WASHINGTON- The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers Jeff Fulchino and Waldis Joaquin, catcher Carlos Maldonado, infielders Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Chad Tracy, and outfielders Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels and Xavier Paul on minor-league contracts with invitations to Spring Training.

Additionally, the Nationals extended Spring Training invites to right-handed pitcher Rafael Martin, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Corey Brown. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Fulchino, 32, is 9-10 with 21 holds and a 4.84 ERA in 163 relief appearances during five big-league seasons with Miami (2006), Kansas City (2007), Houston (2009-11) and San Diego (2011).

Joaquin pitched each of the last three seasons with San Francisco, posting a 1-0 record with one hold and a 5.40 ERA in 19 relief appearances. In six minor-league seasons, the 24-year-old has gone 13-13 with a 3.50 ERA and 8.0 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (262 K/293.1 IP) over 167 games/26 starts. A 16-year veteran catcher, Maldonado returns for his third season in the Nationals organization. The 32-year-old has appeared in 25 big-league games during three seasons with Pittsburgh (2006-07) and Washington (2010).

Blanco, 27, batted a combined .260 with 26 runs scored, 13 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 16 RBI over the last two seasons with the back-to-back AL pennant winning Texas Rangers. The switch-hitting infielder has played parts of six seasons in the Major Leagues with Kansas City (2004-06), Chicago-NL (2009) and Texas (2010-11).

Hoffpauir batted .281 with five home runs and 34 RBI in 91 games last season with Tucson of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. The 28-year-old has appeared in 21 big-league games with St. Louis (2009) and Toronto (2010).

Tracy joins the Nationals after playing the 2011 season with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan’s Central League. A power threat from the left side of the plate, the 31-year-old has belted 79 home runs during his seven big-league seasons with Arizona (2004-09), Chicago-NL (2010) and Miami (2010).

Tracy batted a combined .294 with 47 homers and 152 RBI for the Diamondbacks from 2005-06, reaching the 20-home run and 70-RBI plateaus in consecutive seasons. Carroll, 29, has logged big-league time in each of the last five seasons with Miami (2007-10) and Milwaukee (2011). Last season, he batted .270 with 16 home runs, 63 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 117 contests with the Triple-A clubs in Nashville and Pawtucket.

Michaels, 35, has batted .263 with 59 home runs and 299 RBI during his 11 Major League campaigns with Philadelphia (2001-05), Cleveland (2006-08), Pittsburgh (2008) and Houston (2009-11). Paul batted .255 with 30 runs scored, six doubles, five triples, two home runs, 20 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 128 games last season with Los Angeles-NL and Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old has played parts of three big-league seasons with the Dodgers (2009-11) and Pirates (11).

Matthew LeCroy got a promotion. The manager will now be with the Harrisburg Senators for the 2012 season. The Harrisburg Senators’, an affiliate of the Major League Baseball team the Washington Nationals, previous manager, Tony Beasley, will also be getting a promotion to the AAA team Syracuse Chiefs. The Chiefs current manager, Randy Knorr, is moving up to the Nationals to be a bench coach.

Before joining with the Washington Nationals to manage, LeCroy was a designated hitter and catcher in Major League Baseball. He started playing in 2000 for the Minnesota Twins but by 2006, medical issues kept the talented athlete from performing at his peak. Though he spent a few years playing for minor league teams, he eventually needed to switch to managing. In 2007 he joined the Washington Nationals and has moved up from managing the Hagerstown Suns, an A team, to managing the Advanced A team, the Potomac Nationals for the 2011 season. Now he will be managing the AA team, the Harrisburg Senators starting in the 2012 season.

Under LeCroy, the Potomac Nationals made it to the 2011 playoffs, but fell just short of the championship. In game 5 of the Northern Division Championship Series, the Potomac Nationals lost to the Fredrick Keys. Despite the loss, it was still a great season for the Potomac Nationals. The team had a regular season record of 68-71, and was 31-39 in the second half. The team won the Northern Division. In his two years at the Hagerstown Suns, the Suns did not have the type of success that the Potomac Nationals had. In 2009, the team finished at the bottom of the South Atlantic League. The next year, in 2010, the team improved by one spot in the league.

The Harrisburg Senators have been a successful team in the region. In 2011, the team made the playoffs. In that season, despite the fact that the team clinched the division, the team faltered late in the season. In early September, the Harrisburg region received a lot of rain which caused the Senators’ field to flood. Due to the flooding, the team played all three games against the Richmond Flying Squirrels in Richmond. The Senators lost all three games. Despite the disappointing finish to the season, the team even won the 2011 Bob Freitas Award for AA teams. The award is given to teams that demonstrate a successful and long lasting presence in the sport.

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Taiwanese pitcher Wang Chien-ming signed a one-year contract to remain with the Washington Nationals for the 2012 Major League Baseball season, the team said on Friday.

The free-agent right-hander, 31, posted a 4-3 record in 11 starts with Washington last season in his return to the major leagues after missing over two seasons with a shoulder injury.

Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed but Washington media said the was worth $4 million.

“I was very pleased with his progress and overall production last year and am anxious to see what he can do with a completely healthy offseason,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement.

Wang spent five years with the New York Yankees, posting back-to-back 19-win seasons in 2006-07, before undergoing shoulder surgery in 2009.

He signed with the Nationals in 2010 but did not make his major league return until the 2011 season.

“I am appreciative of the opportunity and all the support the Nationals gave me to make the comeback,” said Wang, who has a 59-29 big league record. — Reuters

Taiwanese pitcher Wang Chien-ming signed
a one-year contract to remain with the Washington Nationals for
the 2012 Major League Baseball season, the team said on
Friday.

The free-agent right-hander, 31, posted a 4-3 record in 11
starts with Washington last season in his return to the major
leagues after missing over two seasons with a shoulder injury.

Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed but
Washington media said the was worth $4 million.

“I was very pleased with his progress and overall
production last year and am anxious to see what he can do with
a completely healthy offseason,” Nationals General Manager Mike
Rizzo said in a statement.

Wang spent five years with the New York Yankees, posting
back-to-back 19-win seasons in 2006-07, before undergoing
shoulder surgery in 2009.

He signed with the Nationals in 2010 but did not make his
major league return until the 2011 season.

“I am appreciative of the opportunity and all the support
the Nationals gave me to make the comeback,” said Wang, who has
a 59-29 big league record.

 

Washington Nationals Manager Davey Johnson, who guided the team to 15 wins in their final 20 games,
will return to manage the Major League Baseball club in 2012.

Johnson, who led the New York Mets to the 1986 World Series
title, replaced Jim Riggleman, who left the Nationals in June
because management wouldn’t discuss his contract option for next
season.

“It became obvious that the Nationals would be best served
if Davey Johnson would continue as manager,” General Manager
Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “His baseball acumen coupled
with a proper offseason of planning, including a full regiment
of spring training, should put our players in a position to
succeed in 2012.”

The Nationals were 40-43 under Johnson last season,
finishing 80-81, in third place in the National League Eastern
division.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Curtis Eichelberger in Washington at
ceichelberge@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

Read More: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals will name Davey Johnson as manager for the 2012 season, reports William Ladson, citing “a baseball source.” The MLB.com scribe says the Nationals will announce the hire upon the conclusion of the World Series, which could take place as soon as Thursday.

Johnson served as Washington’s interim manager after Jim Riggleman abruptly resigned in June, guiding the team to a 40-43 finish to the season. Though he’s managed at the Major League level for 15 seasons, he had not managed a team since the 2000 Los Angeles Dodgers prior to filling in for Riggleman. His career record stands at 1188-931 and includes a World Series championship with the 1986 New York Mets.

Last Thursday, Rizzo told Mark Zuckerman that he had interviewed other candidates for the club’s managerial position, though no word of precisely who else the Nationals considered has yet surfaced. However, it’s long been suspected that Washington would invite Johnson to return.

Please visit Federal Baseball for more Nationals coverage.

Read More: Ryan Zimmerman (3B – WAS), Roger Bernadina (RF – WAS), Tom Milone (P – WAS), Dillon Gee (P – NYM), Washington Nationals, New York Mets

With the score 7-6, two men on and one out, New York Mets closer Bobby Parnell intentionally walked Washington Nationals right fielder Roger Bernadina to load the bases. The next batter he would face would be third baseman Ryan Zimmerman or as Natstown likes to call him: Mr. Walk-Off.

What was Parnell thinking?

Ryan Zimmerman blooped a broken bat two-run walk-off single down the right field line to give the Nationals a 8-7 win over the NL East rival Mets. Zimmerman finished the night 2-for-5 with two RBI and two strikeouts. The Nationals defended home turf and battled back for the win after the Mets roared back to take a 7-6 lead after the Nats lead the game early 5-0.

Starter Tom Milone made his MLB debut and it will be one to remember. Milone held the Mets hitless for the first two innings of his Major League career and in the second inning, on the first pitch he saw of his Major League career from Mets pitcher Dillon Gee, Milone clocked a 90 mph fastball over the right field wall into the jumping and cheering Nationals bullpen for a three-run home run. Milone finished the night pitching 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits. He gave up no walks and struck out two. He threw 74 pitches, 51 for strikes.

The Nationals move to 64-73 on the season.

WASHINGTON —

With their recent offensive woes, the Washington Nationals have needed strong starting pitching just to stay in ballgames. They didn’t get it on Friday night.

The New York Mets jumped on Washington starter Ross Detwiler for six runs over the first three innings and beat the Nationals 7-3.

David Wright hit a three-run homer, Angel Pagan drove in two runs and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey pitched into the seventh inning on three days’ rest for New York.

Wright’s shot off Detwiler (2-5) gave the Mets a 3-0 lead in the first. It was his 12th home run of the year. Pagan’s two-run single in the third gave New York a 6-1 lead.

