Washington Nationals News: Danny Espinosa slated for MRI on hamstring
By Pablo Roa
Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson gives us an update on Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa, who has been dealing with a strained right hamstring. As Ladson notes, a recent ultrasound revealed the strain and Espinosa will receive an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury.
We still don’t know the severity of the strain, but at this point in the year, any injury that takes more than a few days to recover from would probably end Espinosa’s season. While the infielder can still swing a bat, he can’t run with the hamstring strain. Espinosa hurt the hamstring after scoring the winning run against the Phillies last Monday.
Espinosa has been a key player for the Nationals all year long, as the switch-hitting infielder underwent an offensive renaissance that transformed him from a Spring Training “maybe” to a fundamental part of the bench. On the year, Espinosa is batting .240 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs.
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Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses Gio Gonzalez solid, albeit inconsistent, season—and how Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton has helped guide him along the way.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Espinosa slated for MRI on injured hamstring
WASHINGTON — Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa has been dealing with a right hamstring strain, according to manager Matt Williams. Espinosa will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury. He recently had an ultrasound that revealed the strain.
The only thing Espinosa can do right now is pinch-hit, which he did on Thursday against the Marlins. If Espinosa were to get on base, a pinch-runner would have to enter the game. Read full article here.
On Gio Gonzalez’s season, and how Jose Lobaton has helped navigate him through it
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
Gio Gonzalez was scheduled to start Monday night’s rained-out game against the Orioles, so he will start Tuesday instead. It will be his 29th of the season, the third-most of any Nationals starter. Only he and Jordan Zimmermann have made every one of their scheduled starts.
From that perspective, Gonzalez has been consistent. The adjustments he made after shoulder trouble bothered him last year have paid off, as the extra weight in his legs has kept him healthy and strong. The result is the fifth-highest WAR among left-handed starters in the National League, the 10th-lowest FIP (3.07) among all NL starters, and the second-highest strikeouts-per-nine innings ratio of any Nationals starter (8.61). Read full article here.