(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

One day after the bullpen dropped the series opener to the Minnesota Twins, the Nationals got a “little talk” from manager Davey Johnson. Johnson encouraged his batters to be more aggressive and for everyone to relax in a season of high expectations, yet has become comprised of miscues and injuries.

But today, behind the once again dominant Jordan Zimmermann, the Nationals were able to start up some momentum with a 7-0 win over the Twins in Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader.

Zimmermann (9-3) pitched seven strong scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and two hits, lowering his ERA to 2.00. Behind him, the offense came alive, scoring seven runs and totaling 14 hits–their second-highest total this season. Ian Desmond recorded three hits and two RBIs

Despite the strong offense production, the shaky defense continued to rear its ugly head with an error from a Ryan Zimmerman throw sailing over Adam LaRoche‘s head and an Anthony Rendon dropped pop up.

Injuries continue to plague the lineup with Denard Span sitting out Game 1 with a bruised foot while Tyler Clippard took a line drive off of his left hand. Both players received X-rays after Saturday’s game which returned negative.

Even so, the Nationals didn’t seem worse for the wear in Game 1, and it seems they took Davey Johnson’s advice about being more aggressive to heart.

“I’ll have to say it every day if we get 14 hits and seven runs, but it wasn’t much of a meeting. It was about three minutes or something like that. I was just cheering ‘em up.”

The Nationals are now 30-31 and hope to climb back to .500 in the night game of the doubleheader.

Harper belts a home run into the second deck at Nationals Park in early September.

After winning the first game of the doubleheader, tonight has the potential to be a very BIG night in Nationals history. If the Nats win the second game of the doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they can clinch a postseason playoff spot.

John Lannan makes the start. This season he’s 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA. Lannan was also the Opening Day starter each of the 100+ loss seasons.

The magic number to clinch the NL East division after winning game one of the doubleheader is 9.

Also notable: the 2012 Nationals are the first D.C. baseball team to reach 90 wins since 1933.

Other news & notes:

• Everyone’s getting cortisone shots these days. Ryan Zimmerman got another cortisone shot with off-season shoulder surgery looking to be a possibility, and Danny Espinosa also received a cortisone shot.
• Sean Burnett says he’s healthy, just trying to break some bad habits.
• This season’s been a fun ride for Nationals’ fans, but there’s some people seeing it from a different perspective.
• Start budgeting now! Postseason tickets go on sale Friday!
• New to the Nats? The Washington Post has a need-to-know guide just for you.
• Also, a very happy birthday to Gio Gonzalez.

But for now, don’t let the injuries worry you too much. Sit, back, enjoy the ride, and watch the Nationals (hopefully) clinch their playoff spot tonight.

Via the MLB facebook.

What’s the only thing more interesting than one benches clearing incident? Well, two benches clearing incidents, with a brawl thrown in for good measure. For the Nationals who’ve lost large leads that looked out blowouts before, they didn’t take any chances, beating the Cubs 9-2 and overall outscoring them 31-9 over four games. For the Cubs, it became a little bit too much to take and frustration spilled out onto the field leading to ejections for both teams.

In yesterday’s sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the Nationals once again blew out their opposition, maintained a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL East, and dropped their magic number to win the National League East down to 18.

The first benches clearing incident happened in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jayson Werth was batting with the bases loaded and the Nats up 7-2. Cubs catcher Clevenger went to the dugout to change his glove when Nats third base coach Bo Porter approached the Cubs dugout yelling. Yet first before Porter approached the dugout, replays showed Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk pointing and yelling at Porter.

Eventually players ran out onto the field from the dugouts and bullpens and the fracas was subdued by the umpires without any further incident. Quirk was ejected from the game for his actions, while Porter remained in. Later after the game umpire Jerry Layne stated that Quirk instigated the shouting match by yelling at Porter.

The fun didn’t end there. The next inning  when Bryce  Harper was batting, Cubs pitcher Lendy Castillo threw an inside pitch. Harper wasn’t hit by the pitch, but with bad blood already brewing, tempers flared.  As Harper started walking towards the mound he had to be restrained by catcher Clevenger and umpire Jerry Layne.

» Continue reading “Benches clear; Nats still sweep”

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.

On a hot, humid summer night (there’s no other type of summer night in DC), most fans were lulled to sleep, a languid relaxation or sheer boredom. There really wasn’t that much to cheer and celebrate, for Nats fans. ‘Turn Back the Clock’ night had been a fun promotion, but apart from that, the game had mostly been written off as a missed chance to sweep.

Of course, with this team, nothing is over until the last out is recorded and everyone has packed up and gone home. Last night in the ninth inning, as the Nationals mounted their comeback, in the middle of it all were Tyler Moore, Steve Lombardozzi and Bryce Harper–all direct rewards from the Nationals farm system. Also involved were Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse and Adam LaRoche. The first three embody draft picks across the board. Moore was drafted in the 16th round of 2008, Lombardozzi was drafted in the 19th round of 2008 and Harper was drafted first overall in 2010. The later three encompass a mix of veteran experience and utility playing time.