“It’s definitely my worst outing,” Detwiler said. “Nothing worked and they hit everything I threw up there hard.”

Detwiler was hurt by his inability to keep his pitches down in the strike zone.

“I didn’t do it at all tonight,” he said. “I think there was one pitch I actually threw down in the zone and it got hit on the ground. When you do that one time in three innings you’re going to get hurt pretty bad.”

“I didn’t think he had real good command,” Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. “It was just one of those days you turn the page on.”

The Nationals have dropped nine of 10 and are 10 games under .500 for the first time this season. The Mets have won seven of eight.

In his three innings, Detwiler allowed six runs and seven hits.

Dickey (7-11) won his second game in four days. Pitching on short rest for the third time in his career, he recorded consecutive wins for the first time this season. He left after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh, allowing three runs on nine hits and striking out one.

“Obviously he has his knuckleball, but he throws his fastball and other pitches as well,” Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “He’s one of those guys who always gives you a solid start. He’s tough. You don’t see guys like that too often.”

Dickey wasn’t happy with his knuckleball, and had to find another way to keep the Mets in the game.

“I was able to throw a larger number of conventional pitches because I felt fine,” Dickey said. “I needed to to survive. I’m glad I have enough arm strength to do that.”

The Nationals scored a run in the first on Michael Morse’s RBI single, and two in the fifth on Rick Ankiel’s eighth home run.

Washington had baserunners in all but two innings, but they left eight on. Despite their recent record, Johnson says he sees a lot to like with his team.

“I see a lot of good signs,” Johnson said. “I like the approach the guys are taking. I see the improvement in their play, in their mental approach, and I’m pleased with all that.”

After Dickey departed, Tim Byrdak, Ryota Igarashi, Josh Stinson and Daniel Herrera combined to shut out Washington for the final three innings.

Nick Evans and Lucas Duda also homered for New York. Both were long shots, with Duda reaching the second deck in right in the seventh.

NOTES: Washington recalled OF Roger Bernadina from Triple-A Syracuse. … 2B Danny Espinosa did not play. He was the only Washington player to appear in each of the team’s games. … Nationals OF Laynce Nix was out with a strained right groin. … New York C Josh Thole was out of the lineup with a bruised left wrist. … Mets IF Ruben Tejada was rested with a bruised middle finger on his left hand. … Stinson made his major league debut, pitching 1 2-3 innings, allowing two hits. Herrera was added to the roster before the game. He struck out Jonny Gomes for the final out. Herrera was acquired on Thursday from Milwaukee as one of the two players to be named later in the trade for Francisco Rodriguez. … LHP Tom Milone is scheduled to make his major league debut for Washington on Saturday. Milone struck out 155 batters for Syracuse and walked just 16 in 148 1-3 innings. RHP Dillon Gee (12-5), who has beaten the Nationals in each of his three starts against them, will start for the Mets. … New York LHP Johan Santana, who underwent shoulder surgery last September, will pitch two innings in a rehab game on Saturday for Class A St. Lucie.

“It’s not hyperbole to say that my knuckleball was putrid. I had to find a way to eat up innings and keep us in it,” Dickey said.

New York won for the seventh time in eight games, and Washington has dropped nine of 10, falling 10 games under .500 for the first time this season.

The 36-year-old Dickey has had a long and erratic career, never pitching an entire season in the major leagues. Last year, he went 11-9 with the Mets, and his knuckler was the reason why. If it fails him, Dickey has to tinker.

“They didn’t have any bite to them. I don’t have an explanation to why. I had to use some other stuff in the arsenal tonight,” Dickey said.

His teammates staked him to a 6-1 lead in the third inning. David Wright hit a three-run home run in the first inning. It was Wright’s 12th home run of the season and his first in 32 career games at Nationals Park. Angel Pagan hit a two-run single. Nick Evans hit a long home run in the second, and in the seventh, Lucas Duda slammed another long shot.

Dickey allowed a leadoff single in the seventh and was lifted, and four relievers shut out the Nationals the rest of the way.

“He got us through six. I thought that was plenty,” New York manager Terry Collins said. “He worked hard to get through that game.”

Dickey gave up three runs and nine hits, striking out one, and said pitching on three days’ rest for just the third time in his career wasn’t the reason the knuckler was substandard.

“I was able to throw a larger number of conventional pitches because I felt fine. I needed to survive. I’m glad I have enough arm strength to do that.”

Wright also had a double. In his last eight games, he is 13 for 26.

“When you get on a little hot streak, you have to ride out as long as you can because you know right around the corner, there’s an 0 for 10, 0 for 15 waiting for you,” Wright said.

The Mets pounded Ross Detwiler (2-5), who gave up six runs in just three innings.

“All I can remember is one pitch that was actually good, so there’s not much to take from this one,” Detwiler said.

After Dickey departed, Tim Byrdak, Ryota Igarashi, Josh Stinson and Daniel Herrera combined to shut out Washington for the final three innings.

