'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The impetus behind a lineup switch, manager Davey Johnson said, came back to the idea that the Nationals are still searching for a lineup that works and has someone who can get on base in front of Bryce Harper in the No. 3 spot. Steve Lombardozzi may be the guy who can do that
The lineup changes Johnson made weren't drastic. They simply placed Steve Lombardozzi, one of the Nationals' highest on-base percentage players near the top spot in the order, and added Jayson Werth, another right-handed bat to the middle of an order that has been missing Ryan Zimmerman since last week.
"We pitch, we don't hit; we hit, we don't pitch," said right fielder Jayson Werth. "They always say you're better lucky than good and we're neither right now."
"I met a guy today who had been through 49 surgeries," said Chad Tracy. "I've been through four of five myself, just to imagine a guy going through almost 50 surgeries, to see he was still a driven, confident, leader of a man really touched me."
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.
Jayson Werth didn't see this success as a leadoff hitter coming. How could he? With the Philadelphia Phillies his job was at the other end of the spectrum.
The Washington Nationals came as close as they ever have to a playoff berth on Wednesday evening.
The Washington Nationals won Tuesday night. They beat the New York Mets 5-3 to win their 88th game of the season.
As manager Davey Johnson opened his office to reporters Sunday afternoon, his animated discussion with general manager Mike Rizzo over, he discussed his team's fourth consecutive defeat. On several occasions, he pointed to the fact that his team was playing short.
The Washington Nationals insist there's still a long way to go, even as the days dwindle. That each game, regardless of which authoritative example of the gap between them and the rest of the National League it brings, is just one more step toward their ultimate goal.
The Nationals shored up their middle-infield depth Monday, acquiring Cesar Izturis on a waiver claim from the Milwaukee Brewers. Mark DeRosa was placed on the disabled list with a left abdominal strain, making the move for Izturis not only timely but necessary.
The question was not how many body blows could the Washington Nationals' pitchers take before they simply collapsed. It was how many would the Milwaukee Brewers throw at them on a sunny Sunday afternoon before the Nationals' offense finally made good on their early-season promises that one day the pitching wouldn't have to carry them.
F.P. Santangelo is the fourth MASN analyst to dissect the Washington Nationals' ups and downs alongside Bob Carpenter. Arguably, he is the best — and the biggest jabberwocky.
Bryce Harper homered his first time up in New York, then hit a tiebreaking single to key a six-run burst in the 10th inning Monday night that sent the Washington Nationals over the Mets 8-2.
The home of Steve and Phyllis Wilson, on a tree-lined Virginia street, does not immediately distinguish itself from the equally lovely ones around it. There is no way to know just from looking that their home is unique - that their home has helped groom so many major league players.
He echoed many of Tracy's thoughts and said he would plan on making every future trip.
Meeting 'real heroes' at Walter Reed a reality check for Nationals →
