Dave Nichols: What to do about Rodriguez?

Dave Nichols: What to do about Rodriguez?
I usually use this space to delve into something that's caught my eye in the previous week of Nationals baseball. I try to examine whatever that might be using statistics, either the boxcar stats that come in the daily paper (you still read box scores, right?), or advanced stats, which really aren't all that advanced (it's still add, subtract, multiply and divide, just using some concepts you might not have thought about too much). But this week, I'm going to forget the statistics and...

Rachel Levitin: Regional rivalries add life to NatsTown

Rachel Levitin: Regional rivalries add life to NatsTown
The argument can be made that Tuesday night's 5-2 conquest of the division rival Philadelphia Phillies, solidified by a two-RBI triple off the bat of Bryce Harper, was one of the most enjoyable for Nationals fans so far this season. The Nationals have beaten the Phillies six straight time, the first time in a 43-year franchise history that the Expos/Nationals have done so. The same argument can be made for Washington's 9-3 win on Sunday versus the regional rival Baltimore Orioles in which...

Neal Shaffer: Tell the truth: Do you want Brian Roberts back?

Neal Shaffer: Tell the truth: Do you want Brian Roberts back?
Brian Roberts is a great Oriole. This much is beyond dispute. Great on the field, obviously, but as importantly, he's been a great presence on the team. Excepting the one obvious blemish on his record (and we don't need to go deep into that, right?) he's basically been a model player. Good in the community, by all accounts good in the clubhouse and seemingly just a good guy. Can't ask for much more than that. The great lament of his career is that he spent his prime on some of the worst...

Nationals reinstate right-hander Chien-Ming Wang from DL, place right-hander Ryan Mattheus on DL

Nationals reinstate right-hander Chien-Ming Wang from DL, place right-hander Ryan Mattheus on DL
The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang from the 15-Day Disabled List and placed right-handed pitcher Ryan Mattheus on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to May 21, with a plantar fascia strain (left foot). Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Wang missed the Nationals' first 42 games, after suffering a strained left hamstring during his final Spring...

Will Yoder: Only a teen, Harper hitting in some elite company

Will Yoder: Only a teen, Harper hitting in some elite company
Given the debut strategy taken with Stephen Strasburg in 2010, not many people thought going into this year that 19-year-old Bryce Harper would end playing at least 100 games in 2012. Now, barring injury, it seems almost a lock that the club's starting outfielder will surpass that mark, making him just the 18th player in Major League Baseball history to play 100 or more games as a teenager. Among those 18 players, Harper is currently on pace to have one of the best seasons ever. Below I've...

Heath Bintliff: MacPhail's trades shaped this winner

Heath Bintliff: MacPhail's trades shaped this winner
The Orioles are winning and new executive vice president Dan Duquette and his team are getting their fair share of credit for restoring some hope to a moribund franchise. They surely deserve it, as they were directly responsible for bringing starting pitchers Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen to Baltimore, as well as relievers Matt Lindstrom and Luis Ayala, who have helped to anchor a rejuvenated bullpen. But Duquette did not have to blow up this team to achieve this early-season success. Former...

Ted Leavengood: Another kind of Parkway series imagined

Ted Leavengood: Another kind of Parkway series imagined
Watching the Orioles-Nationals series play out over such a gorgeous weekend, with so much fine young talent on both sides of the diamond, it was hard not to project into it something more than just another interleague squabble. With Baltimore sitting comfortably atop the American League East and Washington still within hailing distance of the top of the National League East, well, sweet dreams are made of this. On Sunday afternoon, it looked at first as if the Orioles might be the only real...

Olivia Witherite: The not-so-hot corner

Olivia Witherite: The not-so-hot corner
With great wins and exciting baseball, it may seem easy for many to focus on the positives. However, the other day I received a tweet that asked what was going wrong with the Orioles' defense. The Battle of the Beltways behind them, the Orioles have emerged from the weekend tied with the Dodgers for the most wins in baseball. The Birds also lead the majors in home runs with 64. However, there is one glaring statistic that the Orioles should not be so proud of: leading the league in errors...

Ryan Zimmerman to host third annual "A Night At The Park"

Ryan Zimmerman to host third annual "A Night At The Park"
Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will once again host "A Night at the Park" on Thursday, June 14 at Nationals Park. The third annual event will feature a special performance by the alternative rock band Guster as well as silent and live auctions. Proceeds from the event will benefit the ziMS Foundation, which is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. For more information, please visit anightatthepark.com.

Marty Niland: Harper's shot harkens back to another phenom's first homer

Marty  Niland: Harper's shot harkens back to another phenom's first homer
At 19 years, 211 days old, Bryce Harper wasn't even old enough to buy a beer to celebrate his first major league home run this week. The more than 400-foot blast off San Diego's Tim Stauffer, in Harper's 15th major league game and 54th at-bat, not only added to his lore but evoked memories of another vaunted prospect's first homer, almost 41 years earlier. Like Harper, Jeff Burroughs was the first overall pick in the amateur draft when the Washington Senators selected him in 1969. And like...

