John Lannan News

John Lannan could be used as trade bait to acquire a much-needed veteran bullpen presence.

Washington Nationals ' manager Davey Johnson seemed at a loss for words when trying to explain Stephen Strasburg's outing on Saturday.

John Lannan has been a name in trade rumors ever since the Washington Nationals signed Edwin Jackson , and the starting pitcher is now up on the trade block for veteran relief help A . The Nats are looking to add some pieces to the pen, and Lannan is a surplus starter who could fetch them some useful bullpen help.

Adam Jones and the Baltimore Orioles are nearing a contract extension , and Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi tweet that it could be worth a nice chunk of money .

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, lost 9-6 to the Columbus Clippers on Friday night.

Later this week the Washington Nationals are scheduled to receive some help on the pitching front, as Chien-Ming Wang is expected to be activated off the disabled list.

The Nationals tagged the Baltimore Orioles for nine runs on Sunday, the most runs they've scored all season, and it was an output that featured eight of the Nationals' nine position players all reaching base at least once.

Chien-Ming Wang is allowed to remain on a rehab stint until May 27, at which time he likely will be worked into the Nationals' rotation.

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, had their seven-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night in a 6-2 loss to the Columbus Clippers.

Chien-Ming Wang is allowed to remain on a rehab stint until May 27, at which time he likely will be worked into the Nationals' rotation.

The Nationals had twice lost a lead with Detwiler on the mound. His pitch count had climbed close to 90.

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, used stellar pitching from John Lannan to top their Thruway Series rival, the Rochester Red Wings, 8-2 on Friday night.

WASHINGTON -- The Nats have remained mum about trading for a Jayson Werth replacement in the outfield.

Duke tossed a complete game three-hitter for a 4-2 win on the front half of a doubleheader as the Syracuse Chiefs split with the Durham Bulls at Alliance Bank Stadium on Tuesday "I have never have seen that many," Duke said about the Durham Bulls lineup that sent up the first eight batters digging into the left hand batter's box.

Well, Washington Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper had one heck of a beginning to his major league career -- a debut at Dodger Stadium, a game-winning hit before the home crowd, a steal of home on national television after getting hit by a pitch.

Without some major changes, they probably won't. Even with superb pitching, the Nationals seem destined to once again play about .500 ball and finish no higher than third in the National League's Eastern Division.

After the Nationals loaded up on starting pitchers during the offseason, the sixth overall pick of the 2007 draft was preparing for a season in the bullpen.

Game notes : Ian Kennedy hasn't been great in any of his five starts, but he hasn't been bad, either.

Yohan Pino got the start and went 8 innings, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits with one walk, 5 strikeouts and a home run.

As the Nationals fell into their first slump this year, the starting pitching never wavered.