Josh Land

Anthony Amobi: Put any worries about Wieters on hold

April 28, 2011, 5:13am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Put any worries about Wieters on hold

Over the past few months, fans and sports pundits have wondered whether or not Matt Wieters is a bust - despite the Orioles catcher only having played in the major leagues for less than two full seasons. I remember the Friday night of his major league debut like it was yesterday. It was a warm one in June 2009 and 42,000 fans jammed Oriole Park at Camden Yards to get a glimpse of a man who could potentially become the next Baltimore legend. We all cheered wildly for the young man. The...

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Drew Kinback: An early look at Jim Riggleman's future in D.C.

April 28, 2011, 4:33am

Nationals

Drew Kinback: An early look at Jim Riggleman's future in D.C.

I peg manager Jim Riggleman as a whiskey man. I don't base this off much of anything or know if he actually partakes in the American firewater, but let's pretend a little bit. He just looks and carries himself like a whiskey man: staunch, regal, a touch of book-smart intellect mixed with barroom pugilism. A lover and a fighter. It is the sort of thing you want in a baseball manager running a team of bosky greenhorns and slightly fossilized gray-hairs. I've always imagined Riggleman walking...

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Bullpen addition Rodriguez ready to contribute

April 27, 2011, 2:38pm

Nationals

Bullpen addition Rodriguez ready to contribute

After battling right shoulder inflammation in spring training, reliever Henry Rodriguez joined the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon ready to contribute out of the bullpen. The hard throwing right-hander was acquired from Oakland for Josh Willingham back in December. Rodriguez completed a rehab assignment in Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse before being recalled by the Nationals. "Everything went well," he said of his rehab. "I feel great and now I just have to go out there and do...

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Drew Kinback: Nats' Hairston delivers a blow to logic of putting trust in veterans

April 27, 2011, 9:50am

Nationals

Drew Kinback: Nats' Hairston delivers a blow to logic of putting trust in veterans

If you watch Nationals baseball long enough, you eventually find that over time nothing really surprises you anymore. Nationals baseball is full of every strange play and freak occurrence you can probably think up and wrap your mind around. At this point I would not be surprised to see Jayson Werth drop a routine fly ball because some crocodile had slunk up from the Anacostia and run onto the field after him. I really wouldn't. I've seen it all. Until Tuesday night. In the ninth inning of...

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Dave Nichols: Nationals face daunting schedule over next two weeks

April 27, 2011, 8:33am

Nationals

The 2011 Washington Nationals have been hovering around .500 most of the season. They currently sit at 10-12 as a result of dropping five of their last six games, including Tuesday night's 6-4 loss to the New York Mets, an imminently winnable game as manager Jim Riggleman said in his press conference after the game. "A little something happen here or there and we could have won that ball game," Riggleman rationalized after the loss. That seems to be a popular sentiment. But the fact that...

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Heath Bintliff: Statistically speaking, Derrek Lee just needs some luck

April 27, 2011, 8:14am

Orioles

Heath Bintliff: Statistically speaking, Derrek Lee just needs some luck

Derrek Lee, one of the two old veterans that the Orioles signed this offseason to stabilize the lineup and inject the offense with some punch, is hitting an abysmal .222/.300/.284 thus far with only three extra-base hits. His .584 OPS is the worst among the regulars in the lineup. But fear not, I bring you good news about Lee and his apparent struggles: He's actually hitting much better than his stat line shows. Looking up his batted ball data on FanGraphs.com, Lee's Batting Average on...

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Anthony Amobi: Regardless of manager, players need to perform

April 27, 2011, 4:55am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Regardless of manager, players need to perform

It's been a tough two weeks for the Baltimore Orioles and we all know it. After a promising start to the season, there's been a lot of losing thanks to inconsistent pitching and a lack of offense. After the sweep by the Yankees this weekend, a lot of fans either on sports talk radio and various places online started to question the decisions of Orioles manager Buck Showalter. It's hard to rationalize, but there's a difference in the perception of a manager when they are either losing or...

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All-Star voting is open

April 26, 2011, 2:09pm

Nationals

We're just two weeks into the season, but online ballots for the 82nd All-Star Game are already available. Fans can only vote 25 times between now and June 30, but paper ballots will also be available at Nationals Park for 23 home games. Just how many ballots do you think you can fill out during those 23 home games? And, more importantly, who do you think deserves to head to Arizona this July to represent the Nationals?

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This Week at Nationals Park

April 26, 2011, 6:26am

Nationals

The Nationals return home to take on the Mets this week and there are plenty of fun reasons to get out to the ballpark. Fans can celebrate Earth Month on Tuesday at the interactive Coca-Cola recycling trailer outside the center field gates. You can play games, win prizes and learn more about going green. If you bring a recyclable container to trailer, you'll get a voucher good for 50% off select tickets to a future game.Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â Beginning Wednesday, make sure...

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Anthony Amobi: Remembering what made me a fan

April 26, 2011, 5:46am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Remembering what made me a fan

It's been a tough stretch for Baltimore Orioles fans over the past decade. No matter where you reside - whether it's in Maryland, Florida, California or any part of the world - it's been startling to see what has happened to the Orioles. Sadly, they have not had a winning season since Bill Clinton was president of the United States of America. Yet, despite it all, I and most of my friends who rooted for the Orioles growing up still do so today. It's obvious that the Birds have lost more...

