nationals

Prospect Ray credits Team USA experience for stunning debut

May 20, 2011, 9:26am

Nationals

Prospect Ray credits Team USA experience for stunning debut

It has been an incredible start to the professional career of Single-A Hagerstown Suns left-hander

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Prospect Kelso setting tone for first place Suns

May 19, 2011, 12:48pm

Nationals

Prospect Kelso setting tone for first place Suns

Blake Kelso is off to a great start to his season on a very talented first place Single-A Hagerstown Suns ball club. The talented third baseman has been leading off for manager Brian Daubach, and with good reason. Kelso is batting .358 through 38 games with 10 doubles, a homer and 22 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .411 and he has 12 walks and stolen six bases. Those numbers reflect consistency that Kelso showed with the Vermont Lake Monsters in the NY/Penn League last season. Kelso hit .309...

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Will Yoder: Checking in on the top Nats' picks not named Bryce Harper from the 2010 draft

May 20, 2011, 3:24am

Nationals

Will Yoder: Checking in on the top Nats' picks not named Bryce Harper from the 2010 draft

We have all seen the incredible success Bryce Harper has had thus far at Single-A Hagerstown. It hasn't just been the talk of the town, it's been national news, and will continue to be as he makes his march to Washington, D.C. We saw the same phenomenon occur with Stephen Strasburg last season. One problem, though, is that when you draft superstars first overall in back-to-back seasons, you can lose focus on the other 50-plus selections that you took in that same draft. While Harper and...

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Solis one start away from leaving Florida

May 19, 2011, 8:37am

Nationals

Solis one start away from leaving Florida

Nationals left-handed pitching prospect Sammy Solis has fully recovered from a couple of injuries and is ready for what is expected to be his final start in extended spring training in Florida. Solis first injured his quadriceps running late in spring training. Then, he suffered a groin strain that the team's medical staff originally thought might have been a hernia. "It turned out it was not a hernia, so everything is fine," Solis said. If the 6-foot-5, 230-lb., University of San...

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Harper breaks out of 0-for-11 stretch with double in Suns win

May 18, 2011, 11:50am

Nationals

Harper breaks out of 0-for-11 stretch with double in Suns win

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Single-A Hagerstown Suns right fielder

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Will Yoder: Where are the Jim Bowden gambles of 2008 now?

May 15, 2011, 7:16pm

Nationals

Will Yoder: Where are the Jim Bowden gambles of 2008 now?

Former Nationals general manager Jim Bowden was well-known for his ability to buy really cheap talent and sell it as gold. Not sell it to opposing franchises in transactions, mind you, but to the fan base. Year after year, fans were convinced that Bowden had found a good group of diamonds in the rough, and that given the right opportunity in Washington, we could help tap into their true talent. It wasn't until Bowden was gone that we realized he had us looking through rose-colored glasses....

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Will Yoder: Rizzo nixes Harper in D.C. this season, but why?

May 19, 2011, 3:21am

Nationals

Will Yoder: Rizzo nixes Harper in D.C. this season, but why?

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told ESPN 980 yesterday that mega-prospect Bryce Harper would not play in the major leagues this year, despite the fact that he is currently playing well above the level of the league he is currently in. Through 37 games, Harper is hitting .366/.448/.657 with nine home runs and 31 RBI,s which leads all Nationals minor leaguers in just about every important offensive category. Still, Rizzo remains steadfast in his assertion that Harper, under no...

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Bryce Harper doubles, scores run as Hagerstown leads

May 18, 2011, 7:32am

Nationals

Bryce Harper doubles, scores run as Hagerstown leads

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Suns outfielder Bryce Harper">Bryce Harper laced a double down the right field line in the fifth inning and then scored on a double by first baseman David Freitas, giving Hagerstown a 3-2 lead over Kannapolis. Hagerstown now leads Kannapolis 4-2 through seven frames. Getting his fourth at-bat in the seventh inning, Harper was intentionally walked and stranded at second. Harper is 1-for-3 with a double, run scored, strike out and line out to left field. The hit ended an...

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Harper contributes with double in Hagerstown win

May 18, 2011, 8:32am

Nationals

Harper contributes with double in Hagerstown win

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - David Freitas collected three hits and three RBIs as the Hagerstown Suns held off the Kannapolis Intimidators 4-3 to complete Tuesday's suspended game at Municipal Stadium. Wade Moore bowled over Kannapolis catcher Mike Blanke at home plate in the seventh inning, knocking the ball loose and scoring what turned into the winning run, putting the Suns ahead, 4-2.

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Nationals statement regarding Vito Rizzo

May 18, 2011, 9:15am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals organization today announced the passing of Vito Rizzo, 103, the father of Nationals Senior Advisor to the General Manager Phil Rizzo and the grandfather of Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo. Vito passed away on Sunday, May 15, 2011, in Chicago, IL from natural causes. "My grandfather was a long time Chicago railroad worker, who doubled as a terrific semi-professional ballplayer. A lifelong fan and student of...

