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Washington Nationals Select Jeff Kobernus From Triple-A Syracuse; Nats Counting On Steve Lombardozzi; Tyler Moore To Get Going Offensively

2013-05-25T21:04:02Z

Washington Nationals' manager Davey Johnson told reporters before Friday night's game with the Philadelphia Phillies that the team had received some bad news about second baseman Danny Espinosa's wrist. Espinosa originally injured the wrist when he was hit by a pitch from Atlanta Braves' lefty Paul Maholm in a mid-April game in the nation's capital. When pain in the wrist continued to bother the switch-hitting infielder, the 26-year-old Espinosa saw a specialist in the Baltimore area who diagnosed a small fracture in the wrist and located a bone chip that was causing irritation.

"About 25% of our lineup has really been struggling, along with some other guys at times, so seeing Lombo come in there and get three hits and drive in some runs, that was huge." - Davey Johnson on Nats' offensive woes

"I looked at the films," Johnson told reporters, "and [Espinosa] has a little chip floating around in his wrist. The report I got from the trainers is if he can stand the pain it shouldn't get any worse." The plan is to let Espinosa rest and see if the discomfort goes away. The '08 3rd Round pick is already dealing with a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Since he figured to be out for at least a few days, Johnson explained, the Nationals had to make a move.

"We're going to make a roster change," Johnson announced after the Nats' 5-2 win over the Phillies. "[Assistant GM Bryan Minniti] isn't here, but I think we're doing something with [Yunesky] Maya and [we're] calling up [Jeff] Kobernus. We're already one player short with just four men on the bench. I like to have at least five and with Espinosa down for a number of days, we can't go with three."

Kobernus, 24, has moved up a level in the Nats' system in each of the five seasons since the Nationals selected him with the first pick of the second round of the 2009 Draft.

Last season at Double-A Harrisburg, the San Leandro, California-born, Cal State Berkeley-educated right-handed hitting and throwing infielder/outfielder had a .282/.325/.333 line over 82 games and 366 plate appearances in which he hit ten doubles, two triples and a home run while dealing with a thumb injury. The Detroit Tigers were impressed enough with Kobernus that they selected him in this past winter's Rule 5 Draft, but returned him to the Nationals when he didn't make their Opening Day roster. In 43 games and 193 PAs with the Nationals' top affiliate this season before he was called up last night, Kobernus had a .333/.378/.420 with eight doubles, two triples and one home run.

Can he help out the Nats' offense? They could use the help. The Nationals' offense produced 10 hits and five runs last night in the nation's capital, but that was a rare offensive display for a team that's been at the bottom in team average, on base percentage and slugging in the National League early this season. Steve Lombardozzi, filling in at second for Espinosa, was 3 for 4 with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth last night. Tyler Moore got a start in left and went 1 for 3 in the win. Davey Johnson talked about his team's offensive issues with reporters after last night's game.

"We haven't been getting -- early on, we got, we scored on passed ball, ground balls, or short fly balls," Johnson said. "We haven't been getting base hits. We got the first base hit I think in San Francisco with a runner on second and two outs, we drove a guy in, [Ian] Desmond did, but to see us do that... the big hit of course, Lombo, but we haven't seen much of that all year."

"Our offense has really been down," Johnson continued, "About 25% of our lineup has really been struggling, along with some other guys at times, so seeing Lombo come in there and get three hits and drive in some runs, that was huge."

"We just haven't been the kind of offensive club I know we're capable of being," Johnson said, "And today was a big day with Espinosa out for Lombo to do what he did and us to score five runs, we've been kind of stuck on none, or one or two. So that was big, a big shot in the arm for the offense." The injury to Espinosa and the absence of the likes of Jayson Werth has given the Nationals' manager the chance to get some of his struggling bench bats like Lombardozzi and Moore more at bats.

"I'm going to stay with Tyler Moore. I want to give him some more... I mean he's not been swinging the bat at all like he's capable of swinging." - Davey Johnson on Tyler Moore at the plate

"It's important," the manager said, "I'm going to stay with Tyler Moore. I want to give him some more... I mean he's not been swinging the bat at all like he's capable of swinging. And hopefully he'll get right and you've got the pitcher in the lineup, but you can't have a couple other spots in the lineup. You just kill your offense and certainly we have the talent to do it, they've just got to do it, it's that simple."

Lombardozzi and Moore will get their chances and now the Nationals have, in Kobernus, a healthy bench option should they need one while Danny Espinosa sits with the injured wrist.

Washington Nationals Designate "First Major International Signing" Yunesky Maya For Assignment

2013-05-25T20:04:25Z

Washington Nationals' general manager Mike Rizzo and his front office have a pretty solid record in terms of signings and acquisitions since taking over in the nation's capital in 2009. 31-year-old right-hander Yunesky Maya, at least thus far in his major league career, has been one notable misstep. Signed to a 4-year/$8M dollar deal as an international free agent in 2010, the Cuban-born starter was introduced to the nation's capital as, in Rizzo's words, the Nats' "first major international signing."

