With two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday came the pitch felt round the Natosphere. Reds reliever Tony Cingrani drilled Nats slugger Bryce Harper in the back – right between the numbers — with a 94-mile-an-hour fastball. No matter whether it was intentional, Harper was not …
May 26
The 2015 Firpo Marberry Award Nominee
Perhaps the greatest relief pitcher that the old Washington Nationals ever sent out to rescue the game was Firpo Marberry. Forty-five years before the “Save” became part of baseball nomenclature, Firpo was saving some of the most important games in DC Baseball history. In 1924, Marbery recorded 15 Saves in a season in which he …
May 25
Fans need to show patience with Strasburg
The Nationals are flying high, winners of eight straight series, all alone in first place, 2 ½ games up on the New York Mets in the National League East – but it seems all the fans want to talk about is Stephen Strasburg’s pitching troubles. On talk shows, Internet message boards and Facebook groups, there’s …
May 18
Solid Scherzer is Nats’ anchor
Lots of people thought the Nationals already had the best starting pitching in the major leagues before Jan. 21, when Max Scherzer joined the team with a seven-year, $120 million free-agent deal. Some might even have thought it was a superfluous move by the Nats, an investment that might have been better made in another …
May 07
Bryce and Frank
Frank Howard was Washington, DC’s most prodigious home run hitter, leading the American League in long balls in both 1968 and 1970, but his best year was 1969 when he hit 48, though he finished second to Harmon Killibrew that season who hit 49 to lead the Majors. When Bryce Harper hit three home runs …
May 04
Pitchers take over as Nats find footing
This is the Washington Nationals’ pitching staff we’ve been waiting to see. Since coming back from 9-1 and 10-2 deficits to beat the Braves 13-12 last Tuesday, in a game that may well be remembered as the defining moment of the 2015 season, the Nats have won four of five games behind starting pitching that …
Apr 06
Five things that must break the Nats’ way in 2015
How can a team that hasn’t even competed in a league championship series be a favorite to win the World Series? It may seem odd, but that’s the predicament the Washington Nationals find themselves in as they enter the 2015 season. Experts nationwide have pegged a team with a bullpen full of question marks , …
