District Daily: Nationals News 4/16
By Pablo Roa
Apr 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder
Denard Span(2) at bat against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Checkout some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web:
Span eyeing Saturday return from concussion
MIAMI — Nationals center fielder Denard Span continues to make progress in his recovery from a concussion and eyes a return on Saturday.
Span, who is currently on the seven-day disabled list, took swings before and during batting practice on Monday. Doctors checked on him afterward. He planned to do the same on Tuesday.
“I felt pretty good,” Span said. “Today I feel even better. Feel better today so far than I did yesterday, so that’s a good sign.” Read full article here.
Leon getting more time behind plate
MIAMI — When Wilson Ramos went on the disabled list to open the season, Jose Lobaton took over the starting catcher duties.
Sandy Leon, however, has started four of the past six games. That tops his total of two appearances last season. He is just 15 plate appearances shy of his career-high 36 from 2012.
Manager Matt Williams plans on deciding who catches on a day-to-day basis, but given recent history chose Leon as the backstop for the second game at Marlins Park. Read full article here.
The Nationals are hitting opposing relievers well
(James Wagner, Washington Post)
One of the byproducts of the Nationals’ struggling offense in the first half of last season was the inability to come back, especially late. After falling behind, the Nationals wilted under relievers.
Through two weeks of this season, there is already a noticeable change. The Nationals have come back to win four times in 13 games, including a five-run comeback. The Nationals have outscored opponents, 33-14, from the seventh inning on. They lead the majors with a .303/.381/.529 slash line from the seventh inning.
…“It’s just baseball,” shortstop Ian Desmond said. “Sometimes you score runs and sometimes you don’t. I’m sure at some point this season there’s going to be a nine-game, 10-game window [where we don’t]. It’s still early. Hopefully we’re on top of it through the course of the year. It’s a great sign.” Read full article here.