MLB Power Rankings: All-Star edition

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By Steve Roney
CSNwashington.com

The past week may have featured fewer actual games thanks to the All-Star break, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been significant movement in the rankings. The Rays and Dodgers made moves towards the top, while the Royals continue to fall off. The Cardinals, though, continue to hold the No. 1 spot, buoyed by their six All-Stars.

Here's how Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman, Nats writer/producer Chase Hughes and I see the rest of the league shaking out as the second half of the season begins...

1. St. Louis Cardinals (57-36; LW: 2) - Hughes: At this rate they will have almost half their lineup receiving N.L. MVP votes at the end of the season.

2. Boston Red Sox (58-39; LW: 1) - Roney: Not to harp, but Ben Cherington just traded for another reliever (Matt Thornton). Not saying it'll be an unmitigated disaster, but the trades for Andrew Bailey, Mark Melancon, and Joel Hanrahan haven't exactly turned out as hoped.

MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox reign

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By Steve Roney
CSNwashington.com

There were undoubtedly those who figured the Red Sox would rebound from last year's last-place, 69-win season, but anyone who says they picked them to have baseball's best record at about the midpoint of the season is either lying or a huge fan of clam chowder. The AL East in general is top to bottom the best division in baseball -- though it can't match the NL Central's elite top three, all five divisional teams are within striking distance of first place, and only Toronto (at 44-46) owns a losing record.

Here's how Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman, Nats writer Chase Hughes, and I see the rest of the major leagues shaking out:

1. Boston Red Sox (56-37; LW: 3) - Hughes: Boston has the majors’ best offense and much of it was built on the fly this offseason. Ben Cherington is a clear frontrunner for executive of the year.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (54-34; LW: 1) - Zuckerman: They've hit .338 with RISP. That's not sustainable over a full season, is it?

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (54-36; LW: 2) - Zuckerman: The pitching staff remains deep and talented. The lineup could probably use another bat, though.

4. Oakland A's (54-38; LW: 6) - Roney: Does anyone have a bigger All-Star gripe than Josh Donaldson? A .316/.385/.529 slash line with 15 homers and valuable defense should be enough to garner some midseason recognition.

MLB Power Rankings: Power at the top

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By Steve Roney
CSNwashington.com

There's a line of demarcation right now in major league baseball -- 39 wins. A quick glance at the standings shows that each team with at least 39 wins either occupies, or is within two games of, a playoff spot. Does your favorite team have fewer than 39 victories? They'd better play in the NL West, where San Francisco, Colorado, and San Diego are all within three games of first place -- behind the Diamondbacks, who have a record of 39-33.

Here's how Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman, Nats writer Chase Hughes, and I see the rest of the majors shaking out:

1. St. Louis Cardinals (46-26; LW: 1) - Hughes: The Cardinals have one of the best pitching staffs and lineups in the majors, and have been fortunate to stay very healthy. Everything is going their way.

2. Boston Red Sox (44-30; LW: 2) - Roney: Not to kick a dead topic, but closer is my least favorite role in sports. Felix Doubront pitches eight innings, giving up three hits with no walks on just 93 pitches. John Farrell brings in Andrew Bailey to slam the door, and he gives up a homer on his second pitch, tying the game at 1-1. Infuriating.

3. Cincinnati Reds (44-29; LW: 3)  - Hughes: Arroyo, Latos, and Leake are all pitching like All-Stars. If they can keep it up the Reds are as complete a team as anyone.

4. Atlanta Braves (43-30; LW: 4) - Roney: El Oso Boo-boo just hit the DL, sidelining one of Atlanta's most reliable power bats. Kudos to the Braves, however, for shelving him right away.

5. Oakland A's (43-31; LW: 5) - Zuckerman: Their stadium may reek of sewage, but this team smells awfully good right now.

MLB Power Rankings: Cardinals ascend

Photo by USA Today

By Steve Roney
CSNwashington.com

On the strength of their starting pitching the Cardinals have finally knocked the Braves from the top spot in the rankings; here's how Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman, Nats writer Chase Hughes, and I see the rest of the league shaking out.

1. Cardinals (21-12; LW: 5) Hughes - Their entire starting rotation boasts ERAs of 2.72 or lower and Carlos Beltran is an early MVP candidate.

