Tigers topple Washington, 5-2

3/20/09 4:15 PM

The Nats packed up and went home empty-handed this afternoon after losing to the Detroit Tigers, 5-2. Washington struggled both offensively and defensively today. At the plate, they stuck out seven times and left five runners on base. Brett Eldred also committed a fielding error. Detroit scored all of their runs off of Collin Balester, today's starter. Balester gave up a home run to Gary Sheffield in the first and then a cluster of base hits in the fourth. The latter of which allowed the Tigers to score four runs in that inning. Despite the loss and a seemingly lackluster performance by Balester, manager Manny Acta said he's not worried about the right-hander's performance. "I'm not concerned. He's a young kid and he's still developing. I thought he threw the ball better...

The last Expo: Nick Johnson

3/19/09 8:43 PM

I had a brief chat with Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson after Washington's walk-off victory over the Orioles. Johnson is now notorious for the past two seasons he's had with the Nats - he missed most of both of them due to injuries. In 2007 he collided with outfielder Austin Kearns and broke his leg and in 2008 he suffered from a wrist injury. He played with the Yankees franchise from 2001-2003 and went to Montreal in 2004. He's stayed with that franchise ever since the move to D.C. and, with the release of Shawn Hill earlier this week, is the last remaining member of the Nationals to have ever been an Expo. Johnson has a career batting average of .269 with 81 home runs and 317 RBI. Here's the results of the short Q&A I had with Johnson in the Nats locker room. Q: With the...

Nationals walk off with victory, 5-4

3/19/09 3:55 PM

In a dramatic turn of events for Washington, the Nationals came from behind to defeat local rival Baltimore in a 5-4 walk-off win. In the bottom of the ninth inning, pinch hitter Alberto Gonzalez grounded out to the Orioles' second baseman, Justin Turner. Turner threw the ball wide to first base, allowing Washington second baseman Anderson Hernandez to come home and score the winning run. The Nats trailed for most of the game. In the top of the second, the Orioles got on the board with a two-run homer by left fielder Nolan Reimold. Washington came back three innings later on an RBI single by Christian Guzman, which drove in first baseman Brad Eldred. Baltimore broke away again in the top of the seventh. Reimold drew a walk, Matt Wieters reached second on a ground rule double, and then...

Battle of the Beltways and... a possible re-sign?

3/19/09 12:36 PM

The Nationals are about to square off with the Baltimore Orioles here at Space Coast Stadium. Though there isn't a beltway in Viera, perhaps this game could fuel the local rivalry (probably not). There is equally as much orange and black in the stands today as there is red and white. The stands themselves are looking rather bare - the crowd is much smaller today than it was last night. The starting lineup for the Orioles is as follows: 77 Justin Christian CF 14 Chris Gomez SS 12 Lou Montanez RF 16 Oscar Salazar 1B 26 Scott Moore 3B 60 Nolan Reimold LF 9 Gregg Zaun C 55 Robby Hammock DH 83 Justin Turner 2B 58 Alfredo Simon RHP The Orioles' top prospect, Matt Wieters, also made the trip with the team this afternoon. He took batting practice with the team and could likely be...

Q&A: Jason Bergmann

3/18/09 5:58 PM

I seized the opportunity before today's game to chat with Nationals right-hander Jason Bergmann. Bergmann had a rough start in 2008 and was sent down to the minors. When he was brought back up in the middle of the season he had several great starts in a row, but then something happened with the chi of his mechanics and he fell back again. He's currently fighting for a spot in the Nationals' rotation. In 2008, Bergmann went 2-11 and posted a 5.08 ERA with 96 strikeouts. Q: How’s Viera been treating you? A: It’s been pretty relaxed. This is probably my fourth or fifth spring training and it’s nice and relaxed, nice and easy. I do live down here, which probably contributes to some of that. We run a tight ship. Once you’ve been in the game long...