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Zach Wilt: How they're pitching to Matt Wieters

July 23, 2013, 4:45am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: How they're pitching to Matt Wieters

A few days' rest seems to have gone a long way for Matt Wieters. The Orioles catcher entered the All-Star break having hit .232/.291/.408 in 88 games played in the "first half" of the season. Since the All-Star break, Wieters is 8-for-17 with two walks, two strikeouts a run scored and two RBIs. Last season, we saw a similar trend from Wieters, who hit .247/.327/.431 in the first half and .251/.331/.440 after the break. Part of Wieters' struggles this season have been his declining numbers...

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Rachel Levitin: Time to light a fire under Nationals

July 25, 2013, 5:29am

Nationals

Every weekend from April through the end of July, I play softball in a co-ed league in Glover Park, and every weekend between those months, the Nationals comes up in conversation. It's the usual fare of "Were you at that game?" or "Did you see that play?" But last weekend, my first base coach shared a thought with me that I hadn't considered yet this season: The Nationals aren't getting angry enough about the fact that they're on a legitimate skid right now. After wasting yet another...

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David Huzzard: For Rizzo, deadline is no time to panic

July 24, 2013, 5:03am

Nationals

David Huzzard: For Rizzo, deadline is no time to panic

With the Nats having not won a game after the All-Star break and in the midst of a 2-10 stretch, there are many looking at the Nationals as sellers. The only problem is the Nats don't have a lot to sell, and that isn't because they don't have talent. Any contending team would love to have Jordan Zimmermann, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez or Ian Desmond. The only issue is that they are integral to the Nats' success going forward. The core pieces of the roster...

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Ted Leavengood: Nats need to find a straw to stir the drink

July 23, 2013, 4:32am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Nats need to find a straw to stir the drink

Reggie Jackson famously described his presence on the Yankees and other teams as "the straw that stirs the drink." In his 1984 autobiography, he said, "if the other ingredients were there ... if the mix was just about right, I could make the difference." The Washington Nationals desperately need that kind of presence in their lineup. It has been showing all along, but Davey Johnson kept saying that when everyone was healthy, everything would be OK. Everyone is healthy, the mix is about...

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Dave Nichols: Nationals have 10 days to decide whether or not they're contenders

July 22, 2013, 5:11am

Nationals

The Nationals were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in their first series back from the All-Star break, losing close ballgames Friday and Saturday, while having their lunch handed to them Sunday, with Jordan Zimmermann getting rocked for seven earned runs in two innings. It's the stuff of nightmares for a team that needs to win just about every series from here on out to remain relevant in the standings. Forget about the playoffs for a moment. The Nats, at 48-50, sit in third place in the...

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Domenic Vadala: Trade options for the Orioles

July 22, 2013, 5:00am

Orioles

First off, it's really good to be back in the states! I always have a great time when I return to visit my relatives and my grandparents' house in Italy, but there's no place like home. Other countries have many things that they can offer to us, as well as us to them - not the least among them is the great sport of baseball! Now that the All-Star break is behind us, the next big hurdle in the season is the non-waiver trade deadline next Wednesday. I'm sure that many writers will feverishly...

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Marty Niland: Home cooking will be crucial to Nats' stretch run

July 15, 2013, 6:28am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Home cooking will be crucial to Nats' stretch run

Even after Sunday's 5-2 extra-inning win over the Marlins, it's hard to describe the Nationals as doing anything but limping into the All-Star break with a 48-47 record. However, the Nats still have a chance to take advantage of a post-break schedule that's loaded with home games, division opponents - and for the most part - kinder, gentler road trips. After starting July with a 5-2 homestand in which the offense finally seemed to be getting in gear, last week's disastrous 2-5 swing...

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Matthew Taylor: Machado, McLouth and the O's defensive renaissance

July 12, 2013, 5:29am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Machado, McLouth and the O's defensive renaissance

Manny Machado hasn't even completed his first full season in the majors, and it's already difficult to discern which of his defensive efforts qualifies as "the play." Until Sunday, it was the pump-fake-to-first-throw-to-third showing against the Rays from last season; then he went gunning down the Yankees' Luis Cruz last week on an off-balance throw from foul territory to one-up himself. Manny does more than doubles. Machado's efforts are part of an overall defensive renaissance in...

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Anthony Amobi: Davis, chatter about PEDs and fairness

July 11, 2013, 7:36am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Davis, chatter about PEDs and fairness

We all as fans know that Chris Davis is having a season for the ages. This weekend, while driving around the Baltimore area in my SUV and driving to the Washington area, I flipped one of the prominent sports talk radio stations in the area. The talk on that station centered on the Orioles' poor road trip to Chicago and New York, plus Davis. However, the talk on the muscular first baseman was not all positive. Almost every other call I heard on the station centered on whether or not Davis...

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Rachel Levitin: Harper's All-Star turn shouldn't obscure spotlight on Zimmermann

July 11, 2013, 7:06am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Harper's All-Star turn shouldn't obscure spotlight on Zimmermann

A lot of the All-Star Game chatter concerning the Nationals this year will be focused on Bryce Harper - and for good reason. It makes sense given the context of the scenario, his age, and the debate of whether or not he should be hitting in the Home Run Derby. But all of that aside, I think people need to shine a little more light on Jordan Zimmermann's first game as an All-Star. He's bounced back from Tommy John surgery and could be a No. 1 starter on a majority of teams in Major League...

