Game 88: Padres at Nats

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Winners of three straight, the Nationals today seek their first four-game win since early-May. They are finally on something of a sustained roll, having won 11 of their last 18. That doesn't sound impressive? Well, that's a .611 winning percentage over the last three weeks, a rate that over a full season would equate to 99 wins. Obviously, they've got to prove they can do this for more than three weeks, but it's certainly a start.

With left-hander Robbie Erlin on the mound for the Padres, Davey Johnson is giving Adam LaRoche a rare day off. In his place is Tyler Moore, who starts only his third game of the season at first base. The rest of the lineup stays the same, with Wilson Ramos back in there behind the plate. (Another interesting note: The Nats this season are 11-5 when Ramos plays, 34-37 when he doesn't.)

Stephen Strasburg, owner of a 1.29 ERA over his last nine starts, gets the ball this afternoon against his hometown team. He hasn't surrendered more than two earned runs in any of those nine outings, quite a stretch of dominance for the right-hander.

I'm off today, taking a quick breather before heading to Philadelphia tomorrow. Enjoy the conversation...

SAN DIEGO PADRES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 184
Weather: Partly cloudy, 90 degrees, Wind 12 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (45-42)
CF Denard Span
SS Ian Desmond
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

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.
Read more

Instant analysis: Nats 5, Padres 4

Associated Press

Game in a nutshell: The morning began with some debate about whether Bryce Harper would even play. But the 20-year-old talked his way into the lineup and then made it all worthwhile. Harper drove in three runs to pace the Nationals' offense. Ryan Zimmerman delivered the big, go-ahead RBI single in the seventh. Jordan Zimmermann didn't earn the win, but he pitched well enough to get curly W No. 13. The honor ultimately went to Ross Ohlendorf, who allowed a three-run homer in relief of Zimmermann but remained the pitcher of record when the Nationals rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Drew Storen turned in a much-needed, 1-2-3 eighth inning, and Rafael Soriano closed out a 1-run victory. With that, the Nationals improved to three games over .500 for the first time since May 18. And they learned Harper and Zimmermann were named All-Stars, with Ian Desmond still having a chance to crack the roster as well.

Hitting highlight: Harper had to convince Davey Johnson to let him play today. Good thing the manager listened to his young star. Harper wound up driving in three of the Nationals' five runs. He

Game 87: Padres at Nats

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

So much for best-laid plans. Davey Johnson said last night he planned to sit Bryce Harper for the rest of the weekend, believing the young outfielder needed a physical and mental break. Well, after getting word of that plan late last night, Harper sent a text to his manager that read: "Play me or trade me." Davey's response today: "Since trading him is out of the question, I guess I'm going to play him." (And no, Harper wasn't serious about the trade demand. Come on, people, use some common sense!)

So today's lineup ends up looking exactly like the previous two lineups, aside from Kurt Suzuki catching in place of the red-hot Wilson Ramos, who is getting a well-earned day off. We'll see if this group can once again produce eight runs as it has the last two nights. It will be taking its hacks against an old pal, Jason Marquis, who leads the Padres with nine wins but also leads the NL with 60 walks.

Jordan Zimmermann gets the ball for the Nationals on what could be quite a momentous day for the right-hander. He's not only seeking his league-leading 13th victory, he's also likely to learn he's been named an All-Star for the first time in his career. The selection show airs at 6:30 p.m., so stay tuned for that news later on, and check back right here for game updates...

SAN DIEGO PADRES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 186
Weather: Partly cloudy, 92 degrees, Wind 12 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (44-42)
CF Denard Span
SS Ian Desmond
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

Healthy, and productive, at last

They're healthy, top to bottom, and they're starting to score runs in bunches. It may be happening three months later than the Nationals hoped, but at least it is happening at last.

"This is way more what we thought this lineup could do coming out of spring training," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "What everybody thought we could do."

With another early explosion Friday night, resulting in an 8-5 victory over the Padres, the Nationals continued their recent offensive upswing. They're still prone to lay the occasional egg — witness Tuesday night's shutout followed by Wednesday's 1-run performance — but in the bigger picture the Nationals are producing at the plate on a more regular basis.

