Grüße und Vorstellung » Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz

WASHINGTON -- Doug Fister did the splits while covering first base and reached backward to make a how-did-he-do-that stab of a grounder while on the mound, adding a bit of gymnastics to another pinpoint outing. Jurickson Profar Jersey . No one can accuse the 6-foot-8 righty of being either ungainly or inaccurate. He won his fourth straight start Thursday, another walk-free outing of seven innings with just two runs and four hits allowed as the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Fister (4-1) struggled in the Nationals debut last month after missing all of April with a lat strain. He hasnt allowed more than two runs in a game since. In six starts, hes walked only two batters. "Id rather them earn it," he said, "than give it away." And earning it is that much harder with a pitcher as flexible as Fister. The college first baseman did a full split while not quite hanging on to a throw to first that would have completed a double play in the first inning. "Yeah, thats not comfortable," Washington manager Matt Williams said. For the player or the manager? "For both," Williams said. Then there was the play in the third inning, when Fister flipped himself around to rob Ben Revere of a hit up the middle -- a play that proved more valuable when Jimmy Rollins followed immediately with a double. "Hes a cat out there on the mound," reliever Tyler Clippard said. "Hes getting everything." Sounds like hes the teams unofficial "pepper" champ. "I try to do a lot of work with groundballs up the middle and try to work on reaction time," Fister said. "Being able to field my position is something I take a lot of pride in." Fisters start is the latest in whats starting to look like the tough-act-to-follow rotation expected from the Nationals this season. Jordan Zimmermann threw eight scoreless innings in the series opener Tuesday, and Stephen Strasburg fanned 11 in Wednesdays win. Overall, the Nationals have won five of six. They have out-scored opponents 38-12 in those half-dozen games, including 19-6 in each of the three-game series against the Texas Rangers and the Phillies. Now comes a 10-game road trip to San Diego, San Francisco and St. Louis. "We have a really hard road trip coming up against some really good teams," Williams said. "Without going too far, were happy with where were at it right now and the way its gone. We have to continue to push." It would be easier if they could keep playing the Phillies, who have lost six straight, are an NL-worst 9-20 since May 5. A team meeting on Tuesday yielded nothing productive, and Rollins can already envision a possible lost season in which key players are traded away. "Its getting out of control now," Rollins said. "Weve got a chance to go out there and change that tomorrow. If not, then thats a decision theyre going to make either way. But wed like to put a streak together going the other direction. Be up in that left column, and find a way to win some games." Kyle Kendrick (1-6) allowed four runs over seven innings and walked a season-high five. He is 1-11 in his last 19 starts, has an 11-start winless streak on the road and hasnt won a day game since 2012, going 0-6 in his last nine starts in the sunshine. But the problems are team-wide. The Phillies are batting .224 over their last 29 games. "Its been time to straighten it out," Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg said. NOTES: With the matinee following a rain-delayed game the night before, Nationals SS Ian Desmond and Phillies OF Marlon Byrd were given a day off for the first time this season. Desmond had started every game up to Thursday, while Byrd had started all but one. ... Adam LaRoche hit a two-run homer, and Rafael Soriano picked up his 12th save for the Nationals. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys . - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City. Robinson Chirinos Jersey . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. http://www.officialrangersgearshop.com/Rangers-Matt-Moore-Kids-Jersey/ . Modin, 36, tallied seven goals and three assists in 36 games with the Thrashers this season. The Sundsvall, Sweden, native has posted 232 goals and 230 assists in 894 career NHL games with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Los Angeles and Atlanta and has appeared in 57 post-season contests, helping the Lightning capture the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship. NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is seeking a speedy dismissal of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguezs lawsuit challenging a season-long suspension. Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Ganzs letter, dated Monday and filed Tuesday, said the lawsuit should be tossed because a court is not empowered to re-examine the merits of an arbitration decision. Ganz said in the letter that the standard for vacating an arbitration award "is purposefully high and specifically designed to prevent courts from substituting their own judgment for that of the labour arbitrators selected by the parties." "A court must confirm an award even when the arbitrator has offered only a barely colorable justification for the outcome reached, and even if the court considers the arbitrators interpretation of the contract to be plainly wrong," he wrote. Rodriguezs claims in his lawsuit were considered by the arbitrator and resolved based on evidence and arguments, along with the arbitrators interpretation of collectively bargained agreements, Ganz said. He also noted that Rodriguez did not deny engaging in the misconduct that was alleged during the arbitrators hearing or in his lawsuit. Ramos set Feb. Russell Wilson Jersey. . 14 for a conference and directed lawyers for Rodriguez to respond to the leagues claims in a letter of their own by Feb. 7. MLB suspended the three-time AL MVP for 211 games last August, and the players union filed a grievance. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz on Jan. 11 cut the suspension to 162 games and the 2014 post-season, concluding Rodriguez used banned substances each year from 2010-12 and twice tried to obstruct MLBs investigation. Rodriguez did not testify in the grievance proceeding, walking out after Horowitz refused to order Commissioner Bud Selig to testify. Rodriguez sued MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association on Jan. 13 to overturn the decision. He accused the league of engaging in "ethically challenged behaviour" and leaking information to the media in violation of baseballs confidentiality rules. He also accused Horowitz of acting "with evident partiality." His lawsuit accused the players union of "bad faith," saying its representation during the hearing was "perfunctory at best." In a footnote, Ganz wrote that the players union plans to seek dismissal of the claim that it breached its duty of fair representation and said the league will join in that application to the court. Lawyers for Rodriguez and the players union did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. ' ' '