Josh Land

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "Blonde"

May 20, 2015, 7:05am

I keep track of new writings by Joyce Carol Oates and then, when they are released, I cringe before I read a word. Oates is one of this generation's most accomplished writers. She will forever have a place in a list of authors to be read. I cringe at many of her works because they get too close to the truth of human existence through the characters of her novels, who often are fictionalized (just barely) well-known personalities. "Blonde" is about the life of Marilyn Monroe, and was written...

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Rachel Levitin: Another memory for Nats fans, Zimmerman to cherish

May 20, 2015, 6:02am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Another memory for Nats fans, Zimmerman to cherish

Since their inception in 2005, the Nationals have gone from a cellar-dwelling team to a two-time National League East championship ballclub eager to take home baseball's top prize of a world championship. There have been several major milestone moments along the way, including the team's first no-hitter pitched by Jordan Zimmermann in 2014 and the back-to-back No. 1 draft picks of Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010 that added talent - and mainstream buzz within the American...

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Domenic Vadala: With Wright, Orioles are doing things the right way

May 20, 2015, 5:37am

Orioles

For starters, the debut of Mike Wright on Sunday was about as awe-inspiring as a debut can be. Seriously, I can't imagine what must have been going through his mind walking off the mound in the 8th inning to a standing ovation like he did. And he indicated as much after the game, saying that you really couldn't draw it up any better than that. However, Buck Showalter said something that piqued my interest in his postgame press conference on Sunday afternoon. He said that in Wright's case,...

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brian matusz buck showalter chris tillman domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger mike wright orioles orioles buzz tyler wilson

Jayson Werth on injured wrist: "About as bad as it could be without being broke"

May 19, 2015, 11:32pm

Nationals

Jayson Werth on injured wrist: "About as bad as it could be without being broke"

Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday afternoon with a contusion on his left wrist resulting from a 92 mph fastball that struck him in the second inning of Friday's win in San Diego. Werth left that game shortly after and was taken for X-rays that proved negative. On Monday, he received positive results from an MRI that didn't reveal any ligament damage. "I'm relieved," Werth said yesterday. "I wish it felt better. I'm optimistic, but I...

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Ryan Zimmerman's 10th career walk-off homer beats Yankees 8-6

May 19, 2015, 8:35pm

Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman's 10th career walk-off homer beats Yankees 8-6

Yankees closer Andrew Miller had not allowed a single run in 17 appearances this year. In fact, the intimidating lefty had only surrendered three hits. Ryan Zimmerman dumped those numbers in the Anacostia River. With two outs in the bottom of the 10th and the game tied, Zimmerman smacked a 96 mph heater off the right field foul pole for a two-run walk-off homer to beat the Yankees, 8-6. "It was real fair at the beginning, and at the very end it started to take a right turn," Zimmerman said....

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Nats win 8-6 on Ryan Zimmerman's two-run walk-off homer

May 19, 2015, 3:42pm

Nationals

Nats win 8-6 on Ryan Zimmerman's two-run walk-off homer

Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi didn't receive a warm welcome from the Nationals' red-hot offense in the first inning. Ian Desmond, the Nats' second batter, ripped a 3-1 pitch, a 98 mph heater, over the scoreboard in right-center for a solo homer. It's Desmond's third on the season. Two batters later, Bryce Harper continued his assault, golfing an Eovaldi slider over the wall in center. The bullet, which just cleared the wall, was reviewed briefly for fan interference before the original...

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bryce harper chris johnson gio gonzalez ian desmond nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman wilson ramos frontstory_nationals2

Williams on Werth, Difo, Janssen and Rendon

May 19, 2015, 2:30pm

Nationals

Williams on Werth, Difo, Janssen and Rendon

Nationals manager Matt Williams will be without Jayson Werth for a while after the left fielder was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list due to the fastball he took off his left wrist in the second inning of Friday's win in San Diego. "He's got a contusion," Williams said. "It's gonna be sore, it's gonna be swollen. It's still swollen. So we have to get that taken care of before he can even start back. Three days down already. Not really ready for a few more to even get back to...