2. Rangers (21-13; LW: 3) Zuckerman - Was Yu Darvish worth all the money? Right now, the folks in Texas certainly think so.

3. Braves (21-13; LW: 1) Roney - With Brian McCann back, wither Evan Gattis? Though he's cooled from his torrid start, the Braves need his bat to stay in the lineup.

4. Giants (20-15; LW: 8) Zuckerman - How is it that the World Series champs in two of the last three years still flies under the radar?

Instant analysis: Cardinals 4, Nats 2

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Stephen Strasburg rebounded from a rough first inning to post a quality start.

Game in a nutshell: Losers of three straight and in a major offensive funk, the Nationals hoped the combination of Stephen Strasburg on the mound and a couple of new guys in the lineup (Tyler Moore, Jhonatan Solano) would get them back on track. It didn't. Strasburg gave up three runs in the top of the first, and though he recovered, it was too much of a hole for the Nationals' lineup to escape. Left-hander Jaime Garcia shut them down for 5 2/3 innings, then the Cardinals bullpen pitched its way out of several late jams, the Nats not exactly helping themselves with some of their approaches at the plate. Just like that, a team favored to win the World Series three weeks ago finds itself having lost nine of 12, with a sub-.500 record for the first time since the final day of the 2011 season. Not quite what anybody had in mind.

Hitting lowlight: It's pretty much all lowlights at the plate right now, but let's focus on the lowest of the lows from this game: The bottom of the seventh. With runners on the corners and one out,

Davey sticking with Espinosa through slump

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Through his first 16 games this season, Danny Espinosa has played crisp defense at second base and cut down his strikeouts to about half the rate he whiffed last season. But a late 2012 slump has seemed to carry over into the new year as Espinosa remains a hole in the Nationals’ lineup with an ugly .167 batting average and just three hits in his last eight games. 

The Nationals falling to .500 (10-10) on Tuesday night prompted manager Davey Johnson to make some lineup changes, but Espinosa remained at second base. The Nats skipper thinks if he keeps Espinosa in there, at some point he will pull through.

“Danny had a great spring. He’s a deep thinker, too. Sometimes he gets in his own way,” Johnson said.

“I see signs where it looks like he’s really getting focused and then I see times where he gets thinking too much. He’s not alone. Desi does the same thing. Tries to do too much and have conversations with him. Mostly, you gotta just stay positive.”

Read more >>

Game 21: Cardinals at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Nationals try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals today.

Davey Johnson said last night he planned to make some lineup changes for today's series finale against the Cardinals. So what are those changes? Well, Tyler Moore is at first base instead of Adam LaRoche, and Jhonatan Solano is catching instead of Kurt Suzuki.

Not exactly a major shakeup, but Johnson said that had more to do with today's matchup, with Jaime Garcia on the mound for St. Louis. He didn't want to bench Danny Espinosa and Anthony Rendon and deny them a chance to bat against a left-hander. LaRoche and Suzuki will likely be back in the lineup tomorrow against the Reds.

Stephen Strasburg gets the start, looking to snap his string of losses at three. The Nationals would love to get a quality, and long outing out of their ace, who has been plagued by high pitch counts more than he would prefer.

It's a beautiful afternoon for baseball. If you're stuck in the office, never fear. I've got plenty of updates right here...

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv, MLB Network (outside D.C. market)
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 184
Weather: Sunny, 71 degrees, Wind 14 mph out to LF

NATIONALS (10-10)
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
1B Tyler Moore

Nats run into rolling Wainwright

Photo by USA Today

Struggling to score over their previous two games and missing two regulars in their lineup, the Nationals could have used a game against some run-of-the-mill, meatball tossing pitcher. Perhaps the last man they would have liked to face on Tuesday was Adam Wainwright. 

Not only is Wainwright one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, he took to the mound a source of extra motivation. Knowing he had trouble with Washington hitters in particular last season, and knowing he wasn’t at his best the last time he pitched at Nationals Park in Game 5 of the NLDS, Wainwright had an axe to grind. 

Unfortunately for the Nats, they had to be sacrificed.

“That start, even though we won the game, that served as motivation,” he said. “That game to me was a game that I live for and I was disappointed in the effort I put out there. It just gives you incentive to work harder in the offseason and come back stronger.”

