Washington Nationals MLB News - Nationals Baseball Blog http://www.nationalslocker.com Washington Nationals Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:21:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 en Ian Desmond has been pretty solid for the Washington Nationals this year http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/09/01/ian-desmond-has-been-pretty-solid-for-the-washington-nationals-this-year/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/09/01/ian-desmond-has-been-pretty-solid-for-the-washington-nationals-this-year/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:21:06 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/09/01/ian-desmond-has-been-pretty-solid-for-the-washington-nationals-this-year/ 24-year old shortstop Ian Desmond set the bar very high for himself after finishing 2009 very strongly. In 2009, Desmond played in 21 games in which he was 23 of 82 (.280 avg, .879 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers, 12 RBIs and 1 stolen base. This year the pitchers had a book on him but he still has played pretty well. Desmond has played in 126 games for the Nationals this year and he is 115 of 416 (.276 avg, .722 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 9 homers, 54 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. It looks like the Nationals will be well set up on the left side of the infield for the forseeable future with Desmond at SS and Zimmerman at 3B.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/09/01/ian-desmond-has-been-pretty-solid-for-the-washington-nationals-this-year/feed/ The Washington Nationals reward Livan Hernandez by signing him for 2011 http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/30/the-washington-nationals-reward-livan-hernandez-by-signing-him-for-2011/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/30/the-washington-nationals-reward-livan-hernandez-by-signing-him-for-2011/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:37:17 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/30/the-washington-nationals-reward-livan-hernandez-by-signing-him-for-2011/ The Nationals have extended 35-year old righty starting pitcher Livan Hernandez’ contract by a year. He will make $1 million bucks plus incentives in 2011 for the Nationals. Hernandez has started 27 games for the Nationals so far this year and he is 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. In his six years with the Expos/Nationals, Hernandez has pitched in 162 games (all starts) in which he is 61-56 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Hernandez came out of nowhere to post pretty good numbers in 2010 so the Nationals are getting him for 2011 without promising him a lot of money unless he pitches like he did this year.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/30/the-washington-nationals-reward-livan-hernandez-by-signing-him-for-2011/feed/ Joel Peralta is pitching well for the Washington Nationals http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/27/joel-peralta-is-pitching-well-for-the-washington-nationals/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/27/joel-peralta-is-pitching-well-for-the-washington-nationals/#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:22:32 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/27/joel-peralta-is-pitching-well-for-the-washington-nationals/ 34-year old righty reliever Joel Peralta has been pitching excellent out of the pen for the Nationals so far. Peralta has pitched in 26 games (0 starts) this year for the Nationals and he is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He has been attacking the strike zone with only 7 walks in 35 innings yet he has only given up 25 hits. Peralta also has 31 whiffs so he’s also missing a lot of bats. The Nationals hope he can keep up the good work.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/27/joel-peralta-is-pitching-well-for-the-washington-nationals/feed/ Stephen Strasburg is done for the year for the Washington Nationals http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/23/stephen-strasburg-is-done-for-the-year-for-the-washington-nationals/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/23/stephen-strasburg-is-done-for-the-year-for-the-washington-nationals/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:34:15 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/23/stephen-strasburg-is-done-for-the-year-for-the-washington-nationals/ 21-year old rookie righty starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg is done for the season due to a strained flexor tendon in his right forearm. Strasburg pitched in 12 games (all starts) for the Nationals this year and he was 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He whiffed 92 batters while only giving up 56 hits in his first 68 innings of his major league career. The most impressive thing to me about Strasburg this year was his control as he only walked 17 batters this year. The Nationals have to be very excited about Strasburg who will likely give them an ace at the top of the starting rotation for a long, long time.