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casey janssen chris johnson jayson werth matt williams nationals nationals pastime wilmer difo featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Orioles attend second annual Manny Machado BaseBOWL Tournament

May 19, 2015, 10:33am

Orioles

On a rare off-day, the Orioles still came together to participate in the second annual Manny Machado BaseBOWL Tournament on May 19. Machado's teammates attended the sold-out event at Mustang Alleys Bar, Bowling and Bistro in Baltimore to showcase their bowling skills alongside Orioles fans to help raise money and awareness for Baltimore City's Department of Recreation and Parks. "They're going to be able to bowl, interact with the players," Machado said. "There's going to be some auction...

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Matt of Matt's Bats: The Nationals' secret slugger

May 19, 2015, 6:29am

Nationals

Last week, I wrote about Bryce Harper and how he is surging at the plate. Harper has become the best baseball player in all of Major League Baseball right now. His six home runs, 13 RBIs and .455 batting average this past week helped the Nats go 5-2 and outscore their opponents 53-35. Now that Harper has won two consecutive National League Player of the Week awards, I wanted to let you in on the other secret to the Nats' recent success: Wilson Ramos. Harper is getting all the attention he...

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bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz wilson ramos

Matt Kremnitzer: Looking at the O's corner outfielders

May 19, 2015, 6:14am

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: Looking at the O's corner outfielders

The Orioles have a corner outfield problem: The team's assortment of corner outfielders has been underwhelming When it comes to the Orioles outfield, there's Adam Jones in center field, and then there's a lot of spare parts. That doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, except when those parts all aren't playing well. And right now, they aren't. Jones is second in the majors among all qualified center fielders with a 153 wRC+. Meanwhile, O's left fielders currently have a combined...

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guest blogger guestblogger matt kremnitzer orioles orioles buzz

Danny Espinosa a pleasant surprise in Nats offense

May 19, 2015, 4:57am

Nationals

Danny Espinosa a pleasant surprise in Nats offense

The Nationals return home as the hottest team in baseball for a quick two-game taste of interleague play with the New York Yankees. Mired in an offensive quagmire for much of the season's first month, the Nats offense has exploded after being detonated in the April 28 mind-blowing comeback win in Atlanta. So far this year, the Nats have scored 10 or more runs in a game six times and their 194 runs overall are best in the National League. The obvious reason for the turnaround has been the...

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bryce harper chris johnson dan uggla danny espinosa matt williams nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Marty Niland: Solid anchor Scherzer has been worth every penny

May 18, 2015, 5:30am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Solid anchor Scherzer has been worth every penny

Lots of people thought the Nationals already had the best starting pitching in the major leagues before Jan. 21, when Max Scherzer joined the team with a seven-year, $120 million free agent deal. Some might even have thought it was a superfluous move by the Nats, an investment that might have been better made in another big bat or re-signing one of the key players whose contacts are set to expire after the 2015 season. But six weeks into the 2015 season, there's little doubt that the 2013...

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A focused and aggressive Strasburg gets back on track (Davis note)

May 17, 2015, 7:04pm

Nationals

A focused and aggressive Strasburg gets back on track (Davis note)

SAN DIEGO - There has never been a question about the quality of Stephen Strasburg's pitching repertoire or his stuff. He features a blazing fastball in the high 90s that darts around the plate, usually backed up by sharp breaking ball. What has seemed to frustrate those around the Nationals organization lately with Strasburg has been his mental approach on the mound, especially with runners on base. Adversity faced Strasburg right away in the first inning on Sunday. He had just thrown a...

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bryce harper chris johnson danny espinosa jose lobaton matt williams nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Bryce Harper having his way in Nats' 10-5 win

May 17, 2015, 5:35pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper having his way in Nats' 10-5 win

SAN DIEGO - It's come now to the point where you're left surprised when Bryce Harper doesn't reach base. On Sunday, he did just about everything at the plate, including smacking his National League-leading 14th homer, to help the Nationals to a 10-5 win over the Padres in the series finale. "Oh, my God? I'm gonna say O-M-G. That's it," Jose Lobaton said. "It's unbelievable. How can you explain that? Go oppo whenever he wants. Pull the ball. Hit a homer. Hit doubles. Triples. I don't...