Davey: Time to "get a little mad"

Associated Press

Adam LaRoche reacts after striking out with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Baseball is a sport that requires patience. It requires an even-keeled approach. You can't get too high when things are going well. You can't get too low when things aren't.

The Nationals excelled in this department last season en route to an MLB-best 98 wins, and they've tried to stress the same approach during the early stages of this highly anticipated season. But there comes a time when frustration starts to boil over, and Davey Johnson appeared to reach that stage Tuesday night following a 2-0 loss to the Cardinals that dropped his team to the .500 mark.

"I'm usually pretty patient, but I'm getting to my rope's end," the 70-year-old manager said. "The effort's there, but we're just not getting it done. We've got the players who can get it done, we're just not getting it done. It's time to get a little mad."

Time to get mad? Twenty games into a 162-game marathon? That may seem a bit premature, but the way his team is slumping at the plate right now, it's tough to blame Johnson for being frustrated.
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Instant analysis: Cardinals 2, Nats 0

USA Today Sports Images

Ross Detwiler allowed two runs over six strong innings.

Game in a nutshell: Would this be the night the Nationals' offense finally got going again? Not with Adam Wainwright on the mound. The Cardinals right-hander was brilliant from the moment he took the mound, getting quick outs, keeping the Nats off base and nearly going the distance. (Edward Mujica recorded the final two outs for the save.) Ross Detwiler tried his best to keep pace but suffered a slight hiccup during a two-run fourth inning. That still should have been good enough, but it's not good enough when your lineup can't produce anything at the plate. After getting shut out by the Mets on Sunday and shut down by the Cards on Monday, the Nationals again couldn't push a run across. They only had a couple of decent opportunities and came up short each time, leading to another frustrating loss for a club that has now lost eight of 11 and has fallen to 10-10 on the young season.

Hitting lowlight: How much are the Nationals missing Ryan Zimmerman's presence in their lineup right now? A lot, especially

Game 20: Cardinals at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Ross Detwiler faces Adam Wainwright tonight at Nationals Park.

The Nationals could certainly use a win tonight, if for nothing else than to keep themselves from continuing a slow, downward spiral, not to mention seeing their record fall to the .500 mark. The good news: They've got their most effective pitcher (to date this season) on the mound in Ross Detwiler.

Detwiler has been nothing short of fantastic through his first three starts of the year, posting a miniscule 0.90 ERA while pounding the strike zone with almost nothing but fastballs. It's been an effective formula for the lefty, who really has blossomed since late last season, perhaps his biggest start coming against the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The man who started Game 5 of that series for St. Louis, Adam Wainwright, is also on the mound tonight. Though the veteran right-hander has been strong so far in 2013, the Nationals have had considerable success against him. In four head-to-head encounters in 2012, the Nationals twice pounded Wainwright for six runs and knocked him out early.

Updates to come, so please check back...

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv, MLB Network (outside D.C. market)
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 89
Weather: Clear, 62 degrees, Wind 5 mph in from CF

NATIONALS (10-9)
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
1B Adam LaRoche

On Haren, Rendon and Storen

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Dan Haren allowed three runs over five-plus innings.

Though the lack of a clutch hit was the main focus of last night's 3-2 loss to the Cardinals, there were several other developments worth noting from the Nationals' perspective.

Let's run through three of them...

HAREN SHOWS SIGNS OF PROGRESS
It was by no means a quality start, either by the official definition or based purely on observation, but Dan Haren did make some big strides in his fourth outing as a National.

After getting beat around by the Reds, White Sox and Marlins, Haren was mostly effective against a tough St. Louis lineup. He gave up a two-run double to Allen Craig in the third when Denard Span couldn't quite haul the ball in against the wall. But otherwise, the right-hander was unscathed through his first five innings of work.

"I guess a little bit better," he said. "I mean, I gotta get obviously deeper in the game. I feel good. My stuff is good. ... I gave us a

Lackluster lineup leads to another loss

Associated Press

Ian Desmond reacts after striking out with two on to end the eighth inning.

Want a quick synopsis of the state of the Nationals' lineup 19 games into the season? Adam LaRoche has the condensed version.

