Nats Enquirer

Nats win, even Tom Gorzelanny hits.

(Seems like only last week Tom Gorzellany was taking one on the chin for Davey. Above, Tom Gorzelanny tips his cap to the Nats dugout after his 8th inning single drove in an insurance run. Screen cap via MASN/TV)

Nationals 7, Padres 2: Pigs fly, cats and dogs live in peace, pitchers hit and drive in runs, the Nats are 14-4 (tops in the NL), and Jordan Zimmermann finally gets some run support (and helped his own cause with the bat).

J-Zimm's line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 6 K, 1 HR, 82 pitches-54 strikes.

Meanwhile...good news on the Ryan Zimmerman shoulder-injury front: MRI shows no structural damage only a short DL stint may be necessary. But do you believe it?

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Here's Stephen Strasburg shagging fly balls with a catcher's mitt during batting practice.

Is that a catcher's mitt? Stephen Strasburg (seen in these screen caps via MASN/TV) has nothing on Nationals owner Mark Lerner in the "shagging fly balls during BP in a full Nats uni" department. But at least Stras didn't get hit in the nose.

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Surprise! Look who's not in the Nats starting lineup playing third base tonight...

The shot above of Mike Morse photobombing Ryan Zimmerman following yet another walkoff by Mr. Walkoff in 2010 is perfectly appropriate for the news that Zim is not in the Nats starting lineup tonight in San Diego.

Via Amanda Comak of the Washington Times:

"Ryan Zimmerman will be sent for an MRI tonight in San Diego. The #nats expect the results later tonight. He's already had a clean X-ray."

And via Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Davey has a bad feeling:

"Ryan Zimmerman will go for an MRI tonight on his shoulder, per Davey Johnson. Nats fear a strain. "I don't have a good feeling," Davey said."

Seems like only Saturday Zim was going to be back on Tuesday and saying stuff like this about his sore shoulder:

"It’s nothing. It’s something that I could have played through. It’s been bugging me, and then it would go away a couple days. I’ve been diving all over the place over there. It’s just like a jammed finger, pretty much. I’m going to give it a couple days of rest, it’ll go away and I’ll be good to go on Tuesday."
(Ryan Zimmerman, via Nationals Journal, 4/21/2012)

Wait, didn't Michael Morse say the same thing in Spring Training?

"It wasn't bad yesterday by any means. It's nice to have a rainout and not a doubleheader [the next day]. Since I'm only going to miss one game instead of two, I don't see any reason why I wouldn't play on Tuesday. So this kind of works out best."
(Ryan Zimmerman, via Nationals.com, 4/22/2012)

Wait, was that Morse or Zim? Join us as we start the "renowned orthopedic surgeon" Dr. James Andrews Doomsday Clock now...

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Video: Wang affair exposed, as seen on TV in Taiwain.

It has been a banner day for Wang jokes, after news broke of a press conference held yesterday by Chien-Ming Wang to apologize for an extramarital affair he started while rehabbing with the Nats. [Insert your own Wang joke here.] Interestingly, still no funny Wang headlines over on Nationals.com.

Up above, video of Chien-Ming Wang's affair coverage on TV in Taiwain. Our personal favorite screengrabs from the video appear below.

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Here's Gio Gonzalez signing an autograph for a poodle.

In Monday's installment of "Nationals players signing autographs", we checked in with a video of Ryan Zimmerman signing from his Bentley on his way out of Nationals Park on Saturday. Also on Saturday: a photo of Gio Gonzalez signing an autograph for what appears to be a poodle (Photo via @NationalsPR). Gio starts tonight in San Diego for the Nats.

Oh, and speaking of Nationals players signing autographs: Don't forget Wilson Ramos signing at HOF Cards in Potomac on Sunday, May 6.

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Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder looked fine signing autographs in his Bentley on Saturday

Here's video (via AllStarsPlus) of Ryan Zimmerman signing autographs for fans after the Nationals walk-off win on Saturday. His shoulder looked good there. Apparently that was Rick Ankiel laying on his horn at the end of the clip.

Zim, of course, was a late scratch on Saturday because of a sore shoulder. 

So, we're trying to take a more positive, panic-free, approach to the news over the weekend of Zim's balky shoulder: It's nothing! The shoulder is fine! Nothing to worry about. No date with Dr. Andrews in the future! Zim back in the lineup Tuesday.

But will Zim be in Davey Johnson's lineup on Tuesday?

"It wasn't bad [Saturday] by any means. It's nice to have a rainout and not a doubleheader [the next day]. Since I'm only going to miss one game instead of two, I don't see any reason why I wouldn't play on Tuesday. So this kind of works out best."
(Ryan Zimmerman, via Nationals.com, 4/23/2012)

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Another video of Bryce Harper's first AAA home run

Here's how Bryce Harper's first Triple-A home run looked from the stands on Sunday morning from one of the handful of people in the seats at Alliance Bank Stadium. Up above, better video via MiLB.com.

(Screen grab via MiLB.com video)

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Umpire takes 96 MPH Stephen Strasburg fastball to the nuts

Via Deadspin: Among the video highlights of Saturday's walk-off win by the Nationals: umpire Greg Gibson took a 96 mile per hour Stephen Strasburg fastball to the crotch. In the 9th inning, Brad Lidge would give Strasburg a taste of his own medicine, blowing Strasburg's 2-0 lead.

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Video: Bryce Harper hits first Triple-A home run

"I just got a pitch I could drive. I was finally on time on something. I was trying to put something in play and do something."
(Bryce Harper, via Syracuse Post-Standard, 7/22/2012)

If Bryce Harper hits a home run, and there's almost no one there to see it, does it make a sound? Here's the answer...on Sunday, in his 61st AB with Syracuse, Bryce Harper hit his first home run of Triple-A. Video above, via SaratogaCountySports. Crushed that poor baseball. Here he comes...

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Video: Ian Desmond's Walk-off sac fly

(Ian Desmond delivers. Video via AllStarsPlus.)

Nationals 3, Marlins 2: Mr. Vertigo Brad Lidge blows Stephen Strasburg's win in the 9th - but Davey's sticking with him; Ian Desmond comes through with walk-off sac fly in the 10th.

Meanwhile...No need to worry about Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder, right? *GULP*

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