Nationals Vs. Giants Final Score: Jayson Werth Leads Nats In 6-4 Win

The Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants, 6-4, on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Park. With the win, the Nationals took two out of three games in the series.

In what was supposed to be a pitcher's duel, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg and Giants starter Tim Lincecum did not quite hold up their ends of the bargain. Strasburg went six innings and gave up four hits, two earned runs and four walks while striking out seven batters for the win. Lincecum was chased after four innings. He gave up eight hits, four earned runs and a walk while striking out five batters in the loss.

Jayson Werth did most of the damage for the Nats, going 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI, one walk and one run scored. Danny Espinosa was also 2-for-4 and drove in two runs with his third inning homer. Kurt Suzuki plated the other run for Washington on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. The Giants tied the game at two in second inning on a Brandon Crawford two-RBI single. A Gregor Blanco RBI single cut the Nationals' lead to 6-3 in the eighth and an error by Adam LaRoche in the ninth allowed the Giants to get another run across.

Tyler Clippard pitched the ninth for the Nats and allowed one hit, one run (unearned) and struck out one batter to pick up his 25th save this season.

The Nationals (73-45) next series will begin in D.C. at Nationals Park on Friday against the New York Mets (55-61).

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: San Francisco Outfielder Melky Cabrera Suspended 50 Games After Failed Drug Test

In advance of the Nationals rubber match against the Giants on Wednesday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced at 50-game suspension for San Francisco outfielder Melky Cabrera. Stephen Strasburg had been the hottest topic around AT&T Park, but the Cabrera suspension will certainly take the spotlight off that debate.

Cabrera reportedly tested positive for testosterone, violating the league's performance enhancing drug policy. He's been having a career year with the Giants, second in the NL in batting average with a .346 mark. He was also named the MVP of the 2012 All-Star game just over a month ago.

Cabrera will miss Wednesday's game against the Nats and the remainder of the regular season. That would leave five more games on the suspension, which would either carry over to the postseason if the Giants make it that far or lapse into the 2013 season.

Just an hour after the big blow to their postseason chances, the Giants will now take the field against the Nationals with first pitch scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET.

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Projected Starting Lineups For Wednesday

The Washington Nationals will play the final game of a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Wednesday afternoon.

After defeating the Giants in the first game by a dominating score of 14-2, the Nationals dropped the second game by a margin of 6-1. Only a few games removed from an eight-game winning streak, Washington will look to win it's fourth-straight series with a win on Wednesday.

Here are the projected starting lineups via the clubs' official twitter pages:

Nationals

1. Steve Lombardozzi, Second Base
2. Bryce Harper, Center Field
3. Ryan Zimmerman, Third Base
4. Adam LaRoche, First Baser
5. Michael Morse, Left Field
6. Jayson Werth, Right Field
7. Danny Espinosa, Short Stop
8. Kurt Suzuki, Catcher
9. Stephen Strasburg, Starting Pitcher

Giants

1. Angel Pagan, Center Field
2. Ryan Theriot, Second Base
3. Melky Cabrera, Left Field
4. Buster Posey, Catcher
5. Pablo Sandoval, Third Base
6. Hunter Pence, Right Field
7. Brandon Belt, First Base
8. Brandon Crawford, Short Stop
9. Tim Lincecum, Starting Pitcher

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Stephen Strasburg and Tim Lincecum To Face Off Wednesday

Pitchers' duels have always been an exciting aspect of baseball and on Wednesday night at AT&T Park in San Francisco, two of Major League Baseball's best hurlers will do battle, as the Washington Nationals will send Stephen Strasburg to the mound to face off against the San Francisco Giants ace, Tim Lincecum.

Strasburg has pitched well so far this season as he enters the game with a 13-5 record and an ERA of 2.90. The Nats righty leads the National League with an average of 11.21 strikeouts per nine innings.

Wednesday night's game could also be the last time fans will get a chance to see Strasburg during the regular season, as the Nationals brass have said they will shut their young pitcher down at some point during the season as a precaution after the 24-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010.

First pitch of Wednesday night's game takes place at 3:45 p.m. ET.

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Madison Bumgarner Proves To Be Too Much For Washington's Offense

One night after scoring 14 runs against the San Francisco Giants, the Washington Nationals were all but shut out by Madison Bumgarner, who pitched a complete game and allowed just one run on five hits while striking out six as the Giants defeated the Nationals, 6-1 Tuesday night.

Brandon Belt drove in San Francisco's first two runs with a second-inning double and a sixth-inning single off Jordan Zimmermann, who only managed to pitch 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four.

Washington's only run came in the top of seventh, when Jayson Werth tripled and was driven in by an Adam LaRoche single. But any hopes of a comeback were squelched in the eighth inning when the Giants scored four runs against pitchers Drew Storen and Sean Burnett.

The rubber game of the series is set for 3:45 Wednesday afternoon. Stephen Strasburg is scheduled to pitch against Tim Lincecum.

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Jayson Werth In, Michael Morse Out Of Tuesday's Lineup

The Washington Nationals (72-44) have released their lineup for Tuesday night's game against the San Francisco Giants (63-53) at 10:15 p.m. at AT&T Park.

Jayson Werth will be in the Nationals' lineup against the Giants while Michael Morse will not be starting. Werth was originally in the lineup for Monday night's game but was scratched due to a sore ankle. Morse jammed his thumb in batting practice and left Monday night's game after going 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.

