May 22, 2013

Washington Nationals Game 37 Review: Suzuki’s error proves costly as Cubs top Nats 2-1

May 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

For the second day in a row, the Washington Nationals (20-17) were reminded of why, in baseball, it all comes down to the fundamentals.

With the Chicago Cubs (15-22) and Nats tied 1-1 in the ninth, Alfonso Soriano led off against Rafael Soriano with a single to left before pinch-hitter Julio Borbon followed up with a single of his own. With one out, the Cubs successfully ran the double steal with Wellington Castillo batting. Much to the Nats’ misfortune, however, Kurt Suzuki threw so far left of third base on the play that he bounced the ball into foul territory, allowing Alfonso Soriano to score the only go-ahead run the Cubs would need.
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Washington Nationals Game 36 Review: Strasburg unravels after Zimmerman error in Nats’ loss to Cubs

May 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Washington Nationals (20-16) were reminded once more what a difference an error can make as they fell 8-2 to the Chicago Cubs (14-22) Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.

Stephen Strasburg (L, 1-5) looked the best he’s been all season to start the game, retiring the first 11 batters he faced in a row before giving up a single to Anthony Rizzo in the fourth. [Read more...]

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Washington Nationals Game 35 Review: Desmond’s three RBIs leads Nats to victory

May 10, 2013 by 1 Comment

Ian Desmond plated three runs for the Washington Nationals (20-15) as they topped the Chicago Cubs (13-22), 7-3 to record their fifth straight win Friday night.

Desmond closed out the night just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and his three hits on the night helped awaken a sleepy Nats’ offense.

Left-hander Ross Detwiler (W, 2-3) looked sharp, allowing eight hits, two runs and no walks in 6.2 innings pitched. He tossed 57 of 90 pitches for strikes but, oddly enough, gave up six doubles on the night.  [Read more...]

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PHOTOS: Cubs and Nats Fight Night (Win 85)

September 7, 2012 by

Brawl #2: Ian Desmond helping ump back up after accidentally knocking him down when Cubs Catcher Clevenger took a swing at Desmond (and was ejected); Rick Eckstein holding onto Sean Burnett; Ryan Zimmerman holding onto Bryce Harper; Davey Johnson reaching for Michael Morse – Chicago Cubs v. Washington Nationals, 9/6/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

The Washington Nationals defeated the Chicago Cubs 9-2 on Thursday, September 6, 2012 to complete the four game sweep.

In a nutshell: Starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann returns to form, Bryce Harper continues to hustle and get dirty, Adam LaRoche hits his fifth home run in as many games, Kurt Suzuki has found his swing and hit another homer, there are two bench and bullpen clearing brawls, Davey Johnson is strong, and the Cubs learn not to mess with 3B Coach Bo Porter. Wilson Ramos also returned the dugout to support his teammates while on rehab.

You can read DSP’s game re-cap here.

Here are a few photos of Thursday’s game with descriptions under pictures. All photos were taken from the stands. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments! Thanks. [Read more...]

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Washington Nationals Game 137 Review: Nats sweep Cubs with 9-2 win; benches clear twice, three ejected

September 7, 2012 by

“If they’re getting mad at my guys in the fifth inning [for] swinging 3-0 or running, they better get used to it,” Nats manager Davey Johnson.

Cubs Catcher Steve Clevenger and homeplate ump Jerry Layne restrain Nats’ Bryce Harper after Lendy Castillo brushed him back in fifth inning. – Chicago Cubs v Washington Nationals, 9/6/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

The Washington Nationals finished a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 9-2 victory Thursday night. In those four games, the pennant-chasing Nats outscored the cellar-dwelling Cubs 31-9, including 14 home runs. It’s not surprising that the Cubs would be frustrated at their plight, losers of 86 games already this season.

That frustration boiled over in the fifth inning, when Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk had a heated discussion with Nats third base coach Bo Porter. Porter walked from the third base coaches box all the way over to the top step of the Cubs bench jawing with Quirk, who stayed in the dugout. The benches eventually emptied but tempers were held in check –for the time being – and Quirk was ejected from the game.

In the bottom of the inning, Cubs lefty reliever Lendy Castillo came way inside to leadoff batter Bryce Harper, prompting Harper to start yelling at the pitcher. The benches emptied again, and this time words turned into shoves as the players got tangled up between the pitcher’s mound and first base, with Cubs catcher Steve Clevenger initiating contact with Michael Morse and Ian Desmond in the middle of the fracas. In the end, Clevenger, Cubs reliever Manual Corpas and Nats reliever Michael Gonzalez were all ejected for their parts in escalating matters.

