NATIONALS WATCH

Amanda Comak covers the Washington Nationals for The Washington Times.

• LaRoche to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 15, 2011 Comments

  Three weeks after the Nationals officially placed him on the disabled list, avoiding surgery was no longer a possibility for first baseman Adam LaRoche. Thursday, LaRoche will undergo the first operation of his life when Nationals medical director Wiemi Douoguih performs surgery on the torn labrum in the first baseman's left shoulder and effectively ends his 2011 season.

• Injury updates and pregame notes

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 14, 2011 Comments

  Updates on Cole Kimball, Tom Gorzelanny, Roger Bernadina and Doug Slaten, as well as the reasoning behind optioning Craig Stammen and going with a six-man bullpen.

• Werth leads off, Zimmerman third: today's lineups

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 14, 2011 Comments

  The Nationals will welcome back 3B Ryan Zimmerman tonight against St. Louis and bat him third. He had been on the disabled list since April 9 after surgery to his abdomen, but will hopefully add a much needed punch to the Washington lineup.

• Nationals officially reinstate Ryan Zimmerman, option Stammen

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 14, 2011 Comments

  Ryan Zimmerman made his long-awaited return to the Nationals active roster Tuesday afternoon, six weeks to the day after he underwent surgery to repair a torn rectus muscle in his abdomen and exactly on schedule.

• Off day odds and ends

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 13, 2011 Comments

  A few notes as the Nationals attempt to adjust back to eastern time time after 11 days on the left coast...

• A season to forget for Matt Stairs gets some redemption

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 12, 2011 Comments

  Matt Stairs will be the first person to tell you he's not happy with the way his 2011 season has gone. He entered the Nationals' series finale with the Padres Sunday afternoon -- June 12 -- with just four hits on the season. For one of the best pinch-hitters in the game, pinch-hitting wasn't treating him so well.

• Desmond gets a maintenance day for quad and other pregame notes

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 12, 2011 Comments

  an Desmond has been managing the soreness in his left quad since he first felt it act up on May 13. He's gotten a day here and there and, with an off day coming up on Monday, he got another one Sunday so he can rest things for a full two days.

• Werth leading off, Zimermann eighth: today's lineups

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 12, 2011 Comments

  The Nationals will employ their unorthodox lineup for the second straight game with Jayson Werth leading off and the pitcher, this time Jordan Zimermmann, hitting eighth. Alex Cora will bat ninth and play shortstop as Ian Desmond gets a day off to rest some aches and pains.

• The value of a potential 6-5 road trip

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 12, 2011 Comments

  There's really no other way to present the magnitude of a potential winning multi-city road trip than to state the facts: It hasn't happened for the Nationals in over three years.

• Marquis drops appeal, begins serving five-game suspension -- what it means for the Nationals rotation

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 11, 2011 Comments

  Nationals pitcher Jason Marquis dropped the appeal of his five-game suspension for what was deemed to be intentionally throwing at Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton last weekend in Arizona. He'll begin serving the suspension immediately but will not miss a start because of an offday for the team on Monday.

• So, about that crazy lineup...

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 11, 2011 Comments

  With the worst leadoff on-base percentage in the major leagues, the Nationals offense -- and their lineup -- was prime for a shakeup if they're ever going to click the way they've promised they could. That shakeup came Saturday afternoon when Nationals manager Jim Riggleman unveiled a lineup that featured right fielder Jayson Werth hitting leadoff and the pitcher, John Lannan, batting eighth with Roger Bernadina behind him in the ninth spot.

• Today's Nationals lineup: One where the pitcher doesn't bat 9th

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 11, 2011 Comments

  The Nationals are two games away from the end of a long west coast road trip and with a chance at a .500 record or better on the 11-game swing, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman -- to put it bluntly -- is getting crazy with his lineup. Jayson Werth is leading off and John Lannan, the pitcher, is hitting eighth.

• The Nationals vs. today's starter: LHP Clayton Richard

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 11, 2011 Comments

  If the Nationals win one of their next two games, they'll finish their 11-game road trip no worse than one-game under .500 on the trip. I don't want to overstate things because their overall record is what it is at 28-36 heading into tonight's game, but that would be a remarkable west coast trip for the Nationals.

• Big leagues come calling for Mattheus

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 11, 2011 Comments

  Ryan Mattheus started the day with three missed calls from his Triple-A manager, Randy Knorr. Asleep in his apartment in Syracuse until about 10 this morning, Mattheus woke up and returned Knorr's call to hear the words he's been waiting for all his life: "Get out of bed, get your stuff packed, you're going to the big leagues," Knorr told him.

• Kimball on shoulder inflammation: "It's just something you pitch through sometimes, and sometimes you can't."

  By Amanda Comak — Published June 10, 2011 Comments

  After toiling in the minor leagues for five years, Cole Kimball was elated when his first-ever call to the big leagues came late Friday night, May 13. It was so exciting for the 25-year-old that he didn't say anything about the slight shoulder soreness that had hampered him when getting loose since a cold day in April in Syracuse.