They've now scored at least eight runs in four of their last six games, all wins, and they're at last feeling confident about their chances of sustaining this success for more than a day or two.

"It's not too often you get a lineup like this, where seven guys struggle at the same time," LaRoche said. "It's almost impossible. And we found a way to do it for a month-and-a-half. We're hoping this is breaking out of it. It seems like we've said that four or five times this season and fallen back into it. But the last five or six days, we've swung the bat really good."
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Instant analysis: Nats 8, Padres 5

Associated Press

Game in a nutshell: Who says these guys can't score runs in bunches? Four of the last six nights, they've had no trouble putting up crooked numbers on the scoreboard, capped by tonight's early explosion against the Padres. Five of the Nationals' eight runs came in the bottom of the second, with Wilson Ramos providing yet another clutch hit and Denard Span chipping in with a two-run double. The Nats tacked on another run in the third (on another Ramos RBI single) and then two more in the fourth, opening up a big lead. Gio Gonzalez took advantage of the cushion and authored another quality start before handing it over to the bullpen. Craig Stammen did surrender a three-run homer to Carlos Quentin to make this a bit more interesting than it needed to be, but Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano closed it out without incident. So the Nationals have won two in a row and find themselves two games over .500 once again. Even better: The Braves have lost three straight, so the deficit in the NL East is down to five games.

Hitting highlight: Guess Davey Johnson is going to have to stick with this lineup for at least one more night. How can he scribble out anything else after this group following up yesterday's eight-run

Game 86: Padres at Nats

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Davey Johnson had no good reason for making the change to his lineup that he did yesterday - swapping Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth - but obviously the new look worked for the Nationals, who scored eight runs to beat the Brewers. And Davey isn't about to mess with a good thing and make another change now.

Really, though, lineup construction is less about who hits where and more about who is hitting at all. So the best hope for the Nationals' run-scoring abilities moving forward is the simple fact they've got a complete, healthy lineup in place (including Bryce Harper and Wilson Ramos) for the first time since mid-April.

That lineup will try to keep things going tonight against the Padres, who send hard-throwing right-handed Andrew Cashner to the mound. Gio Gonzalez, who has been fantastic lately, gets the ball for the Nats, trying to put his team two games over the .500 mark again.

Updates to come...

SAN DIEGO PADRES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 183
Weather: Mostly clear, 88 degrees, Wind 11 mph out to LF

NATIONALS (43-42)
CF Denard Span
SS Ian Desmond
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

Game 44: Nats at Padres

Photo by USA Today

Today the Nationals play the finale of their four-game series against the Padres out at Petco Park with what looks almost like a spring training lineup. Bryce Harper is out again with a sore left knee, there is no Jayson Werth of course, and Ian Desmond is taking a scheduled day off. Danny Espinosa will move over to shortstop with Steve Lombardozzi playing second.

Dan Haren (4-4, 4.76) will take the hill vs. San Diego after a string of good outings. He is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in the month of May so far. He has seen a lot of the Padres over the years having formerly been in their division with Arizona. In 14 career starts against the club, Haren has a 3.39 ERA across 95 2/3 innings.

Pitching for the Padres is 26-year-old Andrew Cashner (2-2, 2.84) who is off the best start of his young career. He has made five relief appearances against the Nationals over the last four years and has yet to allow a run to the team.

Enjoy the game...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 188
Weather: Sunny, 69 degrees

NATIONALS (23-20)
CF Denard Span
2B Steve Lombardozzi
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Game 43: Nats at Padres

Photo by USA Today

Though it took extra innings last night, the Nationals beat the Padres for their second straight win and will now look for three in a row with Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. The Nats' right-hander leads the majors in wins with seven and will look for his eighth against a club he has had success against in the past. Zimmermann has started three games against San Diego, holding a 1.42 ERA across 19 innings pitched. He has taken the mound twice at Petco Park, going 1-0 with a 0.69 mark.

Pitching for the Padres will be 33-year-old lefthander Eric Stults. Stults split time with the White Sox and Padres last year and posted a 2.91 ERA through 99 innings. This year, however, he has struggled with a 4.57 mark in eight starts.

