nationals

Will Yoder: Prospect pairs don't always add up to greatness

April 16, 2011, 9:11am

There are many who will tell you that the Washington Nationals are a team in waiting. After several years of terrible misfortune on the field, they were unprecedented benefactors of great luck off of it. In back-to-back seasons, arguably the two greatest, or at least most hyped, prospects of all time would enter the Major League Baseball draft, and each year the Nationals had the first overall pick. Washington shelled out the money to sign the two, and now the Lerners, general manager Mike...

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Potomac will move next series with Keys to Frederick

April 17, 2011, 7:43am

Nationals

Potomac will move next series with Keys to Frederick

The Potomac Nationals will have to move their next home series to Frederick because of inadequate and unsafe field conditions at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. Minor league baseball officials inspected the field Friday and deemed it unplayable. In the offseason, a new drainage system was installed in the outfield, and grass has not completely grown around the area where the drainage system was placed. The P-Nats' first game in Frederick will be Monday and they will be the visiting team....

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Harper's debut cause for celebration in Hagerstown

April 15, 2011, 11:38pm

Nationals

Harper's debut cause for celebration in Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Bryce Harper, last year's No. 1 overall draft pick by the Washington Nationals, made his home debut for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns on Friday night, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in an 8-4 loss to the Lakewood BlueClaws, the Phillies' South Atlantic League affiliate. The game, the home crowd's first chance to get a peek at the slugging catcher-turned-right fielder, drew a sellout crowd of 6,017 to 80-year-old Municipal Stadium, making it perhaps the most...

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Nationals place RHP Todd Coffey on DL, recall RHP Collin Balester

April 17, 2011, 6:34am

Nationals

The Washington Nationals today placed right-handed pitcher Todd Coffey on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to April 9, with a left calf strain and recalled right-handed pitcher Collin Balester from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Balester earned the promotion to Washington after working 5.0 scoreless innings of relief for Syracuse this season. In those 3.0...

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Hagerstown skipper: "No question Harper is a ball player"

April 15, 2011, 2:06pm

Nationals

Hagerstown skipper: "No question Harper is a ball player"

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Nationals No. 1 draft pick

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Bryce Harper goes hitless in home debut

April 15, 2011, 5:31pm

Nationals

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Hagerstown Suns right fielder Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk in his home debut, a Lakewood BlueClaws 8-4 victory before a sold-out 6,017 at Municipal Stadium. The 2010 No. 1 draft pick, Harper said he was concerned more about the loss than not getting a hit in four at-bats. "Not really frustrated about anything, actually," Harper said. "I am more frustrated that we lost. I am having good at-bats. I feel good up there. I feel strong up there. It is just going to...

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Harper walks in the seventh inning

April 15, 2011, 5:17pm

Nationals

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - In the bottom of the seventh inning, Bryce Harper walked with two outs and a man on second base. Facing Lakewood pitcher Tyler Knigge, Harper worked the count to 2-2, then 3-2. Harper then fouled off a pitch and forced the walk. The 2010 No. 1 overall pick is now 0-for-3 with a walk on the game. Lakewood continues to lead the Suns 8-4.

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Bryce Harper grounds out in sixth

April 15, 2011, 4:42pm

Nationals

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Lakewood led the Suns 8-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Bryce Harper, who was 0-for-2 with a groundout and a strikeout, led off the inning with a sharp grounder to the Lakewood first baseman, who gloved it cleanly and threw to the pitcher for a 3-1 putout. Harper now 0-3 on the night.

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Bryce Harper strikes out swinging in second at-bat

April 15, 2011, 3:39pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper strikes out swinging in second at-bat

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Lakewood led 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Bryce Harper was due up second in the inning. Adrian Sanchez led off with a clean base hit, the first of the game for the Suns. Harper then worked the count to 2-2 before striking out swinging on a changeup from BlueClaws starter David Buchanan. Harper is now 0-2 in his home debut. The Suns scored a run in the inning on an error by the shortstop. Lakewood leads 5-1 heading to top of fifth.

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Lakewood takes big lead early in Hagerstown

April 15, 2011, 3:29pm

Nationals

Lakewood takes big lead early in Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The Lakewood BlueClaws lead the Suns 5-0 in the bottom of the third. The BlueClaws scored three runs on four hits off Hagerstown starter Chris McKenzie in the second. Then in the third, Torre Langley smacked a two-run double down the right field line that Bryce Harper got to, but then he air-mailed the cutoff man at first base. Harper is 0-1 at the plate and is six batters away from his next at-bat, likely in the fourth inning.

