Players stream out of the dugout after Werth’s walk-off.

Now tomorrow is today and the Nationals are still alive to play the deciding Game 5 in the National League Division Series at 8:37 P.M. versus the St. Louis Cardinals in DC.

In true storybook fashion with their backs up against the wall, the Nationals won 2-1 in walk-off fashion thanks to Jayson Werth’s solo home run yesterday. Werth won the 13-pitch at-bat against the Cards 17-game winner Lance Lynn after Lynn threw a 96 mph fastball over the heart of the plate.

The crowd that was initially tentative all night after Wednesday’s 8-0 shutout loss gradually became more and more excited as the game progressed. Left-hander Ross Detwiler pitched six innings allowing one unearned run and was followed by scoreless relief performances by Jordan Zimmermann, Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen. By time Werth blasted the home run into the visiting bullpen, the ballpark–all 44,392–exploded.

“It sounded like RFK when the Redskins were good. You can’t hear the person next to you and they’re screaming,” Nationals principle owner Mark Lerner said.

The Nationals poured out of the dugout, knowing that they lived to play once more. Tonight amidst the nerves and anxiousness for players and fans alike, 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez will face off against the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright. Seeing Wainwright for the second time in the series may benefit the Nationals struggling offence who have been outscored by 14 runs in this series.

Tonight culminates years of developing a farm system, painful losing seasons, and a season of games fought (and many of which were won) despite a dugout filled with injuries at times. The Nationals have a chance to win the series and advance to the league championship series where they would play the San Francisco Giants. But tonight, no matter what happens, the Nationals will experience October baseball knowing they pieced together a season to be proud of.

Best quote from last night:

“I think I screamed so loud I almost threw up. It was unbelievable.” –Kurt Suzuki

Other (playoff) goodness:

• Mark DeRosa helped fuel motivation last night by reading Theodore Roosevelt’s “The man in the Arena” speech. The speech, a microphone, and couple F-bombs made for a good motivator.
• Jayson Werth’s walk-off home run may be one of the biggest hits of the year, so it only makes sense that Charlie Slowes call of the home run is just as epic.
• There’s a Jayson Werth cupcake from Fluffy Thoughts Cakes in Virginia, and it’s not pretty cool. It’s pretty awesome.
• The FOX5 anchors paid tribute to the walk-off hero last night in the only proper way, really: their own Werth beards.
• A-ha’s “Take on Me” isn’t just Michael Morse’s at-bat song anymore, but an opportunity for fans to “finish the chorus in banshee falsetto.”
• Speaking of “Take on Me,”  if you’ve never sang along at Nationals Park, you definitely need to hear it for yourself. Even if you have sang it along, just listen to it again.
• And now Morse has even struck up a friendship with the 80′s band.
• On a different note, the Nationals always make a point to honor the armed forces during games and they gave one military family a very special surprise.

In the typical rookie hazing, the Nationals went above and beyond again this year. Last year it was the Smurfs. This year, being an Olympic year, the rookies dressed as gymnasts for their train ride to New York. They were clad in leotards and all.

“The 2012 Olympians that didnt make the cut this year.” Via ‏@GioGonzalez47
Left to right: Tyler Moore, Corey Brown, Eury Perez, Sandy Leon, Christian Garcia, Steve Lombardozzi, and the flag bearer Bryce Harper

“Wore our colors proudly.” Via @GioGonzalez47

“My boy is all grown up so proud.” Via @GioGonzalez47

Props to the veterans for another ingenious idea that’s just embarrassing enough, and to the rookies for being good sports. And our sympathies to Steve Lombardozzi who had to dress up  again this year after being a Smurf last year. (At least not many people can say they’ve been a Smurf and Olympic gymnast, right?)

Now they need to bring home the gold. Or at least a handful of wins from the New York Mets. The series starts Monday in New York at 7:10 PM.

Other good stuff (in case you missed it):

• Newsflash: the Nationals are human. Plus, it always seems that the Marlins always seem to have their number. The Nats were shut out 8-0 yesterday and dropped the series. Silver lining: the homestand still went well and they had a winning record.
• The highly debated shutdown is here. Strasburg is done for the season. Spoiler alert: he wasn’t too happy about it.
• Mark DeRosa, in his veteran mentor role had a talk with Strasburg.
• Sean Burnett’s beginning to feel a little bit better.