"In accordance [with] what we preached two years ago when I took over as the general manager," Rizzo said during an introductory press conference in August 2010, "our international efforts, run by Johnny DiPuglia, our Director of International Operations, along with his staff and a deep scouting effort has brought us our first major international signing that we think is going to impact our major league ballclub immediately...We'd like to welcome to Washington, D.C., Yunesky Maya, right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals."

"[Maya] was seen I think by five separate scouts on separate occasions," Mike Rizzo said, "during international competition over the years, most recently during the World Baseball Classic..." -DC GM Mike Rizzo on scouting Yunesky Maya

The Nationals conducted what Rizzo explained was a "very thorough evaluatory process" before signing the then-29-year-old right-hander after he'd defected from Cuba following a strong season in the Cuban National Series in which, as the Nats' press release on the signing noted, Maya had, "... earned Cuba's equivalent of the Cy Young during his final season in his homeland, going 13-4 with seven complete games and a 2.22 ERA."

"He was seen I think by five separate scouts on separate occasions," the Nationals' then-second-year-GM explained, "during international competition over the years, most recently during the World Baseball Classic and we had multiple reports on him and we scouted him very in-depth in the Dominican Republic once we got over there."

A little over a month later, after just a few minor league outings, Maya made his major league debut on September 7, 2010, giving up five hits and four runs, all earned, in a 4-1 loss to the New York Mets. Maya finished out the campaign in the majors, but posted a 5.88 ERA with opposing hitters posting a .294/.371/.461 line against the right-hander in the first 26 innings of his major league career.

"He was very driven and impatient to get to the big leagues and [we] probably put him in a position that was difficult for him to succeed, so I'll take that one on my back." - Mike Rizzo on rushing Yunesky Maya to the majors in 2010

"It probably wasn't the best way to handle Yunesky Maya last year," Rizzo would later tell reporters, "but he was very driven and impatient to get to the big leagues and [we] probably put him in a position that was difficult for him to succeed, so I'll take that one on my back." Heading into Spring Training in 2011, the GM said that the Nationals, "... assess him going into Spring Training as we saw him at the time that we signed him. We think that he's a very capable starting pitcher in the major leagues. He was the no.1 starter on a really good Cuban national club, [and] has proven that he can compete at the highest level."

Maya spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A Syracuse in the Nats' system where he had a 5.00 ERA, a 3.86 FIP, 28 walks (1.94 BB/9) and 98 Ks (6.80 K/9) in 22 starts and 192.2 IP. In 10 games and five starts with the Nationals in 2011, Maya had a 5.23 ERA and a 4.40 FIP. The right-hander spent the entire 2012 campaign with the Nats' top affiliate, going (11-10) with a 3.88 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 40 walks (2.16 BB/9) and 89 Ks (4.80 K/9) in 167.0 IP. Maya started the year in Syracuse again this season, but was called up last weekend to help out in an injury-riddled bullpen, but after just one relief appearance, in which he surrendered a walk-off home run by the Giants' Pablo Sandoval, the right-hander was designated for assignment last night.

The move was made to make room on the Nats' 40-Man roster for infielder Jeff Kobernus, who was called up from Triple-A in light of the recent injury diagnosis on infielder Danny Espinosa's right wrist. The Nationals' bench was short as Nats' skipper Davey Johnson explained after last night's game, so a move was necessary.

"I think Maya is going to be designated for assignment," Johnson continued, "I talked to Maya and I said that he would probably have to stay around here." - Davey Johnson on decision to DFA Maya

"We're going to make a roster change," Johnson told reporters, "[Assistant GM Bryan Minniti] isn't here, but I think we're doing something with Maya and [we're] calling up [Jeff] Kobernus. We're already one player short with just four men on the bench. I like to have at least five and with Espinosa down for a number of days, we can't go with three."

"I think Maya is going to be designated for assignment," Johnson continued, "I talked to Maya and I said that he would probably have to stay around here. I'm not sure exactly what the contract status is going to be until Bryan Minniti assures me that's what the move is going to be tonight, but that's what I believe it to be." The move was officially announced this afternoon:

#Nationals select INF/OF Jeff Kobernus from Syracuse, designate RHP Yunesky Maya for assignment. Kobernus will wear #26.
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) May 25, 2013

The move doesn't necessarily mean the end of Maya's time with the Nationals. He will hit the waiver wire for a seven-day period that began whenever the move was officially made and if he isn't claimed or traded Washington can then either release the pitcher or send him back to Triple-A.

Washington Nationals Rewind: Jordan Zimmermann Once Pitched With His Jaw Wired Shut... Stiff Neck? C'mon

2013-05-25T17:30:22Z

Jordan Zimmermann showed no signs of it on the mound, but the hard-throwing no-nonsense Wisconsonite had a stiff neck during last night's start against the Philadelphia Phillies. "Zim woke up kind of with a stiff neck today," Nats' skipper Davey Johnson revealed after the game, "and kind of hid it from me. But I knew he had it. You know, nothing's really hidden from the manager. So I kind of cut him shorter than I normally would. But he still threw a heck of a ballgame."

