Another blowout loss

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CHICAGO — Jordan Zimmermann insists he feels fine. There's nothing wrong with his arm, and the 95 mph fastballs he threw Monday night would seem to confirm that. And the right-hander says his neck, a problem earlier this summer, isn't an issue right now.

So, what are we to make of Zimmermann's performance over the last six weeks? After serving as a punching bag for the Cubs' previously punch-less lineup during an 11-1 blowout loss, the one-time ace of the Nationals staff finds himself in a legitimate, long-term funk.

On July 1, Zimmermann was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. He sported an 11-3 record, a 2.28 ERA and an 0.94 WHIP, all of which ranked among the NL's best. In eight starts since, Zimmermann is now 3-4 with a 5.30 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.

If he's fine physically, how does he explain the last six weeks?

"Just pretty much location," Zimmermann said. "I'm not hitting my spots right now. The fastball's up. I've got to do a better job of locating."
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Instant analysis: Cubs 11, Nats 1

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Game in a nutshell: After a rough weekend in Atlanta, the Nationals arrived in Chicago hoping they might fare a bit better against a struggling Cubs team with a not-so-imposing lineup. Boy, were they wrong. Jordan Zimmermann got lit up for eight runs over five innings in one of the worst starts of his career. Nate Schierholtz and Donnie Murphy each homered twice for the Cubs, who launched five total homers on a warm night at Wrigley Field. Jeff Samardzija, meanwhile, dominated the Nationals lineup, going the distance for only the third time in his career. Put it all together and you've got one of the ugliest games of the season for the Nats, who opened this four-game series with a stinker.

Hitting lowlight: Let's see ... they produced five singles through the game's first six innings, getting only one at-bat with a man in

Game 123: Nats at Braves

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

ATLANTA — Oh, hello there. Long time, no speak. Only a few hours after departing Turner Field after their 15-inning victory over the Braves, the Nationals are right back here for the series finale. There were plenty of people drinking coffee in the clubhouse this morning, starting with the media. But everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and pretty much everybody was feeling well enough to play today.

In fact, Davey Johnson has six of his eight regulars in the lineup, with only Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos (who caught all 15 innings last night) getting the day off. Both Bryce Harper (bruised left triceps) and Jayson Werth (stiff back) are playing despite nagging injuries. The Braves, on the other hand, only have three regulars in their lineup: Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson and B.J. Upton (though Upton hadn't started either of the first two games of the series).

The obvious key to today's game: Getting as many innings as possible out of the two starters. So the pressure is on Gio Gonzalez and Julio Teheran to come up big. The pressure is also on Mother Nature to hold off on the heavy rain until at least five innings are played and this game is official. Could be dicey.

Updates to come...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Turner Field
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 185
Weather: Rain, 68 degrees, Wind 5 mph RF to LF

NATIONALS (60-62)
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
LF Bryce Harper
RF Jayson Werth

Ramos relieved injury isn't serious

Associated Press

When word began circulating Tuesday night that Wilson Ramos had re-tweaked the same hamstring that twice landed him on the disabled list, it was only natural to worry the Nationals catcher was looking at yet another long recovery.

Ramos, though, knew immediately this wasn't as bad as the previous two. And he got confirmation of that Wednesday morning when team orthopedist Wiemi Douoguih told him he would only need to miss one or two games.

"He saw me yesterday and said it was a little thing, not too hard," Ramos said. "He said see how you feel tomorrow and we'll see what we can do. This morning I woke up and I felt better. ... I feel good to play."

Ramos wasn't in the Nationals' lineup for the second game of this series with the Giants, but he did some jogging in the outfield earlier in the day and emerged with no significant issues.
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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

Ramos, Strasburg make magic vs. Phillies

Photo by the Associated Press

In the Nationals’ 6-0 win over the Phillies on Sunday, all eyes were on Stephen Strasburg as he put in the best pitching performance of his career. He tossed a complete game shutout with ten strikeouts, needing just 99 pitches in a display of pure efficiency.

In admiring the outing, however, don’t overlook the role of catcher Wilson Ramos. The 26-year-old backstop has a way of staying behind the scenes, soft-spoken yet intense in a locker room full of personalities. The fact he was behind the plate for this particular game is likely no coincidence. 

After the game Ramos gave much of the credit to Strasburg and his teammates – including Ryan Zimmerman’s defense – for culminating the shutout. But he did concede he takes some pride in calling a game so brilliant.

“I was excited,” he said. “That’s what I want to do every day when I’m behind the plate, put zeroes up on the scoreboard. That’s my job.”

