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Ted Leavengood: On NL mounds, youth being served

July 02, 2013, 6:32am

Watching Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler pitch for the New York Mets this past weekend, one has to be concerned about the quality arms that are sprouting like weeds around the National League. The Nationals still have the best threesome of starting pitchers in the NL, but the performance gap is narrowing. The Nationals avoided Jeff Locke in their first series against the Pirates, but he is right behind Harvey in the ERA race. Harvey leads all NL pitchers so far in 2013 with a 2.00 ERA to Locke's...

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Domenic Vadala: What prime time meant to Orioles, Baltimore

July 01, 2013, 5:12am

Orioles

If you attended either last night's game against the Yankees, or Saturday night's game, you probably didn't see any noticeable difference between that game and any other run-of-the-mill Orioles game. However, to anyone that watched either or both of those games on television, the difference was more than palpable. On Saturday night, the Orioles were televised nationally by FOX, and last night they were televised nationally on "ESPN Sunday Night Baseball." We're obsessed with the concept...

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Marty Niland: At the midpoint, a mid-season Nationals report card

July 01, 2013, 5:01am

Nationals

The halfway point of the season is an ideal time to take stock of what the Nationals have accomplished so far and what they need to improve. Here are the grades so far: Starting Pitching: B-plus. Jordan Zimmermann (11-3, 2.28 ERA) is the main reason the Nats are still in contention in the National League East. He has accounted for 11 of their 41 wins and only 29 of their 283 earned runs. He is unbeatable (8-0, 1.09 ERA) at home and has given up more than three earned runs only twice this...

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Matthew Taylor: Plenty of reason to stay alert on Eutaw Street this year

June 28, 2013, 4:18am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Plenty of reason to stay alert on Eutaw Street this year

It continues to be a busy time on Eutaw Street. After the 2012 season produced a record nine Eutaw Street home runs, the Indians' Lonnie Chisenhall hit the fourth such home run of the 2013 season Thursday night. His blast was the 70th home run to reach Eutaw Street since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992. There have only been five seasons when batters reached Eutaw Street more than four times - 1996 (seven), 1999 (five), 2008 (eight), 2011 (five) and 2012 (nine). This could be the...

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Dave Nichols: Fifth spot in rotation a headache for Nationals

June 26, 2013, 11:46am

Nationals

In no uncertain terms, Dan Haren has been an unmitigated flop for the Nationals this season. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander, signed to a one-year, $13 million contract over the offseason, has shown moments of competency, as in his four-hit, one-run win over Atlanta on May 2. But more often than not, he's been pounded by opposing batters, having lost his last six decisions. The Nats have not won a game he's started in his last eight starts. The move to officially place Haren on the...

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David Huzzard: For Nationals, winning streak is inevitable

June 26, 2013, 5:27am

Nationals

The Nationals are going to go on a run. Every team gets at least one. The Houston Astros this season have an eight-game winning streak. The 2009 Nationals twice had a winning streak of at least eight games. In baseball, every team gets hot at least once during the season. Every team gets to enjoy at least one long winning streak. The key for the Nationals is to stay around .500 until it comes, and it may be coming sooner than people think. Talk to people about any baseball team and they will...

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Neal Shaffer: A few thoughts on the win-now mentality

June 26, 2013, 5:13am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: A few thoughts on the win-now mentality

Not that we necessarily needed proof, but last weekend's series against the Blue Jays served as a stark reminder to O's fans (and possibly to the Orioles themselves) that the American League East is very, very strong. Strong enough, indeed, that the O's could finish solidly above .500 - win, say, 90 games - and still miss the playoffs. What to do? Truthfully, a case can be made for making a hard push. For cobbling together some kind of trade package and swinging for a win-now move. I have...

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Zach Wilt: The lucky Orioles a year later

June 25, 2013, 5:25am

Orioles

A season ago, baseball pundits cited smoke and mirrors and luck as the reasons the Orioles were competing atop the American League East and in the hunt for their first spot in the postseason since 1997. These same experts reported that the O's would fall back to earth and that their record was unsustainable due to their historic success in extra innings and games decided by one run. With nearly the same roster and in an even more improved AL East, the Orioles have continued their winning...

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Ted Leavengood: The ugly downside of the nouveau riche

June 25, 2013, 5:40am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: The ugly downside of the nouveau riche

The Nationals front office wants to do something about the mess the team finds itself in. But where do they turn? Tom Boswell on Monday made the case that the Nationals have joined the club of elite teams with money enough to buy their way out of the jam. Washington has been a huge untapped media market for decades and one lonely winning season is all it took to bring baseball fans out of the woodwork in D.C. Average attendance in D.C .is almost 34,000 per game. Fans are coming out because...

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Domenic Vadala: Instead of suspicion, Davis deserves benefit of doubt

June 23, 2013, 1:51pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Instead of suspicion, Davis deserves benefit of doubt

There were a few things that were said last week that kind of bugged me. Chris Davis hit home runs last Sunday against Boston, and then again Monday and Wednesday (twice) at Detroit, and in Toronto on Friday. He currently leads the majors with 27 homers. But many fans, and even some people who follow the Orioles, don't want to let a certain matter rest. Whenever a big league slugger breaks out, the PED argument always seems to come up. On June 16, someone tweeted, "I would love to see Chris...