The original confrontation, according to Nats manager Davey Johnson, was Quirk complaining about Jayson Werth swinging away at a 3-0 pitch with a five-run lead. “Their bench coach [Quirk] was yelling all kinds of things. Swinging 3-0, blah blah blah. And really loud. It was totally uncalled for. It’s the fifth inning, we’re in a pennant race. We’re gonna swing 3-0. We ain’t stopping trying to score runs. And certainly a five-run lead at that time is nothing.”

“If they want to quit competing and forfeit, then fine. But we’re gonna keep competing.”

Crew chief, and home plate ump Jerry Layne told a pool reporter after the game, ”The obscenities that [Quirk] screamed out I just felt was inappropriate and that’s what caused everything.”

As for the game itself, it was another old-fashioned butt-whupping for the Cubs, who are trotting out rookies and journeymen as their season grinds to a close. Jordan Zimmermann was sharp, especially after the first two innings when the Cubs scored both their runs. Zimmermann (W, 10-8, 2.99) gave up five hits and a walk in seven innings, striking out nine in the process.

The hit parade continued as well. Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run homer in the second inning that practically sealed the Cubs fate right there, and Adam LaRoche went deep again, his fifth in five days and 29th of the season. Ryan Zimmerman added two hits and three RBIs.

The Nats (85-52) reduced their “magic number” for the division title to 18 with the win, but kept their division lead at 7 1/2 games as Atlanta defeated the Colorado Rockies 1-0 earlier in the day.

THE TAKEAWAY: You never really like to see the benches empty. There’s just too much chance for someone to do something stupid and hurt someone or someone get suspended in a pennant race. But these things can also be galvanizing, and the Nats showed that they had each others’ backs and are looking out for each other. Jayson Werth was the first one out of the Nats dugout to step in front of Harper when Castillo threw at him, quickly joined by Ryan Zimmerman.

Michael Gonzalez, one of the players ejected, on the Cubs throwing at Harper: “You come into our house and try to mess with our kid brother?” That sentiment was echoed around the Nats clubhouse Thursday night, as well as the nine-run lead they lost to Atlanta earlier this season. Davey Johnson has the Nats playing for every base, every run they can and it’s up to the opposition to stop them. If the other teams get bent out of shape because the Nats continue to play hard regardless of the score, Johnson doesn’t care.

PHOTO GALLERY: See our photo gallery, including the bench clearing brawls.

THE GOOD: Jordan Zimmermann. After a couple of less-than-stellar outings recently, this performance was good to see once he settled down. He was able to generate missed swings, something that has been missing from his arsenal lately.

THE BAD: Werth went 0-for-4 and stranded four runners.

THE UGLY: The Cubs pitching staff. It didn’t matter who they put on the mound this week, they all got pounded. Too bad they have to leave town already.

THE STATS: 12 hits, 7 BBs, 6 Ks. 6-for-14 with RISP, 11 LOB, 1 GIDP. No errors, no DPs.

NEXT GAME: Friday at 7:05 against the Miami Marlins. Stephen Strasburg (15-6, 2.94) hosts Jacob Turner (0-2, 6.55).

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Washington Nationals Game 136 Review: Gio sparkles, offense shines in 9-1 win over Cubs

September 5, 2012 by

NATS HIT SIX HOMERS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT NIGHT

It’s not supposed to be this easy.

For the second straight night, the Washington Nationals took batting practice during the game, tying the team record for home runs in a home game set just 24 hours earlier, en route to a 9-1 win over the Chicago Cubs, before a lively crowd of 21,244 at Nationals Park.

The Nats (84-52) maintained their 7 1/2 game lead over the Atlanta Braves. The Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 1-0 behind Mike Minor’s exceptional start.

The offense made a winner of Gio Gonzalez, who had a no-hitter through five innings. He ended up going seven innings, allowing just three hits, walking none and striking out nine along thee way. He carved up the young Cubs hitters in a manner that almost wasn’t fair. Gonzalez (W, 18-7, 2.98) didn’t allow multiple runners in an inning until two outs in the seventh, when Starlin Castro singled, followed by a Wellington Castillo double.

After a visit by pitching coach Steve McCatty, Gonzalez got Josh Vitters reaching for a curveball to end the inning and his evening.

Gonzalez’ 18th win of the season keeps pace with R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets — who beat the Cardinals Wednesday night – atop the N.L.’s pitching wins leaderboard.

