John Lannan News

In this July 31, 2009, photo, Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman stands in the dugout during a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh.

In 2007, John Lannan came out of nowhere. An 11th-round afterthought in 2005, Lannan climbed the minor league ladder quickly, going a combined 12-3, 2.87 before finishing the season with the Nationals where the 22-year-old went 2-2, 4.15. Since then, Lannan has won 18 games and been the team's presumptive ace.

Dana Brown is leaving the Nationals as an amateur scouting director and will join the Blue Jays to become a special assistant to general manager Alexander Anthopoulos.

After a second consecutive 100-loss season that featured plenty of missteps, and not just in terms of Ws and Ls--remember the "Natinals" jersey fiasco? remember Jim Bowden?--the Washington Nationals are ready to put a timetable on a turnaround.

When the final game ended in the Washington Nationals' 2009 season, a fair portion of the team -- players and coaches alike -- transformed, almost immediately, from employees into job seekers. Veteran pitcher Livan Hernandez, luggage already packed, walked through the middle of the Turner Field visitors' clubhouse and raised his arms, as if making a public declaration.

'All people, I love you guys,' he said. 'I hope to see you next year.'

'If not,' he continued, after a pause, 'you know where to find me.'

The Washington, D.C. chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association is an organization comprised of Internet writers, online media outlets and bloggers.

After the 2005 draft, the Washington Nationals were busy touting University of Virginia third baseman as their prize, and with good reason.

There's nothing complicated about what the Braves need to do in the final games of the season.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman believes he is having his best season to date.

Quick, who has been the Washington Nationals ' MVP in 2009? ? Adam Dunn ? John Lannan? While there are certainly arguments to be made for any of those guys, there might actually be a stronger case for a position player who was with the team for only 51 games this season.

By now, John Lannan has mastered the practice of standing in front of his locker, facing the same questions about whether he's disappointed not to have a fine start rewarded with a win and saying the things you would expect a staff ace to say.

John Lannan was good, but Braves right-hander Javier Vazquez was better. Vazquez pitched his third complete game of the season and defeated the Nationals, 4-1, at Nationals Park on Friday night.

Posted in Baseball , Sports Journalism at 12:57 pm by GC The Mets are currently scoreless against the Nationals' John Lannan , whose 1981 killing served as inspiration for the Meatmen's "One Down, Three To Go". From the looks of things on MLB.TV, Citi Field is mostly empty, a development that could only be of interest to the most culturally unaware ...

Following another tough loss at Citi Field on Friday night -- a 6-5 setback in the opener -- the Mets enter Saturday afternoon trying to reverse two related trends.

NEW YORK, Sept. 19 -- Part of it seems to be circumstantial. When John Lannan faces the New York Mets, his sinker always works, his location is always pinpoint. 'That's just how things have worked out,' he said.

But Lannan also takes a certain pride in his recent success against the Mets -- particularly because a lineup's familiarity tends to work against a pitcher. Lannan has proven to himself, based on his three previous starts against New York, that he can adjust to a lineup before a lineup can adjust to him.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman left himself open for second guessing on Saturday afternoon after the Nationals were edged by the Mets, 3-2, at Citi Field.

Journeyman right-hander Tim Redding will take the hill for the New York Mets this afternoon against the visiting Washington Nationals in the second test of a three-game series at Citi Field.

Closer Mike MacDougal earned his 16th save of the season on Friday night against the Mets, but it wasn't an easy one.

When the Marlins take on the Nationals in the series finale on Sunday afternoon, Chris Volstad will be making his 28th start of the season.

The Baseball season is a 162-game grind, both physically and mentally, and it's all the tougher to endure when inclement weather is thrown into the mix.