"[Zimmermann] did say, 'Don't say nothing to nobody,'" Davey Johnson joked, "That's not my style. I'm not going to get caught saying nothing..." - Davey Johnson on Jordan Zimmermann's stiff neck last night

In spite of the discomfort, the just-turned 27-year-old right-hander held the Nationals' divisional rivals to six hits and two earned runs in seven innings of work in which he struck out just one, threw 92 pitches, 66 for strikes and induced 15, count'em, 15 ground ball outs from Phillies' batters. With the Nationals ahead 5-2 after seven, and aware of the issue with his neck, Davey Johnson ended Zimmermann's 10th start of the season early. But to be clear, the pitcher did not ask him to. "He's not one to say anything," Johnson told reporters, "but cold night, I didn't want to go any further with him, so, he should be all right."

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Upon being lifted, the stoic Auburndale, Wisconsin-born right-hander asked his manager to keep any talk of an issue between the two of them. "[Zimmermann] did say, 'Don't say nothing to nobody,'" Johnson joked afterwards, "That's not my style. I'm not going to get caught saying nothing, but he did a heck of a job going out there and pitching with a stiff neck, that's all I can say." The major league leader in wins (8-2) ended the night with a 1.71 ERA, a 2.78 FIP, nine walks (1.10 BB/9) and 46 Ks (5.62 K/9) in 73.2 IP so far this season, over which he's held opposing hitters to a .206/.236/.281 line.

"He uses both sides of the plate. He's got good movement, late movement, exploding fastball and he mixes in his breaking ball and throws it in a good spot." - Davey Johnson on Jordan Zimmermann

So what's he doing right on the mound? "He's going right after good hitters and he's making pitches," Davey Johnson told a reporter who asked. "He uses both sides of the plate. He's got good movement, late movement, exploding fastball and he mixes in his breaking ball and throws it in a good spot."

He's also getting ahead of opposing hitters and dispatching them with efficiency. After getting to 0-2 counts against him this year, opposing hitters have a .179/.193/.232 line against Zimmermann with 15 Ks from the 56 batters who've found themselves in that unenviable position. Fall behind 1-2, .155/.167/.224. The 28 batters who've been in a 2-2 count with Zimmermann have a .071/.071/.071 line against him so far in 2013. "You can always tell, good-hitting ballclubs don't want to get to two strikes on him," Davey Johnson said, "so they're swinging the bat and he'll have some quick innings."

The Nats' starter threw a 10-pitch first, a seven-pitch third, an eight-pitch, eight-strike sixth and two 14-pitch innings against the Phillies last night and ended his outing with a 19-pitch seventh after which he was at a fairly-efficient 92 pitches overall. "I really haven't had to stress him out too much all year long," the Nats' 70-year-old skipper said, "I think the maximum pitches he's probably thrown are 110 [ed. note - "Actually 107."] and he's thrown complete games under 100 pitches. So, he was still in the seventh inning throwing 94 [mph], so I know he was uncomfortable but he was still throwing the heck out of the ball."

The win gave the Nationals' 07 second round pick 15-straight starts in the nation's capital in which he hasn't suffered a loss. He may be Wisconsin-born and raised, but he's gotten pretty comfortable in his adopted home.

Washington Nationals To DFA Yunesky Maya; Call Jeff Kobernus Up To Majors From Triple-A

2013-05-25T02:53:40Z

Before tonight's game the Washington Nationals announced that Danny Espinosa had been playing with a fracture in his right wrist since Atlanta Braves' lefty Paul Maholm hit the Nats' infielder in a mid-April matchup in the nation's capital. Espinosa had X-rays done then, but no break was revealed. When the issue continued to bother the infielder during the Nationals' recently-completed road trip, the 26-year-old Espinosa took another trip to the doctor, this time seeing a Baltimore, Maryland-based hand specialist who diagnosed the injury announced today.

"I looked at the films and [Espinosa] has a little chip floating around in his wrist," Davey Johnson told reporters this afternoon. - Davey Johnson on Danny Espinosa's injured wrist

"I looked at the films and [Espinosa] has a little chip floating around in his wrist," Johnson told reporters this afternoon. "The report I got from the trainers is if he can stand the pain it shouldn't get any worse. Knowing how that is, I called the doctor and said, 'Well, what we want to do is -- what's always best for the team is what's always best for the player.' And I wanted to know if that chip would move around and get exacerbated and cause more [of a] problem, or what was the real problem in there and the problem, is it's a broken bone."

The Nats' skipper said he would have Espinosa rest and see if he can get by the pain and stay in the lineup. After tonight's game, with the Nats' bench short, the team announced that they had designated 31-year-old right-hander Yunesky Maya for assignment after calling him up this past weekend.

RHP Yunesky Maya has been designated for assignment. The #Nats will call up infielder Jeff Kobernus. #MLB #Nationals
— William Ladson (@washingnats) May 25, 2013

Taking Maya's place will be 24-year-old, Nats' '09 2nd Round pick Jeff Kobernus, a utility infielder who has played second, third, left and center at Triple-A Syracuse early this season. Kobernus was left unprotected and selected by the Detroit Tigers in this past winter's Rule 5 Draft, but when he didn't make the Tigers' opening day roster, he was returned to the Nationals' organization.

