Mike Rizzo

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Nationals signed right-hander Drew Storen to a deal worth more than $1.5 million on Wednesday, a day after selecting him with the 10th pick in the draft. Storen was 7-1 with seven saves and a 3.80 ERA during his sophomore season at Stanford. The Nationals assigned him to Class A Hagerstown. "His goals and aspirations matched up with our time frame and he wanted to get out and sign right away," acting general manager Mike Rizzo said. Storen was the Nationals' second pick in Tuesday's draft.

Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his second rehab start Friday night for Class-A Potomac. Strasburg underwent Tommy John surgery Sept. 3, 2010. He threw 31 pitches in his first rehab start on Sunday for the Hagerstown Suns at Municipal Stadium. The 23-year-old struck out four and gave up a solo home run over 1 2/3 innings against Greensboro. He threw mostly fastballs, topping out in the upper-90s. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said on Tuesday that Strasburg will throw three innings with a 50-pitch limit for Potomac.

MIAMI (AP) -- Washington Nationals rookie ace Stephen Strasburg will have Tommy John surgery on Friday to rebuild his injured right elbow, an operation that is expected to sideline him for 12 to 18 months. The ligament replacement surgery will be in Los Angeles and performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum, with Nationals team doctor Dr. Wiemi Douoguih assisting. "He is dealing with it like a professional," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said before Tuesday night's game against Florida.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Stephen Strasburg's right arm has the Nationals on edge again. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said the team will wait for results of an MRI exam on Strasburg before deciding what to do with their injured ace right-hander. Strasburg strained a tendon in his right forearm in Saturday night's start against the Phillies. Rizzo said he went through his normal post-start workout Sunday that included some light tossing, and he hoped to have the MRI results by the end of Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- For a couple of months, Stephen Strasburg "stirred up the baseball world," in his words. Now the Washington Nationals' right-hander is embarking on the "boring" process of working his way back from reconstructive elbow surgery. In his first public comments since his Sept. 3 operation, Strasburg said in a conference call from San Diego on Tuesday that he had his cast removed about two weeks ago, has been getting his range of motion back, and "should be starting the actual rehab process shortly.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The anticipation is nearly over. The 21-year-old with the fastball that approaches 100 mph and the curve that freezes batters is about to take the mound in the nation's capital. Stephen Strasburg is set to make his Washington Nationals debut Tuesday night. Standing room only tickets went on sale Monday, all part of a rare Nationals Park sellout. The Internet is humming with offers for good seats. More than 200 requests for media credentials have been submitted, forcing officials to turn a dining area into a work space to accommodate all those reporters with laptops.

VIERA, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals traded hot-tempered outfielder Nyjer Morgan to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday for minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra and cash. Dykstra is the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra. The trade came two days after Milwaukee sent outfielder Chris Dickerson to the New York Yankees for pitcher Sergio Mitre. Morgan stole 34 bases last year during a season in which he drew a pair of weeklong suspensions from Major League Baseball.

Manager Jim Riggleman and the Washington Nationals both got shut out Thursday — he didn’t get any answers from the umpires, his team didn’t score any runs against the New York Mets. The weak-swinging Nationals were blanked by the Mets for the second straight day, held without a hit by Dillon Gee until pitcher Livan Hernandez grounded a clean single with two outs in the sixth inning during a 1-0 loss. The afternoon ended with Riggleman, catcher Ivan Rodriguez and third-base coach Bo Porter on the field hollering at the umpires, moments after a disputed call at first base.

Cole Hamels didn't hit any Washington batters this time, and the Nationals hitters barely touched Hamels. Hamels pitched eight scoreless innings, finishing up by retiring Bryce Harper on a grounder as the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a season-long four-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over Washington. Hamels (7-1) didn't allow a hit until Danny Espinosa doubled with one out in the sixth. The left-hander won his seventh straight decision, allowing four hits and striking out eight.

Don't expect Bryce Harper to return to the minors anytime soon. When it comes to the 19-year-old outfielder, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo explained Friday, “We're not dumb.” During Rizzo's speaking appearance at the National Press Club, the first three questions directed his way were about Harper, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft who already is making a mark, less than a week after being brought to the major...

