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

May 17, 2012, 5:16am

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,...

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

May 16, 2012, 5:01am

Nationals

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...

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

May 16, 2012, 4:49am

Orioles

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...

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Joe Drugan: Cruel and unusual punishment

May 15, 2012, 5:52am

Nationals

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...

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Heath Bintliff: A series of fortunate events

May 14, 2012, 7:45pm

Orioles

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....

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Heath Bintliff: For Mark Reynolds, it could be worse

May 07, 2012, 8:00am

Orioles

Heath Bintliff: For Mark Reynolds, it could be worse

A week ago, before the awakening of his bat this weekend in Boston, I was despairing about Mark Reynolds, his lack of hitting and his woeful glove. I wondered how bad he really was and hypothesized that he must be the worst player in baseball based on his simultaneous poor performances in the field and at the plate. I went to Fangraphs.com and sorted all batters in terms of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) which puts value on players while incorporating thier offense and defense. I was pleasantly...

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Ted Leavengood: Guts and artistry

May 14, 2012, 6:46am

Nationals

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...

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Olivia Witherite: Stats define rise, but guarantee little

May 14, 2012, 6:32am

Orioles

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...

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Matthew Taylor: Examining a homer-happy week at Camden Yards

May 11, 2012, 5:05am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Examining a homer-happy week at Camden Yards

What a week for home runs in Baltimore. Josh Hamilton became only the 16th player to hit four home runs in a game Tuesday. Two days later, the Orioles established an American League record by homering in the team's first three at-bats of a doubleheader against the Rangers. Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis did the early yard work for the Birds. Overall, the O's hit five home runs in a game for the first time since June 30, 2010, against Oakland. That's two short of the club record...

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Marty Niland: Lombardozzi needs more time at second base

May 11, 2012, 4:48am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Lombardozzi needs more time at second base

It's obvious that the Nationals won't fix their offensive struggles overnight. Michael Morse is still weeks away with a strained lat muscle. Jayson Werth's absence with a broken wrist has left a huge hole in the middle of the lineup. Bryce Harper has been very good so far, but he's not Superman, and Ryan Zimmerman is working his way back into form after missing 14 games with a shoulder injury. That means manager Davey Johnson is going to have to make use of the tools he has to maximize...

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Anthony Amobi: Are we seeing the real Nick Markakis?

May 10, 2012, 4:53am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: Are we seeing the real Nick Markakis?

As we are seven weeks into the 2012 season, the Orioles are flying high with a 19-11 record, and are a half-game out of first in the American League East. Baltimore's fast start has given players like Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and Chris Davis some national attention. However, one name that I don't see mentioned a lot happens to be right-fielder Nick Markakis. It's almost like he has become an afterthought at this point. Now, Markakis did win a Gold Glove last season, and has always been...

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Neal Shaffer: The top five players of the losing era

May 09, 2012, 6:07am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: The top five players of the losing era

If there's one thing the Internet loves, it's a list. So, what the hell, I'm game. I got to thinking, after the recent unveiling of the Frank Robinson statue at Camden Yards, about great Orioles of the past and how cool it is to be able to look back on their legacies and claim them for our city. That, naturally enough, led to thinking about the modern Orioles. History looks more kindly on success than on failure, which tends to obscure the achievements of players who toil on losing teams....

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Rachel Levitin: A few words on fan etiquette

May 09, 2012, 5:40am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: A few words on fan etiquette

Phillies fans aside, the atmosphere at Nationals Park over last weekend was vibrant and full of life. The fact is that Nationals Park feels different when the seats are filled. If it takes a division rivalry to pack the place, then so be it. But it's a whole other thing to sink to the level of the proposed enemy of the evening. Nationals fans tend to be well-behaved while a certain contingent of the rival fan base tends to get a bit more riled up than their counterparts. After sitting...

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Will Yoder: Lombardozzi quietly making his mark

May 08, 2012, 5:23am

Nationals

Will Yoder: Lombardozzi quietly making his mark

Even though he has played just eight games this season, Bryce Harper already ranks among the top rookies in baseball in Wins Above Replacement. As crazy as that sounds, that makes him a viable Rookie of the Year candidate. We shouldn't be surprised, though. Harper is the type of player who was born to win the Rookie of the Year award. He has been ranked the No. 1 prospect in baseball the last two seasons, his pro debut was national news and he even appeared on the cover of Sports...

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Ted Leavengood: Stealing home

May 07, 2012, 5:50am

Nationals

Last night's "Sunday Night Baseball" game was not good to the Nationals, despite the overall success of the "Our Park" campaign. When Bryce Harper stole home in the first inning, he stole Nationals Park back from the Philly faithful, but the loss of Jayson Werth to a broken wrist undermines any sense of triumph. It is a blow that will hurt Washington for the remainder of the season and a tragedy for Werth, who was playing so well and assuming such a large role in mentoring Harper....

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Olivia Witherite: In case you missed it ...

May 07, 2012, 5:40am

Orioles

Olivia Witherite: In case you missed it ...

In case missed the game from 1:35 p.m. to 7:42 p.m. Sunday, let me tell you that you missed history. If you did watch, thank you for viewing one of the most exciting Orioles games that I have ever witnessed. Keeping my attention most of Sunday, the game featured a five-run catch-up by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth and fifth innings and terrible outings by the Orioles starter and designated hitter, who looked a like National League pitcher trying to hit. Certainly one of the most bizarre...

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Marty Niland: Our park? We'll see

May 03, 2012, 8:15pm

Nationals

It's showtime for the Nationals and their fans. While the atmosphere in the stands at Nationals Park has been more tepid than the team's play on the field for the most part, all of that will change this weekend when the Philadelphia Phillies arrive for the first big division showdown of the year. The action on the field is likely to be intense, but both cities - and a national TV audience Sunday night - will also be paying close attention to the crowd. That's because the Nationals...

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Matthew Taylor: A closer look at some historical tidbits

May 03, 2012, 6:12pm

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: A closer look at some historical tidbits

I love the historical tidbits that regularly work their way into baseball game stories. Two such tidbits came out of the Orioles' series win this week against the Yankees in the Bronx, and both had to do with strong pitching performances. First, on Wednesday, Jake Arrieta became the most recent Orioles pitcher to toss eight or more shutout innings against the Yankees since September 2004, when Sidney Ponson recorded a complete-game shutout. Specifically, Ponson shut out the Yankees on Sept....

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Dave Nichols: Espinosa's struggle to make contact is alarming

May 03, 2012, 8:46am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Espinosa's struggle to make contact is alarming

During the offseason and into spring training, if you asked 100 Nationals fans which middle infielder they would be concerned with having to replace at some point in the 2012 season, I'd venture to guess 98 of them would have replied, "Ian Desmond." Their answer is not without basis. Desmond has had challenges both offensively and defensively as he continues to try to establish himself as a starting shortstop in the major leagues. This season, Desmond, 26, isn't really burning things...

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Anthony Amobi: It's been a fun - and surprising - run so far for O's

May 03, 2012, 7:36am

Orioles

Anthony Amobi: It's been a fun - and surprising - run so far for O's

Well, for fans of the Orioles, the calendar has flipped from April to May and it has been a surprising season so far. As of this morning, the Orioles are flying high with a 16-9 record, and sit one game behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East standings. There are some very compelling and unexpected storylines in the game today, and the Orioles definitely qualify as of one them. Seriously, I do not think many fans, media or so-called experts thought that this team...