UPDATE: (8/28/2010) - Strasburg is not only done for 2009 but he’s done for 2010 as well as he needs Tommy John Surgery. This is a HUGE blow to the Nationals’ organization.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/23/stephen-strasburg-is-done-for-the-year-for-the-washington-nationals/feed/ The Washington Nationals place Josh Willingham on the D.L. http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/19/the-washington-nationals-place-josh-willingham-on-the-dl/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/19/the-washington-nationals-place-josh-willingham-on-the-dl/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:58:42 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/19/the-washington-nationals-place-josh-willingham-on-the-dl/ The Nationals have placed 31-year old righty swinging LF Josh Willingham on the 15-day disabled list with a medial meniscus tear in his left knee. This injury will likely end his 2010 season. Willingham played in 114 games for the Nationals this year and he was 99 of 370 (.268 avg, .848 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 16 homers, 56 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Nationals will miss Willingham’s power. The Nationals have activated 29-year old lefty swinging outfielder Nyjer Morgan to replace Willingham on the active roster and in the outfield. He has played in 103 games for the Nationals this year and he is 103 of 394 (.261 avg, .644 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 20 RBIs and 29 stolen bases.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/19/the-washington-nationals-place-josh-willingham-on-the-dl/feed/ Ryan Zimmerman is hitting the heck out of the ball for the Washington Nationals http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/18/ryan-zimmerman-is-hitting-the-heck-out-of-the-ball-for-the-washington-nationals/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/18/ryan-zimmerman-is-hitting-the-heck-out-of-the-ball-for-the-washington-nationals/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:16:57 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/18/ryan-zimmerman-is-hitting-the-heck-out-of-the-ball-for-the-washington-nationals/ 25-year old righty swinging 3B Ryan Zimmerman is one of the best kept secrets in baseball as he keeps getting better. Zimmerman has played in 110 games for the Nationals this year and he is 120 of 397 (.302 avg, .937 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 24 homers, 68 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. If Zimmerman stays healthy he could possibly set career highs in batting average (.292), OPS (.888), runs scored (110), homers (33) or RBIs (106). If the Nationals ever get good Zimmerman will get his due as he is one of the best 3B in all of baseball.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/18/ryan-zimmerman-is-hitting-the-heck-out-of-the-ball-for-the-washington-nationals/feed/ The Washington Nationals release Ron Villone http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/13/the-washington-nationals-release-ron-villone-2/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/13/the-washington-nationals-release-ron-villone-2/#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:30:10 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/13/the-washington-nationals-release-ron-villone-2/ The Nationals have released 40-year old lefty reliever Ron Villone. Villone pitched in 41 games (1 start) in AAA-ball for the Nationals this year and he was 2-5 with 1 save, a 6.59 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. Villone gave up 50 hits (7 homers) and he walked 30 batters in 42 1/3 innings this season. There is more than enough evidence that Villone’s career is near the end of the line so the Nationals won’t miss him one bit.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/13/the-washington-nationals-release-ron-villone-2/feed/ Livan Hernandez is still throwing well for the Washington Nationals http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/11/livan-hernandez-is-still-throwing-well-for-the-washington-nationals/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/11/livan-hernandez-is-still-throwing-well-for-the-washington-nationals/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:12:04 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/11/livan-hernandez-is-still-throwing-well-for-the-washington-nationals/ In 2008 + 2009, Livan Hernandez pitched in 62 games (all starts) in which he was 22-23 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. He looked like his career was nearing an end until this year. He has started 23 games for the Nationals this year and he is 8-7 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. It’s amazing to watch him pitch as his fastball rarely gets over 85 mph and his big breaking curveball is usually around 65-69 mph. But he’s doing a great job of mixing up his pitches and keeping batters thinking. I think he could finish the season strongly for the Nationals.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/11/livan-hernandez-is-still-throwing-well-for-the-washington-nationals/feed/ Stephen Strasburg will be ready to return tomorrow for the Washington Nationals http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/stephen-strasburg-will-be-ready-to-return-tomorrow-for-the-washington-nationals/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/stephen-strasburg-will-be-ready-to-return-tomorrow-for-the-washington-nationals/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:08:03 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/stephen-strasburg-will-be-ready-to-return-tomorrow-for-the-washington-nationals/ The Nationals will activate Stephen Strasburg off the D.L. to start tomorrow’s ball game. He has started 9 games for the Nationals this year and he is 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has only given up 43 hits while whiffing 75 batters in only 54 1/3 innings so far this year. The Nationals were smart to take it easy with Strasburg and give him some time off because of his importance to the organization both now and in the future. Craig Stammen will be bumped from the rotation to work out of the pen. Stammen has started 19 games for the Nationals this year and he is 4-4 with a 5.06 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

]]> http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/stephen-strasburg-will-be-ready-to-return-tomorrow-for-the-washington-nationals/feed/ The Nationals have placed Ross Detwiler on the D.L. http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/the-nationals-have-placed-ross-detwiler-on-the-dl/ http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/the-nationals-have-placed-ross-detwiler-on-the-dl/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:04:39 +0000 chinmusic http://www.nationalslocker.com/2010/08/09/the-nationals-have-placed-ross-detwiler-on-the-dl/ The Nationals have placed 24-year old lefty starting pitcher Ross Detwiler on the 15-day disabled list with a hip injury. Detwiler has started 3 games for the Nationals this year and he is 0-2 with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP. He will be replaced in the starting rotation by Jason Marquis who has been activated off the D.L. Marquis has started 4 games for the Nationals this year and he is 0-4 with a 15.32 ERA and a 2.51 WHIP. The Nationals really need Marquis to start earning his paycheck this time around.

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