The Nationals scored a run in the first on Michael Morse’s RBI single, and two in the fifth on Rick Ankiel’s eighth home run.

NOTES: Washington recalled OF Roger Bernadina from Triple-A Syracuse. … 2B Danny Espinosa did not play. He was the only Washington player to appear in each of the team’s games. … Nationals OF Laynce Nix was out with a strained right groin. … New York C Josh Thole was out of the lineup with a bruised left wrist. … Mets IF Ruben Tejada was rested with a bruised middle finger on his left hand. … Stinson made his major league debut, pitching 1 2-3 innings, allowing two hits. Herrera was added to the roster before the game. He struck out Jonny Gomes for the final out. Herrera was acquired on Thursday from Milwaukee as one of the two players to be named later in the trade for RHP Francisco Rodriguez. … LHP Tom Milone is scheduled to make his major league debut for Washington on Saturday. Milone struck out 155 batters for Syracuse and walked just 16 in 148 1-3 innings. RHP Dillon Gee (12-5), who has beaten the Nationals in each of his three starts against them, will start for the Mets. … New York LHP Johan Santana, who underwent shoulder surgery last September, will pitch two innings in a rehab game on Saturday for Class-A St. Lucie.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

It was a frustrating night for R.A. Dickey. His knuckleball wasn’t working, and he had to resort to his fastball. Somehow, he survived, pitching into the seventh inning, winning his second game in four days as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Friday night.

Dickey (7-11) won a second consecutive game for the first time this season, but that didn’t satisfy him.

“It’s not hyperbole to say that my knuckleball was putrid. I had to find a way to eat up innings and keep us in it,” Dickey said.

New York won for the seventh time in eight games, and Washington has dropped nine of 10, falling 10 games under .500 for the first time this season.

The 36-year-old Dickey has had a long and erratic career, never pitching an entire season in the major leagues. Last year, he went 11-9 with the Mets, and his knuckler was the reason why. If it fails him, Dickey has to tinker.

“They didn’t have any bite to them. I don’t have an explanation to why. I had to use some other stuff in the arsenal tonight,” Dickey said.

His teammates staked him to a 6-1 lead in the third inning. David Wright hit a three-run home run in the first inning. It was Wright’s 12th home run of the season and his first in 32 career games at Nationals Park. Angel Pagan hit a two-run single. Nick Evans hit a long home run in the second, and in the seventh, Lucas Duda slammed another long shot.

Dickey allowed a leadoff single in the seventh and was lifted, and four relievers shut out the Nationals the rest of the way.

“He got us through six. I thought that was plenty,” New York manager Terry Collins said. “He worked hard to get through that game.”

Dickey gave up three runs and nine hits, striking out one, and said pitching on three days’ rest for just the third time in his career wasn’t the reason the knuckler was substandard.

“I was able to throw a larger number of conventional pitches because I felt fine. I needed to survive. I’m glad I have enough arm strength to do that.”

Wright also had a double. In his last eight games, he is 13 for 26.

“When you get on a little hot streak, you have to ride out as long as you can because you know right around the corner, there’s an 0 for 10, 0 for 15 waiting for you,” Wright said.

The Mets pounded Ross Detwiler (2-5), who gave up six runs in just three innings.

“All I can remember is one pitch that was actually good, so there’s not much to take from this one,” Detwiler said.

After Dickey departed, Tim Byrdak, Ryota Igarashi, Josh Stinson and Daniel Herrera combined to shut out Washington for the final three innings.

The Nationals scored a run in the first on Michael Morse’s RBI single, and two in the fifth on Rick Ankiel’s eighth home run.

NOTES: Washington recalled OF Roger Bernadina from Triple-A Syracuse. … 2B Danny Espinosa did not play. He was the only Washington player to appear in each of the team’s games. … Nationals OF Laynce Nix was out with a strained right groin. … New York C Josh Thole was out of the lineup with a bruised left wrist. … Mets IF Ruben Tejada was rested with a bruised middle finger on his left hand. … Stinson made his major league debut, pitching 1 2-3 innings, allowing two hits. Herrera was added to the roster before the game. He struck out Jonny Gomes for the final out. Herrera was acquired on Thursday from Milwaukee as one of the two players to be named later in the trade for RHP Francisco Rodriguez. … LHP Tom Milone is scheduled to make his major league debut for Washington on Saturday. Milone struck out 155 batters for Syracuse and walked just 16 in 148 1-3 innings. RHP Dillon Gee (12-5), who has beaten the Nationals in each of his three starts against them, will start for the Mets. … New York LHP Johan Santana, who underwent shoulder surgery last September, will pitch two innings in a rehab game on Saturday for Class-A St. Lucie.

WASHINGTON – It was a frustrating night for R.A. Dickey. His knuckleball wasn’t working, and he had to resort to his fastball. Somehow, he survived, pitching into the seventh inning, winning his second game in four days as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Friday night.

