Ian Desmond
-
Though Bryce Harper recently turned 23 years old, he is just months away from beginning his fifth season in the major leagues. That may be hard to believe for many of us, as it was not long ago that the now-MVP was taken first overall by the Nationals in the 2010 MLB Draft. Through four years, Harper…
-
This may have been a disappointing season for the Nationals as a whole, but for a few individuals it was anything but. Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer, in particular, put together arguably the single-best offensive and pitching seasons we’ve seen since baseball returned to D.C. And even those who didn’t put up historic numbers in…
-
Having hired their manager and filled a couple of positions on their coaching staff, the Nationals can begin shifting attention to the biggest task of the offseason: Adjusting their roster. That process, in many ways, begins later today when one of baseball’s first key offseason deadlines arrives. By 5 p.m. EST, all clubs must decide…
-
The Nationals declined to pick up contract options for reliever Casey Janssen and outfielder Nate McLouth on Monday, making both veterans free agents along with six others who officially hit the market on the day after the World Series ended. Janssen and McLouth join right-handers Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister, shortstop Ian Desmond, center fielder…
-
Age on Opening Day 2016: 30 How acquired: 3rd round pick, 2004 draft (Expos) MLB service time: 6 years, 27 days 2015 salary+bonuses: $11 million Contract status: Free agent 2015 stats: 156 G, 641 PA, 69 R, 136 H, 27 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 13 SB, 45 BB, 187 SO, .233 AVG, .290 OBP, .384 SLG, .674 OPS, 27 E, -3.7 UZR, 1.7 WAR Quotable: “When I got drafted by the…
-
This was, without question, a supremely disappointing baseball season in D.C. Yes, for the Nationals. But more importantly, for those of us who covered the team all season and completely botched our Opening Day predictions. We do this every year, and every year we’re proven wrong. But we keep coming back for more punishment every…
-
NEW YORK — Take the Nationals’ just-completed season on several individual merits, and the unknowing observer might well have assumed this team had cruised into the playoffs. Bryce Harper posting historic numbers that made him a potentially unanimous MVP choice? Max Scherzer throwing two no-hitters, plus a 16-strikeout 1-hitter, with a 276-to-34 strikeout-to-walk ratio that…
-
NEW YORK — An emotional Ian Desmond fought back tears as he tried to sum up 12 seasons in the Nationals organization Sunday evening following what almost certainly was his final game with the franchise. “When I got drafted by the Expos, they didn’t know where the team would be,” Desmond said, pausing several times…
-
ATLANTA — The jokes were flying around the Nationals’ clubhouse Tuesday night, with teammates taking every opportunity they could to turn Trea Turner’s first career homer into an excuse to make fun of his boyish looks and physique. “For 135 pounds soaking wet, he hit that ball a long way,” Ian Desmond cracked. “He might…
-
For some, it was perhaps lost in the shuffle of what was an otherwise bizarre day at Nationals Park, but on Sunday afternoon there was a uniquely special moment for the Nats and their fans. In the ninth inning, with the Nats down big against the Phillies, Matt Williams removed Ian Desmond for rookie Trea Turner. Why was that…
-
GAME IN A NUTSHELL: Sigh. There are ways to lose a game. And then there are ways to really lose a game. And then there’s what happened tonight at Nationals Park. It was as painful as any loss this team has ever suffered, ranking alongside postseason heartbreakers, arguably even tougher to stomach than those. At…
-
Marlins 4, Nats 3: Scherzer struggles early, mates can’t rally
Aug 28, 2015, 9:55 PM EDT
GAME IN A NUTSHELL: Max Scherzer taking the mound used to be a sure thing for the Nationals. These days, it’s anything but. Scherzer’s August struggles continued when the right-hander served up a pair of early homers to the Marlins, putting his team in a hole. He did bounce back to finish his night on…
-
Each week this season, we’ll take the temperature of the Nationals roster to see whose stock is rising or falling. Record: 2-4 Team slash: .239/.332/.410 Team ERA: 5.76 Runs per game: 5.16 STOCK UP Stephen Strasburg, SP: 2 GS/ 1-1/ 1.38 ERA The Nats rotation’s had a pretty tough time of late, struggling so often…
-
If it feels like you’ve been watching the Nationals’ worst stretch of baseball in a long time … well, you’re absolutely right. This team has gone 4-13 over the last 2 1/2 weeks, the franchise’s worst 17-game stretch since 2011. That’s also the last time the Nats finished with a losing record, a fact that…
-
GAME IN A NUTSHELL: After an embarrassing loss Wednesday night, Matt Williams gathered his players together before Thursday’s game with a simple message: Play the game their way, aggressively, and good things would be more likely to happen. They did display some of that in their series finale against the Diamondbacks, swiping some bases and…
-
If you add up their last nine offensive innings (beginning with the bottom of the ninth Monday night), the Nationals have scored nine runs on 14 hits against Diamondbacks pitching. That’s a potentially encouraging development for this struggling lineup, though we’ll see if it carries over into tonight’s game. One significant change to that lineup,…