Matthew Taylor: There's something in the air on Eutaw Street

Matthew Taylor: There's something in the air on Eutaw Street
Of course you know that the Orioles are playing well above average so far during the 2012 season. But did you notice that it's been an above-average season for Eutaw Street home runs, as well? Batters have hit an average of three Eutaw Street home runs per season since Camden Yards opened in 1992; four such homers have already been hit this year. Eric Thames of the Blue Jays got things started on April 24. He was followed just four days later by the Orioles' Chris Davis on April 28. Thanks...

MedStar Health to host youth baseball clinic

MedStar Health to host youth baseball clinic
We all enjoy watching the Nationals, particularly during this hot start to the 2012 season. But from the superstars like Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg, down to the 25th man on the roster, every player started their journey as a young boy, molding their talents and honing their skills in recreation leagues. For every major league player, rec league is where it all began, reminding fans that while it's fun to root for our favorite team in the majors, there wouldn't be professional...

Anthony Amobi: O's are winning, but where are the fans?

Anthony Amobi: O's are winning, but where are the fans?
The Orioles are fast approaching the quarter-pole of the 2012 season, and I'm sure many fans are asking themselves these questions: Are the Orioles for real? Can they keep this up? Or are they pulling the wool over our eyes, and will the team that we've seen for the last 14 years make an appearance? Right now, I'd say they are for real. I am still having a hard time believing it. The Orioles are winning games that would not have won in the past, plus they are getting excellent starting...

Dave Nichols: Is there reason to be concerned about Tyler Clippard's performance?

Dave Nichols: Is there reason to be concerned about Tyler Clippard's performance?
So far this season, a lot of things have gone right for the Nationals. The starting pitching has been phenomenal. The relievers, for the most part, have been very strong, as well, despite missing their two best closer options to injury most of the season. And the hitting - well, it looks like it might be coming around. Actually, they've been pretty good all season getting runners on base; it's been getting 'em in that's been the problem most nights. As the weather starts to heat up though,...

Rachel Levitin: What if the Nats lost a starting pitcher to injury?

Rachel Levitin: What if the Nats lost a starting pitcher to injury?
What would happen if a member of the Nationals' starting rotation were to suffer an injury? What would happen if there's more than one man down over the course of the season? I'm not saying such a tragedy is inevitable nor am I saying it will happen, but it's a definite "what if" that should be thrown into the season-long equation as a safety measure. The starting staff remains the sole portion of the Nats' lineup that hasn't seen a harsh blow thrown its way in the form of a trip to...

Neal Shaffer: The top six players who define the losing era

Neal Shaffer: The top six players who define the losing era
Last week we took a look at the top five players of the losing era. Meaning exactly what it says - the five best. It was a fun list to make, but the more illuminating exercise (and possibly more depressing) is to think about the top five players who define the losing era. By which I mean, if you had to sum up years of futility, which players would you use to do it? We have way more candidates here than we had for the first list, and as a result, it is a far more difficult proposition. Where...

Joe Drugan: Cruel and unusual punishment

Joe Drugan: Cruel and unusual punishment
The Nationals are dealing with lots of injuries. I mean, lots and lots of injuries. If you look at the list of Nats players that are down and out, it would be comical if it weren't so brutally sad and frustrating. Let's remind ourselves of these injuries, consider how ridiculous it is that the team is somehow still 22-13 and evaluate the biggest need for the team. Wilson Ramos, Sandy Leon: This is quickly becoming the biggest storyline for the Nats. Catchers are always a commodity for a...

Heath Bintliff: A series of fortunate events

Heath Bintliff: A series of fortunate events
Back during the early days of Dempsey's Army, I used to write a preseason series of posts with the loose theme, "How the Orioles Can Win the East." In that series, I would lay out five things that would have to go right for Baltimore and, conversely, five things that would have to go wrong for each of our division rivals. The series was half tongue-in-cheek and I eventually scrapped it because people were taking it too seriously. But the underlying point remains true, at least I think so....

Ted Leavengood: Guts and artistry

Ted Leavengood: Guts and artistry
Beneath the frustrating 9-6 loss to Joey Votto and the Reds, beneath the implosion of Henry Rodriguez, there were glimpses in Cincinnati of the team the Nationals are becoming. The weather Sunday was miserable thing and losing when the team scores six runs was a bitter blow, one that knocked Washington out of first place for the first time since the earliest days of the season. But it was a gutsy performance nonetheless after the bitter loss of Wilson Ramos on Saturday to come back and jump on...

Olivia Witherite: Stats define rise, but guarantee little

Olivia Witherite: Stats define rise, but guarantee little
It's mid-May, and the Orioles are 22-13 and have a 12-6 record against the American League East. What a beautiful sentence. As a pessimist, the part of the sentence that pops out immediately to me is "mid-May." I will never be the first to say that Team X is "for real" or that Team Y has a great shot for a pennant this season until I can declare so with certainty. Call me superstitious. However, to me, the Orioles carry more weight than any other team, and as a fan, I have to admit...