For weeks, the Nationals have been bracing for a barrage of player moves before the July trade deadline. Just yesterday, the Post prepared for the onslaught with a detailed analysis of who’s on the trading block. Yesterday afternoon, Kasten & Co. launched the opening salvo: young pitchers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, and Daryl Thompson, along with veteran playa hatin’ Royce Clayton and utility infielder Brendan Harris were all sent packing. In return, the Nats picked…

On Thursday, the Lerners took in their first game as the official to-be-owners of the Nats, and it was a stinker. The Nats’ poor play has left them in last place, and has local scribes taking a long view toward the Lerner/ Kasten team building a contender. The Nats started the week with a quick two game series in New York with the first-place Mets. And they had to do it while desperately shorthanded and…

The Nationals enter the weekend needing reverse some serious negative momentum. Thursday night’s 6-2 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis made for five straight. The Nats haven’t led in a game since late Sunday, a streak now at 38 innings—during which they’ve been outscored 23-10. They now trail the Mets by 7.5 games in the NL East. Last night, recent call-up Michael O’Conner made an emergency start as John Patterson nurses his sore…

This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. For seven innings on Sunday, it looked like the Nationals would come away from the weekend with a two-game sweep of the rain-shortened series with Atlanta. But over the space of three batters on Sunday night, Gary Majewski and the game fell apart. In the end, a three-run home run by Braves shortstop Wilson Betemit highlighted a night of futility for the Nats offense. The Nats’…

This entry was written by DCist contributor Jeff Beam. Just another day at the office for the 2006 Nationals. After Monday’s much-needed day off, Tuesday was off to the races. By midday, the team had learned that Ryan Drese would be out four to six weeks, but would avoid season-ending surgery. By the late evening, when Gary Majewski was wrapping up a 10-3 victory in Philly, their GM was on the hot seat, and the…

It’s been a rough spring training for the Nats, particularly where pitching is concerned, and the approaching World Baseball Classic might induce some additional nervousness for Washington fans, as Nationals’ arms are put to the test. Fireballing Mets reliever Billy Wagner withdrew from the U.S. roster yesterday, allowing Nats relief pitcher Gary Majewski to step into his spot. Majewski joins closer Chad Cordero on the American team, while Washington players Luis Ayala and Tony Armas…

One of the joys of Spring Training is supposed to be taking a break from the icy darkness of wherever you’re from to head south and dream of the warm summer nights that must be around the corner if baseball’s begun. This winter, of course, we’ve all been able to keep our tans, and the kids never had to quit their stickballing in the alley, but it’s still pretty exciting to think that it’s nearly…

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…

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’…

Spring may not have arrived in the mid-Atlantic region just yet, but down in Viera, Fla. — where the Nationals have been training for the past few weeks — it’s practically summer. Good thing, because the ex-Expos play their first game with an interlocking D.C. on their uniforms there tomorrow, against the New York Metropolitans (but against Tom Glavine, not Pedro). Game time is 1:05 p.m. Weather should be 62 degrees and partly cloudy. If…