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Dave Nichols: Strasburg's shortened start the prudent course of action

September 12, 2011, 4:45am

Stephen Strasburg made his second big league start of the season for the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The big righty struggled a bit with his normally pinpoint control and saw a drop in velocity on most his pitches, but he gutted out a 57-pitch, three-inning start, giving up one earned run on three hits. He did not walk a batter for his second consecutive start and struck out four Houston Astros, three on his devastating changeup and one on a biting two-seam fastball. Manager Davey Johnson...

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James Baker: As fall slowly starts to arrive ...

September 09, 2011, 7:16am

Orioles

James Baker: As fall slowly starts to arrive ...

As the rain continues to fall here in Charm City, it is hard to believe that the season is coming to an end. Some would say a merciful one. With the Ravens about to kick off the NFL season against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers, the Orioles are about to be, once again, relegated to second-team status here in our fair community. And they deserve to be. Getting two come-from-behind, extra-inning wins from the Yankees is great, watching Nick Markakis lay out Francisco Cervelli is awesome, but...

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Jenn Jenson: Rain, rain, rain delay

September 09, 2011, 5:55am

Nationals

So, how 'bout that weather? Yesterday, the second game of a doubleheader with the Los Angeles Dodgers was rained out. The day before yesterday, the game was postponed by rain. And the day before that? Still more rain that first threatened to put off Stephen Strasburg's return to the mound and later created a mid-game delay. This week brought a crazy amount of rain to the Washington area, with important consequences that include three deaths in Maryland and Virginia, property damage from...

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Jenn Jenson: If you're really lucky, you can play baseball for a living

August 26, 2011, 6:32am

Nationals

Jenn Jenson: If you're really lucky, you can play baseball for a living

One of the things I like about baseball is the opportunity to watch people who are living their dream. It makes me happy, and on some days it also reminds me to count my blessings and focus what I might achieve in my own life. Of course, there's more than one professional baseball dream, from being drafted, to stepping on the field for a major league debut, to winning the World Series and everything in-between. I'm sure a lot of major league players pinch themselves every day and say,...

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Should the Nationals retire Hernandez's No. 61?

September 07, 2011, 8:10pm

Nationals

After a mutual agreement between Livan Hernandez and the Washington Nationals, the 245-lb. right-hander will be shut down for the rest of the season to make room for the excess of young pitching talent making their auditions for the 2012 season. It was a classy move by the man who threw the first pitch in Nationals history way back in 2005. I know most of you are thinking: Why would the Nationals retire the number of a guy who went 70-72 with the Expos/Nationals franchise? This is a fair...

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guest blogger guestblogger livan hernandez nationals nationals buzz ted youngling

Heath Bintliff: Should the O's have traded Jeremy Guthrie?

September 07, 2011, 4:24pm

Orioles

Heath Bintliff: Should the O's have traded Jeremy Guthrie?

As the Orioles move forward into 2012, one thing they definitely need to take a hard look at is shedding veteran players and getting younger, yet again. After all, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and even Matt Wieters are veteran players at this point, and with J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds under contract, the team could use some young talent. And one way to get some of that talent is to trade useful vets for promising kids. The front office has already made one move in that direction, trading...

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Daniel Moroz: Lumber numbers of struggling O's hurlers are surprisingly impressive

September 07, 2011, 5:18am

Orioles

Daniel Moroz: Lumber numbers of struggling O's hurlers are surprisingly impressive

The Orioles have had a tough season in many respects. Many, many respects. But there is one area in which they've been not only the best team in baseball, but the best team in baseball by far. It's their pitchers - when they're hitters. The best-hitting pitching staff in the National League belongs to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have a collective .190/.230/.257 line. That's obviously awful by regular standards (and one of the main reasons why I think the DH should be universal), but on...

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Lauren Tilley: Brian Matusz is no longer Brian Matusz

September 06, 2011, 8:25am

Orioles

Lauren Tilley: Brian Matusz is no longer Brian Matusz

For those of you who know how yesterday's game went, it was an offensive shootout that unfortunately ended badly for the Orioles (yet again). It all started with Brian Matusz who lasted only 1 1/3 innings or, to put it better, four outs. In that short outing, he gave up five hits, five earned runs and two walks. So far this season, he is 1-7 with a 9.84 ERA. His longest outing of the season was 6 2/3 innings in which he gave up eight hits and six runs in the loss. In his 10 starts this...

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Mark Hornbaker: Slow and steady with Strasburg

September 06, 2011, 1:43am

Nationals

Mark Hornbaker: Slow and steady with Strasburg

With Stephen Strasburg scheduled to make his 2011 debut with the Nationals this evening, I think it is important we remember Strasburg will be on a pitch count limit of 60 pitches. I think the Nationals will follow the same path the team took with Jordan Zimmermann's comeback last season. The Nationals kept Zimmermann on a pitch count between 70 to 86 pitches in his seven starts last season. As it looks now, Strasburg will make four starts before the season ends - if his arm is feeling well....

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Matthew Taylor: Some historical perspective on triple-digit losses

September 05, 2011, 5:19am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Some historical perspective on triple-digit losses

The Orioles are in the home stretch of their 14th consecutive losing season. That's a lot of bad baseball. However, one thing the Birds have never done during that run is lose 100 games. In fact, the O's have lost 100 games in a season only twice since the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore, going 54-100 in 1954 and 54-107 in 1988. Here are some facts and figures about 100-loss seasons in Baltimore and beyond: * The Orioles have more than twice as many 100-win seasons as they do 100-loss...