In 43 games and 193 plate appearances this season for the Syracuse Chiefs, Kobernus has a .333/.378/.420 line with eight doubles, two triples, a home run and 21 stolen bases in 27 attempts.

• MLB.com video on Jeff Kobernus:

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"[Kobernus is] a terrific contact bat. He can steal you a base when you have to. He’s a plus-plus runner and kind of an energy-type of exciting type of player." - Mike Rizzo on Jeff Kobernus on 106.7 the FAN in D.C.

Nats' GM Mike Rizzo offered the following scouting report on Kobernus during his weekly appearance on 106.7 the FAN in D.C.'s eponymously-titled "Mike Rizzo Show" this past Wednesday:

"Kobernus is a speedy utility-type of player that plays second, third, short and the outfield for us. He’s a terrific contact bat. He can steal you a base when you have to. He’s a plus-plus runner and kind of an energy-type of exciting type of player."

Maya, who signed a 4-year/$8M dollar deal as an international free agent in 2010, surrendered a walk-off home run in this past Saturday's loss to the San Francisco Giants. In 16 games, 10 starts and 59.0 IP in the majors, the right-hander is (1-5) with a 5.80 ERA. Maya's (1-4) with a 5.07 ERA in eight starts and 49.2 IP so far this season.

Kobernus, drafted out of the University of California at Berkeley, will be making his MLB debut when he first gets in a game with the Nationals who drafted him with the first pick of the second round of the 2009 Draft.

Game 48 WPA: I'll never give up P2K! Nevar! Nats 5, FF 2

2013-05-25T02:19:28Z

Via Fangraphs (click to embiggen)

Outperforming his FIP: Jordan Zimmermann (+6.5%) goes 7IP, with 1 K and 0 BBs, allowing only 2 ER with a ton of ground ball outs.
Look, I'll get to the apology: Adam LaRoche (+28.4%) continues to make mock of me, hitting a game-tying RBI triple (+23.4%) in the 5th.
Davey = jeenyus: In new lineup spots, Kurt Suzuki (+11.3%) is 1-3 with a walk and and a go-ahead RBI single (+14.2%), while Steve Lombardozzi (+16.2%) is 3-4 with a two-run double (+17.9%).
Copycats: Bryce Harper (+6.3%), Ryan Zimmerman (+0.3%) and Tyler Moore (+6.7%) each have a hit, a walk, and a run scored.
Work on your hitting: J-Zim is -12.2% WPA at the plate, going 0-3 with 4 LOB.

Washington Nationals 5-2 Over Philadelphia Phillies: Jordan Zimmermann Gets Mad Grounders And The Win In D.C.

2013-05-25T01:52:53Z

Heading into tonight's game, Washington Nationals' right-hander Jordan Zimmermann hadn't lost an outing in the nation's capital since May 17, 2012. The 27-year-old starter, who'd gone 14 starts without taking a loss at home, needed just 10 pitches to get through the top of the Philadelphia Phillies' lineup in the first inning of the first of three for the Phillies this weekend in Washington, D.C. Ryan Zimmerman (one less "n"; no relation) went the other way with a 1-1 sinker from the opposing starter, Kyle Kendrick, for a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, but a fly to right from Adam LaRoche ended the home-half of the first after 13 pitches from the 28-year-old Phillies' right-hander.

Ryan Howard hit his 12th double of the year to the warning track in center, bouncing the two-base hit off the wall to start the top of the second. A groundout to short by Delmon Young moved the Phillies' first baseman to third, and a single to right by Domonic Brown on a 1-0 curve from Jordan Zimmermann made it 1-0 Philadelphia early in Washington. Two groundouts later, Brown was stranded, and the Nats' starter was through a 20-pitch second at 30 overall after two.

Ian Desmond was 10 for 23 career with two doubles, a triple and two home runs vs Kyle Kendrick before he faced the right-hander in the first at bat of the Nats' second and popped out foul of first out on an 0-1 pitch. 10 for 24. Kurt Suzuki, in the six-spot tonight, walked with one down in a 10-pitch AB, and he was running one out later when Steve Lombardozzi lined one to center that Phillies' center fielder Ben Revere dropped during a sliding/diving attempt. Second and third when Lombardozzi advanced on an ill-advised throw home with Suzuki stopped at third, but Jordan Zimmermann grounded to first to end the second after 27 pitches from Kendrick who was at 40 overall after two.

Jordan Zimmermann dropped a cruel 0-2 slider on Kyle Kendrick for a swinging K to start the third. Four pitches and two groundouts later the Nats' right-hander was through a quick, seven-pitch inning at 37 total in 3.0 IP. Bryce Harper walked with one down in the Nationals' second. The Phillies' starter was up to 54 pitches when he issued the second walk in a row to Ryan Zimmerman. Kendrick fell behind Adam LaRoche, 3-1, and walked the third straight batter to load the bases and a fly to right by Ian Desmond tied it up, 1-1, and moved Zimmerman to third, but it was still a tie game after Kurt Suzuki flew to right-center to end the third.