If Ramos was, in fact, just doing his “job,” he may be getting a lot better at it. We profiled Ramos back in April and showed how nearly everyone in the Nats’ pitching staff has fared better with Ramos behind the plate than another catcher. The numbers were consistent and striking, and since they’ve become even more extreme.

Game 110: Nats at Brewers

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After notching a series opening win on Friday, the Nationals take on the Brewers in the second game of their weekend set tonight with Dan Haren (5-11. 5.49 ERA) on the mound. Haren's had a rough time overall this season, but has enjoyed some success lately since returning from the disabled list in early July. Over his last four starts he has a 3.13 ERA, including a seven inning, one earned run performance his last time out against the Mets.

Pitching for Milwaukee is rookie right-hander Donovan Hand (0-2, 3.56) who is still searching for his first major league win. The 27-year-old has pitched in 17 games this season, including five starts. This will be his third consecutive start after joining the rotation full-time on July 23.

Hand faced the Nationals earlier this season on July 4 and went five innings with six hits, three walks, and three earned runs. Washington ended up winning that game 8-5.

Davey Johnson has Denard Span back at the top of the order batting leadoff, with Bryce Harper hitting second against Hand. Wilson Ramos gets the start for the second straight day after posting two hits and a run in Friday's win.

Enjoy the game...


WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Miller Park
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, WUSA-9, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 869
Weather: Partly cloudy, 75 degrees, Wind 11 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (53-56)
CF Denard Span
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

Wild homestand ends with winning streak

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The Nationals returned from the All-Star break on July 19 with a winning record, a healthy roster and reason to believe they could take advantage of a long homestand to thrust themselves into the thick of the National League pennant race.

So what transpired over the next 10 days? How much time do you have to run through the laundry list?

The Nationals got swept by the Dodgers. Then they fired their hitting coach, against the manager's wishes. They extended their losing streak to six games before snapping it on Bryce Harper's first career walk-off homer. They got blown out by 11 runs in the first game of a doubleheader, then won the nightcap on Ryan Zimmerman's ninth career walk-off homer. After which they sent their former closer to Class AAA, prompting another reliever to harshly criticize the organization. And then, just as their season appeared on the verge of disaster, they rebounded to win three in a row, capped by Sunday's record-setting, 14-1 throttling of the Mets.

How on earth do the Nationals make sense of all that?

"We can't get too excited," center fielder Denard Span said. "We've been up and down all season. We've just got to stay the course, just try to win series. Definitely this weekend's series was very important for us to win three out of four, especially after losing ... six in a row. Just started off with Zimmerman getting that walk-off home run the other night, and we've just carried that momentum the last two days."
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Instant analysis: Nats 14, Mets 1

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Game in a nutshell: Remember when the Nationals were a disaster? You know, like, three days ago? Well, they've suddenly won four of their last five games and look capable of going on a sustained run. OK, OK, so we've been down this road before, and given the way this season has gone, you'd be wise not to get too excited yet. But there's nothing wrong with enjoying today's lopsided victory, a complete thrashing of the Mets pitching staff. The Nationals rapped out a season-high 18 hits, getting at least one base hit from seven of their eight starting position players (all but Adam LaRoche). Wilson Ramos hit a grand slam. Denard Span hit another homer. Ian Desmond went 4-for-4 with two doubles. Ryan Zimmerman had three hits. Nobody was happier about all that than Taylor Jordan, who in his sixth career start finally earned his first career win, allowing one run over six innings. The Nationals have by no means turned their season around. But they're back to 52-54, and they're actually feeling good about themselves for the moment. So that's an improvement.

Hitting highlight: There were no shortage of options here, so let's not limit this to only one specific player or one specific inning, but instead to one specific part of the Nationals' lineup: the bottom of

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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Instant analysis: Pirates 5, Nats 1

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Game in a nutshell: Another night, another dismal performance from a Nationals club that is this close to veering off the train tracks for good. Taylor Jordan pitched well in his fifth career start but was the latest victim of sloppy defense behind him. Not that it would have mattered had Jordan pitched a gem. The Nats couldn't muster anything against rookie Gerrit Cole or the Pirates bullpen, totaling three hits for the night. Wilson Ramos' third-inning homer was the lone bright spot, and not nearly enough to snap this foundering lineup out of its season-long slump. Losers of five straight and 10 of 12 now, the Nationals are four games under the .500 mark and sinking fast.