Dickey (7-11) won a second consecutive game for the first time this season, but that didn’t satisfy him.

“It’s not hyperbole to say that my knuckleball was putrid. I had to find a way to eat up innings and keep us in it,” Dickey said.

New York won for the seventh time in eight games, and Washington has dropped nine of 10, falling 10 games under .500 for the first time this season.

The 36-year-old Dickey has had a long and erratic career, never pitching an entire season in the major leagues. Last year, he went 11-9 with the Mets, and his knuckler was the reason why. If it fails him, Dickey has to tinker.

“They didn’t have any bite to them. I don’t have an explanation to why. I had to use some other stuff in the arsenal tonight,” Dickey said.

His teammates staked him to a 6-1 lead in the third inning. David Wright hit a three-run home run in the first inning. It was Wright’s 12th home run of the season and his first in 32 career games at Nationals Park. Angel Pagan hit a two-run single. Nick Evans hit a long home run in the second, and in the seventh, Lucas Duda slammed another long shot.

Dickey allowed a leadoff single in the seventh and was lifted, and four relievers shut out the Nationals the rest of the way.

“He got us through six. I thought that was plenty,” New York manager Terry Collins said. “He worked hard to get through that game.”

Dickey gave up three runs and nine hits, striking out one, and said pitching on three days’ rest for just the third time in his career wasn’t the reason the knuckler was substandard.

“I was able to throw a larger number of conventional pitches because I felt fine. I needed to survive. I’m glad I have enough arm strength to do that.”

Wright also had a double. In his last eight games, he is 13 for 26.

“When you get on a little hot streak, you have to ride out as long as you can because you know right around the corner, there’s an 0 for 10, 0 for 15 waiting for you,” Wright said.

The Mets pounded Ross Detwiler (2-5), who gave up six runs in just three innings.

“All I can remember is one pitch that was actually good, so there’s not much to take from this one,” Detwiler said.

After Dickey departed, Tim Byrdak, Ryota Igarashi, Josh Stinson and Daniel Herrera combined to shut out Washington for the final three innings.

The Nationals scored a run in the first on Michael Morse’s RBI single, and two in the fifth on Rick Ankiel’s eighth home run.

NOTES: Washington recalled OF Roger Bernadina from triple-A Syracuse. … 2B Danny Espinosa did not play. He was the only Washington player to appear in each of the team’s games. … Nationals OF Laynce Nix was out with a strained right groin. … New York C Josh Thole was out of the lineup with a bruised left wrist. … Mets IF Ruben Tejada was rested with a bruised middle finger on his left hand. … Stinson made his major league debut, pitching 1 2-3 innings, allowing two hits. Herrera was added to the roster before the game. He struck out Jonny Gomes for the final out. Herrera was acquired on Thursday from Milwaukee as one of the two players to be named later in the trade for RHP Francisco Rodriguez. … LHP Tom Milone is scheduled to make his major league debut for Washington on Saturday. Milone struck out 155 batters for Syracuse and walked just 16 in 148 1-3 innings. RHP Dillon Gee (12-5), who has beaten the Nationals in each of his three starts against them, will start for the Mets. … New York LHP Johan Santana, who underwent shoulder surgery last September, will pitch two innings in a rehab game on Saturday for class-A St. Lucie.

In his fourth start since his return to the Major Leagues after missing two years with a shoulder injury, Wang allowed four earned runs on seven hits over six 1-3 innings, his longest outing since a stint of seven 1-3 innings on June 10, 2008, that began his previous consecutive wins run. But he was not as sharp as in his previous outing against the Chicago Cubs.

Cincinnati’s Mike Leake (10-8) allowed six runs, five earned, and five hits in six innings. His streak of five straight quality starts was snapped.

Wang said his signature sinker, which he used on nearly 70 percent of his 78 pitches, was not working as well as he would have liked.

“When the sinker is not sinking I try to find out a solution, maybe mix in the changeup or slider and get both down, and try to get more batters out,” Wang said through a translator.

After winning back-to-back starts for the first time since June 2008 when he was with the New York Yankees, the 31-year-old right-hander said he had pretty much regained his old form but still needed to get the sinker down in the strike zone more consistently.

He will also have to figure out how to avoid shaky starts. For the third time in four games since returning to the Major Leagues, Wang started slowly, giving up two runs in the top of the first on back-to-back RBI singles by Jay Bruce and Ramon Hernandez.

But the Nationals rallied in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. Wang then settled down and allowed only one Reds hitter to reach base (on an error) over the next four innings, during which his teammates scored three more runs to pad their lead to 6-2.

Wang yielded a run in the sixth on a double and two groundouts and was pulled in the seventh after giving up a one out RBI double to Edgar Renteria. But relievers Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen shut down the Reds the rest of the way to preserve the victory.

Manager Davey Johnson appeared more confident in Wang based on the pitcher’s last two starts.