Nationals' second baseman Steve Lombardozzi snared a one-hop grounder off Michael Young's bat and threw to first for out no.1 and Zimmermann's eighth ground ball out after spinning and righting himself at second base. A fly to center by Ryan Howard was followed by groundout no.9 from the first 14 Phillies' hitters and Jordan Zimmermann was through 4.0 innings on 51 pitches in a 1-1 game. Tyler Moore was gifted second base when Jimmy Rollins' throw to first on a grounder to short sailed over Ryan Howard and into the first base camera well. Moore tried to score on a Steve Lombardozzi line drive to center in the next at bat, but Ben Revere's throw arrived home well ahead of the runner, who bulldozed Erik Kratz but was out. A pop to second and a fly to center ended the fourth with Lombardozzi at second and the score still tied at 1-1.

Domonic Brown was 2 for 2 tonight after a single to right in the second of his first two career at bats against Jordan Zimmermann. A wild pitch moved Brown up to second and Phillies' second baseman Freddy Galvis sent him to third with the second straight single so that a sac fly to right by Erik Kratz could bring in the go-ahead run. 2-1. Back-to-back one-out singles by Kyle Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins loaded the bases with one down, after just 12 pitches by Jordan Zimmermann. Two pitches later, Steve Lombardozzi fielded a Ben Revere grounder to second and made a backhand toss to Ian Desmond to start an inning-ending 4-6-3. 14-pitch inning, 65 overall for Zimmermann after five in D.C. 2-1 Phillies.

Bryce Harper went the other way with a high fastball for a leadoff single in the Nationals' half of the fifth. The Phillies got a force at second on a Ryan Zimmerman grounder to short, but Zimmerman scored from first when Adam LaRoche teed off on a 3-0 pitch from Kyle Kendrick and tripled off the wall in center, 402 ft from home, to drive in the tying run. 2-2 in the fifth. Ian Desmond K'd taking on a full-count fastball he thought was inside, but Kurt Suzuki came through with a two-out RBI single that brought LaRoche home to make it a 3-2 game in the Nationals' favor. Tyler Moore reached on a weak grounded that got stuck in Michael Young's glove and Steve Lombardozzi made it 5-2 with his third hit in three at bats, lining to right-center off Kendrick for a two-out, two-run double that put the Nationals up by three after five.

Michael Young hit the 12th ground ball out of the night to second where Steve Lombardozzi fielded another one-hopper. Lombardozzi was in short right in the shift when he fielded a grounder from Ryan Howard, but his throw to first pulled Adam LaRoche off the bag. E4 (in short-right), but Jordan Zimmermann got a 6-4-3 DP out of Delmon Young and was through the top of the sixth after just eight pitches at 73 overall with 13 groundouts from the 23 Phillies' batters he'd faced. Michael Stutes took over for Kendrick in the bottom of the sixth and retired the Nationals in order in a quick eight-pitch frame.

Domonic Brown sent groundout no.14 of the night by the Phillies out to Lombardozzi at second to start the seventh. A fly to center by Freddie Galvis and another groundout off Erik Kratz's bat had Jordan Zimmermann through seven on 92 pitches after a 19-pitch frame. 15 groundouts. The Nationals went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, and Tyler Clippard came on for the eighth. Zimmermann's Line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 92 P, 66 S, 15/3 GO/FO.

Tyler Clippard needed 11 pitches to retire the Phillies in order in the top of the eighth. Phillies' right-hander B.J. Rosenberg walked Tyler Moore to start the Nationals' eighth, but got a double play grounder out of Steve Lombardozzi for the first two outs of the frame. Left-hander Jeremy Horst took over against left-handed hitter Chad Tracy, and gave up a two-out pinch hit single to right-center. Denard Span hit an infield single to short in the next at bat, but Bryce Harper grounded out to end the eighth. Sing it!!

"Pitch it, Soriano! Pitch it, Soriano! Strike him out, Soriano! Strike him out, Soriano!" Rafael Soriano came on in the ninth looking for save no.14 of 2013. MIchael Young popped to first. ONE!! Ryan Howard K'd swinging! TWO!!! Delmon Young flew to center to end it. Ballgame. 15 straight starts in D.C. without a loss for Jordan Zimmermann. 5-2 Nats final.

Work's done. Untuck that jersey, son!!!

Nationals now 25-23

Washington Nationals: Danny Espinosa To Sit With Small Fracture In Right Wrist; Played With Injury Suffered In Mid-April

2013-05-24T21:55:57Z

Washington Nationals' second baseman Danny Espinosa left an April 14th game against the Atlanta Braves early after he was hit on the wrist by a pitch from left-handed starter Paul Maholm. When Nats' skipper Davey Johnson met with reporters after the game the he assured everyone his infielder was fine. X-rays on Danny Espinosa's right wrist were negative according to Johnson. Espinosa left the game with what was described by the Nationals as a "sore right wrist."