But again, the Nats offense was the big story. The Nats got home runs from Roger Bernadina (4), Adam LaRoche (28), Ian Desmond (21), Danny Espinosa (16) and two from 19-year-old Bryce Harper, who passed Ken Griffey, Jr. on the list of single season home runs by a teenager with his 16th and 17th bombs. Only Tony Conigliaro (24) and Mel Ott (19) are higher on the list.

Washington hit back-to-back homers on back-to-back pitches twice in the game.

The Nats didn’t quite match their team total of 19 base hits from Wednesday, but they did pound out 13 hits to go along with eight walks by Cubs pitchers. Four Nats had multi-hit games.

THE TAKEAWAY: What to say after destroying the Cubs pitching for the second straight night. You almost have to grade these performances on a curve. Nats fans will take it though, after all the abuse they’ve had to withstand in the last few years. Of course, Cubs fans have almost 100 years of experience dealing with nights like last night.

THE GOOD: Gio. He didn’t really give up a hard-hit ball all night. This collection of rookies, journeymen and misfits the Cubs are trotting out there right now didn’t stand a chance.

THE BAD: Um, Gio didn’t get a hit? He was the only Nats’ starter that didn’t.

THE UGLY: Seriously, Cubs. Three of the five pitchers they threw out there last night had ERAs over 6.00. It’s like they’ve already given up.

THE STATS: 13 hits, 8 BBs, 7 Ks. 1-for-10 with RISP, 11 LOB, 1 GIDP. E: Desmond (14), no DPs.

NEXT GAME: Thursday at 7:05 against the Cubs. Jordan Zimmermann (9-8, 3.01) hosts Justin Germano (2-5, 6.30).

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Washington Nationals Game 135 Review: Nats pound six homers in 11-5 rout of Cubs

September 5, 2012 by

It was in the not-so-distant past when the Washington Nationals trotted out non-prospect rookie after rookie in meaningless September games, watching their opponents abuse their unprepared pitchers one after the other. Tuesday night, it was the Nats’ turn.

The first-place Nats scored in every inning but two against seven different rookie pitchers for the Chicago Cubs en route to an 11-5 victory before a meager crowd of just 17,648 at Nats Park.

The win, coupled with a loss by the Atlanta Braves, stretches the Nats (83-52) lead in the N.L. East to 7 1/2 games.

Edwin Jackson earned the win, despite running out of gas abruptly in the sixth inning. The right-hander had allowed just one run through five innings, but gave up a three-spot before being lifted with two outs in the sixth. The Nats lead was so large by that point though that Jackson easily qualified for the win, his ninth of the season. In total he allowed four earned runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out eight.

The Nats jumped all over Cubs starter Chris Rusin, making his second MLB appearance, right off the bat. Jayson Werth singled to lead off the bottom of the first and Ian Desmond launched his 20th homer of the season into the right center bleachers just three pitches later. Rusin got out of the rest of the inning escaping further damage, but the Nats picked up where they left off in the second.

Jesus Flores led off with his fifth homer of the year, sending one into the seats on the Red Porch. Jackson followed with a line drive single over the shortstop’s head. Werth lashed a double into the left field corner and Desmond scored them both with a double of his own to left center that fell just a few feet from being his second homer of the game.

The Cubs got a run in the fourth on Starlin Castro’s RBIs single, but the onslaught continued for the Nats in the bottom half against Rafael Dolis, the Cubs’ fourth pitcher in as many innings. With two outs, Adam LaRoche sent one into the Cubs bullpen for his 26th homer of the season, and third in three days. Espinosa singled, then Tyler Moore launched a moonshot that fell 15 rows back in the left field stands to make it 8-1.

Ryan Zimmerman was the last Nats starter to record a base hit. That came in the sixth in the form of his 18th home run of the season. The Nats tacked on their tenth run in the seventh. Bryce Harper, who came in for defense the previous inning, doubled, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on Werth’s fourth base hit of the night.

LaRoche had one more swing in him as well, taking one to deep right field in eighth inning for his second home run of the night and his 27th of the season, capping the Nats scoring for the evening.

The six home runs tied the record for the most hit by the Nats in team history since the relocation in 2005 (vs. the Orioles, May 20, 2011) and was the most a Washington-based team has ever hit at home in history.

THE TAKEAWAY: Everyone got in on the act last night. Every Nats position player that batted got a hit — even Jackson went 2-for-3. It was an impressive display against a bunch of pitchers that might not be in Major League uniforms for very long. LaRoche has hit four homers in four days. Werth is hitting .346/.419/.490 since returning from his broken wrist, mostly from the leadoff spot. Desmond matched a career high for single-game RBIs — in the second inning. Other than a couple tense moments by Tom Gorzelanny in the seventh inning, this one was a laugher.

