Daily Nats Blurbs

[DravenX]

News from the 29th of March.

Shawn Hill yielded three runs -- two earned -- in seven innings as the Nationals and Orioles played to a 3-3 tie on Thursday.
Some teams back off their starters in their final outings of the spring, but not the Nationals. John Patterson went 6 2/3 innings yesterday, and Hill had his longest outing by 1 2/3 innings. He'll be the Nationals' No. 2 starter.

[DravenX]

News from the 30th of March.

Nook Logan went through a series of strenuous running tests Thursday and said afterward that his strained right groin felt "great."
Logan is expected to play Friday against the Orioles and, barring a setback, will also play on Saturday in the spring finale. "It went well," Logan said. "Great, actually. I wasn't surprised with it, though."

Robert Fick was excused from the Nationals on Thursday so he could fly to California and visit his ailing mother.
"He went over there for a day to pump her up," manager Manny Acta said. Fick is expected to return to the team today.

Nook Logan went 0-for-1 with a walk Friday in his return from a strained right groin.
Logan wouldn't have played today if the Nationals didn't think he'd be ready to go on Opening Day. It appears that Kory Casto will head back to Triple-A after all.

[DravenX]

News from the 31st of March.

After playing on Friday, Nook Logan (groin) is expected to be the Nationals Opening Day center fielder and No. 8 hitter.
"I think he's ready to go," manager Manny Acta said. "He ran with freedom and didn't pace himself or anything. So he's ready to go." Kory Casto will be sent to Triple-A Columbus sometime this weekend.

Nationals optioned OF Kory Casto and RHP Saul Rivera to Triple-A Columbus.
Casto would have started in left field with Nook Logan out, but Logan's quick recovery pushes him back to Triple-A. Rivera was beaten out by Jesus Colome despite his 3.43 ERA in 60 1/3 innings for the Nationals last season.

Jason Bergmann gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings and struck out seven Saturday against the Orioles.
Bergmann is set to act as the Nationals' fifth starter while Jason Simontacchi is sidelined. He may end up in the pen after that. Don't expect him to have any fantasy value.

[DravenX]

News from the 1st of April.

Manager Manny Acta announced his batting order, with the only minor surprise being that catcher Brian Schneider will hit sixth.
"He's a lot better hitter than what I remember," Acta said. The catcher hit .371 (13-for-35) with a home run and five RBI during the spring. The rest of the Nats lineup will go like this: Felipe Lopez, Cristian Guzman, Ryan Zimmerman, Austin Kearns, Dmitri Young, Schneider, Ryan Church and Nook Logan.

[DravenX]

News from the 2nd of April.

Jerome Williams threw 71 pitches against the Nationals' Double-A team for his final tune-up of the spring on Sunday.
Williams will start against Arizona on Friday.

Luis Ayala (elbow) will remain at extended spring training for at least another three weeks.
"I would say with all the pitchers we're looking at, anywhere between April 25 and May 5," general manager Jim Bowden said. "Nothing instant." Ayala will resume his seventh and eighth inning role with the Nats once he elbow is fully-healthy.

Nook Logan left Monday's game in the fourth inning with an apparent left foot injury after colliding with the walk in center.
Logan, on the way back from a strained groin, was replaced by Chris Snelling, with Ryan Church moving to center. If it's a DL-type injury, the Nationals would recall Kory Casto to play left.

Cristian Guzman left Monday's game in the fifth inning due to a mild left hamstring strain.
A tough break for Guzman if he'd have to miss time now after such a strong spring. Josh Wilson replaced him at shortstop.

X-rays on Nook Logan's left ankle were negative, but he's also scheduled for an MRI after getting hurt in Monday's game.
Logan got his left ankle snagged in the padding of the wall while making a catch in the fourth inning of today's game.

John Patterson was roughed up by the Marlins on Monday, allowing six runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Patterson allowed seven hits and walked three. He wasn't all that sharp this spring, though he did get better as March went on. It may take him longer to hit his stride as he continues his recovery from forearm surgery.