Stults will be making his first career start against the Nationals. The only two Nats that have faced him in their career are Dan Haren and Adam LaRoche. LaRoche is in the lineup tonight and is 0-for-2 against the lefty in two plate appearances.

One standout of the Nats' lineup is the absence of Bryce Harper, reports out of San Diego say it's due to a sore left knee.

Enjoy the game...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, WUSA 9, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 188
Weather: Partly cloudy, 64 degrees, Wind 7 mph LF to RF

NATIONALS (23-19)
CF Denard Span
LF Steve Lombardozzi
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Game 42: Nats at Padres

USA Today Sports Images

The Nationals go for two in a row at Petco Park.

Nothing like a dominant Stephen Strasburg outing and a rare offensive explosion to make everybody feel better, right? The Nationals certainly got back on track last night thanks to eight strong innings from their would-be ace and some offensive fireworks from Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche.

Now they'll look to keep it going tonight against the Padres' starter, a young man by the name of Burch Smith. Yes, Burch Smith. He made his major-league debut six days ago against the Rays ... and got knocked out after allowing six runs in one inning. So he boasts a career ERA of 54.00. Yikes. The 23-year-old right-hander, an 11th-round draft pick in 2011, did post a 1.15 ERA at Class AA, so he's obviously got some talent. But talk about being thrown to the wolves...

Gio Gonzalez gets the nod for the Nationals, looking to build off his really strong previous start in which he held the Cubs to two hits over seven innings but then was surprisingly pulled for a pinch-hitter and wound up with no decision.

Enjoy the game and the conversation. Chase will have you covered over the weekend, and then I'll be back on the case Monday...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 188
Weather: Partly cloudy, 64 degrees, Wind 7 mph LF to RF

NATIONALS (22-19)
CF Denard Span
LF Steve Lombardozzi
RF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

At home in San Diego

USA Today Sports Images

Stephen Strasburg pitched eight innings for the first time in his career.

Maybe there's just something about pitching in San Diego, where there's never any fear about heat, humidity, rain, poor field conditions or rowdy opposing fans. Stephen Strasburg has always been most comfortable in his hometown, and he looked far more comfortable last night beating the Padres, 6-2, than he had in quite some time.

How comfortable? Enough to reach (and ultimately complete) the eighth inning for the first time in 54 career starts with the Nationals.

Cross that one off Strasburg's to-do list. The only one left on the resume: His first career complete game, which will probably come at some point this season, especially if he keeps pitching the way he did last night.

Strasburg was in complete control from start to finish, keeping San Diego's hitters off-balance with a devastating changeup and

Game 41: Nats at Padres

USA Today Sports Images

Stephen Strasburg makes his first career start at Petco Park.

In a career that has spanned 53 starts, Stephen Strasburg has pitched in 15 different big-league cities, though never in his hometown of San Diego. Tonight, the hometown hero finally gets to cross that milestone off his bucket list, taking the mound at Petco Park for the Nationals' series opener against the Padres. Of far greater concern to Strasburg and the Nats than the location of this outing: How well he pitches tonight after his fifth inning meltdown against the Cubs on Saturday.

The Nationals' struggling lineup could get a jolt with Bryce Harper back after missing the last two games following his collision with the fence in L.A. (He did come off the bench last night to pinch-hit late.) The Nats could certainly use their best hitter again, though of course only if he's healthy enough to perform at his peak level.

Speaking of health, Wilson Ramos has officially been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a recurrence of his hamstring strain. That means Kurt Suzuki will once again become the everyday catcher, with Jhonatan Solano returning from Class AAA Syracuse to serve as his backup.

I'm not on the West Coast, but I will be talking Nats tonight on the latest edition of "The Baseball Show" on CSN. Note the delayed 11:30 p.m. EDT start time, which should fall somewhere around the fifth or sixth inning of the Nats game...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 186
Weather: Partly cloudy, 63 degrees, Wind 6 mph out to RF

NATIONALS (21-19)
CF Denard Span
2B Steve Lombardozzi
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman