By Bud L. Ellis
Since moving from Montreal to the nation’s capital for the 2005 season, the Washington Nationals have finished out of the NL East cellar just once in six seasons.
The Nationals hope to begin climbing up the ladder in the East this season. A 10-win improvement in 2010 followed back-to-back 59-victory seasons, and Washington hopes to move closer to .500 in 2011. (Read More…)
Friday, March 25, 2011 at 9:48 pm by bud
Tags: Adam LaRoche, Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, Jayson Werth, Livan Hernandez, Major League Baseball, Philadelphia Phillies, Rick Ankiel, Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals news, Washington Nationals schedule, Washington Nationals tickets
By Bud L. Ellis
The numbers from his last start out looked more like what we expect from Stephen Strasburg.
The Washington Nationals’ rookie sensation looked much sharper Sunday in his second start following his three-week stay on the disabled list for shoulder stiffness. Strasburg fanned seven hitting and did not walk a batter in five innings, allowing just one run while taking a no-decision in Washington’s 5-3 home victory over Arizona. (Read More…)
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 7:44 pm by bud
Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals news, Washington Nationals schedule, Washington Nationals tickets
By Bud L. Ellis
Josh Willingham’s three-run double came at just the right time for Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals Friday night.
Willingham laced the big hit of the game during a four-run sixth inning, and the Nats’ rookie phenom fired six shutout innings, pacing Washington to a 4-0 win at Florida. (Read More…)
Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 8:46 am by bud
Tags: Drew Storen, Florida Marlins, Josh Willingham, Matt Capps, Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals news, Washington Nationals schedule, Washington Nationals tickets
By Bud L. Ellis
With a 10-game road trip looming next week, it’s time for the Washington Nationals to get over their first real hiccup of their surprising 2010 season.
The Nats took the field in St. Louis on Monday riding a three-game losing streak that at least dampened a bit of the hot start Washington rode to a 20-15 record. The Nats moved five games above .500 with a 14-6 rout of Colorado on Thursday in Denver. But after a postponement, the Nats lost three straight to the Rockies, the last two coming by one run.
The mini-skid dropped Washington into a second-place tie with Florida in the National League East. Still, the Nats are just two games behind first-place Philadelphia, and Memorial Day is two weeks ago.
How Washington fares these next two weeks probably will determine just how serious this team is about playing meaningful baseball into the first days of summer. The Nats play two in St. Louis, then head home for five games that look winnable: two against the floundering Mets (who were swept by the Marlins this weekend) and three against woeful Baltimore.
Then the Nats hit the road for a big challenge: a 10-day, three city road trip that will take Washington to San Francisco for three, to San Diego for three against the equally surprising Padres, and four at Houston.
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Monday, May 17, 2010 at 7:18 pm by bud
Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, National League East, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals
By Bud L. Ellis
Nobody expected Livan Hernandez to turn back the clock a decade, for Matt Capps to hit double-digits in saves already this season.
Then again, nobody expected the Washington Nationals to be in contention as April closed.
Sure, it’s early, but when you lost 103 games a year ago, being just one game out of first place as May arrives is cause for excitement. And that’s where the Nats are at following a 13-10 April that saw Washington close the month with four wins in five games.
Even though Washington lost to Florida 7-1 to open May, Washington’s 13-11 record after 24 games was markedly better than last season, when the Nats started 7-17 en route to a 59-103 finish.
Pitching has been the difference. Hernandez, 35, went 3-1 with a 0.87 ERA in four sparkling starts. Reliever Tyler Clippard (who had just eight career wins in 49 career games before the season) also won games in April. Capps, given up on after a lousy season in Pittsburgh in 2009, is a perfect 10-for-10 in save situations.
The Washington offense has been as good as expected. Ryan Zimmerman, Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn each have at least three homers. Nyjer Morgan has stolen six bases and hit five triples. Future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez, brought in to guide the pitching staff, is hitting .400 with seven doubles.
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Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 8:59 am by bud
Tags: Adam Dunn, Florida Marlins, Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Willingham, Livan Hernandez, Major League Baseball, Matt Capps, NL East, Nyjer Morgan, Pittsburgh Pirates, Ryan Zimmerman, Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals
