CHATTER
Only at The Washington Times: Mark Zuckerman and Ben Goessling blog on the Washington Nationals.
Latest Blog Entries
Nats fire Acta
Manny Acta confirms he's been fired by the Nationals.
Shutout loss caps first half
The Nationals departed for the All-Star break on Sunday after a 5-0 loss to the Houston Astros. They finished their road trip 1-6 (not counting Thursday's makeup win, which we can attribute to the game's May 5 start date), and are 26-61 at the break.
Thru 4 1/2: Nationals trail 1-0
There's not much the Nationals have done egregiously wrong in today's game against the Astros. They just haven't cracked Houston starter Brian Moehler well enough to string together a series of hits yet, and trail 1-0.
"This was a very fun game to be a part of."
We haven't heard a Nationals player say those words too much this season. But there wasn't much to find fault with in this one. Aside from the Nationals exploding for 13 runs on 21 hits, there was Craig Stammen's complete game, helped by a few smooth defensive plays by the Nationals' infield.
Thru 6: Bats explode
Tonight has turned into one of those games we haven't seen since May, when the Nationals' lineup seemed full of fire-breathing beasts capable of putting up eight runs every night. They lead 9-2 after six.
Thru 3: Tied at 2
The Nationals have come out hitting against Astros lefty Mike Hampton--they had five hits in the first three innings, which led to two runs. But they also made one of those blunders that it seems no other team can make.
Emotions high after 6-5 loss
This is the 60th time the Nats have lost this year, but it's tough to remember too many games where stronger postgame words were spoken than this one.
Thru 6: Oswalt shutting Nats down
In most games the Nationals have lost this year, they've been able to legitimately point to chances to turn the game around. In this one, there's been only one of them. They trail 4-1 after six innings, and are having a tough time cracking Astros ace Roy Oswalt.
Thru 3: Looking like a rough one for Olsen
We're through three innings here, and Scott Olsen is having his worst start since coming off the disabled list last month.
Lineups from Houston
Here are the lineups for today's game. You'll note Ryan Zimmerman isn't in the Nationals' lineup. He is attending his grandmother's funeral in North Carolina, and won't be in the starting lineup tomorrow either.
Thru 6: Another sixth-inning heartache
If there's been one inning where the Nationals have been snakebitten more than any other, it's the sixth. They entered the night having given up 72 runs in the sixth, their most of the year, and the inning got them again on Thursday.
Thru 3: Nats up 4-2
For a game that started May 5, the Nats sure are feeding off the momentum it generated. OK, maybe not, but they're up 4-2 after three innings, beating up ragged Astros starter Russ Ortiz.
Nats win suspended game; now it's back to normal
Manager Manny Acta's pregame press conference today, most of which consisted of discussing the scenarios, implications and oddities of resuming a game that started May 5, took seven minutes. So did the game itself.
Start of a weird day
Fun (and confusing) facts about tonight's suspended game makeup, as well as lineups for the regular game.
More on Young, plus a Chico update
What are Nats going to do with rehabbing first baseman?