THE GOOD: LOTS to go around. Werth was 4-for-5. Desmond was 2-for-4 with four RBIs. LaRoche was 4-for-4 with two solo homers. Espinosa was 2-for-4. Moore’s homer was a moonshot and Flores’ was a laser. Just good stuff all around.

THE BAD: Ryan Mattheus gave up a solo home run to Alfonso Soriano in the eighth inning.

THE UGLY: Tom Gorzelanny. He walked the bases loaded with the score at 9-4 to bring up Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs best hitter. It was a tense at bat, with Gorzy finally striking out the rookie, but it was enough to get the heart rate up a bit.

THE STATS: 19 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks. 3-for-11 with RISP, 9 LOB, no GIDPs. No errors, 1 DP.

NEXT GAME: Wednesday at 7:05 against the Cubs. Gio Gonzalez (17-7, 3.10) hosts Chris Volstad (2-9, 6.06). Also, it’s Dollar Dog Night, if you’re in to that sort of thing.

NATS NOTES: Christian Garcia made his Major League debut in the sixth inning, getting a pop up to end the inning after Jackson allowed the three runs in the frame. Garcia, 27, was a 2004 draft pick of the New York Yankees and has had two Tommy John surgeries on his pitching elbow.

BATTING SONGS: We put together a list of this season’s music. Check it out and help us keep it updated. Thanks.

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PHOTOS: Washington Nationals 82nd Win! A Winning Season!

September 3, 2012 by

WIN 82! The Washington Nationals have their first winning season since moving to DC from Montreal!

The Nats defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Monday, September 3, 2012. The Nationals wore their stars and stripes curly W blue jerseys for Labor Day.

Olympic Gold Medalist Katie Ledecky will threw out the Ceremonial First Pitch to Chad Tracy before the game. Ledecky is a 15-year old high school sophomore and Bethesda, Maryland native. During the pre-game interview with Clint, she said that she was more nervous to throw out first pitch than swim in the Olympics, but she had nothing to be nervous about. Ledecky threw the pitch to Chad Tracy with a complete wind up. We’ll post more photos of Ledecky in a separate post.

In a nutshell: Ross Detwiler pitched seven shutout innings, followed by an eighth inning shutout by Drew Storen. Tyler Clippard finished the game off, after giving up one run, but earned his 30th save of the season.  Adam LaRoche crushed his 25th home run. You can read DSP’s game re-cap here.

Here are a few photos of Monday’s game with descriptions under pictures. All photos were taken from the stands. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments! Thanks.

It just doesn’t get much better than this. Centerfielder Bryce Harper wearing his stirrups on Labor Day. – Chicago Cubs v. Washington Nationals, 9/3/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

2012 Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Katie Ledecky threw out ceremonial first pitch before game – Chicago Cubs v. Washington Nationals, 9/3/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

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Washington Nationals Game 134 Review: Detwiler shuts down Cubs for win No. 82

September 3, 2012 by

NATIONALS ENSURE FIRST WINNING SEASON SINCE RELOCATION IN 2005

Ross Detwiler pitched seven shutout innings – Chicago Cubs v. Washington Nationals, 9/3/2012. (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

In the grand scheme of things for the Washington Nationals this season, win No. 82 was little more than a blip on the radar on their way to a potential post-season berth. But for long-time fans of the team that suffered through 298 losses in a three-year period form 2008-2010, it’s a significant milestone in the franchise’s history, a moment to savor before moving on to dreams of baseball playoffs in the Nation’s Capital.

In fact, it’s the first winning season in D.C. since 1969. [Read more...]

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Washington Nationals Game 2 Review: Nats come back late to win… again

April 7, 2012 by

For two games in a row, the Chicago Cubs starting pitcher kept the Washington Nationals bats quiet. But for two days in a row, those same bats took their revenge on the Cubs bullpen. Today, the Nats batted around in the eighth inning pushing five runs across the plate, abusing Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol as they did on opening day, en route to a 7-4 win on a beautiful day for baseball at Wrigley Field.

The Nats eighth inning rally all came with two outs, as a succession of players extended the inning. The fun started with a 10-pitch at bat from Danny Espinosa against Wood, which culminated in an opposite field home run to left for Espinosa to cut the Cubs lead to 4-3, his first of the season. Ryan Zimmerman followed with a flare to right that fell in. Adam LaRoche’s fourth hit of the day put runners on the corners for Jayson Werth, who walked against Marmol. [Read more...]

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