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Dan Haren's support is paltry, with the Nationals scoring 2.9 runs per game he starts, and the seventh-worst mark in the major leagues. But Stephen Strasburg has borne the brunt of the Nationals' offensive woes.
Two pitches after his foul popup fell between Nick Swisher and second baseman Jason Kipnis, Rendon homered into the Nationals' bullpen off Vinnie Pestano (1-2) to stun the Indians and the crowd of 33,307.
In a 7-0 beating of the Minnesota Twins Sunday afternoon, the Nationals took the first game of a doubleheader and put another game into the category of "possible streak starter."
Yocum never threw a pitch, waved a runner home or swung a trade for the Nationals. But the renowned orthopedic surgeon's influence on the organization is everywhere you look. The impact, really, is as indelible as the scars on the right elbows of Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.
Yocum, Frank Jobe and James Andrews became the key surgeons for big leaguers. Washington pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann were among the players treated by Yocum.
Yocum, who died over the weekend at age 65, saved the careers of countless professional athletes — including many pitchers who underwent Tommy John surgery and rehab under his care.
Renowned orthopedic surgeon Lewis Yocum, who extended the careers of many big leaguers by repairing injuries that once would've ended their playing days, has died. He was 65.
The Nats have changed their policy to basically say unless your tickets are part of a season-ticket plan, you use them or you lose them. It's a move that pretty much violates every fundamental of Customer Service 101. Take care of those who pay for your services.
The good news for the Washington Nationals as they trickled into the clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon, was that Jayson Werth was able to test his right hamstring on Monday and felt strong.
In the slog that is a 162-game baseball season, the importance of the way a team starts the season often teeters on a high wire. Currently walking that thin line are the Washington Nationals, who lost 2-0 to the New York Mets on Sunday to finish a 3-3 road trip through what is expected to be the two basement teams in their division.
In beating the Marlins 6-1 Thursday evening, the Nationals completed their first sweep in a season they hope will be filled with them.
On a team with a lineup that requires few pinch hitters and even fewer defensive replacements, the Nationals' bench players, Chad Tracy, Steve Lombardozzi, Tyler Moore and Roger Bernadina, are faced with a difficult transition.
A day after manager Davey Johnson scratched him from the lineup with swelling in his left hand, Bryce Harper went 3 for 3 with two singles and a double to raise his spring batting average to .431.
How good was Zimmermann? He needed just 67 pitches to get through the six frames. And after a leadoff single by Andy Dirks on the second pitch of the game, Zimmermann set down the next 18 batters he faced — 13 of them on ground-ball outs.
Strasburg is the unquestioned ace of a Nationals staff filled with talent, but Davey Johnson was reluctant to make it official with still more than two weeks to go before Opening Day because of how well-known it already seemed to be.
"When those guys give me five runs like that I've got to be able to lock it down," Zimmermann said.
Anthony Rendon's first career home run lifts Nationals past Indians →
"Right away he asked if I was going to be all right," Zimmermann said. "I said I would be fine."
