. The game now tied, the Nationals had more opportunities to plate the go-ahead run and simply couldn't do it, frustrating the crowd even more. By the time the Dodgers scored twice off Craig Stammen in the top of the 10th, those who remained could barely muster the energy to react. The Nationals went down in the bottom of the inning, losing for the seventh time in nine games and falling below the .500 mark for the first time since June 19.

Hitting lowlight: Pick an inning. Any inning will suffice. The Nationals stranded the bases loaded in the first. They stranded two runners in the third. They stranded two in the seventh. They left

Nats who's hot/who's not - 7/10

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Record: 4-3

Runs per game: 6.0

Opponent runs per game: 4.6

Team ERA: 4.50
Team average: .298
Team average against: .281

HOT:

Jayson Werth, OF - .435 BA, 10 H, HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, SB

Werth may have come up short at the end of the Nats' loss on Tuesday night in Philly, but overall he had a tremendous week at the plate. The Nats' outfielder now has hits in his last six games and 10 total during that span. Werth seems to be thriving while batting fifth in the order. In the five hole he is hitting .289 this season with a .904 OPS in 11 games. He has hit primarily at second this season, but has a much better on-base percentage when he hits either fourth or fifth in the lineup.

Tyler Clippard, RP - 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0.333 WHIP

Clippard continued his season of reliability this past week with three more scoreless outings, all coming late in Nationals' wins. He has still only allowed one run since the month of May and now sits with a 2.15 ERA on the year. In two games against the Padres, Clippard notched two strikeouts in perfect innings, earning his 15th hold of the season on July 5. With Drew Storen's season continuing to devolve and Craig Stammen's recent struggles, Clippard has been by far the Nats' best right-handed reliever not named Rafael.

Late heroics give Nats 3rd straight win

Associated Press

The day began with Bryce Harper talking his way into the lineup, telling his manager via text message to either "play me or trade me." It ended with Harper earning his second straight All-Star berth and driving in three runs, then watching from left field as his Nationals teammates hung on for dear life to pull off a 5-4 win over the Padres that catapulted this improving ballclub to new heights.

Just another afternoon at Nationals Park, where a sunburned crowd of 33,314 experienced the full range of emotions on Saturday, ultimately cheering along with the home team after Rafael Soriano closed out a nip-and-tick victory.

"We're starting to play better baseball," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "We're coming together. We're getting a little lucky."

Perhaps there were a few fortunate bounces in this game, but the Nationals also made their own luck. They delivered several hits in the clutch. They got a dominant relief performance from Drew Storen. And then they flashed some serious leather in the ninth inning to clinch their third straight win — their eighth in 12 games — and raise their record to 45-42.
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VIDEO: On run support, Storen's struggles

On last night's episode of "The Baseball Show" on CSN, we delved into several Nationals-related topics, including the extreme lack of run support Stephen Strasburg has received this season. In the above clip, Rob Carlin, Jim Duquette and I discuss just how good Strasburg has been and how he has handled the adversity.

We also got some perspective on the subject from a guy who knows a little bit about pitching: former Cy Young and MVP award winner Vida Blue, who shared his thoughts on Strasburg and the general concept of run support. Scroll down below to watch that clip.

And we also discussed Drew Storen's up-and-down season, which perhaps hit a low point yesterday when he served up two home runs in the seventh inning and then had an interesting exchange with Steve McCatty on the mound. Check out the final video for our thoughts on that topic...

Ramos' rousing return

Associated Press

Sure, Bryce Harper's return from a five-week stint on the disabled list was going to provide a significant boost to the Nationals. Ask around the clubhouse, though, and there was just as much anticipation for Wilson Ramos' return from a hamstring injury that cost him a total of nine weeks over two separate DL stints.

"He's a statement player, and definitely somebody who's just waiting for his turn in the spotlight," teammate Ian Desmond said. "I think today he got a lot of recognition, and no one deserves it more than him."

There haven't been a ton of heartwarming moments for the Nationals so far in 2013, but the scene in the bottom of the seventh inning on Thursday — Ramos emerging from the dugout for a curtain call from the crowd of 38,221 after his three-run homer put his team in position for an 8-5 victory over the Brewers — ranks right up there with anything else.

Given all that he's been through over the last two years — a kidnapping in Venezuela, a torn ACL, this latest nagging hamstring strain — Ramos soaked in every second of it all.

"That was a happy moment, an exciting moment," he said. "I never did that before."
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Instant analysis: Nats 8, Brewers 5

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Game in a nutshell: With the annual morning Independence Day game on tap, Davey Johnson said he hoped "the fireworks start around 11:15." Well, there were a few early sparklers, but the grand finale didn't come until nearly three hours later. It was well worth the wait. A reconfigured lineup that had Ian Desmond batting second and Jayson Werth batting sixth produced three quick runs and gave Taylor Jordan an early cushion. The rookie right-hander was solid in his second career start, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. But his shot at career win No. 1 was dashed when Drew Storen served up a pair of homers in the top of the seventh, leaving the game tied at 5. Enter Wilson Ramos. In his first game back from the DL, the catcher completed a five-RBI day with a towering, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Nationals the lead for good. Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano then closed things out, capping an enjoyable morning/afternoon at the ballpark and getting the Nationals back over the .500 hump at 43-42.

Hitting highlight: Welcome back, Wilson. The oft-injured catcher was 0-for-10 on his rehab assignment, but the Nationals weren't