We wondered out loud the other day about the state of Nyjer Morgan's head. He's getting into tiffs with Philly fans (although that's fairly easy to do). He missed the plate while trying to bowl over the Cardinals' catcher while the Nats were up by six runs over the weekend. We thought that the subsequent benching and the move down the order would settle things down a bit. We thought way wrong. more ›

August 21, 2010, for purposes of sheer hyperbole, is that the date that it happened: The "Forearm Twinge Heard 'Round the World." Games don't get cancelled because your stud prospect gets a boo-boo, but the Nationals seemed to forget that in the four games afterward, getting outscored 24-5 and looking about as qualified to play professional baseball as I am. more ›

If you normally arrive late to baseball games, the recently-completed Nationals-Marlins series was not for you. Arriving late would have meant seeing the home team either going through the motions to earn a paycheck or valiantly fighting to overcome a large deficit (depending on how full your glass is). The Nats have now lost five in a row, and you'd have to go back to Saturday's extra-inning loss against the Dodgers to find a game in which the team even looked competitive. To date, I've harped about bad defense, poor clutch hitting, and a leaky bullpen. Those issues remain, but somehow, the starting pitching came out unscathed. That changes now. more ›

You can call me a Homer, but I think it is clear that the 2008 Florida Marlins are the greatest baseball team ever. I can't think of any other explanation for the Nationals' 1-8 record against them. One may think that a team with a batting average of .235 (15th in the NL), .353 Slugging (15th in the NL), .315 OBP (15th in the NL) and 166 runs scored (14th in the NL) is a bad team. No, the Nats have just had too many games against the greatest baseball team ever. The Nats are 17-24, but if you remove the Marlins from their record they are 16-16, .500! Fortunately, the Nationals won't play Florida again until June 30th. Hopefully, by then the Marlins will remember that they are supposed to be bad this year. more ›

We were rubbing our eyes last Sunday as we watched the Nationals sweep the Florida Marlins to win their first series of the year. Then they took 3 of 4 from the Braves and knocked them out of first place in the NL East, and now we’re asking ourselves, “Who the hell are these guys?” With only two of their regular starters hitting over .250 and none of them within shouting distance of .300, they... more ›

With apologies to a certain antacid maker, this is how the Nats spell relief: S-E-R-I-E-S-S-W-E-E-P. Coming on the heels of an agonizing road trip and an eight-game losing streak, there was no better cure for the ailing Nats than coming home to RFK to face the streaky Marlins. By the end of the weekend, the Nats had picked up the three game sweep (which was actually their first series win of the year), as well... more ›

While D.C. was enjoying its glorious spring weather this weekend, the Nats were in Miami getting severely pounded by the Marlins. Many of the now-usual themes were present: big early deficits, too many walks, and baserunning blunders maligned the brief road trip. The biggest culprit, the Nats much-maligned pitching, has been adequately covered by others, including Chad Cordero's two blown saves and the disasterous outings by Matt Chico and Jerome Williams. Really, in a just... more ›

Maybe it was the indignity of the Marlins spoiling the last Opening Game ever in RFK. Maybe it was the insufferable Aramark concessionaires, who insist that it's perfectly acceptable to run out of buns in the fifth inning of the first damn game. Maybe it's the humiliation of the long winless streak to the other presidents. There's no telling. Something, though, was terribly amiss in that giant head of Teddy Roosevelt's during the Nat's 9-2... more ›

For a while there, the folks at Metro were using the tagline, "Metro Opens Doors" to market all the transit services they offered. While that particular slogan seems to have fallen by the wayside, this afternoon gives us the opportunity to resurrect it, if slightly altered: Metro Opens Baseball Season. Baseball fans across the city will be ditching work early and heading over to RFK for the Washington Nationals' home opener, at 1 p.m against... more ›

Well, it's Monday again and it seems the malaise caused by Georgetown's Saturday loss has subsided a bit. A dash of cherry blossoms and a pinch of kite festival always helps mend a broken heart. At least some Georgetown fans are finding a bit of solace in their prospects for next year. Solace came in another form at a Sunday mass for supporters and students in Atlanta when the presiding priest said, "I must admit,... more ›

As Nationals fans, we are but flecks of dust blowing in the wind. A tiny, insignificant bit of marginalia scribbled in the tome of baseball lore. That's what researchers found in a poll released yesterday by AP-AOL Sports. Out of the 2,002 people polled, the 32 percent that claimed to be baseball fans were asked several questions, including "Which Major League Baseball team do you root for during the regular season?" A whopping one percent... more ›

Having dismissed Frank Robinson at the end of the season, the Nats are casting a wide net for possible replacements. Reports yesterday regarding the sudden firing (and availability) of four-time World Series winner Joe Torre now appear to be premature, according to the NY Post. With the nascent Torre-to-the-Nats campaign already toast, we take a look at the other candidates in the rumor mill... Lou Pinella Experience: Played briefly for O’s and Indians, but mostly... more ›

We've been warned: Building a winning franchise from the ground up takes patience. Getting better means taking your medicine, and the Nationals have been gulping it down lately. This week the Marlins crammed a few spoonfuls of bitter syrup down the Nats’ throats, sweeping three pathetic contests that were bad even for August baseball. The Nats have now lost five straight and are a season-low 19 games below .500. Hopes of finishing the season somewhere... more ›

