nationals

Clippard's stock rose, but so will his price tag

October 22, 2012, 5:35am

Maybe the Giants are this year's Cardinals. Two straight San Francisco victories over St. Louis in win-or-go-home situations have forced the National League Championship Series to a decisive Game 7 tonight. That's now five victories in must-win spots for the Giants during this postseason, which brings back memories of the high-wire act the Cardinals walked during their 2011 World Series run. The Giants will stay at home for Game 7 with Matt Cain taking the mound against Kyle Lohse. Should...

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Harper comes in third in Sporting News Rookie of the Year voting

October 22, 2012, 10:49am

Nationals

Harper comes in third in Sporting News Rookie of the Year voting

Major League Baseball's official Rookie of the Year award, voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, won't be announced until Nov. 12. The Sporting News has announced the results of its own Rookie of the Year award, however. Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley will take home that honor, with Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper finishing third in the voting. Reds infielder Todd Frazier was second. The Sporting News polled 203 major league players for the award, and...

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Then there were two

October 22, 2012, 10:14pm

Nationals

It wasn't the tight, dramatic Game 7 that many, including myself, were hoping for. No, it certainly wasn't that. The Giants crushed the Cardinals 9-0 in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series last night, giving them the NL pennant and perhaps giving Nationals fans a bit of a reason to smile. The Nats watched a 6-0 lead over St. Louis slip away in Game 5 of the Division Series, but the Cardinals had a big lead of their own disappear in the NLCS with a spot in the World Series oh...

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Ted Leavengood: Dick Bosman talks innings limits and young pitchers

October 22, 2012, 12:27pm

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Dick Bosman talks innings limits and young pitchers

As the roving minor league pitching instructor for the Rays, former Senators pitcher Dick Bosman has helped groom some of the best pitching talent in the majors. I asked Bosman, a recent guest on the "Outta the Parkway" podcast show, to comment on the Nationals' handling of Stephen Strasburg this season on our podcast show Friday night. His response provided one of the most well-informed perspectives on the issue I have heard or seen. Bosman was probably the best arm the expansion...

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Some more on Moore

October 19, 2012, 8:33pm

Nationals

Tyler Moore's role for next year is very much uncertain. He could become the Nationals' everyday first baseman. He could become their everyday left fielder. He could be a right-handed bat off the bench. He could even be a trade candidate, if the Nats re-sign Adam LaRoche and other teams in need of some power come calling. Very little regarding Moore is clear at this point. But this much is clear - the 25-year-old has shown he can flat-out hit at every level at which he's played, and that...

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Southpaw Mooneyham showed stuff and potential at instructional league

October 22, 2012, 9:55am

Nationals

Southpaw Mooneyham showed stuff and potential at instructional league

One of the 2012 draft picks on the pitching side, left-hander Brett Mooneyham, showed well at instructional league the last few weeks. The Nationals' third-round draft pick pitched in 10 games (nine starts) for short-season Single-A Auburn, going 2-2 with a 2.55 ERA, striking out 29 batters and walking 16. He allowed only three earned runs in his last three starts. That was a very good start for the 22-year-old, but instructional league provided another great opportunity to work on a couple...

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Matt Skole lighting it up for Salt River in AFL

October 21, 2012, 6:58am

Nationals

Matt Skole lighting it up for Salt River in AFL

High Single-A Potomac Nationals third baseman Matt Skole has played in six games so far for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League. He has had at least one hit in each game. Saturday was Skole's third multi-hit game, and he went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. He is batting .500 (11-for-22) with three doubles, one homer and five RBIs. His slugging percentage is .773 and his OPS (on-base plus slugging) is 1.380. Skole has been playing some first base with Anthony Rendon...

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Examining Desmond's remarkable turnaround

October 18, 2012, 6:35am

Nationals

Examining Desmond's remarkable turnaround

Coming into spring training, was there any player on the Nationals roster who had more riding on this season from an individual perspective than Ian Desmond? Sure, guys like Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche felt the need to put up bounceback campaigns after really tough 2011 seasons. But they were proven big leaguers who simply were coming off a down year. Yeah, Ross Detwiler's emergence this year allowed him to establish himself as a true major league starter and cement a spot in the Nats'...

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Taylor Jordan hit 94 mph at instructional league

October 20, 2012, 6:27am

Nationals

Taylor Jordan hit 94 mph at instructional league

Right-hander Taylor Jordan completed his season with the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns and moved on to Florida for instructional league workouts that wrapped up last week. A ninth-round selection from the 2009 draft, Jordan recovered from 2011 Tommy John surgery to get back and pitch six games at short-season Single-A Auburn and then joined the Suns for nine starts. Potomac Nationals pitching coach Chris Michalak worked with Jordan in Viera, Fla., up until Oct. 1 while he was at instructional...

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Taking a look at the next wave of talent

October 19, 2012, 6:04am

Nationals

Taking a look at the next wave of talent

After putting away the Nationals in the National League Division Series, the Cardinals are showing no signs of slowing down. Last night saw St. Louis crush the Giants 8-3 to move within a win of the World Series. Adam Wainwright bounced back from his rough start in Game 5 of the NLDS, in which he allowed those six early runs, to surrender just a single run over seven innings and earn the win over the Giants in last night's NLCS Game 4. The Cardinals' rotation is suddenly red-hot (even...