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Matthew Taylor: Approaching club record, no double trouble for Machado

June 21, 2013, 6:17am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Approaching club record, no double trouble for Machado

One of the nice things about great individual performances are that they bring attention to past player accomplishments. Such is the case with Manny Machado and Brian Roberts. Machado hit his major league-leading 33rd double of the season this week, which tied Roberts' Orioles record for most doubles prior to an All-Star Game. Machado is likely to break that 2008 mark as soon as this weekend and has Roberts' single-season franchise record for doubles in his sights. After setting an Orioles...

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Anthony Amobi: Orioles flying high and in control of their destiny

June 20, 2013, 7:14am

Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been on quite a run this week, taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers and before that, taking three of four from the rival Boston Red Sox. In the offseason, a lot of experts doubted that the Orioles could repeat what they did in 2012 this season. So far, they have proven the naysayers wrong. As of this morning, 73 games into the 2013 season, the Orioles are 11 games over .500 and their record stands at 42-31. Baltimore trails Boston in the American League East...

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Rachel Levitin: Desmond solidifying his status as Nats' leader

June 20, 2013, 5:08am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Desmond solidifying his status as Nats' leader

In the early days of his career with the Nationals, shortstop Ian Desmond racked up more errors than web gems. Presently, he's solidifying himself as a leader in the Nats clubhouse. It's a role that seems to suit him now that he's growing into himself as a player and maturing as an adult. With the heart of the Washington batting order not doing its job on a consistent basis and the Nats struggling to find a stream of positive momentum, Desmond is leading this team. Fresh off an 11th-inning...

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Neal Shaffer: All-Star voting indicates O's gaining national prominence

June 19, 2013, 6:05am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: All-Star voting indicates O's gaining national prominence

Of all of the positive developments we've witnessed in Birdland over the past 18 months or so, the best one (outside of the playoffs) might be this year's All-Star voting results. As of Monday, four Orioles - Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Chris Davis, and J.J. Hardy - were in position to start the All-Star Game. Not just make the team. Start. One more player - Manny Machado - is a near lock to be selected even if he isn't voted a starter (he's currently second behind Miguel Cabrera at third...

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David Huzzard: No surprise contributions a problem for Nats

June 19, 2013, 4:55am

Nationals

David Huzzard: No surprise contributions a problem for Nats

Of the Nationals' current healthy lineup, only Ian Desmond is performing above his career average OPS of .744 at .791, and Ryan Zimmerman is the only Nat with an OPS over .800 at .808. Everyone else is either on the disabled list or underperforming their career averages, some to a comical degree. One of the largest problems with the Nationals is that their best player is currently on the DL and with no timetable for the return of Bryce Harper, the rapid descent into the depth of the NL...

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Ted Leavengood: It's going to be a long and bumpy ride

June 18, 2013, 5:49am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: It's going to be a long and bumpy ride

Chad Tracy could be a poster child for this season. He has been down so long, that any kind of up looks awfully good. One wonders if the high expectations for a team still lost in the desert, are weighing this whole enterprise down. Would that Tracy home run have been enough last season? Tracy took out Jonathan Papelbon, which is no mean feat. It was Papelbon's first blown save of the season. But only scoring two runs against John Lannan, that is a mean feat. It is hard to watch Lannan...

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Zach Wilt: I'd rather not see Chris Davis in the Home Run Derby

June 18, 2013, 5:25am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: I'd rather not see Chris Davis in the Home Run Derby

We've seen Chris Davis hit home runs with a broken bat and with one hand. He's pulled them over the right field wall and flicked them the opposite way. He's launched towering fly balls out of the yard and hit screaming line drives just over the top of outfield fences. We've seen 101 home runs come off Davis' bat in his six years in the big leagues and they have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Baseball's league leader in the longball category has obviously been a topic of...

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Marty Niland: "Can't anybody here play this game?"

June 17, 2013, 5:09am

Nationals

Marty Niland: "Can't anybody here play this game?"

As the Nationals struggled again to bring runners home in their 2-0 loss in Cleveland on Sunday, their fans must have been fuming. With apologies to Casey Stengel, or whoever initiated the quote that became the title of Jimmy Breslin's book chronicling the 1962 Mets, the question, "Can't anybody here play this game?" comes to mind. Eleven times, Washington hitters came to bat with at least one runner in scoring position, and eleven times, they failed to get the runner home. Four of...

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Domenic Vadala: Are Orioles the best team in AL East?

June 17, 2013, 5:25am

Orioles

I spoke last night with a friend of mine who's one of these people who takes and analyzes everything literally. I might also throw in that this guy is not in any way, shape or form, a baseball person. His opinion of baseball is that the pitcher throws, and the batter hits and runs. According to him it's that simple. Luckily we all know better. In fairness, when this person mentioned that he watched yesterday's series finale with Boston, he said that he was impressed with the Orioles. I...

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Anthony Amobi: Can Strop figure it out?

June 14, 2013, 6:00am

Orioles

Wednesday afternoon was a case study in frustration if you are an Orioles fan. The Orioles faced the Los Angeles Angels and were hoping a series sweep. Despite their talent level, the Angels have been lackluster this season, but they took advantage a Baltimore pitcher during the top of the seventh inning. The pitcher on the mound for the Orioles: Pedro Strop. That name has caused fans to react with occasional outbursts of anger all season long. When Strop came into the game, the Orioles...