District Daily: Span Best Nationals’ Hitter In August, Lobaton and Strasburg Paired Again
By Pablo Roa
Aug 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Denard Span (2) hits a home run and is congratulated by third base coach Bob Henley (14) during the fifth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! Get caught up on all Washington Nationals news from the last day with our District Daily!
In case you missed it late last night, the Nationals won their second game in a row and secured a series win against the Mariners in Seattle. With the win and the Braves’ loss to the Marlins, Washington’s lead in the NL East is back to seven games.
As if all that wasn’t good news enough, it turns out The Pac-Man will be throwing out the first pitch before the Nationals’ series opener against the Dodgers in L.A. on Monday. Should be fun to watch!
Check out some more Nationals news with some great articles from around the web:
OF Denard Span Best Washington Nationals’ Hitter In August
The Washington Nationals continue to win and remain atop the NL East. Much of that success is due to great hitting from a select few players in the Nats’ lineup. One of those players is center fielder Denard Span.
In the month of August, Span is hitting for a .342 average. He leads the Nationals with 39 hits in that same stretch. Span is the epitome of a leadoff hitter and is exactly what the team needs going into the final weeks of the season. Read full article here.
Jose Lobaton and Stephen Strasburg paired again
(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)
Jose Lobaton realized Friday afternoon that he would probably start Saturday night. He had a hunch he would play for one reason: Stephen Strasburg was starting for the Nationals. “They think maybe I can do something better for him in the game,” Lobaton said. “Maybe the way I catch pitches. I don’t know. I would like to know. Maybe it’s something that will make me feel better, if I know what they’re seeing.”
Since Aug. 14, Lobaton has been in the Nationals’ starting lineup four times. Those four games have coincided Strasburg’s starts. Still, Manager Matt Williams insisted Lobaton should not be considered a personal catcher for Strasburg. He said Strasburg’s starts had only coincidentally lined up with Wilson Ramos’s days off. Which is one heck of a coincidence. Read full article here.
Williams: Utility man Frandsen ‘very valuable’
SEATTLE — Infielder Kevin Frandsen has been the Nationals’ best bench player this season. Whenever a pinch-hitter or a defensive replacement is needed, Frandsen is usually the first one manager Matt Williams calls on.
Frandsen has put up some nice numbers off the bench, hitting .268 as a pinch-hitter. After the All-Star break, Frandsen is 15-for 43 (.349) with five RBIs. Read full article here.