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Zach Wilt: For starters, O's have options to replace Arrieta

April 22, 2013, 6:36pm

Orioles

Zach Wilt: For starters, O's have options to replace Arrieta

Yesterday, the Orioles sent Jake Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk after his disappointing start against the Dodgers. Personally, I'm optimistic about Arrieta, as he's a hard-throwing righty who has movement on his pitches and has shown dominance at times when he commands his pitches. The Orioles believe he has the stuff to help them down the road and think his emotions are what affects his mechanics. For now, the O's will replace Arrieta with relief pitcher Alex Burnett. They'll need to add...

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Ted Leavengood: DÃƒÂ©jÃƒÂ vu all over again

April 22, 2013, 6:46pm

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: DÃƒÂ©jÃƒÂ vu all over again

There was something eerie watching Drew Storen work a perfect eighth inning against the Cardinals last night. More uncanny is the similarity of Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL on both April 20, 2012 and April 21, 2013. Zimmerman was hitting a lusty .224 with a single home run and seven RBIs last year and fast forward to Sunday, and Zimmerman is hitting .226 with a single homer. Last year, Bryce Harper was summoned just a week later. He was well ahead of schedule and started slow. But he caught...

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Marty Niland: Keep expectations realistic for Anthony Rendon

April 22, 2013, 5:28am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Keep expectations realistic for Anthony Rendon

Welcome to the big leagues, Anthony Rendon. Making his major league debut Sunday against the New York Mets, the Nationals' 2011 first-round draft pick went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, including one to end a 2-0 loss. He made a nice foul catch in the first inning, but like the rest of the Washington offense, never got comfortable at the plate against Mets starter Dillon Gee. That might seem disappointing, but it's probably typical for a rookie who has fewer than 60 games of minor...

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Domenic Vadala: O's starters need to stop nibbling to go deeper

April 22, 2013, 5:14am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: O's starters need to stop nibbling to go deeper

Through the first couple weeks of the regular season, we've consistently heard about how Orioles starters need to go deeper into games. Obviously, it goes without saying that it's not quite as simple in practice as it is to talk about. The first question that should be asked is: Why aren't the starters going deeper? If you look at the anatomy of the games, one thing that stands out at me is that the starters aren't attacking the strike zone as early and as often. They're trying to nibble...

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Patrick Reddington: Facing Stephen Strasburg

April 19, 2013, 6:17am

Nationals

Patrick Reddington: Facing Stephen Strasburg

Then-27-year-old 2001 first-round pick Gavin Floyd downplayed the significance of facing a then-21-year-old Stephen Strasburg when the two first-round picks met for the first time during the Nats' 2009 No. 1 overall selection's rookie campaign in 2010. "It's the last thing you need to worry about, is the opposing pitcher," Floyd told MLB.com before the game in the nation's capital, "You're facing their lineup, not the opposing pitcher." The match-up brought the best out of the White...

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Matthew Taylor: Planning a visit to the site of a Camden Yards milestone

April 19, 2013, 5:48am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Planning a visit to the site of a Camden Yards milestone

As a fan of Orioles history, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Camden Yards on Saturday night to hear Hall of Famers Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, and others celebrate the baseball life of the late Earl of Baltimore. At some point during the evening, I'll amble out beyond the bullpens and pay my respects at Earl Weaver's statue. I imagine it will be a popular stop for O's fans that evening. I have a second, less popular ballpark locale in mind to visit...

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Rachel Levitin: Racing Presidents bring something extra to Nats' fan culture

April 18, 2013, 5:17am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Racing Presidents bring something extra to Nats' fan culture

Last Friday night, I found myself surrounded by native Chicagoans and fellow D.C. transplants at a bar near Union Station when a group of Braves fans walked in. I hadn't been able to watch the Nats-Braves game that night and didn't check my iPhone for any scores, so I decided to do the easy thing and ask those Braves fans, "Who won the game?" They cheerfully obliged my question by saying, "The Braves," with a smile on their faces. My group grabbed a table by a few folks donning Nationals...

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David Huzzard: For starters, Nats battling tougher early schedule in 2013

April 17, 2013, 4:52am

Nationals

David Huzzard: For starters, Nats battling tougher early schedule in 2013

Through 14 games last season, the Nationals were 10-4 coming off an 11-4 loss to the Houston Astros in their 14th game of the season. It was a hot start - and an important one, as the Phillies were missing key pieces, the Marlins weren't playing up to expectations and the Braves were missing Tim Hudson. The Nats' hot start catapulted them into a division lead they would only relinquish once during the rest of the season. It was an impressive start, but it came against the eventual 101-loss...

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Neal Shaffer: Confidence colors perspective as 2013 unfolds

April 17, 2013, 4:35am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Confidence colors perspective as 2013 unfolds

Last Friday night, Adam Jones dropped an easy fly ball. He dropped that fly ball and it basically cost the Orioles a game against the hated Yankees. How did you feel when it happened? Did you think, "So it goes. Errors are part of the game, even for a player as good as Jones." Or did you find a more sinister angle? Did you think, "Why did he have to blow a bubble? Doesn't he know we need every out we can get? We can't afford to make mistakes like that!" It's not that these are the only...

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Ted Leavengood: Dark cloud removed, could Zimmermann earn "Smiley" nickname?

April 16, 2013, 5:03am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Dark cloud removed, could Zimmermann earn "Smiley" nickname?