Outrageous prices for not-so great food -- the issue of stadium concessions is pretty interesting. So interesting that Slate's Daniel Engber wondered and found out what it's like to be a beer vendor. Aside from in airports and on airplanes, where else can you be subjected to a limited number of relatively unappetizing, uncreative, unhealthy concoctions that are sold at unbelievably high prices? Even the July 2006 revamping of RFK Stadium and the new food... more ›

A new era begins this weekend at RFK, as the Lerner family ceremonially takes the reins of the team, the front office, stadium operations, and all things Natty. While visions of future pennants and new stadiums dance in our heads, we fans confront the current reality of a team that’s 17 games out in July and mired in last place. We know that things are likely to get much worse before they get better, as... more ›

With Mother Nature tossing lightning and thunder, space shuttle Discovery shooting across the Florida sky, and the pyrotechnics on the National Mall, the Nats' little matinee date with the Marlins was easy to overlook yesterday. Only 23,000 showed up for the game between NL East also-rans played under threatening skies. But rookie RBI machine Ryan Zimmerman would have none of it. He launched some fireworks of his own with a walk-off homer in the bottom... more ›

After getting thrashed at home by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the tune of 11-1, the Nationals experienced something of a wake-up call. The Nats might have looked around and found out that they were in the basement of one of the worst divisions in baseball. They might have done some research and found out that Friday night's beat-down was at the hands of franchise whose entire existence has been marred by futility... more ›

What a difference four days make. more ›

A few weeks ago, the Nationals were down and out, battling to stay in front of the Florida Marlins. Now, after a weekend sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, the Nationals, led by Alfonso Soriano's hot bat, are on the rise. Winners of three in a row and 12 out of their last 17, the Nationals face off against their NL East rivals this week in a set of six games that could make or... more ›

You gotta give The Kid points for style. After nearly a month on the DL, Ken Griffey, Jr. returned to the Reds last night with a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th. Unfortunately, the Nationals were the unlucky victims of Griffey's 539th career home run. With Alfonso Soriano mired in an 11-for-58 slump and on the bench, the Nats scored three in the 11th to pull ahead 4-1. Three relievers tried... more ›

It's been eight months since their last home series win, but the Nationals finally captured two out of three at RFK from their opponent as they downed the Pirates yesterday afternoon. more ›

With a disastrous April in the books, is the honeymoon over for the Nationals and their fans? Over the weekend, the Nats dropped two out of three to Albert Pujols and the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals. The team has now lost seven out of its last eight, the lone victory coming Friday. For Nats fan who could actually watch the games on TV, the biggest story was Albert Pujols' 14th home run of the month.... more ›

This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. more ›

This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. With Ryan Church providing some much-needed ninth-inning heroics during the Nats' Easter Sunday win over the Marlins, the headlines nearly write themselves. Church, who struggled during Spring Training and hit even worse during his first week playing at AAA New Orleans, came up big with a two-run home run in the top of the 9th as the Nats overcame a 5-4 deficit to top the Florida... more ›

This entry was written by new DCist contributor Jeff Beam Away from the three ring circus created by Major League Baseball, City Council, and Mayor Williams’ office, the 2006 edition of the Nationals prepares this week to close shop in Viera, Florida and head north for another season along the Anacostia. A number of roster moves via trade, promotion, and shoulder tears have changed the look of the team, so we’ve compiled a season preview... more ›

The Nationals ended their final road trip of the season in fine fashion, lighting up the scoreboard on consecutive nights and earning a three game sweep against the fading Florida Marlins. Last night's 11-7 win was highlighted by a seven run, seven hit 4th inning that guaranteed an easy road to victory despite a not-so-good performance from Esteban Loaiza (6IP, 10H, 6R, 1BB, 1HR), and also guaranteed that the Nats can finish no worse... more ›

Well, they just won't go away, will they now? In winning their last two straight against the Mets, your Washington Nationals have made up a little ground in the Wild Card standings. Hector Carrasco took the baton from an ailing John Patterson on Tuesday night, coming through with four solid innings and setting the tone for a 4-2 win (Rauch, Eischen, Majewski, and Cordero combined for five scoreless innings). Last night, Esteban Loaiza gave most of the members of the beleaguered bullpen a much needed breather, tossing seven gritty innings (7H, 3R, 0BB, 5K) to pitch the Nats to a 6-3 victory (Cordero earned his 46th save). Livan Hernandez takes the hill for the Nats this afternoon with a chance to sweep the series. more ›

Ouch. The Nationals got pounded 12-1 by the Florida Marlins last night, a loss that, coupled with Houston's 8-6 win over Philly, drops the Nats to three and a half games behind Houston in the Wild Card standings. The score tells you pretty much all you need to know about last night's drubbing, but the game also featured a solid start by Florida's Cy Young candidate Dontrelle Willis (who improved to 20-8 on the... more ›

After losing an absolute heartbreaker on Saturday night at Shea to the NY Mets, the Nationals bounced back yesterday, scoring six runs in the first inning and holding on to beat the Mets 7-4. Things were going so well for the Nats that Christian Guzman doubled twice and also drove in two runs, raising his batting average to an almost robust .194. Esteban Loiza pitched 6 1/3 inning on three days rest, striking out... more ›

The longest month in the brief history of the Washington Nationals came to a merciful end with a 4-2 victory over the Marlins yesterday afternoon. Livan Hernandez earned his 13th win and ended the Nationals skid with an eight inning, two run effort, and Chad Cordero pitched a perfect 9th for his 35th save. But what a difference a month makes: The Nats entered the month of July with a 47-31 record and proceeded to... more ›