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Jenn Jenson: Welcome back, Stephen Strasburg

September 02, 2011, 5:23am

Nationals

Jenn Jenson: Welcome back, Stephen Strasburg

I assume everyone's going to the ballpark Tuesday to see Stephen Strasburg pitch, right? I've got my ticket. Reports indicate Strasburg will be limited to five innings or 80 pitches, which means we're unlikely to see any 14-strikeout, no-walks craziness on the second coming. But hey, you never know. If he keeps his pitch count low enough, five innings provides 15 outs to work with. If Strasburg strikes out just a handful of batters, it will be OK with me. Even a no strikeout game would...

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James Baker: Where do we go from here?

September 02, 2011, 2:20am

Orioles

Does anyone really have an answer to that question? Everyone has a theory, but can anyone really say that any one of them will make the Orioles a competitive team in 2012? Yu Darvish is the latest Japanese superstar rumored to be on his way to America. The half-Iranian, half-Japanese Darvish will likely command a ridiculous posting fee to even begin negotiations. I don't see the Orioles doing that, so put it out of your minds. The Orioles are more likely to be involved with a free agent like...

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Heath Bintliff: Future of Orioles rotation murkier than ever

September 01, 2011, 4:58am

Orioles

With the arrival of "The Calvary," there was to be an influx of young arms in the Orioles rotation and it was thought that some would seize starting jobs and not let them go. I thought that the starting rotation for the 2012 Orioles would be in much sharper focus by the end of this season. I was wrong. Due to injuries, general ineffectiveness and the rise of some unlikely candidates, figuring out who will be in the 2012 Baltimore rotation has gotten much harder to figure. Jeremy Guthrie:...

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Ted Youngling: Strasburg's return creates late-season buzz in D.C.

August 31, 2011, 8:03pm

Nationals

Ted Youngling: Strasburg's return creates late-season buzz in D.C.

He's baaack! Stephen Strasburg will be making his 2011 debut Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This will mark his first major league appearance since last Aug. 21. I can't say I'm surprised by the announcement, but a part of me was convinced he would sit out the remainder of the season. All of a sudden, we find ourselves in a situation similar to June 8, 2010, with a week of anticipation that sees ticket sales jump and Nationals baseball dominate D.C. sports talk radio. Whether you...

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Daniel Moroz: Longball at center of Hardy's renaissance

August 31, 2011, 6:46am

Orioles

Daniel Moroz: Longball at center of Hardy's renaissance

J.J. Hardy is having a very good offensive season. He is, in fact, having the best offensive season of his career. And that's coming entirely from one factor. Not more walks (he's doing worse than his career numbers) or fewer strike-outs (he's doing worse than his career numbers) or more hits when he puts the ball into play (he's doing worse than his career numbers). It's the longball. Hardy's 26 home runs already tie a career high (in only 102 games, no less), and there's a good...

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Rachel Levitin: Inflated expectations on home team's new mascot?

August 31, 2011, 6:56am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Inflated expectations on home team's new mascot?

These days, there appears to be a solid distinction in the way baseball fans - in Washington, D.C., especially - view the game. They watch the game and pick its intricacies apart with either a conservative, progressive or moderate lens. Nation's capital puns aside, it's a dichotomy that gets the Nationals' fan base riled up inside the ballpark, via Twitter or in the blogosphere. The baseball conservatives are traditionalists who tend to abide by the unwritten rule book. They say that fans...

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Mark Hornbaker: Can Nationals' progression match 1920s Senators?

August 30, 2011, 5:31am

Nationals

Even with the Nationals in the midst of a six-game losing streak, I feel like this team is heading in the right direction overall. The Nationals organization is doing a very good job putting together the nucleus of a solid and soon to be a winning baseball team together in the nation's capital. I believe this team is on its way to become a team to reckon with in the National League East. I think during the next season or two we could find the Nationals contending for a playoff spot....

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Lauren Tilley: And the Orioles' closer in 2012 should be ...

August 30, 2011, 4:36am

Orioles

OK, before I tell you who I think the closer should be for next season, let me just preface it with a few things. Before you scream so much that spit and food crumbs end up splattered all over your computer screen, before you send me hate comments and before you send bombs to my family through your computer screen (I'm sure that piece of technology has already been created), hear me out. Read what I have to say and let me defend myself. Oh, and don't forget to breathe. Are you ready?...

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Dave Nichols: Time for a glimpse at Nats' future

August 29, 2011, 4:45am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Time for a glimpse at Nats' future

It's getting to be the time of the year when folks start turning their attention away from baseball and on to other pursuits. The kids are going back to school, football season kicks off next week and, before you know it, it's going to start getting chilly and hockey and basketball will begin again. With the local teams out of the pennant race, it would be easy to ignore their September progress, but real baseball fans will want to stay tuned. The Washington Nationals could be on the cusp...

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Matthew Taylor: Crafty lefty could also whiff opposing hitters

August 29, 2011, 4:32am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Crafty lefty could also whiff opposing hitters

David Price established a Tampa Bay franchise record on Sunday with 14 strikeouts in seven innings of work at Toronto. Price set the mark in his fourth big league season and exceeded by two his previous career high of 12 strikeouts. By his fourth season, former Orioles lefty Mike Flanagan had established what would be his own career-high strikeout total by having twice fanned 13 batters in nine innings of work. During this sad time for the Orioles franchise, it's nice to remember Flanny at...