Bryce Harper's status for the second game of a doubleheader Saturday night is in question after the Washington Nationals' outfielder fouled a ball off his left ankle in the first inning Saturday afternoon and was forced to leave the game.
Thursday was (unofficially) Cover Your Eyes Day at Nationals Park. A five-star pitching matchup between Gio Gonzalez and the New York Mets' R.A. Dickey quickly disintegrated into Gonzalez's worst outing of the season and a 9-5 Washington loss.
Slumped in a chair in front of his locker in the Nationals clubhouse on Thursday morning, Ian Desmond couldn't help but express a little frustration about his current situation.
It'd be foolish to think, even with the roars that came out of Nationals Park on this Fourth of July, that the Washington Nationals are detailing exactly how far there is between them and the rest of the National League. Those types of proclamations cannot be made after only 79 games and with the better part of three months remaining in the regular season.
The Washington Nationals spent Sunday morning handing out handshakes and hugs as they learned they'd have three, possibly four, representatives on the National League All-Star team.
The irony of the trot Michael Morse broke into as he rounded first base in the eighth inning Friday night was the conversation he'd had mere minutes before.
Andrelton Simmons gave Atlanta a chance. Michael Morse had a quick answer for Washington. Morse had four hits, including the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning after Washington had blown a four-run lead, and the Nationals beat the Braves 5-4 on Friday night.
Amidst the elation in the Washington Nationals' dugout Tuesday night, among the high-fives and the head slaps and the relaxed joy that had been absent the past few games, Adam LaRoche grabbed Tyler Moore and offered him a stern message.
The sound it made off of Jesus Flores' bat was so clean. It was flush, and loud, and pure. One crack of the bat like that, it seemed, and the Washington Nationals' night of offensive misery at Camden Yards against Jason Hammel was over.