"Danny's going to be all right," the Nats' skipper told reporters after that day's 9-0 loss, which was the third straight vs the Braves. "Just a tough day," Johnson said, "but you're never as bad as you look when you lose, you're never as good as you look when you win." Espinosa, who was already playing with a torn rotator cuff suffered late in the 2012 campaign, returned six days after the HBP, but he's struggled offensively all season, and apparently had issues with the wrist as Washington wrapped up a tough road trip through LA, San Diego and San Francisco in which he was 2 for 30 with 14 Ks. According to reports from Nats Park today, Espinosa saw a specialist after the wrist began to bother him and received the following bad news:

Davey says Danny Espinosa saw a hand specialist this morning and has a loose bone chip in right wrist where he was hit last month.
— James Wagner (@JamesWagnerWP) May 24, 2013

Espinosa says original X ray didn't show chip or fracture. Thought discomfort would subside. Several weeks later, it hasn't.
— Mark Zuckerman (@ZuckermanCSN) May 24, 2013

So, even though Espinosa was reportedly adamant this afternoon about not using the injury as an excuse for his struggles at the plate, the switch-hitting infielder has apparently been playing with a fracture and bone chip in his wrist. Davey Johnson told reporters this afternoon that with Ryan Mattheus also on the DL with a broken hand after slamming it into his locker during the road trip, the Nationals have some roster moves pending:

The #nats are in discussions to send back extra pitcher & bring up a position player in light of Espinosa news. Call-up most likely from AAA
— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 24, 2013

Anthony Rendon's at Double-A of course, and asked specifically about the hot-hitting infielder, Johnson told reporters that it's not likely the 22-year-old 2011 1st Round will be the one who gets the call:

Davey: '[Rendon] wouldn’t be in that picture right now. For me he’s not. And Lombo is certainly capable of playing there.' #Nats #MLB
— Chase Hughes (@chasehughesCSN) May 24, 2013

More news on any further moves when it is available.

Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (23-24) @ Washington Nationals (24-23)

2013-05-24T20:23:16Z

The Nationals get set to face their NL East rival the Philadelphia Phillies for three games and get to avoid Cliff Lee which is good news as he is by far the Phillies best pitcher so far this season. Instead the Nationals get hard-luck Cole Hamels who faces off in the finale against Stephen Strasburg.

Let's get historical on all of you. On the off day, I did some research.

The 159 runs the Nationals have scored in their first 47 games this season is bad enough for seventh worst since 1969 and the worst since moving to Washington. Never have they had a record over .500 in that time (best was 21-25 in 1971) and they never were higher than fourth in the standings (in 1998, with a 17-30 record). So if you keep saying to yourself that you can't remember a more inept offense to start the season since 2005, you're right. The worst in Washington was in 2007. The team was 18-29 with 169 runs scored.

And while we're talking about streaks, if the Nationals only get better from here, they will match their worst 47 game stretch from last season. Yes, last year they had a 47 game stretch that went 24-23. That was from games 19-65. They scored 182 runs in that span. So, don't worry. The Nationals may be disappointing, but if the best is yet to come, they can still match last season.

Probable Pitchers
Friday, 7:05 p.m.
WSH: Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 1.62 ERA)
PHI: Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 2.82 ERA)

Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
WSH: Dan Haren (4-5, 5.54 ERA)
PHI: Jonathan Pettibone (3-0, 3.00 ERA)

Sunday, 1:35 p.m.
WSH: Stephen Strasburg (2-5, 2.66 ERA)
PHI: Cole Hamels (1-7, 4.45 ERA)

Projected Phillies Lineup (via MLB Depth Charts)
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Ben Revere vs RHP
3B Michael Young
1B Ryan Howard
RF Delmon Young
LF Domonic Brown
2B Freddy Galvis
C Erik Kratz

BENCH
C Humberto Quintero
IF Kevin Frandsen
IF/OF Michael Martinez
OF John Mayberry CF vs LHP
OF/IF Laynce Nix

BULLPEN
RHP Jonathan Papelbon
LHP Antonio Bastardo
RHP Justin De Fratus
RHP Chad Durbin
LHP Jeremy Horst
RHP Michael Stutes
RHP B.J. Rosenberg