“He is getting the ball a little bit up, but sometimes you don’t make perfect pitches,” he was quoted as saying by blogger Byron Kerr.

“He (Wang) threw a lot of great pitches. He actually threw more breaking balls tonight. I was really pleased with his effort,” Johnson said.

Though he clinched his first home victory of the season, Wang saw his ERA rise from 3.60 to 4.22.

In Taiwan, baseball commentator Kao Ying-chieh yesterday also noted that although Wang allowed earned runs on seven hits over six 1-3 innings, his overall pitching performance remained quite good, boasting good sliders, having yet to keep the ball down on his sinker.

Just one week earlier, Wang scored his first win for a Major League club in more than two years after pitching six scoreless innings to help Washington Nationals score a 3-1 victory over Chicago cubs, marking the culmination of a little over two years and countless hours worth of hard work and rehab just to make it back to the majors following his 2009 shoulder surgery.

Stephen Strasburg’s trip back to the major leagues will make another stop in Hagerstown.

The Hagerstown Suns announced that the Washington Nationals pitching star will pitch on Wednesday against Lexington at Municipal Stadium. It will be Strasburg’s second appearance with the Suns as he continues his comeback from elbow surgery.

How many innings and pitches Strasburg throws in the outing has yet to be determined.

Strasburg made his comeback debut with the Suns on Aug. 7 with a stint of 1 2/3 innings against Greensboro. He threw 31 pitches, allowing one run on three hits while striking out four.

He made his second start on Friday for the Potomac Nationals, Washington’s high Single-A affiliate in Woodbridge, Va. Strasburg competed three scoreless innings on 33 pitches, allowing two infield hits while striking out five.

If Strasburg continues his progression, four innings and/or 50 pitches could be possible.

The Nationals have been giving the first overall selection of the 2009 amateur draft work at the closest affiliates to Washington. The Suns got Strasburg’s firs start and are getting his third outing because they are only Nationals farm team playing at home.

It the pattern continues, there also is a chance for Strasburg to return to Hagerstown for Monday’s game with Hickory. Double-A Harrisburg is on the road and Potomac is off that day.

According to reports, the Nationals are planning to have Strasburg pitch every five days, as he will when he returns to Washington’s starting rotation. Strasburg’s schedule has closely mirrored that of starter Jordan Zimmermann, who will probably be shut down for the rest of the season in September.

The Nationals have placed Zimmermann — who rehabbed with the Suns last season after Tommy John surgery — on a 160-inning limit to protect his arm. If Strasburg progresses as hoped, he would assume Zimmermann’s slot in the rotation late this season.

Strasburg, 23, has bounced back quickly from the elbow surgery, which usually carries a 10- to 14-month recovery period. He injured the elbow on Aug. 21, 2010, before undergoing reconstructive surgery in September to replace a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

He worked for six months at Washington’s spring training site in Viera, Fla., before making his first Hagerstown start.

Strasburg was 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 68 innings last season before hurting his arm against Philadelphia. He became the talk of baseball after he struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates in his major league debut on June 8, 2010.

WASHINGTON Veteran Canadian baseball player Matt Stairs has been unconditionally released by the Washington Nationals.

The move was announced Monday, a week after designating him for assignment.

The 43-year-old from Fredericton batted .154 with two RBIs and no home runs in 56 games for the Nationals. He was 6 for 39 as a pinch-hitter and also saw time at first base with Washington.

This is Stairs’ 19th major league season. He holds the major league record with 23 pinch-hit home runs.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals have designated right-handed pitcher Brian Broderick for assignment and recalled right-hander Cole Kimball from Triple A-Syracuse.

The Nationals announced the moves Saturday before their game against the Marlins.

Broderick was obtained in the Rule 5 draft from St. Louis in December and was 0-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 11 appearances. He was the loser in Friday’s 6-5, 11-inning defeat to Florida.

Kimball made 12 appearances for Syracuse, and didn’t allow a run in 13 2/3 innings. He’s 1-0 with five saves. The 25-year-old has never pitched in the major leagues.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Anibal Sanchez(notes) has never lost to the Washington Nationals.

That didn’t change Saturday despite minimal run support.

The Florida Marlins pitcher took advantage of Mike Stanton’s(notes) long home run
by keeping Washington off the scoreboard, going eight sharp innings for a 1-0
victory.

“It’s a matter of a mindset or comfort zone,” Florida manager Edwin
Rodriguez said.

Sanchez has allowed only five hits over 15 innings in his last two starts
against the Nationals, and is 7-0 with a 1.99 ERA in his career against them.

In his previous start last week, Sanchez (3-1) held Washington hitless until
the seventh inning and struck out a career-high 11. This time he allowed only a
second-inning single to Laynce Nix(notes) before retiring 14 straight batters.

He gave up a leadoff double to Jayson Werth(notes) and two-out walk to Wilson Ramos(notes)
in the seventh inning, then allowed a two-out single by Roger Bernadina(notes) in the
eighth, but never allowed one of the runners to come around to score.