 Thanks to strong pitching from Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper's burst of energy and Adam LaRoche's slugging, the Washington Nationals won enough from April through September that even a loss on the first day of October could not stop them from clinching the NL East. Despite being beaten 2-0 by the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, the Nationals earned their first division title since moving from Montreal in 2005, because the second-place Atlanta Braves lost 2-1 at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cole Hamels didn't hit any Washington batters this time, and the Nationals hitters barely touched Hamels. Hamels pitched eight scoreless innings, finishing up by retiring Bryce Harper on a grounder as the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a season-long four-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over Washington. Hamels (7-1) didn't allow a hit until Danny Espinosa doubled with one out in the sixth. The left-hander won his seventh straight decision, allowing four hits and striking out eight.

Don't expect Bryce Harper to return to the minors anytime soon. When it comes to the 19-year-old outfielder, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo explained Friday, “We're not dumb.” During Rizzo's speaking appearance at the National Press Club, the first three questions directed his way were about Harper, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft who already is making a mark, less than a week after being brought to the major...

Boosted by the play of some blossoming youngsters, the Washington Nationals walked out of Citi Field with a series sweep and a new spot in the standings. No wonder they're feeling pretty good about the future. Ian Desmond had a career-high five hits and Tommy Milone earned his first major league win, leading Washington over the slumping New York Mets 10-1 on Thursday for a rare four-game sweep. “I think you're seeing signs that we're starting to learn how to win,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said.

Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make his second rehab start Friday night for Class-A Potomac. Strasburg underwent Tommy John surgery Sept. 3, 2010. He threw 31 pitches in his first rehab start on Sunday for the Hagerstown Suns at Municipal Stadium. The 23-year-old struck out four and gave up a solo home run over 1 2/3 innings against Greensboro. He threw mostly fastballs, topping out in the upper-90s. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said on Tuesday that Strasburg will throw three innings with a 50-pitch limit for Potomac.

Drew Storen sat in the bullpen and watched the clock. When the phone rang telling him to start warming up, he knew he was staying put with the Washington Nationals. When 4 o'clock came and went, he was left with no doubt whatsoever. When Storen jogged in from the bullpen to pitch the ninth inning, he was greeted with rousing cheers from fans ecstatic that their closer was still on the team, including one who held up a sign that said: “NOT DREW.” The script then had a bit of a wrinkle - Storen gave up a tying home run with two outs in the top of the ninth, but he got credit for the win when the Nationals scored in the bottom of the inning in a 3-2 win Sunday over the New York Mets.

Davey Johnson was announced as the manager of the Washington Nationals on Sunday, three days after Jim Riggleman stunned the team by resigning. Johnson will manage the rest of the season and his first game will be Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. He has been a senior adviser with the team since 2009, though he hasn’t managed in the big leagues since 2000 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Johnson also agreed to a three-year consulting contract through 2013 that will allow him to remain with the team and help select a successor for next season.

Just when the Washington Nationals were showing signs of success and stability, and just as the players were starting to talk about the growing respect for the franchise around the league, along came the surprise announcement that manager Jim Riggleman was quitting because he wasn’t happy with his contract. The Nationals completed a sweep of the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon, winning 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth on Laynce Nix’s sacrifice fly. They have won 11 of 12 and have moved above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2005.

Manager Jim Riggleman and the Washington Nationals both got shut out Thursday — he didn’t get any answers from the umpires, his team didn’t score any runs against the New York Mets. The weak-swinging Nationals were blanked by the Mets for the second straight day, held without a hit by Dillon Gee until pitcher Livan Hernandez grounded a clean single with two outs in the sixth inning during a 1-0 loss. The afternoon ended with Riggleman, catcher Ivan Rodriguez and third-base coach Bo Porter on the field hollering at the umpires, moments after a disputed call at first base.

VIERA, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals traded hot-tempered outfielder Nyjer Morgan to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday for minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra and cash. Dykstra is the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra. The trade came two days after Milwaukee sent outfielder Chris Dickerson to the New York Yankees for pitcher Sergio Mitre. Morgan stole 34 bases last year during a season in which he drew a pair of weeklong suspensions from Major League Baseball.