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Batting

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
Zach Duke	10	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000	1.000	1.000
Bryce Harper	41	139	28	40	7	1	12	23	22	27	1	2	.288	.383	.612
Ryan Zimmerman	33	117	15	32	5	2	3	23	18	31	3	0	.274	.372	.427
Ian Desmond	46	175	19	47	14	2	6	19	9	44	5	1	.269	.301	.474
Denard Span	44	173	18	46	7	2	0	11	16	28	5	2	.266	.332	.329
Jayson Werth	27	100	17	26	2	0	4	10	6	21	2	0	.260	.308	.400
Wilson Ramos	14	48	4	12	3	0	2	6	4	8	0	1	.250	.308	.438
Kurt Suzuki	33	102	8	25	5	1	2	9	11	16	2	0	.245	.322	.373
Anthony Rendon	8	25	2	6	1	0	0	1	5	7	0	0	.240	.367	.280
Steve Lombardozzi	37	91	7	20	4	1	0	6	3	12	0	2	.220	.245	.286
Adam LaRoche	44	151	17	33	4	0	7	20	18	50	1	0	.219	.300	.384
Gio Gonzalez	10	14	1	3	0	0	1	1	1	3	0	0	.214	.267	.429
Chad Tracy	24	39	1	7	0	0	1	3	3	13	0	2	.179	.238	.256
Dan Haren	9	18	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	9	0	0	.167	.167	.222
Danny Espinosa	39	141	10	23	9	0	3	12	4	40	1	0	.163	.196	.291
Jordan Zimmermann	9	20	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	8	0	0	.150	.190	.150
Tyler Moore	28	66	4	8	4	0	1	8	3	27	0	0	.121	.157	.227
Roger Bernadina	32	61	5	7	0	1	0	1	4	22	1	0	.115	.194	.148
Jhonatan Solano	5	9	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	.111	.200	.111
Stephen Strasburg	10	20	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	7	0	0	.100	.100	.150
Ross Detwiler	8	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	11	0	0	.000	.067	.000
Eury Perez	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Craig Stammen	12	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000	.500	.000
Drew Storen	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Ryan Mattheus	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Tyler Clippard	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Rafael Soriano	21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Henry Rodriguez	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Yunesky Maya	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000

Pitching

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Jordan Zimmermann	7-2	9	9	3	1	0	0	66.2	49	13	12	3	9	45	1.62	.87
Tyler Clippard	3-1	19	0	0	0	0	0	18.0	7	5	5	1	11	19	2.50	1.00
Stephen Strasburg	2-5	10	10	0	0	0	0	64.1	51	28	19	5	21	62	2.66	1.12
Ross Detwiler	2-4	8	8	0	0	0	0	45.2	56	16	14	3	10	23	2.76	1.45
Craig Stammen	2-1	12	0	0	0	0	1	22.2	22	7	7	2	5	23	2.78	1.19
Rafael Soriano	1-1	21	0	0	0	13	3	21.0	19	8	7	2	4	15	3.00	1.10
Gio Gonzalez	3-2	10	10	0	0	0	0	59.0	43	25	24	6	26	57	3.66	1.17
Henry Rodriguez	0-0	13	0	0	0	0	0	14.2	10	6	6	1	13	10	3.68	1.57
Drew Storen	0-0	18	0	0	0	1	3	18.0	25	11	9	3	4	16	4.50	1.61
Ryan Mattheus	0-0	14	0	0	0	0	1	16.1	20	9	9	0	5	12	4.96	1.53
Dan Haren	4-5	9	9	0	0	0	0	50.1	64	35	31	10	8	36	5.54	1.43
Zach Duke	0-1	10	1	0	0	0	0	18.1	29	20	18	2	4	11	8.84	1.80
Yunesky Maya	0-1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	2	2	2	1	0	0	54.00	6.00

Washington Nationals Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ross Detwiler	back	05/21/2013

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jayson Werth	ankle	05/03/2013
Ryan Mattheus	hand	05/20/2013
Wilson Ramos	hamstring	05/16/2013
Christian Garcia	forearm	03/22/2013

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Batting

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
John Lannan	3	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.500	.500	1.000
Raul Valdes	10	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.667
Cliff Lee	13	19	3	6	1	0	0	1	1	5	0	2	.316	.350	.368
Michael Young	46	157	17	45	7	2	1	10	23	26	0	0	.287	.378	.376
Freddy Galvis	27	69	4	19	3	0	3	8	5	15	1	0	.275	.333	.449
Chase Utley	44	158	21	43	7	2	7	25	16	24	5	2	.272	.339	.475
Jimmy Rollins	47	182	19	48	13	1	3	17	12	31	4	3	.264	.310	.396
Ryan Howard	43	160	17	42	11	0	6	25	9	47	0	0	.263	.297	.444
Ben Revere	41	136	16	35	3	1	0	5	8	20	8	3	.257	.299	.294
John Mayberry	42	104	14	26	8	1	2	9	9	28	2	2	.250	.310	.404
Humberto Quintero	7	20	0	5	2	0	0	2	1	6	0	0	.250	.286	.350
Domonic Brown	46	165	17	41	6	1	8	24	9	32	2	0	.248	.290	.442
Kevin Frandsen	25	33	6	8	2	0	2	7	3	3	0	0	.242	.342	.485
Carlos Ruiz	16	51	5	12	2	0	0	2	3	9	1	0	.235	.286	.275
Delmon Young	19	60	5	14	4	0	3	7	5	14	0	0	.233	.304	.450
Laynce Nix	39	66	7	15	2	0	2	6	6	20	1	0	.227	.292	.348
Erik Kratz	29	92	11	20	2	0	3	9	8	21	0	0	.217	.277	.337
Kyle Kendrick	9	18	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	10	0	0	.111	.111	.111
Jonathan Pettibone	6	11	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	0	0	.091	.231	.091
Ezequiel Carrera	13	13	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	.077	.250	.077
Cole Hamels	10	17	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	.059	.059	.059
Roy Halladay	7	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Tyler Cloyd	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	.000	.167	.000
Antonio Bastardo	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Chad Durbin	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Jonathan Papelbon	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Mike Adams	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Joe Savery	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Phillippe Aumont	16	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Jeremy Horst	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
B.J. Rosenberg	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Justin De Fratus	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000