The Nationals feel Cristian Guzman's hamstring problem is more serious than the ankle injury suffered by Nook Logan on Monday.
Manager Manny Acta said that if Guzman is out for "a long period of time," then Felipe Lopez would shift back from second base to shortstop and Ronnie Belliard would play second. If it's just going to be a day-to-day thing, the Nationals will go with Josh Wilson at shortstop, a scenario that Lopez prefers. "I'm playing second. I don't want to switch. I don't want to start all over again," Lopez said. "If I have to, if they ask me -- but right now I want to stay at second. ... I've already got my mind set and got our game plan. I'm comfortable now."

[McKain]

If either Logan or Guzman are out for a while it's going to do some good things for the team.

1) The defense will decrease but the offense will get a big boost. Logan and Guzman are gaping voids offensively.

2) This would force Acta to re-think the lineup a little if the injuries are serious. I'd like to see Ryan Church hit second; he's got a good eye, he's a solid contact hitter, he's got some nice power, and he won't be a pathetic mess of a hitter here like Guzman would most likely be over 140+ games.

3) Casto and Snelling have to get playing time to see what they can do, and they weren't going to get it with the club so ridiculously committed to Logan.

[DravenX]

News from the 3rd of April.

Kory Casto could be recalled from Triple-A Columbus due to Nook Logan and Cristian Guzman's injuries.
The Nats will need to make at least one roster move since both players are expected miss at least seven days. Manager Manny Acta suggested the team might use Felipe Lopez at short and Ronnie Belliard at second base while Guzman is out.

Nationals recalled outfielder Kory Casto from Triple-A Columbus.
Casto will be the Nationals' primary left fielder while Nook Logan is out, with Chris Snelling going to center. Chris Snelling will get a few starts off the bench, but Casto should be worth using in NL-only leagues.

Nationals placed center fielder Nook Logan on the 15-day disabled list with a left foot strain.
An MRI confirmed the strain, and Logan is expected to miss two or three weeks. The Nationals will move Ryan Church to center field and go with Kory Casto as their primary left fielder. The offense should benefit from the change. The defense will suffer, but since John Patterson is the only Nationals starter worth using right now, that doesn't matter very much from a fantasy perspective.

Nationals placed shortstop Cristian Guzman on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain.
The Nationals made the move even though they didn't have anyone to replace him for tonight's game. D'Angelo Jimenez will be up to take the roster spot on Wednesday. Guzman is expected to miss two or three weeks. Though manager Manny Acta said Felipe Lopez would move to short if Guzman needed to go on the DL, Josh Wilson is starting there tonight. If Lopez goes to shortstop on Wednesday, Ronnie Belliard will play second base.

Kory Casto went 1-for-4 with a walk as the Nationals' No. 2 hitter Tuesday in his major league debut.
Casto was plugged into the injured Cristian Guzman's spot in the lineup, and Josh Wilson hit eighth. Casto is known more for his power than his ability to hit for average, but he's always drawn plenty of walks. Ryan Zimmerman should have more chances to drive in runs while Casto is in the lineup than he did with Guzman batting second.

Shawn Hill gave up five runs -- four earned -- in five innings Tuesday in a loss to the Marlins.
Hill bounced back nicely after a four-run first in which he was victimized by his defense. The Nationals lost anyway, but they have to be pleased he gave them some innings. John Patterson went only 3 2/3 yesterday, and they have another game coming up tomorrow.

[DravenX]

News from the 1st of June.

Without any other options the Nationals have decided to give Levale Speigner another start.
Speigner, who has a 14.81 ERA in his three previous starts this season, will start Saturday's game against the Padres. This is a great game to have all your Padres players active.

Shawn Hill's trip to the Cleveland Clinic revealed no new problems with his right elbow.
Hill won't resume throwing until his shoulder and elbow are pain-free.

John Patterson (elbow) threw 40 pitches, including curveballs, during a bullpen session on Thursday.
"My delivery is coming together really quick," Patterson said. "Every time I throw, I'm learning a little bit more and putting a piece together. I think it's coming along."

Pinch-hitter Ronnie Belliard delivered a game-winning single with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Padres tonight.
Cristian Guzman started the rally with his fourth single of the game to start the inning, and then advanced to third on a Ryan Zimmerman single. Belliard followed with a grounder to second, but Marcus Giles had no play at home by the time he scooped up the ball. Dmitri Young also contributed with four hits in the contest, and Jon Rauch picked up the win in relief.