Baseball has a way of evening out the numbers over time. For the past few seasons, Jordan Zimmermann has been known as a hard-luck pitcher, the kind who cannot buy a run when he needs it, whose run support every time he takes the mound seems to be wanting. Or at least that is the way it used to be. In 2011, he was the best pitcher in the Washington rotation with an ERA of 3.18, but he had a losing record, only eight wins against 11 defeats. His 2012 statistics suggest a pitcher who should...

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Zach Wilt: Pitching low more important than higher velocity for Hunter

April 16, 2013, 4:49am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Pitching low more important than higher velocity for Hunter

After struggling as a starting pitcher last season, the Orioles moved Tommy Hunter to the bullpen where he proved to be a successful, power right-handed reliever. Hunter appeared in 13 games in relief in 2012, pitching 17 innings with a 3.71 ERA and impressive 4.00 K/BB ratio. He also showed the Orioles that, in small doses, he could crank up his velocity to triple digits. Hunter is back in the bullpen this season and he brought his velocity with him. In four appearances in 2013, he's peaked...

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Marty Niland: Three reasons not to hit the panic button

April 15, 2013, 4:58am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Three reasons not to hit the panic button

It's hard to blame Nationals fans for feeling down after last weekend's three-game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. After a big buildup to a supposed early season showdown between the top teams in the National League East - if not the entire NL - the Nats fell flat. Almost every aspect of the game was a disappointment at some point in the series, from Ryan Zimmerman's crucial throwing errors in Friday and Saturday's losses to the bullpen on Friday to the starting pitching and...

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Domenic Vadala: In assuming responsibility for error, Jones sets an example

April 15, 2013, 4:44am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: In assuming responsibility for error, Jones sets an example

We all saw the three-run error committed by Adam Jones in Friday's game at Yankee Stadium. I hesitate to say that it cost the Orioles the game, given that there are so many other aspects to any game than just one play, but I digress. Afterward, Jones did something that should make people stand up and take notice: He took accountability. There were several comments that came out of Jones, however the gist of all of them were, "My bad." It goes without saying that accepting accountability...

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Matthew Taylor: Of Davis and comparisons to beefy left-handed bashers

April 12, 2013, 5:21am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Of Davis and comparisons to beefy left-handed bashers

On April 5, with Chris Davis having hit four home runs in four games, MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons commented on Twitter about the Orioles' 2011 acquisition of the lefty slugger and remarked, "Now Davis is Boog." Boog, of course, is Boog Powell. And Gammons, of course, was engaging in a bit of hyperbole. Chris Davis is no Boog Powell. Nevertheless, a player like Davis, built the way he is and performing the way he has to start the season, invites historical comparisons, and Powell is...

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Patrick Reddington: An early test for a strengthened strength

April 12, 2013, 5:46am

Nationals

Patrick Reddington: An early test for a strengthened strength

The signing of Rafael Soriano came as a surprise to most, including Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore explored the possibility before the two-year, $28 million deal with the veteran reliever was announced, but the baseball world at large was caught off guard by the defending NL East champions' decision to strengthen a strength and add another closer to an already strong bullpen that had helped them get within one strike of the National League Championship...

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Anthony Amobi: Davis repays Orioles' patience with power surge

April 11, 2013, 7:45am

Orioles

As we all know by now, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is enjoying a torrid - as well as historic - start to the 2013 season. Over the past few seasons, he has become not only a star, but an endearing presence to the Orioles fan base - not only because of his freakish power and 6-foot-3physique, but his ever-improving ability at the plate. The baseball world saw that during the first four games of the season and that brought Davis and the Orioles a lot of positive attention. It seemed that...

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Rachel Levitin: A changing of the guard?

April 11, 2013, 5:24am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: A changing of the guard?

When I moved to D.C. in 2005, I learned all I needed to know about the Nationals (at the time) rather quickly. It was the middle of August, the team was decent and they were on the verge of a winning season. Truth be told, I only went to a couple games before August turned into September. Then Ryan Zimmerman made his major league debut on Sept. 1. My memory's fading and I honestly can't recall whether or not I was physically at that game, but I do know I spent an awful lot of time at RFK...

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Neal Shaffer: On the Orioles and expectations

April 09, 2013, 7:11pm

Orioles

Quick show of hands: Who thought we'd be here? The Orioles' unexpected, unlikely and sublimely satisfying run to the postseason last year changed a lot of things in Birdland. It changed the relationship between the team and the city. It changed the way we thought of the people involved. It made Peter Angelos into less of a villain (or should have) and it made Adam Jones into the star we always knew he'd be. It made Camden Yards once again into a showpiece. And, yeah, it changed...

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David Huzzard: In battle for NL East, Braves-Nats head-to-head battles are critical

April 09, 2013, 6:39pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: In battle for NL East, Braves-Nats head-to-head battles are critical

The National League East is going to come down to the Braves and Nationals, and it could be even closer than the four games that separated them in 2012. The Nats have the advantage in starting pitching, while the Braves have a slight advantage on offense and in the bullpen, with the defenses being fairly even. The Braves are going to score a lot of runs, but with Paul Maholm, Mike Minor, and Julio Teheran at the back of their rotation, they are going to need all the runs they can get to win...

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Zach Wilt: No reason to panic this early in season

April 09, 2013, 4:45am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: No reason to panic this early in season

Get your finger off the panic button. The Orioles are only seven games into the 2013 season. You're not allowed to worry yet. The old cliche saying goes, "a baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint," and right now the Orioles just finished mile one of 26.2. If this were a movie, we'd be halfway through the opening credits. If it were a football season, we'd be in the third quarter of week one. Sure, three-game losing streaks are nothing to be happy about and Orioles fans haven't seen...