Now, as the Nationals sit atop of the National League East and almost atop baseball in general (the only teams with better records are the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers), it’s even more increasingly obvious that the winning isn’t a fluke. Apart some sheer luck from the baseball gods (such as other teams in the NL East losing when the Nationals lost), this team is finally coming into what they were envisioned to be.

» Continue reading “The Kids Are Alright”

Because everyone is too busy celebrating America’s Amurica’s birthday today, here’s a couple short and sweet notes to keep you in the know:

• The Nationals entered July 4th with the best record in the National League. The last time a Washington team’s led its league on Independence Day? 1933. That was also the last DC based team to play in the World Series.
• Naturally the Nationals won today, on Amurica’s day. They slugged out four home runs, Ryan Zimmerman’s cortisone shots are still working, and Ian Desmond is still proving he’s All-Star worthy.
• Bryce Harper needs your vote! The outfielder and rookie sensation is currently second in the National League Final Vote! Voting ends tomorrow (Thursday) at 4 ET. Vote online or text N3 to 89269. (If you’re worried about future HOFer Chipper Jones not being honored his last go around, don’t worry; he was selected to fill Matt Kemp’s spot.)
• Bryce Harper also got his teammates some cool clown shirts. Will they be as cool as the 22Fresh ‘BeastMode’ shirts?

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”

Lately Ryan Zimmerman looked like a shell of his old self. The powerful third baseman didn’t look like the same Ryan Zimmerman who was signed to a $100 million dollar deal in the off season. Zimmerman’s numbers hit a new low and he became mired in the worst slump of his career. In his last 10 games he’s hitting .150. For the season he’s hitting .223. Speculation was thrown around until he admitted that his shoulder was still bothering him.

Yet in yesterday’s 2-1 loss to the Orioles, Zimmerman began to show glimpses of a healthy Zim. The third baseman went 2-4 and hit his first RBI in 11 games. Earlier before the game, he had received a cortisone shot in his ailing right shoulder. The shot eliminated pain from inflammation in his AC joint and Zimmerman plans to  undergo the shots throughout the season when necessary in order to avoid the disabled list.

However, by receiving shots throughout the course of the season, it could lead to off season shoulder surgery which would shut him down for four to six weeks.

For now, the shot helped and he’s beginning to feel like himself again with the pain eliminated.

“He looked like the old Zim. He swung the bat with authority, That’s a great sign. He seemed a lot free,” manager Davey Johnson said.

In other news:

• Ryan Zimmerman will be honored with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. The award is presented to the major league player who best exemplifies the character of a hall of famer on and off the field. Zimmerman’s been a cornerstone player for the Nationals since their formation in 2005. In addition, he started the ziMS Foundation, which raises money for multiple sclerosis, the disease his mother has. Previous recipients of the award have been Derek Jeter, and Albert Pujols.
• Mark DeRosa has been activated off the disabled list. To make room for DeRosa’s return Xavier Nady has been put on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right wrist. With this move, Nady is the 15th National player placed on the DL this season.

Moore called out although replays show he was safe (via DC Sports Bog)

This was a big weekend for the Nationals. After winning six straight (by sweeping the Red Soxs and Blue Jays), the weekend series with the New York Yankees (who were also riding a six game winning streak entering the series) were going to be a test for both first place teams. The Nationals didn’t finish with their desired result, getting swept in the three games by the New York Yankees and losing 4-1 today.

It’s not that the Nationals didn’t play competitive or at a lower level than they had previously. Despite each of the weekend starters not giving up many runs, the offense was unable to score runners or to take advantage of opportunities. There was also defensive miscues and poor reliever performances that also contributed to the losses. (Granted a missed call did factor into Saturday’s game, costing the Nationals the win and turning the game into an extra innings marathon.)

Plus, there’s the added worry of Ryan Zimmerman‘s prolonged offensive slump. The third baseman is now hitting .229 and went 0-13 with two strikeouts, one walk and no RBIs in the weekend series. (Davey just wants to get Zim in “a happy place.”)

» Continue reading “Father’s Day Notes”

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease which is inflammation of the central nervous system. The disease takes muscles ability to function and is believed to be an autoimmune disease.

Ryan Zimmerman was only 11 when his mother Cheryl was diagnosed with MS. When he was 16, his mother became wheelchair bound. Now, Cheryl Zimmerman can no longer move any part of her body below her shoulders.

After his mother was diagnosed with the debilitating disease, Ryan and his brother Shawn were acutely affected growing up. They weren’t like the other kids their age. They helped run the house by cooking and cleaning, and making errands their mother couldn’t because of a disease that stole her abilities to function and independence.

“It made him grow up a lot faster,” Cheryl Zimmerman said of her diagnosis of MS.

Now Ryan Zimmerman isn’t a young baseball player growing up in the Virginia Beach area, or an emerging star at the University of Virginia. No, these days he’s one of the top third basemen in all of baseball and one of the current Nationals who’s been around long enough to see the bad and emerge on the cusp of something special. Among the numerous accolades, baseball recognition, and constantly playing baseball day in and day out, Zimmerman’s roots, his mother and her battle with MS isn’t too far off in his thoughts.

» Continue reading “Zimmerman’s cause: Not just another night at the Park”