[DravenX]

News from the 2nd of June.

Dmitri Young had four more hits Friday to match the Nationals' franchise record with hits in eight straight plate appearances.
Andre Dawson also had eight from June 4-7, 1983. Young will have a chance to extend the streak Saturday against Justin Germano.

Nick Johnson took batting practice on the field Friday for the first time since breaking his leg last season.
"I feel better," Johnson said. "Getting to that side [on his right leg upon follow through], it's still weak, still wobbly." There remains no timetable for Johnson's return, but we expect he is still over a month away from returning.

Luis Ayala (Tommy John surgery) threw an inning of relief during a game at Single-A Potomac on Friday.
This was the first minor league rehab action for Ayala, who is recovering from ligament replacement surgery. He is at least a few weeks away from being activated from the disabled list.

Dmitri Young grounded out in his first at-bat Saturday to snap his streak of plate appearances with a hit at eight, but he later homered and singled versus the Padres.
Young tied Andre Dawson's franchise record by going 8-for-8 in his previous two games. The homer tonight was his second since the beginning of May. That he's batting .331 means no one is complaining about the lack of power right now.

[DravenX]

News from the 4th of June.

John Patterson (elbow) is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Wednesday and then throw a simulated game on Sunday.
Patterson is in the process of re-building his arm strength. We expect he will return to the Nationals' rotation before the end of June.

Ryan Wagner will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday.
Dr. James Andrews will performed. Even if there's no extensive damage found, Wagner might miss the rest of the season.

[DravenX]

News from the 5th of June.

Justin Maxwell went 3-for-4 with his 12th homer and a walk Monday for low Single-A Hagerstown.
Finally healthy, Maxwell, a University of Maryland product, is batting .321 with eight homers since the beginning of May. Since he is 23, the Nationals may not want to wait much longer before promoting him to high-A.

Ryan Wagner is out for the season following surgery Tuesday on a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.
It was supposed to be the rotator cuff giving his problems, which just further illustrates how tricky shoulders can be. Wagner might be ready to pitch next spring, but no one should be counting on him to make much of an impact in 2008.

Felipe Lopez had a pair of hits and drove in two runs on Tuesday.
He snapped an 0-for-13 skid with an RBI single in the second and added an RBI double in the sixth that would have produced a second run had Tony Batista not been gunned down at the plate by Xavier Nady. Lopez also scored once, giving him 24 runs and 19 RBI in 55 games.

Mike Bacsik, who had been a pleasant surprise for the Nats since his recall, took his worst beating of the season on Tuesdsay.
In 4 1/3 innings, he was shelled for six hits and six runs, struggling to find the strike zone all night with just two strikeouts and five walks -- one intentional. He also had a wild pitch and a hit batsman. Bacsik, who now has a losing record, earned the right to stick in the rotation with three strong starts, but another one of these outings could have him Columbus-bound.

Jason Simontacchi had his start moved up a day from Saturday to Friday.
He switches places with Levale Speigner. Both will be facing the Twins.

[brewersfan19]

Nationals sign Belliard to a two-year extension today.

[love_that_reefer]

Nationals signed second baseman Ronnie Belliard to a two-year, $3.5 million extension through 2009.
He'll earn $1.6 million in 2008 and $1.9 million in 2009. Multiyear deals for utilitymen rarely work out well, but this is a fine move for the Nats. Belliard remains an adequate choice as a regular second baseman, and he can serve as a backup at third and first. He's even made three starts at shortstop this year. Since the Nationals won't let this stand in the way should an opportunity to acquire a young middle infielder present itself, it was definitely worth it.

I like this move. His is hitting .305 with a .353 OBP in 85 games this year. He is a good, cheap hole to fill for the '08 and '09 seasons.

[brewersfan19]

Yeah, he is a decent player.

Didnt really like him as a Brewer though. But he sure helped out the Cardinals last year in their stretch run.

[love_that_reefer]

Willy Mo Pena has hit his first homerun as a National.