A young Ryan Zimmerman.

Tonight Ryan Zimmerman will get some more recognition, and not when he’s just on the field. Zimmerman is one of four players to be profiled by MLB Productions. The first two were Matt Kemp and Torii Hunter, and CC Sabathia is the last one. The 30-minute ‘My Life’ show details the childhood and off-field  life of the player.During the 30-minute show Zimmerman talks about the Nationals success this season, as well as growing up, and his mother’s multiple sclerosis. His parents, fiancee, and grandfather are also interviewed.

Check out Zimmerman’s ‘My Life’ at 6:30 PM tonight or 12:30 PM tomorrow afternoon.

See DC Sport Bog’s post for a preview.

Other good stuff:

• The Nationals are taking on the Cardinals right now. Check the game out on FOX if you can.
• Gio Gonzalez pitched a gem last night.
• It’s September! Time for call-ups.
• Is Ryan Zimmerman’sthrowing (errors) a cause for worry? Davey Johnson doesn’t necessarily think so.

Remember when Ozzie Guillen had his little spat with the Nationals over Bryce Harper’s pine tar? In typical Ozzie fashion, it involved its share of theatrics with some yelling, screaming and expletives thrown in.  The Nationals got to have a good laugh with the whole situation, with some of them signing Bryce Harper’s bat, smearing it in pine tar and sending it to the Marlins manager.

Now, Ozzie Guillen’s son Oney Guillen posted a photo of the said bat on twitter, calling it the ‘infamous bat.’ (Just as we had requested. Thanks, Oney!)

Contrary to what Ozzie said Adam La Roche wrote on the bat (“To my hero, Ozzie. Love you.”), it only says “To Ozzie, Your my hero.” That’s quite a different message La Roche left for Guillen than he first said, not to mention the wrong use of your, but at least we know the smear pine tar bat wasn’t some elaborate prank story.

And yes, that would be Bryce Harper’s signature signed next to the ‘Luke 1:37.’

The infamous (or famous) bat depending how you look at it. Photo via @Oneyguillen.

Other good stuff (in case you missed it):

• Wanna know what Gio Gonzalez’s ideal date would be like? Or read some other interview gems? Hint: the date involves roller coasters.
• Some of the Nationals bullpen boys (Stammen, Burnett, Clippard & Mattheus) visited the MLB Fan Cave and read ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.’ I wonder how many takes it took to shoot this…
• Stephen Strasburg throws fire. (Okay, not really, but he might as well have. His pitching performance helped the Nationals to a 5-2 win over the Mets as well as a sweep.)
• The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching. What will the Nats do? Be buyers, sellers, or not do anything at all?
• Next up: a four game series with the Milwaukee Brewers, a (much needed) off day, then a six-game homestand with Philadelphia and Miami.

It’s fair to say that one of Bryce Harper’s biggest dreams has come true aleady. At 19, he’s made it to the Major Leagues and has taken the baseball world by storm (whether they like it or not). Harper’s injected a new type of energy into games and highlight reels, and nothing’s slowing him down yet. Tonight the rookie outfielder will add another accomplishment to his already long resume–being in the All-Star Game as the youngest position player.

But while Harper undoubtedly still has some baseball dreams that are yet to be fulfilled, one of his off-the-field goals of being a firefighter could come true sooner than he thinks.

The Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department in Arlington, Virginia issued an open invitation to Harper to come and “check out the fire service in the offseason.”

» Continue reading “Bryce Harper’s Open Invitation…to be Firefighter”

Coming into the 2012 season, there was something the Nationals were used to having to deal with: expectations.

With big off season moves, the impending debut of Bryce Harper, and the momentum the Nats took into the off season at the end of 2011, everyone was expecting an improvement.  To say anyone expected the Nats being in first place at the All-Star Break (and having been in that position most of the year) would be crazy.

Yet that’s where we stand.  The Nats are not only first in the NL East, but they have the best record in the National League at the halfway point of the season.  Here’s a look at what the top stories of 2012 have been.

Pitching

» Continue reading “Nats At The Half”

Today Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Ian Desmond were selected to the 2012 All-Star team. This is the first time in Nationals history three players were named to the team. Pitchers Strasburg and Gonzalez were selected by the players’ squad, while Desmond was selected by Tony La Russa, the manager of this year’s NL team. The only other time the team’s had more than one representative was when baseball returned to DC in 2005 when Chad Cordero and Livan Hernandez were selected.