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Sammy Solis "on schedule" as throwing program begins following Tommy John surgery

October 19, 2012, 10:50am

Nationals

Sammy Solis "on schedule" as throwing program begins following Tommy John surgery

Left-hander Sammy Solis, who underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in March 2012, is well into his throwing program as he recovers from the injury. Solis was in Florida last month while the instructional league competition took place, according to a Nats source, who said Solis "threw the ball really well and is in good shape." The rehab process is well under way for the left-hander, and Solis is on schedule "as we hoped," the source added. "(Solis) is a ways away from...

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Brevard County designates $325,000 for Space Coast Stadium repairs

October 19, 2012, 9:11am

Nationals

Brevard County designates $325,000 for Space Coast Stadium repairs

Brevard County is pumping some serious money into Space Coast Stadium in what might be a last-ditch effort to keep the Nationals from moving their spring training home from the facility in Viera, Fla. According to News 13 in Orlando, the Brevard County Commissioners have designated $325,000 for repairs and improvements to Space Coast Stadium, the Nats' spring training home since 2003, when they were the Montreal Expos. The facility also is home to the Single-A Brevard County Manatees, an...

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Carroll, Maldonado elect free agency

October 17, 2012, 11:21am

Nationals

Outfielder Brett Carroll and catcher Carlos Maldonado, two players who spent the bulk of the 2012 season with Triple-A Syracuse but had brief stints with the Nationals, have filed for free agency. Carroll was on the Nationals' opening day roster and appeared in five games before being designated for assignment. The 30-year-old went 0-for-2 with two runs scored with the Nats and batted .250 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 111 games at Syracuse. The former 10th-round pick of the Marlins in...

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Rendon has big game as Salt River wins 12-9; Robbie Ray update

October 17, 2012, 6:50pm

Nationals

Rendon has big game as Salt River wins 12-9; Robbie Ray update

The Salt River Rafters outscored Peoria 12-9 in the Arizona Fall League on Wednesday, rallying from an early 7-1 deficit. A five-run sixth inning and a four-run ninth broke open an 8-7 game for the win. The Rafters are now 5-2. Good game for

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Examining birthday boy Bryce Harper's impressive teen numbers

October 16, 2012, 8:47am

Nationals

Examining birthday boy Bryce Harper's impressive teen numbers

Happy 20th birthday, Bryce Harper! Now that the purveyor of the darkened faux-hawk is no longer a teenager, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on just what he accomplished during his rookie season with the Nationals. Harper's 2012 statistical line is indisputably impressive: His 139 games produced a .270 average, 98 runs scored, 26 doubles, nine triples, 22 home runs, 59 RBIs, 56 walks, 18 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .340, a slugging percentage of .477 and an OPS of...

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A ton of options at the corners

October 16, 2012, 10:27pm

Nationals

I mentioned yesterday that if the Nationals want their 2013 roster to closely resemble their 2012 roster, they can make that happen. Re-sign Adam LaRoche this offseason, opt not to add a center fielder via free agency or a trade and keep Michael Morse in left. Bing, bang, boom, you've got the exact same outfield and infield alignment that we saw this season. Of course, general manager Mike Rizzo has plenty of other options that he can consider if he wants to shake things up a bit, the...

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Aaron Barrett showing "aggressive fastball" in AFL (plus Salt River update)

October 15, 2012, 6:50pm

Nationals

Aaron Barrett showing "aggressive fastball" in AFL (plus Salt River update)

I have had a few requests for news about the Arizona Fall League and some of the Nationals' prospects and how they are doing. The Rafters beat Phoenix 4-2 in 10 innings thanks to a two-run single by Matt Skole. Brian Goodwin went 2-for-5 with two runs and two doubles - one of the doubles would have scored a run had the runner not been thrown out at the plate. Goodwin is batting .353, leading off and playing left field. Skole went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Skole is batting .583 and was the...

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Reflecting on the happier moments from the 2012 campaign

October 15, 2012, 5:50am

Nationals

Reflecting on the happier moments from the 2012 campaign

Has any of the sting worn off yet? Have the past two days done anything to help alleviate the pit in the bottom of your stomach, or will that still be there for a little while? I'll admit, it was a little strange watching Game 1 of the National League Championship Series from my couch yesterday instead of being in a cramped press box covering the action. You wouldn't have heard any complaints from Nationals beat writers if we ended up having to make a trip to San Francisco to cover the...

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A look at the Nationals' roster entering the offseason

October 15, 2012, 11:11pm

Nationals

I've got some good news if you were a fan of the makeup of the 2012 Washington Nationals: There's a very good chance that the 2013 Nationals won't look a heck of a lot different than they did this season when the Nats went on a run to their first National League East title. The Nats enter the offseason with only two players who were on their National League Division Series roster definitely bound for free agency: right-handed starter Edwin Jackson and left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez....

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Marty Niland: A magical season, a boy and a lesson in life

October 16, 2012, 6:31am

Nationals

Marty Niland: A magical season, a boy and a lesson in life

I got to be 11, all over again this summer, thanks to the greatest season in Washington Nationals history, and my boy, Mark. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, baseball was not a huge part of my life. When I was 11, in 1975, I could still remember the Senators and their move to Texas. I followed the game, watched what was offered on network TV, occasionally read the boxscores in paper and knew the stars. I rooted for the Red Sox in the World Series against Cincinnati because my dad was...