Wartezimmer » assist versus Vancouver and now his nine poin

WASHINGTON -- Left-hander Gio Gonzalez may be pitching for his spot in the Washington rotation when the first-place Nationals begin a four-game home series Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds.Gonzalez will get the start opposite left-hander Brandon Finnegan of the Reds, who are last in the National League Central by a wide margin.The game comes two days after the major league debut of Nationals right-hander Lucas Giolito, 21, who showed that he is ready for the bigs by throwing four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit to the New York Mets. Giolito did not return after a fourth-inning rain delay in a game the Nationals won 5-0.When ace Stephen Strasburg (10-0) returns from the disabled list, the Nationals could be faced with a pleasant quandary: send Giolito back to the minors, mostly likely to Triple-A Syracuse, or keep him in the rotation and send Gonzalez to the bullpen.That may be a long shot since the Nationals already have three lefties in the bullpen and general manager Mike Rizzo may want to keep Giolito fresh for a September appearance -- perhaps as a bullpen stopper or spot starter because he is on a innings limit.How would Nationals manager Dusty Baker compare Giolito to other pitchers?Four innings is not enough to judge, Baker said. I dont really like to make comparisons because it is not really fair.Gonzalez was acquired by the Nationals in a deal with the Oakland As after the 2011 season. The veteran from suburban Miami won 21 games in 2012 and helped Washington win the National League East title. However, he couldnt keep the lead in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and long-time fans of the Nationals have not forgotten that game.The next three years, Gonzalez went 11-8, 10-10 and 11-8 with ERAs between 3.36 and 3.79.This season he is 3-7 with a 4.73 ERA in 15 starts. He has lasted less than six innings per start and has reached the 100-pitch mark by the fifth inning on occasion.He has given up 89 hits (nine homers) and 28 walks with 88 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. The Nationals have lost his last seven starts, and Gonzalez is 0-6 in that stretch.Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera was teammates with Gonzalez in Washington for part of the 2014 season.He knows what he has to do. He enjoys this game a lot, Cabrera said.Finnegan, who came up through the Kansas City system, pitched against the Nationals last September at Nationals Park when Max Scherzer took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. That was the day after reliever Jonathan Papelbon went for the throat of teammate Bryce Harper in the Washington dugout late in the game.In 16 starts this year, Finnegan is 3-6 with a 3.83 ERA. He held the Nationals to one run in 6 1/3 innings June 3 at Cincinnati in a 7-2 victory.The Reds are 29-50 after a loss on Wednesday afternoon to the Chicago Cubs. To make matters worse, center fielder Billy Hamilton was banged up while going for a ball hit by Anthony Rizzo that became an inside-the-park homer.Hamilton left the game in the first inning, and he was diagnosed with a facial contusion. He is in concussion protocol for the second time in 2016.It didnt get him in the eye or the nose. It was more on the cheek, Reds manager Bryan Price said. I saw him in the fourth or fifth inning, and he was in pretty good spirits. He wanted to stay in the game, but in that situation, we made the best decision.Nationals manager Dusty Baker, who was Cincinnatis manager from 2008-13, said late Wednesday it will not be hard to be ready for the Reds.That is no problem, keeping them motivated, he said of his Washington players. You cant overlook anybody. The Reds almost swept us in Cincinnati.The Reds won the first two games June 3-4 before the Nationals won the finale 10-9 on June 5. Greg Holland Jersey . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Ryan McMahon Jersey . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. http://www.rockiesgearproshop.com/Rockies-Antonio-Senzatela-Kids-Jersey/ . 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SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- In some ways, it will be the same old thing for Eric Staal to face the Panthers on Tuesday, just like he did dozens of times when he skated for the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida was a rival in the old Southeast Division.And in other ways, everything is different for the Minnesota Wilds newest offensive threat.Staal, in his first season in Minnesota after signing as a free agent over the summer, enters this game having recently reached a major milestone. His assist on an empty net goal late in the Wilds 3-1 win over St. Louis on Sunday gives Staal 800 career points. He seems anything but satisfied with the round number.Its a nice feeling, said Staal, who will be facing the Panthers for the 67th time in his career on Tuesday. Honestly, Im hoping for a lot more as my career moves on. But nonetheless, very grateful and honored to one, make the NHL and to play as long as I have and to put up that kind of number is special.The Wild have been playing well at home generally, and host a Panthers team that has never won a regulation game in Minnesota, going 0-7-2 all-time at Xcel Energy Center.The Panthers went through a rough stretch in late November and early December, but come to Minnesota on a winning note after beating the Canucks 4-2 at home on Saturday. Theyre solidly in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Division, making every available point critical.It feels like theyre all must-wins. This early in the season everybodys all bunched together, said Pantthers goalie Roberto Luongo, who had a long string of rough outings in Minnesota when he played for the Canucks and battles with the Wild were common in the old Northwest Division.ddddddddddddThat being said, you want to take it one game at a time, you dont want to look at the big picture or whats ahead, you just want to look at the next game coming up.The win over the Canucks was the latest chapter in the resurgence of Alexsander Barkov, who had a goal and an assist versus Vancouver and now his nine points in his past nine games.I think when your best players are your best players they kind of lead the troops and get everything going in the right direction, said Panthers interim head coach Tom Rowe, who took over the reins on Nov. 27 when Gerard Gallant was fired.Another Panthers newcomer, Seth Griffith, who was claimed by Florida off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs in early November, got an assist versus the Canucks and said hes feeling more comfortable in the new setting.Coming to a new team and guys saying they believe in you goes a long way toward your confidence, Griffith said. But its easier said than done. You have to come here and work every day and thats what Im trying to do, to soak it all in.It will also be the annual homecoming of former University of Minnesota stars Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau, both of whom skate for the Panthers. ' ' '