Not for the first time this year (remember that stretch back in April that got them within three of .500?) did the Nats make us think a competitive season was possible, when they ran off a 7-3 homestand to close the NL East gap to single digits. After taking bragging rights from the Orioles and a series each from the Astros and Dodgers, the Nationals headed back out on the road to face division rival…

A win is a win, right? Sometimes it comes in the form of Wednesday night’s gem: an outstanding pitching dual duel between Houston star Roy Oswalt and Washington rookie Mike O’Conner. O’Conner was great, allowing only a three hits over 6.0 innings and holding the Astros to one run on a Morgan Ensberg homer. Oswalt was even better, mowing down Nats for seven innings before finally allowing Damian Jackson to score on a balk that…

This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. This weekend’s action for the Nationals started on Friday afternoon when Major League officials, representatives from Comcast and Mayor Anthony Williams appeared in front of Rep. Tom Davis’ (R-Va.) House Government Reform Committee. Davis, in an effort to get all Nationals’ games shown on DC-area cable networks, is attempting to broker a deal between Comcast and Peter Angelos that resolves a dispute that has left most…

We’ve all heard the news — the negotiations between MLB and the District over the new stadium aren’t going particularly well. The City Council is increasingly annoyed with a stadium that is fast exceeding expected costs, while MLB continues being its own worst enemy by refusing to consider even the most basic financial concessions to the city. In a private meeting with the council yesterday, MLB chief negotiator Jerry Reinsdorf both surprised and angered the…

Stick a fork in ’em? The Nationals’ three game cross-country trip to San Diego, which started out on a high note with Friday night’s 5-1 victory (John Patterson was brilliant – 9IP, 3H, 0BB, 1R, 6K), ended in the worst way possible: back-to-back heartbreaking losses that might have finally, quietly, snuffed out their 2005 playoff hopes. As you remember, the banged-up Nats left for the West Coast on Thursday a giddy bunch, with their…

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…

The Nationals missed an opportunity to overtake the Astros in the wild card chase, dropping a tough 4-3 decision against the Phillies last night. Esteban Loaiza coughed up four earned runs on 10 hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. Bright spots for the Nats included Vinny Castilla’s 3rd inning homerun, and Luis Ayala, Joey Eischen, and Gary Majewski combining for 2+ innings of scoreless, hitless relief. The Nats managed to cut the Phillies’…

A weekend trip to Colorado might have been just what the doctor ordered for the oft offensively-challenged Washington Nationals, who appear to be breaking out of their offensive doldrums just in time for the second leg of their make-or-break 13 game road trip. After a 4-2 win Friday and an 8-0 thrashing Saturday night, the Nats completed the three game sweep by pounding the Rockies 9-2 yesterday. More importantly than winning (and sweeping) their first…

Hot town, summer in the city…and the Nationals continue to tumble, dropping three of four to the Astros. It appeared that the Nats had hit bottom and there was nowhere to go but up after being outclassed by Roger Clemens and nearly pounded back to Montreal 14-1 on Friday night, especially after a 4-2 win and superb performance by Tony Armas (7IP, 1H, 2ER) on Saturday evening. But apparently there was a little more…