"We're not getting the big hits," the veteran first baseman said. "A lot of quick innings. Not a ton of baserunners. And five or six guys that aren't swinging the bat real good. When it rains, it pours."

The rain may not be at cats-and-dogs stages right now, but it's coming down at a steady rate, resulting in more than a few frustrating losses like Monday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals.

Despite getting the closest thing Dan Haren has offered up to a quality start this season and some sparkling work out of their bullpen, the Nationals couldn't exorcise their St. Louis demons from last October because they couldn't produce a clutch hit late despite several opportunities.

Thus, a Nationals club that three weeks ago was everyone's prohibitive favorite to reach the World Series fell to 10-9. Yes, they're still over .500, but there's something unsettling about the way they've played to date, especially at the plate.
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Instant analysis: Cardinals 3, Nats 2

Associated Press

Denard Span can't quite haul in Allen Craig's third-inning drive to the wall.

Game in a nutshell: The Cardinals were in town for the first time since Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS forever became a part of both D.C. and St. Louis sports lore, but the Nationals were less concerned with exorcising those demons and more concerned with playing a good game of baseball and getting themselves back on track after a ragged weekend in New York. They did play much cleaner, but they just couldn't get much going offensively against Cardinals rookie Shelby Miller. Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon's back-to-back RBI doubles in the fourth produced their only two runs off Miller, who pitched well into the seventh. (Rendon notched both his first career hit and first career RBI there.) Dan Haren, meanwhile, once again couldn't record an out in the sixth. The veteran right-hander did show some improvement, but he faded late, and that left the Nationals in a hole. They couldn't claw their way out of it, stranding the tying runner in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings. Drew Storen managed to pitch a scoreless ninth against the Cardinals, but it didn't matter this time because his teammates couldn't push across the necessary tying run.

Hitting lowlight: The Nationals had some chances, especially late, but simply couldn't produce a clutch hit when they needed it. They

Game 19: Cardinals at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Cardinals are back in D.C. for the first time since October.

The last time the Cardinals set foot on this field ... well, it's probably best not to rehash that one yet again. Point is, the Redbirds are back in D.C. tonight for the start of a three-game series with the Nationals, who probably need to be careful not to think they can exorcise all their St. Louis demons in one feel swoop this week.

Of more importance: Play a good, clean ballgame, something they haven't been doing with consistency through the season's first three weeks. That starts with Dan Haren, still looking to record his first quality start in his fourth outing with his new club. Haren, who will be facing the organization that drafted him and allowed him to make his big-league debut, showed signs of progress through the first three innings of his last start, but then crumbled after Ryan Zimmerman committed an error. He'll need to put forth a more complete effort throughout this outing if he's going to beat a tough Cardinals lineup.

Anthony Rendon, meanwhile, hopes to be a bit more relaxed in his second big-league game after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and an error yesterday in New York. The rookie third baseman should get a nice ovation from the home crowd when he steps to the plate for the first time in his home uniform.

One other important note: Rafael Soriano is not with the club tonight following the birth of his son earlier today in New York. That means the Nationals' closer tonight — should the situation present itself — would be Drew Storen. Talk about exorcising demons.

Updates to come...

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 184
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 55 degrees, Wind 12 mph in from RF

NATIONALS (10-8)
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
1B Adam LaRoche

Dead arm leaves Haren dragging

Associated Press

Dan Haren was roughed up for five runs in five innings by the Cardinals.

JUPITER, Fla. -- He could have come up with an excuse or tried to sugarcoat the situation by searching for some positives to come out of his ragged outing this afternoon.

Dan Haren didn't bother. He just told it like it was.

"Just one of those days, man," the Nationals right-hander sighed after allowing five runs in five innings with a fastball that never topped 89 mph. "I felt like I was throwing a weighted ball out there. It was just bad, all the way around."

Haren insisted he's not injured. He hopes he was simply dealing with the same "dead arm" issue that plagues many pitchers in mid-March, though "I don't even know what that is, I just didn't feel great."

The results weren't pretty: Haren allowed four runs during a first inning that included two towering homers clubbed by the Cardinals' Jon Jay and Matt Adams and first-pitch strikes to only one of the

Zimmerman may debut at 3B tomorrow

Associated Press

Ryan Zimmerman is close to playing his first game at third base.