Sanchez allwed three hits and walked two while striking out nine.

“They have real aggressive hitters. I just tried to keep it down like
always,” he said.

Leo Nunez(notes) pitched a shaky ninth inning for his major league-leading 14th
save. He walked Werth and allowed a base hit to Nix before Adam LaRoche’s(notes)
fielder’s choice put runners on the corners. Ramos popped out to second and
Jerry Hairston Jr.(notes) flied out for the final out.

“Seems like he feels comfortable going from the stretch,” Rodriguez said
of his closer. “As long as we win the game, that’s fine.”

The Marlins won their eighth straight in Washington, and Stanton has six
home runs in those games. His seventh-inning homer off Livan Hernandez(notes) (3-5) was
his seventh this season.

“I was ready for him to mix in a fastball, and that’s what he did,”
Stanton said.

Werth’s double was just his third hit in 25 at-bats against Sanchez. He’s
struck out 19 times against him, including twice on Saturday.

“It’s an eclectic mix,” Werth said. “He’s got good stuff. I think
everybody knows that. He’s a good pitcher. For me personally, sometimes it just
doesn’t match up. I feel like I’m right on him but I’m not.”

Marlins catcher John Buck(notes) had a firsthand view of the Nationals’ woes.

“When they’re swinging and missing and fouling off some of the balls I know
I’ve seen them hit before, in some of their reactions, I can see that they’re a
little frustrated because they should hit it,” Buck said.

Hernandez matched Sanchez for six innings, allowing three hits. Logan
Morrison(notes) singled with one out in the seventh, but was thrown out trying to
steal. He gave up six hits in seven innings in his third straight loss.

Cole Kimball, recalled Saturday from Triple-A Syracuse, pitched a scoreless
ninth in his major league debut for the Nationals.

NOTES: Hernandez has thrown 3,003 2-3 innings in his career. … The
Nationals designated RHP Brian Broderick(notes) for assignment. Broderick was obtained
in the Rule 5 draft from St. Louis in December and was 0-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 11
appearances. … Washington SS Ian Desmond(notes) did not play because of a sore left
quadriceps muscle. … Marlins RHP Javier Vazquez(notes), who returned from three days
on the bereavement list Friday, is set to start Sunday. … Morrison extended
his hitting streak to 12 games. … Ramos threw out Morrison and Hanley Ramirez(notes)
on steal attempts. Ramos is 7 for 14 in throwing out runners. … Washington
equaled a franchise-high by playing its ninth straight errorless game.

Read More: Jordan Zimmermann (P – WAS), Stephen Strasburg (P – WAS), Washington Nationals

Stephen Strasburg was put on a 12-18 month time period when he underwent Tommy John surgery last September. So far, he appears to be on schedule, and there is yet another report out there indicating that the Washington Nationals believe he will be fully healthy in time to pitch in the Major Leagues this September.

This report comes from ESPN’s Jayson Stark:

Stephen Strasburg is another story, though. Strasburg remains on a similar track to Jordan Zimmermann’s Tommy John surgery recovery of a year ago. Strasburg got started a few weeks later than Zimmermann did last year. But if nothing goes amiss, he could make five or six minor league appearances and be back, tentatively, pitching in the big leagues by September. The Nationals won’t force those September starts if he’s not ready, but Strasburg is all for that path. “Hell,” said one Nationals exec, “if it were up to him, he’d start tonight.”    

This isn’t really a change, but it is an indication that Strasburg’s rehabilitation is going positively, at least for now. For more on Strasburg, visit Federal Baseball.

The Washington Nationals’ rookie plays his first game tonight for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. Why all baseball fans should be excited.

If you are a Yankees fan, you might not care about Bryce Harper.

When you root for a winning baseball team, you don’t have to care about a rookie catcher-turned-outfielder who will take his first regular season professional swings this week for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. If you are lucky enough to follow the Yankees, Phillies, Giants, Red Sox, Rangers, or any other successful team, you get to spend all summer thinking about a pennant race.

If you are a fan of a bad team, however, you don’t get that luxury. If you love a team like the Pirates, Orioles, or Nationals—who made Bryce Harper the first overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft—you need to find other ways of enjoying the sport.

Like sitting in the sunshine, for instance. Fans of bad baseball teams are quick to point out that simply being at the ballpark is a big part of the game’s appeal. Which it is. Baseball, with its manicured, perfected version of nature, is our national monument to Jefferson’s pastoral dream. Romantic pastoralism, however, can only take a fan so far. Especially when it costs ten bucks to park. We’re drawn to baseball because we love a good story. And the taut, fitful game in which we have invested so much of the national soul is perhaps the country’s greatest venue for telling stories to ourselves, about ourselves—be they stories of teamwork and sportsmanship, segregation and civil rights, or tacitly communicating the right way for an American to walk.