For Strasburg, this is the first time he’ll be an All-Star, but to have other teammates as representatives with him in Kansas City is just as important.

“Obviously when you get more than one guy, get Desi and Gio in there too, it’s huge. It means that we’re winning. Typicallythe team in last place only gets one guy.”

Gio Gonzalez will also be joining his fellow pitcher in Kansas City. His selection this year marks the 2nd time he’s an All-Star, but for the first time in the National League. Last year, he was an All-Star while with the Oakland Athletics.

Both Strasburg and Gonzalez have anchored the Nationals rotation as the #1 and #2 starters, respectively. Strasburg is 9-3 with 122 strikeouts and a 2.81 ERA. Batters are only hitting .217 against him. GM Mike Rizzo said Strasburg would be allowed to pitch if he was selected and Strasburg’s pitching schedule allows it.

A part from his personable character, Gio Gonzalez has also exerted dominance on the mound. Gonzalez, who was traded for this past off season is 10-3 with a 2.78 ERA. He’s struck out 108 batters with a .190 batting average against.

» Continue reading “Strasburg, Gonzalez & Desmond selected for All-Star Game”

I’ll be honest, I didn’t see this day coming.

I thought that the Nats were going to have some All-Star candidates with potential, but I honestly didn’t think that Ian Desmond would be one of them.  His mistakes and inconsistencies of the past seemed to not be going away.

But this year, that has all changed. Desmond has been a huge steadying force at the plate, and has impacted the Nats  positively all year.

Desmond leads the National League shortstops with 37 extra-base hits, with a .302 batting average in June.  In the last 11 games, Desmond has had 11 extra base hits.

The realities of the All-Star Game may play against him (which is weird for the Nationals). Mainly, every team has to be represented, and it is a solid bet that Stephen Strasburg and.or Gio Gonzalez will be going to the game.  They have both been superb this year.

» Continue reading “Ian Desmond’s All-Star Case”

After failing to generate runs against the Rockies’s pitching staff on Monday night in Colorado, the Nationals seemingly came alive in last night’s game, winning 12-5. In the process, they knocked 21 hits with a couple milestones in between. The 21 hits alone are a record–it tied for the most hits for team since moving to DC in 2005.

Total the team hit four home runs and seven doubles. The total 12 runs were the most scored with Davey Johnson as manager, and it seemed as everyone got in on the action.

Ryan Zimmerman seems to be feeling like his old self again. The third baseman, who started receiving cortisone shots for his ailing shoulder went 3 for 4, including his 1,000 career hit. The cortisone’s been making a difference for Zimmerman, allowing him to play without pain. Since starting the shots he’s been 6-12.

Ian Desmond went 4 for 5 hitting three doubles with 2 RBIs. Desmond is the first National to hit three doubles in a game since Alberto Gonzalez in 2009.

Adam LaRoche also did well for himself, hitting two home runs. Michael Morse also went 4 for 5 with 2 RBIs and Tyler Moore, who’s been getting more playing time recently hit a monster three run home run.

» Continue reading “Nationals Get on a Rocky Mountain High”

After the Rays intentionally walked Adam LaRoche before Danny Espinosa, Espinosa delivered the final blow in the sixth inning, breaking the tie. The Nationals went on to win the rubber game of the series 5-2.

The move to walk LaRoche in front of Espinosa made sense to the Rays. Espinosa hit the decisive double from the left side, where he’d only been hitting .188.

“I definitely take it personal in a sense that, I want to get ’em. I want to make them pay for what they’re doing.”

Gio Gonzalez struggled early, throwing 50 pitches over the first two innings but was able to pitch into the sixth inning and earned his ninth win. After Gonzalez left the game, Craig Stammen entered to pitch the seventh and issued a leadoff walk. After two walks, Johnson brought in reliever Michael Gonzalez.

Not to be outdone by Stammen, Gonzalez also issued a walk, thus loading the bases. Johnson then brought in Ryan Mattheus, who reached a full count before he was able to get the job done, striking out Will Rhymes with two outs to leave the Rays stranded.

» Continue reading “Nationals have last laugh; take 2 of 3 from Rays”