Pitching

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Joe Savery	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0.00	1.00
Jonathan Papelbon	0-0	17	0	0	0	8	0	17.2	9	2	2	1	2	12	1.02	.62
Antonio Bastardo	2-1	19	0	0	0	0	2	15.1	13	5	4	2	9	16	2.35	1.43
Cliff Lee	5-2	13	10	1	1	0	0	72.2	61	22	20	5	13	55	2.48	1.02
Tyler Cloyd	1-0	2	2	0	0	0	0	13.1	10	4	4	0	5	9	2.70	1.13
Justin De Fratus	2-0	5	0	0	0	0	0	3.1	2	1	1	0	0	2	2.70	.60
Kyle Kendrick	4-2	9	9	1	1	0	0	60.2	56	19	19	6	14	41	2.82	1.15
Mike Adams	1-3	17	0	0	0	0	1	15.0	14	5	5	3	6	19	3.00	1.33
Jonathan Pettibone	3-0	6	6	0	0	0	0	36.0	36	13	12	5	11	21	3.00	1.31
Phillippe Aumont	1-3	16	0	0	0	0	0	13.0	17	8	6	0	10	15	4.15	2.08
Cole Hamels	1-7	10	10	0	0	0	0	62.2	56	31	31	9	24	57	4.45	1.28
Jeremy Horst	0-1	19	0	0	0	0	1	17.2	20	11	10	2	8	11	5.09	1.58
John Lannan	0-1	3	3	0	0	0	0	14.2	16	10	10	1	2	7	6.14	1.23
Raul Valdes	1-0	10	0	0	0	0	0	20.0	24	17	17	5	7	21	7.65	1.55
Chad Durbin	0-0	13	0	0	0	0	0	13.1	17	13	12	4	8	14	8.10	1.88
Roy Halladay	2-4	7	7	1	0	0	0	34.1	33	33	33	9	17	35	8.65	1.46
B.J. Rosenberg	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2.1	6	4	4	0	1	2	15.43	3.00

Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

15-Day

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Lannan	knee	04/18/2013
Carlos Ruiz	hamstring	05/20/2013
Chase Utley	oblique	05/21/2013
Mike Adams	back	05/11/2013
Roy Halladay	shoulder	05/05/2013

NL East Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Atlanta	28	18	.608	0	Won 6
Washington	24	23	.510	4.5	Won 1
Philadelphia	23	24	.489	5.5	Won 2
New York	17	27	.386	10	Lost 3
Miami	13	34	.276	15.5	Lost 2

(updated 5.24.2013 at 4:02 PM EDT)

TEMPERATURE CHECK (Last 7 Days)

Who's Hot

Ryan Howard (PHI): 7/17 (.421/.421/.529), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K
Erik Kratz (PHI): 5/15 (.333/.444/.523), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB

Leaving this blank for Washington. No one hitting over .280. Only two OPS over .800 (Zimmerman at 951 and LaRoche at 837).

Who's Cold
Delmon Young (I almost wrote Dmitri): 4/19 (.211/.286/.379), 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 K
Michael Young (PHI): 5/22 (.227), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K

I'm tired of putting Danny Espinosa here, so let's spice it up.

Roger Bernadina/Tyler Moore "platoon": 1/22, 2 BB, 5 K
Denard Span is 6/27 with only one walk (.250 OBP) and Kurt Suzuki is also hitting .222 (4/18) with 4 K and all of his hits are singles.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Cole Hamels vs Stephen Strasburg

This usually would be a good matchup but Hamels has struggled this season with an ERA north of 4. Strasburg has actually pitched very well, the only difference being run support and his defense letting him down. Strasburg's numbers across the board are very similar to last season despite worries to the contrary. He had one of his best starts of the season against the Giants so that streak is currently at two.

Federal Baseball - All Posts

Washington Nationals Select Jeff Kobernus From Triple-A Syracuse; Nats Counting On Steve Lombardozzi; Tyler Moore To Get Going Offensively

Washington Nationals Designate "First Major International Signing" Yunesky Maya For Assignment

Washington Nationals Rewind: Jordan Zimmermann Once Pitched With His Jaw Wired Shut... Stiff Neck? C'mon

FBb On MASN: Zimmermann At Home In D.C.

Washington Nationals To DFA Yunesky Maya; Call Jeff Kobernus Up To Majors From Triple-A

Game 48 WPA: I'll never give up P2K! Nevar! Nats 5, FF 2

Washington Nationals 5-2 Over Philadelphia Phillies: Jordan Zimmermann Gets Mad Grounders And The Win In D.C.

Washington Nationals: Danny Espinosa To Sit With Small Fracture In Right Wrist; Played With Injury Suffered In Mid-April

Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (23-24) @ Washington Nationals (24-23)

Batting

Pitching

Washington Nationals Injuries

Questionable

15-Day

Batting

Pitching

Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

15-Day

NL East Standings