The most important story baseball tells, though, isn’t nationalistic, but universal. Ultimately, the greatest gift the game can give—the greatest gift that any game can give, really—is hope. Hope is why Bryce Harper matters to baseball fans, no matter where their favorite team sits in the standings. Hope is why the Nationals made the left-handed hitter their first pick, and it’s why fans around the country will pay attention when this 18-year-old plays his first game for the Suns tonight.

Harper, you see, isn’t just a prospect. He’s a phenom, and phenoms tell us perhaps the most hopeful story humans can hear. They tell us that we, as a species, are getting better.

Athletes are the literal embodiment of human evolution—forever going higher, farther, faster. Usually, however, that process is barely perceptible, moving by fractions of an inch or tenths of a second. The truly exceptional athlete, though, makes a quantum leap. Superior athletes don’t just improve records, they shatter them. Like Tiger Woods winning the Masters by 12 strokes, Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in a game, or Babe Ruth hitting 54 homers when no one had even hit 30. Athletes like that don’t merely win. They change how the game is played. In so doing, in transcending the limits of their sport, they show us that it’s possible to transcend the circumstances of our own lives.

Bryce Harper, there’s no question, has the mark of greatness.

In 2008, playing for a team in his native Las Vegas, Harper hit a home-run that his coaches measured at 570 feet. The deepest field in the Major Leagues, by comparison, is Houston’s Minute Maid Park, with a center field wall 436 feet from home. The longest verifiable home run of all-time, hit by Babe Ruth in Detroit, measured about 575 feet.

Harper was a high school freshman at the time.

In 2009, he was at the Tampa Bay Rays’ home, Tropicana Field. Hitting in a showcase event for young players, Harper drove a shot to right that smacked off the stadium’s back wall. They called that one 502 feet—the longest ball ever hit at Tropicana Field. In 13 years of Major League Baseball at the Trop, no one had ever hit the back wall—not Manny Ramirez, not Jim Thome, or a juiced-up Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi. Check out the video of Harper’s swings, and listen to the PA announcer go absolutely bonkers when he realizes what he’s seeing.

But, you might object, Harper was using an aluminum bat, which can increase a ball’s distance by five or ten percent. True. But he was also still just 17.

Harper’s sophomore season in Las Vegas, he hit an unheard-of .626. Sports Illustrated put him on the cover. ESPN’s E60 news magazine show did a segment on him. He left high school two years early, getting his GED, and enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada, making himself eligible for baseball’s June 2010 amateur draft. At CSC, where they use wooden bats like the pros—he promptly hit .443, with 98 RBI and an incredible 31 home runs over 66 games.

Need more?

In the district finals of the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series, Harper hit for the cycle. The next day was a doubleheader. In the opener, he went 2-for-5. Not satisfied with .400, Harper went 6-for-6 in the nightcap. Four of those six hits were home runs.

As expected, the Nationals made Harper the first pick of last year’s draft on June 7, and he signed a five-year deal worth $9.9 million. After batting .319 in the Nats’ fall instructional league, then .389 in 2011 Spring Training games, Harper was optioned to Class-A Hagerstown. Now a hulking 6’3”, 225 pounds, he could make his major league debut as soon as September, becoming the first 18-year old to play in the bigs since Alex Rodriguez made his Mariners debut in 1994.

Harper’s swing is certainly mesmerizing. The bat held high, front leg poised, hands back and loose, a wrist break so fast and smooth it’s over before you can see it start. No wonder that his coaches get a misty, faraway look in the eye when they talk about him. But every fan has seen plenty of Next Big Things become also-rans. Can Harper go from phenom to phenomenal?

ESPN’s David Schoenfield looked at every hitter who ranked in the top five of Baseball America’s prospects since 1990. About 80 percent have put together decent big league careers. Several turned out to be All-Stars. One, A-Rod, will go to the Hall of Fame. Of the 20 percent that can be legitimately be called flops, barring injury, there one overriding reason they fail: strike-outs.

At the high school, college and minors league level, most of the pitchers are mostly throwing fastballs. In the bigs, as Crash Davis famously said, they throw “ungodly breaking stuff” and “exploding sliders.” They also throw curves that go right-to-left, or left-to-right, and nasty off-speed stuff with backwards rotation that come out of a pitcher’s hand looking like a 100 mph fastball, then seem to fall off a table midway to the plate.

Being successful as a big league hitter ultimately isn’t an issue of physical strength—of great bat speed, eye-hand coordination, and reflexes—even though all those things are necessary to succeed. Intellect also plays a role. Harper will have to perpetually study pitchers, looking for tendencies and potential weakness. He will also have to control his sometimes fiery temper, and learn to deal with the inevitable failures coming his way. But greatness demands something more—some ineffable sixth sense—for drama, and for what the pitcher will throw next. The only way to know if Harper has that magic quality is to wait and see. One day, the country will see a player so good he will change baseball the way Tiger changed golf, Wilt changed the NBA, and Babe Ruth changed baseball. Bryce Harper looks like he might be that player. As fans, we can only hope.