Here's the full lineup the Nats will use on Tuesday:

Danny Espinosa ss
Bryce Harper cf
Ryan Zimmerman 3b
Jayson Werth rf
Adam LaRoche 1b
Tyler Moore lf
Jesus Flores c
Steve Lombardozzi 2b
Jordan Zimmermann rhp

Zimmermann (9-6, 2.35 ERA) will start opposite Madison Bumgarner (12-7, 3.08 ERA). Zimmerman is 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in his last five road games. Bumgarner is 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA in his last six starts at home.

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Washington Looks To Build Off Dominating Effort In Game 2

On Tuesday night, the Washington Nationals will play the second game of a three-game set at AT&T Park against the San Francisco Giants.

Coming off a dominating 14-2 win against the club on Monday night, the Nationals will look to begin a new winning streak, as the club's eight-game streak was snapped on Sunday by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Washington has won 12 of their last 14 games and has scored at least five runs in seven games over that span.

With a loss on Tuesday, San Francisco will lose their first series in the month of Aug., as the club has won seven of their last 11 games.

The projected starters for Tuesday night are Jordan Zimmermann for the Nationals (9-6, 2.35 ERA) and Madison Bumgarner for the Giants (12-7, 3.08 ERA).

For more news from the Washington Nationals, visit their SB Nation blog Federal Baseball. For more news on the San Francisco Giants, visit their SB Nation blog McCovey Chronicles.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Washington Wallops Giants, 14-2 In Series Opener

In a battle of National League Division leaders, the Washington Nationals made their case as Beasts from the East Monday night in San Francisco, defeating the Giants 14-2 at AT&T Park.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Ryan Zimmerman's RBI double, the Nationals exploded for seven runs in the third inning, three runs in the fourth, and three more in the fifth. Danny Espinosa's two-run home run to dead center field gave the Nationals a 14-0 lead and surpassed the team's previous season high for runs scored, which was set in the 12-5 win over the Colorado Rockies June 26. The 12-run margin of victory was the highest for the franchise since it moved from Montreal in 2005.

Coming off a complete-game effort in the 4-3 win over Houston Wednesday, Gio Gonzalez had a relatively stress-free outing Monday. Gonzalez, who is now tied with R.A. Dickey and Johnny Cueto for the National League lead in wins (15), scattered six hits and two walks over six innings, striking out four in the process. Gonzalez's night was ended in the bottom of the seventh, when Brandon Crawford's pinch-hit home run gave the Giants their only runs of the game. Tom Gorzelanny pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out three.

Washington's win, coupled with Atlanta's loss to San Diego, left the Nats with a 5.5 game lead in the National League East, their largest division lead of the season. But the news wasn't all good for Washington, as outfielder Michael Morse was pinch-hit for in the top of the fifth inning and was later seen in the dugout with his hand and wrist wrapped.

The series resumes at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday night, as Jordan Zimmermann is scheduled to face Madison Bumgarner.

For more news from the Washington Nationals, visit their SB Nation blog Federal Baseball. For more news on the San Francisco Giants, visit their SB Nation blog McCovey Chronicles.

Nationals Vs. Giants Score Update: Nats Jump All Over San Francisco With 7-Run Inning, Lead 11-0

The Nationals scored seven in the third inning against Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants to lead 11-0

Jayson Werth Scratched From Nationals' Lineup For Monday's Game Against Giants

Washington Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth was a late scratch from Davey Johnson's lineup on Monday night. He appeared on the original lineup card, hitting sixth and playing in right, but word came down less than an hour before first pitch against the Giants that he was being held out due to ankle soreness. Via Nationals PR:

Jayson Werth has been scratched from tonite's lineup due to right ankle soreness.

— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) August 14, 2012

Replacing Werth will be Roger Bernadina, who will play left and move Michael Morse to right field. According to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post, Danny Espinosa will also move up a spot in the order to replace Werth in the six-hole, with Bernadina batting right behind him.

Werth sat out a game in Houston last week in what was described simply as a rest day as he continues to work his way back from the broken wrist that kept him out most of the summer.

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants: Bryce Harper In Nats' Lineup For Start Of San Francisco Series

The Washington Nationals (71-44) have released their lineup for Monday night's game against the San Francisco Giants (63-52) at AT&T Park at 10:15 p.m. Both teams lead their division going into the game. The Nats have taken all three games in the season series which began in July. However, Washington has dropped nine of their last 12 games against the Giants in San Francisco.

Here's the lineup the Nats will use:

Steve Lombardozzi 2b
Bryce Harper cf
Ryan Zimmerman 3b
Adam LaRoche 1b
Michael Morse lf
Jayson Werth rf
Danny Espinosa ss
Kurt Suzuki c
Gio Gonzalez lhp

Gio Gonzalez (14-6, 3.32 ERA) is scheduled to pitch opposite Giants' starter Ryan Vogelsong (10-5, 2.27 ERA). Gonzalez pitched in a complete-game win over the Astros in his last outing on Aug. 8. Vogelsong earned a win over the Cardinals in a seven-inning appearance on Aug. 8.

For more on the Nats, head over to Federal Baseball and stay tuned to SB Nation DC. For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.

Nationals Vs. Giants Series Preview: Nats Look To Begin New Streak Monday

The Washington Nationals begin a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants Monday night.