JUPITER, Fla. -- Comfortable with how his surgically repaired right shoulder has progressed this spring, Ryan Zimmerman may push up his spring training debut at third base to Saturday.

Zimmerman was originally scheduled to take the field Monday against the Tigers, but manager Davey Johnson said the 28-year-old indicated he could be ready to go Saturday night against the Astros. Nationals rehab coordinator Steve Gober concurred, provided Zimmerman is able to get through today's workout in Viera with no issues.

"I guess I can't keep all these guys conservative," Johnson said. "They're being more aggressive than me."

Zimmerman has appeared in seven Grapefruit League games to date, serving as designated hitter each time. All the while, he's been building up arm strength following surgery in late-October to repair the sprained AC joint that plagued him throughout 2012.

Nats vs. Cardinals - 3/15/13

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Dan Haren and the Nationals face the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium.

JUPITER, Fla. -- Hello from Roger Dean Stadium, where today the Nationals face those blasted Cardinals again. There are some familiar names playing for St. Louis today that will bring back some bad memories for Nats fans: Adam Wainwright, Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma are all manager Mike Matheny's lineup.

Dan Haren, meanwhile, starts for the Nationals against the franchise that originally drafted him. This will be Haren's fourth outing of the spring, and the veteran right-hander will look to continue the progress he's been making start to start. Not too many big names in the Nats lineup since most of the regulars played the last two days at home. But we will get another look at Micah Owings, whose grand slam yesterday was the latest display of power from the former pitcher.

Today's game is being televised by the Cardinals' broadcast crew and is available to subscribers on MLB.tv. Or, if you're really deranged, you can watch the tape delayed broadcast on MLB Network at the convenient time of 3 a.m. EDT. Better yet, you can check back here for updates throughout...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (live), MLB Network (delayed at 3 a.m.)
Radio: None
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68 degrees, Wind 12 mph LF to RF

NATIONALS
2B Steve Lombardozzi
C Kurt Suzuki
RF Tyler Moore
DH Chad Tracy

Nats vs. Cardinals - 3/8/13

File photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Nats return to Space Coast Stadium this afternoon.

As Opening Day inches closer and closer to reality, we're starting to see more regulars in the Nationals lineup on a regular basis. Indeed, today's starting nine -- er, 10, since they're still using the DH -- features six guys projected to take the field on April 1 against the Marlins, plus three more big-league backups in Tyler Moore, Wilson Ramos and Chad Tracy.

Ramos is behind the plate for the second time this spring, and it'll be interesting to see how he looks back there. Also of interest will be Ryan Zimmerman at the plate, serving again as DH. Sounds like he's getting close to taking his familiar position at third base.

Jordan Zimmerman is on the mound today, facing those pesky St. Louis Cardinals (though thankfully neither Pete Kozma nor Daniel Descalso). The Nats will, however, be up against top pitching prospect Shelby Miller, who gets the start for the Redbirds.

Bob and F.P. are back in Viera, so you can watch today's game live on TV. And, of course, continue to enjoy the conversation here...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Space Coast Stadium, Viera
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: None
Weather: Sunny, 68 degrees, Wind 9 mph out to CF

NATIONALS
2B Danny Espinosa
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
DH Ryan Zimmerman

Nats vs. Cardinals - 3/3/2013

Photo by Mark Zuckerman

The Nationals took the first of this back-to-back series behind Gio Gonzalez and another stellar outing by Anthony Rendon. Now they host the Cards in Viera with another shot at the team they battled in last year's NLDS.

Today the Nats will feature a complete lineup of expected starters with Steve Lombardozzi filling in as the designated hitter. Unfortunately this one is not on television once again as this will be the first glimpse of what the Opening Day lineup should look like.

Ross Detwiler takes the mound against a group of Cardinals backups. Pete Kozma, however, will be out there this time. On the bump for St. Louis is Jaime Garcia who pitched Game 2 of the NLDS.

Here are the full lineups...


WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Space Coast Stadium, Viera
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: None
Radio: St. Louis' KMOX radio via MLB Gameday Audio
Weather: Clear, 60 degrees, Wind 16 mph NW

NATIONALS
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
DH Ryan Zimmerman