Elijah Dukes News

Former Major League outfielder Marquis Grissom will not be back as the Nationals' first-base coach, MLB.com learned on Saturday.

Just watched t he animated short film about Dock Ellis' no-hitter on acid that Answer Dave Brown posted on Big League Stew yesterday .A It's fabulous, but the weird thing is I'm not sure that's even the strangest baseball cartoon I've seen this week.

The Washington Nationals, under General Manager Mike Rizzo, are doing some fall housecleaning.

David Wright had hit the pitch soundly and in the general direction of a come-from-behind victory.

ATLANTA, Oct. 4 -- Unwatchable at the beginning, unbeatable at the end, unorthodox without interruption, the 2009 Washington Nationals finished their poorest season with their best effort. On Sunday, before the Nationals split for the winter, they set one final ambush on conventional expectations, turning a meaningless game into a compelling one and concluding their season with a 15-inning, 2-1 victory against the Atlanta Braves.

Nothing, really, hung in the balance Sunday afternoon at Turner Field, but somehow, the game became a loopy delight. A bullpen that earlier could only blow leads on this afternoon couldn't let up a run. Fielding a starting lineup composed entirely of players who'd seen time this year in Class AAA, the Nationals, who started the year with a seven-game losing streak, ended it with a seven-game winning streak.

When New York Mets outfielder Nick Evans began his Major League career in May 2008 he did not do so quietly.

If the Braves and Rockies finish the season tied for the wild-card lead, the Braves would host a one-game playoff against the Rockies on Oct.

Rookie Ian Desmond smacked his second homer of his career and the Nationals scored the winning run on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge the New York Mets, 4-3, in the middle installment of a three-game series.

I would think a player as strong as outfielder Elijah Dukes would hit far more home runs than he has this season.

The Washington Nationals endured their 102nd loss of the season on Saturday in a game that appeared eerily similar to many of the previous 101 defeats. The starting pitching struggled early. The relief pitching struggled late. The defense struggled throughout.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman entered the clubhouse after the game and told players, 'If I see lack of effort, I'll address it.'

Riggleman said he didn't see lack of effort. Just mistakes. But they were the mistakes that also happened in the previous five months, which was why the Nationals' 11-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves struck such a familiar tone.

Are you missing anything? We all know about the travails of the Nats new right fielder Ian Desmond Is there anything else of interest going on as the season, slowly, mercifully, dies? Elijah Dukes is saving his starting job for next year.

"We have genuine excitement about the potential of next year's club," said GM Mike Rizzo.

With 11 games left in the regular season and a playoff berth virtually all but sewn up, Dodgers manager Joe Torre can't be blamed for thinking ahead to such matters as how he's going to whittle down what is currently a six-man rotation to something more manageable for the postseason.

Nationals Outfielder Is Seeking More of the 'Amazing' Elijah Dukes's season includes a .259 average, eight home runs, 55 RBI -- and a one-month banishment to the minors.

Pete Orr went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and scored twice, as the Washington Nationals earned a 7-2 rain-shortened win over the Florida Marlins in the rubber match of a three-game set.

Left-hander Cole Hamels proved to be too much for the Nationals, who lost to the Phillies, 4-2, at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday night and were swept in the three-game series.

Since he returned to the Nationals on Aug. 1, Elijah Dukes is not uptight like he was before his demotion to Triple-A Syracuse.

Mother Nature provided more than three hours of rain delays, but the Nationals were able to get enough done early thanks to some quality starting pitching and timely hitting.

The Phillies played home run derby with left-hander John Lannan and defeated the Nationals, 5-3, at Nationals Park on Tuesday night.

Shortstop Ian Desmond made his Major League debut on Thursday at Nationals Park, and it was a night he will never forget.