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Checking in live from Hagerstown

May 18, 2011, 6:38am

Nationals

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - I'm out in Hagerstown this afternoon, as the Suns will play two games today. The first game will be the conclusion of yesterday's suspended game. Kannapolis leads 2-1 heading to the bottom of the third. @bkerr32 for instant updates.

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Bryce Harper 0-2 through third inning in Hagerstown

May 18, 2011, 6:54am

Nationals

Bryce Harper 0-2 through third inning in Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Hagerstown Suns right fielder

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Younging/Yoder: Mourning the passing of Harmon Killebrew

May 18, 2011, 6:59am

Nationals

Younging/Yoder: Mourning the passing of Harmon Killebrew

The baseball world is mourning the death of Harmon Clayton Killebrew, who died Tuesday at the age of 74. As such, it would seem unfitting to blog about anything else this morning. The 13-time All-Star, 1969 American League Most Valuable Player and 1984 Hall of Fame inductee played 22 seasons in the majors, collecting 2,086 hits, 573 home runs and 1,584 RBIs. "It's a sad day. We lost an icon. We lost Paul Bunyan," former Minnesota Twins star Kent Hrbek said Tuesday, speaking about...

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Former Mets lefty Oliver Perez activated to Double-A Harrisburg

May 17, 2011, 9:32am

Nationals

Former Mets lefty Oliver Perez activated to Double-A Harrisburg

The Washington Nationals have made a couple of moves worth noting that affect the Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse rosters. Outfielder Jesus Valdez and right-hander Ryan Mattheus have been promoted to Syracuse. Mattheus had a strong run of nine consecutive games without allowing an unearned run snapped May 12 at Richmond. His record is still impressive at 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA as a reliever with the Senators. Valdez has gone 6-for-14 in his last five games and is batting .278 in...

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Nationals' statement on passing of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew

May 17, 2011, 3:35pm

Nationals

Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Harmon Killebrew at the age of 74: "For baseball fans and Washingtonians there was a distinct sadness felt today with the passing of Harmon Killebrew. Our family and the Nationals organization were honored to host Harmon for a game last season at Nationals Park. We shall long treasure that evening and the gentlemanly impression left by Harmon. "A Hall of Fame...

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Lannan learning to battle through early adversity

May 17, 2011, 8:56am

Nationals

Lannan learning to battle through early adversity

Nationals' left-hander John Lannan fought through Monday night's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates when everything wasn't clicking like he had hoped. He was giving up base hits. His fastball wasn't locating, ending up high in the zone. The Pirates had chances to blow the game open early. "I felt good but I was just up," Lannan said. "I told myself to take a deep breath and get down. That is where I am most effective and that is where I am going to get groundballs. That is what I...

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Will Yoder: For slump busters, Monday's win a welcome relief

May 17, 2011, 3:17am

Nationals

Will Yoder: For slump busters, Monday's win a welcome relief

The Nationals won a 4-2 decision last night over the Pittsburgh Pirates to help them get within one game of .500. It was their second win in a row, after dropping their three previous games by a combined three runs. It has clearly been an up-and-down few weeks for the club, but for some it had been more down than up lately. One such player was Danny Espinosa. There was a time when he was the only hitter in the Nats lineup manager Jim Riggleman could rely on, but the rookie second baseman had...

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Espinosa makes Pirates "right move" look so wrong

May 16, 2011, 7:26pm

Nationals

Espinosa makes Pirates "right move" look so wrong

Playing the percentages, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle pulled starting left-handed pitcher Paul Maholm in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 2-2 game. Hurdle brought in right-handed reliever Jose Ascanio to face Nationals switch-hitting second baseman Danny Espinosa, who has had only three hits in his last nine games and was 0-for-2 Monday night. Danny Espinosa talks about his strong at-bats in the Nationals' win Espinosa, switching over to bat left-handed, saw the move being made and...

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Peacock garners Eastern League Player of Week honors

May 16, 2011, 4:29pm

Nationals

Peacock garners Eastern League Player of Week honors

Double-A Harrisburg Right-hander Brad Peacock was named Player of the Week in the Eastern League for May 9-15 after a scintillating performance at the Richmond Squirrels Friday night. Peacock threw seven innings, scattering five hits, allowing one earned run with one walk and a career-high 14 strikeouts. Peacock said he had never struck out more than 10 hitters in the past. "I am pretty sure that was my best outing of my career," Peacock said. "I was definitely in a zone. Derek Norris...

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Espinosa's blast lifts Nationals past Bucs

May 16, 2011, 5:09pm

Nationals

Danny Espinosa welcomed Pirates relief pitcher Jose Ascanio to Nationals Park Monday night with a two-run blast deep into the right field bullpen, lifting the Washington Nationals to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 21,960. Nationals starter John Lannan struggled throwing strikes early on, but settled down to go 6 1/3 innings, scattering seven hits, allowing only two runs with four walks and four strikeouts. Cole Kimball pitched one inning of relief for his first major league...