Espinosa goes deep in Nats win: Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa did a nice job leading off on Sunday in a win over the Orioles. Espinosa went deep for his fourth home run of the season in the eighth inning for a two-run shot off Dana Eveland. He added a double and finished 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. He also struck out twice. Espinosa is batting .214 on the season. (Updated 05/20/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/24/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Stephen Lombardozzi has done nothing but hit of late for the Nationals and it may be lighting a fire underneath Espinosa. The veteran infielder is trying to hold the youngster off for playing time. Espinosa has homered three times in his last 10 games with seven RBI over that span. Still, he has just nine RBI on the year with three stolen bases and a low average. Espinosa only has low-end Fantasy appeal in mixed leagues. (Updated 05/20/2012).
05/23/2012 23:22 Hamels (7-1) stops Nats; Phils end skid
Cole 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 3-1 victory against the Washington Nationals.
05/22/2012 21:55 Nats move into first place in NL East
Jordan Zimmerman pitched six solid innings, and Ian Desmond and Rick Ankiel homered to lead the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
05/20/2012 19:47 Hit Parade for Week 8
Some catchers have been bitten by the injury bug in recent days, leaving some owners scrambling. Our Scott White shares some recommendations and helps set your lineups for Week 8 in his Hit Parade.
Entering the All-Star break, Danny Espinosa appeared to be a favorite for NL Rookie of the Year. He didn't have a stellar batting average, but his 16 homers and 12 steals as a middle infielder more than made up for it. But then came the second half, when he hit only .227 with five homers and five steals to produce an OPS lower than that of Skip Schumaker. So did Espinosa simply hit a rookie wall? You could call it that, but the more accurate explanation is that his high strikeout rate -- a constant throughout his minor-league career -- came back to bite him. A player who strikes out more than every fourth at-bat simply doesn't have the contact rate to hit much better than .250 or so. Even against minor-league pitching, Espinosa was just a .270 hitter. The 24-year-old has his strong points. His glove will keep his bat in the lineup, and his combination of power and speed is rare among second basemen. But the expected drain in batting average and general inconsistency make him barely one of the top 15 Fantasy options at the position. He's fine as a middle infielder in mixed leagues, but you wouldn't want to invest much more in him than that. (Updated 2/9/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