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Harper, Espinosa homer in Nats' 10-5 win

May 17, 2015, 12:48pm

Nationals

Harper, Espinosa homer in Nats' 10-5 win

SAN DIEGO - Stephen Strasburg opened today's game with back-to-back strikeouts. The only problem was that the action on his third strike curveball to Abraham Almonte was so sharp that it skipped behind Jose Lobaton allowing Almonte to reach base safely. Almonte immediately took advantage by stealing second. Then, on the fifth pitch of Matt Kemp's at-bat, Almonte took off for third. Kemp hit a hard grounder up the middle, which Danny Espinosa made a stellar diving stop on. But, by the time...

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Nats hoping home cooking can spark Strasburg's season (with lineups)

May 17, 2015, 9:59am

Nationals

Nats hoping home cooking can spark Strasburg's season (with lineups)

SAN DIEGO - Right-hander Stephen Strasburg is set to make his second career start in his home city. Strasburg attended West Hills High School and San Diego St. University, where the Nationals drafted him from with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. Strasburg's only start at Petco Park came on May 16, 2013 when he claimed the win after allowing just one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts in eight innings. The 26-year-old has been slow to find his groove this...

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Scherzer gets ahead early, finishes strong

May 16, 2015, 10:19pm

Nationals

Scherzer gets ahead early, finishes strong

SAN DIEGO - With runners on the corners and his pitch count climbing near 100, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer reached back and found something extra to end a Padres threat with back-to-back strikeouts in the seventh inning last night. "I always believe your last 15 pitches kind of dictate how you feel about your start," Scherzer said. "I was still able to pitch at my best. Still had my best fastball. Still had my best stuff there, even when I was approaching the end. So when Willy...

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chris johnson matt williams max scherzer nationals nationals pastime wilson ramos featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Scherzer's "incredible" performance drives Nationals to 4-1 win

May 16, 2015, 9:39pm

Nationals

SAN DIEGO - Pumping his fists, revved up and yelling is how Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer left the mound after the seventh inning of Saturday night's 4-1 win over the Padres. Scherzer was dominant throughout his eighth start of the season, but he ran into difficulty in the seventh. A leadoff double by Yangervis Solarte and a single by Alexi Amarista left runners on the corners with one out and the game still in reach as the Nats led by four. But Scherzer reared back and found 96 mph a...

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Jayson Werth hoping the past doesn't become the present with latest wrist injury

May 16, 2015, 7:25pm

Nationals

Jayson Werth hoping the past doesn't become the present with latest wrist injury

SAN DIEGO - After Padres starter Odrisamer Despaigne struck Jayson Werth on his left wrist with a fastball on Friday night, the 35-year old attempted to remain in the game. When the top of the second inning ended, Nationals manager Matt Williams met Werth outside the dugout to check on the 13-year veteran. "I got my glove (and) was like trying to squeeze it and I just couldn't," Werth said. "I told Matt, 'It's gonna come back. I'll go play defense and if it's not good by the time we...

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Lights out perfomance from Max Scherzer (Nats win 4-1)

May 16, 2015, 5:25pm

Nationals

Lights out perfomance from Max Scherzer (Nats win 4-1)

For the second straight night, the Nationals lit up the scoreboard in the first inning. Ian Desmond ripped a line drive past Padres third baseman Will Middlebrooks for a double and Yunel Escobar wasted no time plating Desmond with a single to right. Bryce Harper followed by battling Padres starter Andrew Cashner in a 10-pitch at-bat before knocking a base hit to right. That left runners at the corners for Ryan Zimmerman, who scored Escobar on a slow-rolling groundout. Zimmerman stands fifth in...