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David Huzzard: How the Nationals can play catch-up

July 10, 2013, 4:48am

Nationals

Coming off of a four-game winning streak the Nationals have dropped the first two in a four-game series to Philadelphia and there is nothing to worry about. But because it is D.C., people are going to worry. After this weekend, the Nationals suddenly found themselves only four games back from the Braves in the division, after the Braves lost two of three to the Phillies, and the Nationals swept the Padres. But then the Nationals played the Phillies while the Braves played the Marlins, and now...

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Zach Wilt: Advanced metrics, Adam Jones and plate discipline

July 09, 2013, 5:58am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Advanced metrics, Adam Jones and plate discipline

June wasn't kind to Adam Jones. The Orioles centerfielder hit just .237/.248/.386 with four home runs and 20 RBIs after hitting .311/.344/.546 in May and .327/.350/.522 in April. Jones' batting average dipped from .319 on May 31 to .292 on June 30. On July 4, Jones did something at the plate that he hadn't done in 45 games: He drew a walk. The coverage of Jones' walk-less streak combined with his declining numbers led to much debate about his plate discipline this season. I took a look at...

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Ted Leavengood: A closer look at the Lannan-Haren fight

July 09, 2013, 5:44am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: A closer look at the Lannan-Haren fight

In one corner, there was the champ - or at least the one who was supposed to make the Nationals World Series contenders. Dan Haren stood there weighing in at a cool $13 million. In the other corner was John Lannan - dispatched twice last season by general manager Mike Rizzo as a pretender - weighing in at a paltry $2.5 million. Rarely does a personnel decision get such a head-to-head comparison. But Rizzo fired Lannan to begin the 2012 season. He cut him from the team and then did not offer...

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Domenic Vadala: From Italy, thoughts on the O's and the All-Star Game

July 08, 2013, 6:03am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: From Italy, thoughts on the O's and the All-Star Game

First things first: Greetings to all MASN viewers and MASNsports.com readers from sunny Italy! Like most people from the mid-Atlantic region, Orioles baseball goes hand-in-hand for me with vacation. Two weeks ago, I was out at the Delaware shore for the weekend and I could very easily pick up the Ocean City station that carries the O's, so I sat on the beach and listened to the games all weekend. However, coming back to my parents' house in the Italian region of Sicily (where my roots are)...

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Marty Niland: With All-Star start, Harper joins elite company

July 08, 2013, 5:09am

Nationals

Marty Niland: With All-Star start, Harper joins elite company

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper made history last season when he became the youngest position player selected to the All-Star Game at the age of 19, and he's doing it again with his second appearance at 20. Not only will Harper be the youngest position player ever to start for the National League, he is also the first National to be selected to the team twice. Ian Desmond, who was named last year but missed the game with an oblique strain, can join him in that distinction if he wins the...

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Matthew Taylor: Statistically speaking, Davis stacks up with O's All-Star first basemen

July 05, 2013, 4:50am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Statistically speaking, Davis stacks up with O's All-Star first basemen

Chris Davis is in the midst of an historic offensive season that is likely to rank among the greatest in team history. However, the season's not complete. So as we head toward the All-Star Game, I chose to look at what Davis has done thus far and compare his numbers to those of all of the Orioles' previous All-Star first baseman prior to the break. As you might guess, Davis' first-half totals stack up favorably with his O's competition through the years. He has had the best first-half...

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Rachel Levitin: Continuing my Fourth of July tradition at Nats Park

July 04, 2013, 7:28am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Continuing my Fourth of July tradition at Nats Park

Happy Fourth of July from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.! It wasn't always the case, but attending baseball games at Nats Park on Independence Day has become a tradition of mine. While I've lived in the District since 2005, I've been able to watch the Nationals as they've developed since their inception. It's been a staple of my summers. Just as being at Nats Park to watch baseball in the nation's capital on the day in which we celebrate our country's birth, heading down to the...

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Anthony Amobi: The acquisition of Scott Feldman will help the Orioles

July 04, 2013, 7:06am

Orioles

This week, the Baltimore Orioles got an early start on the trade deadline period and did not wait until late July to make a deal. Despite their 48-37 record as of this morning, the Orioles - as most know - have a need for starting pitching, like most teams. They rank 29th in the majors with a 4.41 ERA and obviously if the Orioles want to make a run for the postseason, the pitching situation must improve. The Orioles got some much-needed pitching help as they acquired right-hander Scott...

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David Huzzard: Too early to judge impact of Harper's return

July 03, 2013, 5:25am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Too early to judge impact of Harper's return

Baseball is not a momentum sport. Score 13 one night, 10 the next and then get shut out. The only thing predictable about baseball is that on any given night it is unpredictable. The best player on the team will go 0-for-4, while a fill-in scrub has a career night, and all of this is why no one analyzing the game puts any merit into what happens in one night, one week or even one month. For three months now, the Nationals have hovered around .500. They struggled in April because Adam LaRoche,...

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Neal Shaffer: Potential, energy and a win-win trade

July 03, 2013, 5:12am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Potential, energy and a win-win trade

Dan Duquette's successes as Orioles general manager (or whatever his title) have, for me, been a surprise from the jump. And, apparently, he's nowhere near finished surprising. In last week's guest blog, I talked about how there was no need for the Orioles to swing a win-now move. The thinking was that the depth-plus-progress model that has so far been the mark of his tenure is working just fine. What I didn't recognize (shame on me) was a strong middle option. Find an off-the-radar guy...