Brad Lidge watched the Washington Nationals’ game Sunday evening. He felt what they felt. He lived and died just the way they did. As Henry Rodriguez gave up a single to the first batter. As he issued two two-out walks to load the bases. As he forced himself to face Joey Votto. Published May 14 2012
The rain has pounded on Great American Ball Park since late Saturday night but after a three-hour delay, the groundscrew here is getting ready to remove the tarp and the Reds are saying we will have baseball at 4:45 p.m. this afternoon. Published May 13 2012
The tone inside the Washington Nationals' clubhouse was a solemn one Friday night and Saturday morning as they absorbed the news that catcher Wilson Ramos would miss most, if not all, of the 2012 season to a torn ACL in his right knee. Ramos, a burgeoning star at catcher who has already endured so much since the end of this strong rookie season, is just the latest in a mind-boggling line of key players the Nationals have lost to injury. But next to Ramos' locker inside the visitors' clubhouse at Great American Ball Park hung a new uniform. Catcher Sandy Leon was called up from Double-A Harrisburg late Saturday night to replace Ramos on the roster, giving the 23-year-old his first major league experience. Published May 13 2012
Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos will require surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, a diagnosis that will cost him most, if not all, of the rest of the 2012 season. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Ramos will be “out for most of the year.” Published May 13 2012
According to Marfa Mata, a spokeswoman for Wilson Ramos, the Washington Nationals' catcher will require surgery on a ligament in his right knee. The Nationals are expected to address Ramos' status this morning. Those are the only details available have at this time. Published May 13 2012
The Washington Nationals won't know for sure until Sunday morning just how serious the injury is to catcher Wilson Ramos, but in need of an immediate move to have a backup catcher for Sunday's game, the club is planning to give Sandy Leon an opportunity. Published May 13 2012
The Washington Nationals run of injuries to key position players may have taken another unfortunate turn. Catcher Wilson Ramos was helped off the field Saturday night by two Nationals trainers after he turned to field a passed ball and his right knee appeared to buckle beneath him. Published May 12 2012
In his first six starts, Gio Gonzalez's hitting prowess garnered almost as much attention as his sterling pitching. So it was somewhat surprising to see the left-hander, who bats right-handed, not even attempt to swing on Friday night. That was on strict orders from third base coach Bo Porter and manager Davey Johnson, Johnson said Saturday, as Gonzalez is still getting over some soreness in his right (non-throwing) hand. Published May 12 2012
A day later, they could laugh about it. Published May 12 2012
One day after giving himself a welt the size of a golf ball above his left eye, and opening a gash that required 10 stitches when he slammed his bat into the dugout wall and had it carom back into his head, Bryce Harper was in the Nationals' lineup. Published May 12 2012
Friday night was the worst offensive night of Bryce Harper’s 14-day-old major league career. He was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, a fly to center and a weak grounder to the first base side. But it was the physical damage he did to himself that will leave a mark on the 19-year-old, at least for the next few days. Harper had a golf ball-sized welt above the corner of his left eye and required 10 stitches to close a wound opened when Harper slammed his bat into the dugout wall in frustration and had it bounce back into his head. Published May 11 2012
It's probably not all that hard to understand why, but it seems whichever city the Washington Nationals roll into, the opposing team's media corps are always interested in talking with Bryce Harper. Two road stops (outside his debut) does not a pattern make, but I'd doubt we're going to see the novelty on Harper wear off for a while. Either way, Harper was asked this afternoon by a group of Cincinnati media what he thought about his reception in most visiting ballparks, which generally isn't all that friendly. Published May 11 2012
Good afternoon from the Queen City where the Nationals will open a three-game series with the Reds this evening. Gio Gonzalez will head to the mound for the Nationals against Reds righty Mike Leake. Published May 11 2012
Here are a few thoughts, observations and leftovers before the Nationals descend on the Queen City... Published May 11 2012
Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson called a team meeting this afternoon. The purpose? To reassure his 18-11 squad that he was behind them "100 percent" and he had no plans to start making rash decisions and changes. Essentially, the message was simple: relax and play your game. Here are a few other notes: Published May 10 2012
The Nationals just posted the lineup for Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh and, as was probably to be expected, there are some changes in it. Not the changes that most Nationals fans were clamoring for, though. Published May 10 2012
Davey Johnson has been in the Nationals' dugout for 112 games, 54 of them losses. After almost all 54, Johnson's attitude remained unchanged. "I'm a positive person," Johnson has said on countless occasions, preferring most often to take the blame for a loss on himself than put it on his players. But Wednesday night, in the visiting manager's office at PNC Park, Johnson appeared as frustrated as he's been after a loss in his 10 1/2-month tenure. Johnson said the phrase "I don't know," five times in his three minutes with reporters and, at least figuratively, seemed to be pointing the media in the direction of the clubhouse to find answers. Published May 10 2012
Chien-Ming Wang will pitch for Triple-A Syracuse Wednesday night. He's expected to go about six innings in his first rehab appearance above Single-A and test his strained left hamstring with the heaviest workload he's had since getting injured March 15. Published May 9 2012
With the Nationals facing left-hander Erik Bedard and his primary right-handed outfielder, Jayson Werth, out for a few months, manager Davey Johnson took the opportunity Wednesday to shake up his outfield a bit. Published May 9 2012
The Washington Nationals entered the ninth inning Tuesday night down a run with the heart of their order coming up. That term "heart of their order" has taken on so many different incarnations for the Nationals this season as they've coped with the loss of cleanup hitter Michael Morse, then Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche and now Jayson Werth. But Tuesday night, the "heart" was at least partly what the Nationals had planned. Zimmerman in the No. 3 hole, LaRoche behind him. And as if neither had missed a beat, Zimmerman singled and LaRoche cranked the 1,000th home run in Nationals history into the right center field seats at PNC Park. Published May 9 2012
By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
