District Daily: Nationals News 5/9
By Pablo Roa
May 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jerry Blevins (13) pitches in the 8th inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
As the Nationals prepare for their first West Coast trip of the year, checkout some great articles from around the web:
Blevins’ showdown with Adrian shows lefty’s value
WASHINGTON — The task confronting Nationals left-hander Jerry Blevins on Wednesday afternoon was simple, yet challenging.
With the Nationals clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Dodgers in the eighth inning, starter Stephen Strasburg had put runners on first and second with one out to bring up Adrian Gonzalez, who has a .923 OPS this season, but only .631 against lefties. Nats manager Matt Williams played the matchups and brought in Blevins to face one batter for only the second time this season.
“Big spot,” Blevins said. “Stras pitched his butt off like a true ace. He came out in the eighth and tried to get out there as long as he could, and my main goal right there is to get that out for him, for the guys that fight.” Read full article here.
Fister to make Nationals debut in Oakland
Nationals right-hander Doug Fister is slated to make his season debut Friday night when his club begins a three-game Interleague set in Oakland.
Lefty Tommy Milone, who made his debut with Washington in 2011, is scheduled to pitch for the A’s.
Fister missed more than a month of the season because of a right lat strain, and he is looking forward to getting back on the mound. He is expected to throw no more than 100 pitches.
Fister came from the Tigers in a trade last December that sent infielder Steve Lombardozzi and reliever Ian Krol to Detroit. Fister is expected to be one of the main cogs in the Nationals’ rotation.
“I’m looking forward to just getting back to pitching — just in general,” Fister said. “I’m pitching in Oakland. I’ve seen those guys a lot. It’s going to come down to a big chess game. For me, I have to go out there and execute.” Read full article here.
5 Things We’ve Learned from Washington Nationals’ First 25 Games
The Washington Nationals have put themselves in decent position to make the playoffs after their first 25 games, and it should be fun to see if they can keep the momentum rolling. We all remember what happened the last time they played postseason baseball, and hopefully they learned a bit from that experience. Here are the five things we have discerned, and it includes the issues that they need to work on in the coming months. Read full article here.