Nationals

Michael Morse (Nationals)

5/21/12 4:42 pm

Michael Morse (lat) traveled to the Nationals’ complex in Viera, Florida on Monday to continue his rehab process.

Morse recently began baseball activities after being shut down in April with a torn right lat muscle. He’s scheduled to hit on Tuesday and could soon begin playing in extended spring training games. If all goes well, he could be activated from the disabled list in the first week of June.

Source: twitter.com

Ryan Mattheus (Nationals)

5/21/12 4:27 pm

Ryan Mattheus is scheduled to get X-rays on his left foot Monday in Philadelphia.

Mattheus has felt something for the past few weeks and may have aggravated it in Monday. The Nats are hoping it’s plantar fasciitis, but we should know more after he sees a specialist in Baltimore on Tuesday. Chien-Ming Wang could replace him on the active roster if he requires a stint on the disabled list.

Source: twitter.com

Stephen Strasburg (biceps tightness) will make his next scheduled start Saturday against the Braves.

Strasburg left Sunday’s start against the Orioles with biceps tightness, but it’s not a major concern. No MRI was required and he was out on the field Monday throwing a frisbee with teammates.

Source: twitter.com

Brad Lidge (Nationals)

5/21/12 3:02 pm

Brad Lidge is slated to throw a bullpen session Wednesday for the first time since undergoing hernia surgery on May 1.

If all goes well, he’ll head to the team’s complex in Viera, Florida on Thursday to ramp up the rehab process. He’s currently aiming to rejoin the Nats’ bullpen on June 15.

Source: twitter.com

Stephen Strasburg left Sunday’s win against the Orioles after five innings due to biceps tightness.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson didn’t appear concerned about the injury and said Strasburg should make his next start. Because of the phenom’s injury history, Washington understandably used caution when Strasburg mentioned arm fatigue. “The bicep is fine,” Strasburg said. “Starting out, I threw a lot of pitches early and then we put up a lot of runs. I got a little tired. [The bicep] got a little tight. It’s nothing different than any other outing. It’s probably gonna be like this for the rest of the year. It’s all part of coming back from Tommy John [surgery]. It’s something I have to be smart about.” Strasburg held Baltimore to three runs — one earned — and struck out eight while hitting his first career home run.

Source: mlb.com

Stephen Strasburg held the Orioles to three runs (one earned) in five innings of Sunday’s 9-3 win, striking out eight and hitting his first career home run in the process.

Strasburg settled down after allowing three runs in his first two innings of work. Curiously, he was pulled after throwing only 91 pitches. He finished his day at the plate 2-for-2 with two runs scored, bringing his season average to .375. He’ll bring a 2.21 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and sparkling 64/13 K/BB ratio into his weekend start in Atlanta.

Bryce Harper (Nationals)

5/20/12 4:05 pm

Bryce Harper had perhaps the best game of his young career in Sunday’s win over the Orioles, going 2-for-4 with a triple, walk, two RBI and three runs scored.

All that was missing was Harper’s second stolen base. Everyone’s favorite phenom (well, maybe not Cole Hamels’) is now batting .244/.333/.449 through his first 21 games, and though he’s struggled at times, he’s managed to avoid prolonged slumps. Here to stay for the Nationals, it also appears Harper is here to stay in redraft mixed leagues.

Danny Espinosa (Nationals)

5/20/12 3:59 pm

Danny Espinosa doubled and homered in Sunday’s win over the Orioles.

One day after getting the day off on Saturday, Espinosa responded with his sixth and seventh extra-base hits of the month. Although he’s still batting just .214 on the season, Espinosa has been much more productive in May than he was in April. He’s worth a look in mixed leagues if a frustrated owner cut him loose.

Henry Rodriguez (Nationals)

5/20/12 1:56 am

Henry Rodriguez returned to action on Saturday May 19.

Ross Detwiler (Nationals)

5/19/12 9:33 pm

Ross Detwiler was shelled for six earned runs in five innings Saturday in a loss to the Orioles.

Detwiler was also hammered in a start on Monday and could soon be in danger of losing his spot in the Nationals’ starting rotation. Chien-Ming Wang (hamstring) is inching closer to returning from the disabled list.