Hitting lowlight: Rick Schu hasn't seen the Nationals much this season because he's been busy coaching minor leaguers. What the

VIDEO: Possible playoff run, Harper in Derby

On last night's episode of "The Baseball Show" on CSN, Jim Duquette, Rob Carlin and I both looked back at the All-Star Game and surrounding festivities and looked ahead to the second half of the season.

In the above clip, we look at what it would take for the Nationals to make a playoff run over the season's final 2 1/2 months. We also look at a bunch of clubs over the last few years who have come out of the All-Star break right around the .500 mark and still reached the playoffs (or even, in a couple of cases, the World Series). So, yes, the Nats do still have a shot.

Below the jump, you'll find our discussion of the Home Run Derby, what it meant for Bryce and Ron Harper to share the moment together and what might have happened had somebody else pitched to the Nationals young slugger.

And in the final segment below, we look ahead to the July 31 trade deadline and wonder what, if anything, Mike Rizzo might have up his sleeve. Enjoy...

Aggressive Nats take down Lee

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — As Davey Johnson described the quick-burst offensive attack his Nationals broke out Wednesday night in a 5-1 victory over Cliff Lee and the Phillies, the veteran manager noted the good vibe he got watching his guys hit in the cage some five hours earlier.

"I really like the way we took BP today," Johnson said. "We were real aggressive in BP, and we took it into the game. It was great."

Wait, how do would one even attempt to not be aggressive in batting practice?

"There's a big difference," Johnson insisted. "Sometimes we come into batting practice and we look like we try to hit everything to right field. Today we were hitting everything on the rooftops in left. We knew who was out there, and we knew he was gonna come in on us, throw the fastball and come at us. The guys approached him that way, and that was a great way to approach him."
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Instant analysis: Nats 5, Phillies 1

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Game in a nutshell: Knowing they faced a tough challenge against Cliff Lee (otherwise known as The World's Greatest Strike-Thrower), the Nationals had to hope for a strong start from Gio Gonzalez and then some timely hits against the Phillies left-hander. They got both. Gonzalez was outstanding yet again, allowing one run over seven innings. And his teammates provided the support, blasting four solo homers off Lee in the fifth and sixth innings. Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos went back-to-back in the fifth, then Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth did it in the sixth. Tyler Clippard and Rafael Soriano finished things off out of the bullpen and the Nationals got back on the winning track. They're three games over .500 again and trimmed their deficit in the NL East to five games entering tomorrow's series finale.

Hitting highlight: Though they weren't able to produce any runs early, the Nationals did hit the ball hard against Lee, offering some

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

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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Game 85: Brewers at Nats

Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Good morning from the ballpark. (That's not something I type often.) It's Independence Day, and that means a continuation of a new tradition here at Nationals Park: the 11:05 a.m. game. It's a bit unconventional, but it's not a bad little tradition (plus it gives everyone plenty of time to get home and enjoy the rest of the holiday.

The Nationals are getting a nice boost today, with Wilson Ramos returning from the DL. The catcher went 0-for-10 on his rehab assignment with Class A Potomac, but those numbers are less significant than the fact his hamstring is healthy and he's good to go for the first time since May 15. Which means, for the first time since mid-April, Davey Johnson will be fielding his complete starting lineup (with Anthony Rendon having replaced Danny Espinosa, of course).

Taylor Jordan makes his second career start, hoping to earn his first career win. All indications are that either way, Jordan will be sent back to the minors after this one, with Dan Haren on track to return from the DL and take Taylor's spot in five days. You'd certainly like to see the kid pitch well and be rewarded for his efforts today.

Updates to come, so please check back...

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 11:05 a.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside D.C. market), MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 183
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, Wind 12 mph out to LF

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

Ramos back tomorrow, Haren on Tuesday

USA Today Sports Images

Three days after getting their starting left fielder and No. 3 hitter back from the disabled list, the Nationals are about to get their No. 1 catcher back from an injury as well.

Wilson Ramos is scheduled to be activated off the DL in time for tomorrow morning's series finale against the Brewers. He's serving as designated hitter tonight for Class A Potomac, and barring any negative developments he'll be at Nationals Park in the morning and assuming his place behind the plate for the first time since mid-May, when he re-tweaked the same hamstring muscle that forced him to the DL in April.

I think he's going to DH tonight, four at-bats or whatever he feels comfortable with," manager Davey Johnson said. "And if the reports I get are good, it'll be good to get him back."

Ramos has played in only 14 games this season, missing two weeks in April when he initially strained the hamstring and then six weeks since aggravating the same injury trying to run out a double in Los Angeles on May 15. The Nationals' Opening Day catcher was hitting .250 with two homers, three doubles and six RBI.
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