nationals

Matt Skole lighting it up for Salt River in AFL

October 21, 2012, 6:58am

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...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr matt skole nationals salt river frontstory_nationals2

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'...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko ian desmond nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

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...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr chris michalak nationals taylor jordan frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

cardinals dan kolko lucas giolito nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

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...

Comments

Tags:

byron kerr nationals sammy solis frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

city of palms park fort myers nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel space coast stadium spring training frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

brett carroll carlos maldonado dan kolko nationals frontstory_nationals3

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

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon arizona byron kerr nationals potomac robbie ray salt river frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper featured_sidebar nationals nationals buzz pete kerzel frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche bryce harper dan kolko michael morse nationals tyler moore featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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...

Comments

Tags:

aaron barrett arizona byron kerr nationals salt river rafters frontstory_nationals2

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...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko nationals featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

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....

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche chien-ming wang dan kolko edwin jackson mark derosa michael gonzalez nationals sean burnett zach duke featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals1

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...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz

Building off the heartbreak

October 14, 2012, 9:05am

Nationals

One of the moments from the postgame scene after Friday's loss that I won't forget for quite a while was catcher Kurt Suzuki, who had just finished talking to a group of reporters, slowly walking away from his locker. Suzuki seemed unsure of where to go or what exactly to do. He turned to infielder Chad Tracy and quietly said what everyone in the Nationals' clubhouse was probably thinking. "I'm not ready to be done playing," Suzuki said. The Nats will have a while to think about their...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko kurt suzuki mark derosa nationals frontstory_nationals2

Amazing to consider ...

October 13, 2012, 6:26pm

Nationals

Nine games. Nine wins. That is how close the Nationals were to a World Series title. Twice they were down to one strike from dethroning the current world champions. The St. Louis Cardinals celebrated. The Nationals headed home. The Cardinals were sweating the Nationals, a team that eight years ago deployed a pretty much decimated minor league system. A team that was pretty much orphaned by Major League Baseball. They had 59 wins in 2008, 59 wins in 2009 and 100 wins in 2012. In 2008 and...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche byron kerr nationals tyler moore wilson ramos frontstory_nationals3

DeRosa not ready to hang 'em up just yet

October 13, 2012, 12:45pm

Nationals

DeRosa not ready to hang 'em up just yet

A number of Mark DeRosa's teammates have said he'd make a great manager one day. DeRosa is a baseball man through and through, can relate to players regardless of their age or position and has a sense of humor which allows him to bring levity to tough situations. But DeRosa doesn't think he's ready to stop playing just yet. The 37-year-old hit just .188 in 85 at-bats during yet another injury-riddled campaign. An oblique injury cost him much of the season and the death of his father made...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko mark derosa nationals frontstory_nationals3

LaRoche, Jackson both say they'd like to return

October 13, 2012, 12:05am

Nationals

LaRoche, Jackson both say they'd like to return

Adam LaRoche has a $10 million mutual option for next season, which he's sure to decline in search of a more lucrative deal. Edwin Jackson is set to become a free agent yet again. The Nationals' 2012 season just ended, and ended in stunning fashion. But general manager Mike Rizzo and his staff have been preparing for the offseason for about three or four weeks, and soon enough, they'll need to decide how to proceed with both LaRoche and Jackson. LaRoche says he hopes to be back with the...

Comments

Tags:

adam laroche dan kolko edwin jackson mike rizzo nationals

Rizzo on the loss, Strasburg and his message for Storen (plus a thank you)

October 13, 2012, 1:56am

Nationals

Rizzo on the loss, Strasburg and his message for Storen (plus a thank you)

I just got home from Nationals Park a few minutes ago, and wanted to post some quotes from Nats general manager Mike Rizzo before hitting the pillow for the next 3 1/2 weeks. Before I share Rizzo's postgame comments, though, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who read my work here on MASNsports.com, commented, interacted with me on Twitter or in any way helped make this season so fun for me. I joined the Nationals beat a couple weeks into spring training this year and had to play a bit...

Comments

Tags:

dan kolko mike rizzo nationals nlds stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

First the collapse, then the disbelief and disappointment

October 12, 2012, 10:38pm

Nationals

First the collapse, then the disbelief and disappointment

As the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated the most improbable of comebacks in the Nationals Park infield, outfielder Jayson Werth knelt on the top step of the home dugout, his head bent in a cross between disappointment and disbelief. Behind him, stunned fans watched a celebration they never expected to see unfold, their plans to whoop it up after reaching the National League Division Series short-circuited. For the seconds immediately following the Cardinals' 9-7 win over the Nationals early...