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Drew Kinback: With Nats, there's simply no margin for error

April 26, 2011, 5:01am

Nationals

Drew Kinback: With Nats, there's simply no margin for error

It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen on a Monday night. I was reading over the standard Nationals news from the usual rogue's gallery of sources when I decided to take a break and take in something non-baseball related. I find a quick dose of tabloid entertainment, a music video off YouTube or a random news story usually cleans out the colon of your baseball mind. Man cannot survive on baseball alone - unless you are Pete Rose at a sporting memorabilia convention. Somehow, someway I...

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Drew Kinback: Nats-Pujols marriage not a far-fetched notion

April 25, 2011, 5:57am

Nationals

Drew Kinback: Nats-Pujols marriage not a far-fetched notion

In March, I got the unique opportunity to spend all month in Viera, Fla., following the Nationals during their 2011 spring training campaign. I run the online rag known as Nationals Inquisition and spring training is usually the Super Bowl of my blog. I've attended the Nationals' Viera sessions since 2007 and have seen many curious and wondrous things in the Sunshine State during this time. But on March 25, I saw something at a Nationals game that was plain inspiring. The game was one of the...

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Anthony Amobi: Amid struggles, O's still deserve fans' support

April 25, 2011, 5:15am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Amid struggles, O's still deserve fans' support

Good morning everyone, I'm Anthony Amobi and this is my first entry as a guest blogger for MASNsports.com First and foremost, I'm a hardcore Orioles fan and have been through thick and thin. It's a been rough time for us fans over the past 13 years; however, I'm an eternal optimist and believe better days are head for Orioles fans. I'm a native of the Washington, D.C., area and currently reside in Maryland. Growing up, I was introduced the Orioles as a teen and I've been a fan ever...

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Feeling fine with five

April 22, 2011, 10:20am

Orioles

When the Orioles opened the 2011 season, it was expected the offense would be greatly improved and, as a result, the team would score more runs. Even with the slow start at the plate, I still expect that will be the case. The everyday lineup has too many proven hitters with consistent track records. But the slow start does highlight the importance of how scoring five runs in a game drastically increases the O's chances to win games. Let's first look back to last season. The Orioles finished...

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Will Yoder: Stairs embraces niche to prolong productive career

April 22, 2011, 6:15am

Nationals

Will Yoder: Stairs embraces niche to prolong productive career

Sticking out like a sore thumb on the youthful Washington Nationals is 43-year-old Matt Stairs, a former All-Star turned pinch-hitting specialist who gets woken up once every 18 innings to attempt to hit a home run. It's a role he has come to embrace over the course of an incredible and arguably underappreciated 19-year-career. One of the greatest minds in baseball history, Bill James, once wrote of Stairs: "Look at it. Somebody decided he was a second baseman, he tears through the minor...

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Heath Bintliff: WAR says Guthrie rates among O's all-time best pitchers

April 21, 2011, 7:46pm

Orioles

Heath Bintliff: WAR says Guthrie rates among O's all-time best pitchers

Jeremy Guthrie turned in yet another good performance last night against the Minnesota Twins, even though he was handed the defeat. He went seven innings, gave up two runs, walked no one and struck out four. This is Guthrie's fifth season with the Orioles. Is it time to start considering him among the great Oriole hurlers of all time? It sounds like an odd question. He's not a strikeout king. His career record is 39-51. Even though he has been the staff ace by default, nobody really...

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Will Yoder: An early look at the June draft

April 21, 2011, 5:09am

Nationals

Will Yoder: An early look at the June draft

The last two seasons have been unique for the Nationals in that they have realistically had to do little to no research for their first-round pick in the June first-year player draft. They became the first team in history to have back-to-back first overall selections, and they were fortunate enough to have those picks somehow coincide with two of the most hyped pre-draft prospects of all time. As a result, in 2009 and 2010, the question was never who the Nats were going to pick, but whether or...

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Heath Bintliff: How Britton's start stacks up to other O's southpaws

April 20, 2011, 6:11pm

Orioles

Heath Bintliff: How Britton's start stacks up to other O's southpaws

Orioles rookie southpaw Zach Britton moved his record to 3-1 last night as the Orioles narrowly beat the Twins 5-4. Britton gave up three runs over his six innings, giving him three quality starts over his first four career starts. I was curious how Britton's hot start compared to other Oriole lefty starters throughout franchise history. Here's how Britton stacks up to their first four starts (or significant relief appearances, since some of these guys pitched under Earl Weaver, you...

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Charlie Sheen visits Nationals Park

April 20, 2011, 3:14pm

Nationals

Love him or hate him, Charlie Sheen performed in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and took the stage wearing a red Nationals jersey. He signed the jersey for a fan early in the show. Apparently, the controversial celebrity also stopped by Nationals Park, evidenced by this photo of Sheen with Ryan Zimmerman in the clubhouse. The photo appears on Zimmerman's Facebook page with the following caption: Ran into this guy after rehab today. I think being in the presence of his Tiger blood is already...

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Memorabilia for a good cause

April 20, 2011, 6:05am

Nationals

Carpenter's Shelter in Alexandria, Va., an organization very close to my heart, is holding its annual fundraiser now through April 29. Supporters can participate in an online auction or buy tickets to a charity cook-off on May 1 at the Birchmere in Alexandria. I mention that because one of the items in the online auction is an official autographed bat from Adam LaRoche, generously donated by the Washington Nationals. Fans can bid on the bat through this link. There are also dozens of other...