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Bryce Harper grounds out in first at-bat

April 15, 2011, 2:56pm

Nationals

Bryce Harper grounds out in first at-bat

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The Hagerstown Suns (6-2) are hosting the Lakewood Blueclaws on Friday night in their home debut from Municipal Stadium. Lakewood did not score in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first inning, designated hitter Randolph Oduber led off with a walk, but second baseman Adrian Sanchez followed by grounding into 5-4-3 double play. Bryce Harper, batting third, took a called strike and a ball to even the count at 1-1. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Harper broke his...

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Hagerstown lineup for Bryce Harper's home debut

April 15, 2011, 1:33pm

Nationals

Hagerstown lineup for Bryce Harper's home debut

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The Hagerstown Suns have posted their lineup for tonight's Bryce Harper home debut at Municipal Stadium versus the Lakewood BlueClaws. The team arrived home by sleeper bus from Lexington, Ky., at 8 a.m. The team was required to be back at the stadium by 2:30 p.m. Here is the lineup for the Suns (6-2): Randolph Oduber DH Adrian Sanchez 2B Bryce Harper RF David Freitas C Mills Rogers 1B Wade Moore LF Blake Kelso 3B Jason Martinson SS Michael Taylor CF Righthander Chris...

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Coffey ready to make impact in Nats' pen

April 14, 2011, 3:51pm

Nationals

Coffey ready to make impact in Nats' pen

There is a new reliever in town. If you have missed him, you haven't really been paying attention. Remember the big redhead barreling in from the bullpen in Florida? That's him. He is right-hander Todd Coffey, who has been a groundout inducing machine with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds since 2005. He is known for being a workhorse. Three times in that span he led those clubs in appearances. With the Nationals, the Forest City, N.C., native notched his first win in Miami on...

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LaRoche sees "challenge," not difficulty in facing Lee

April 14, 2011, 11:07am

Nationals

LaRoche sees "challenge," not difficulty in facing Lee

The starting pitching the Nationals face this week against the Phillies has been a focal point of the series. Jayson Werth said it after game one: "It was good to get a win off Joe Blanton, because it will not get any easier facing Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee." After all, the Nationals avoided Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in this series. It is a difficulty the Nationals will face almost every week in the National League East. The Braves have Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson, not to...

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New JFK Racing President not a permanent fixture

April 14, 2011, 6:17am

Nationals

New JFK Racing President not a permanent fixture

According to Let Teddy Win and Dan Steinberg, the Nationals unveiled a life-size John F. Kennedy racing president during Wednesday night's GEICO President's Race. Traditionally, the race features the four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore. The giant JFK appeared near the Nationals bullpen and took George Washington down, leaving the others to race toward the finish line. However, according to the Nationals, this JFK character only made a guest appearance. He will not become a permanent...

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Harper hits first homer for Hagerstown

April 13, 2011, 7:41pm

Nationals

Nationals No. 1 draft pick Bryce Harper crushed his first home run of the season in the South Atlantic League on Wednesday night. Harper hit a two-run homer in the top of the third inning, giving the Single-A Hagerstown Suns a 4-0 lead at Lexington, Ky. Lexington eventually rallied to win 6-4 in the second game of a doubleheader. A source at the game reported, "the homer came with one on and no outs. It was a line drive shot that didn't arc very high at all and found its way over the...

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Rachel Levitin: Root, root, root at your own risk

April 14, 2011, 6:12am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Root, root, root at your own risk

Ever since baseball returned to Washington in 2005, Philadelphia Phillies fans have targeted their share of rowdy behavior toward the Nationals. They trek en mass to the nation's capital, eager to shatter the souls of Nats fans and their players with nothing more than their die-hard allegiance to their own boys of summer. Opening day 2010 at Nationals Park is a day Nationals fans are not likely to forget - for at least a few years to come. As a patron in the stands of that game, my We Love...

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Desmond shakes off two errors in loss to Phils

April 13, 2011, 7:26pm

Nationals

Desmond shakes off two errors in loss to Phils

The Phillies topped the Nationals 3-2 Wednesday night behind a complete game from one of their aces, Roy Halladay. John Lannan was hanging with Halladay through three innings before getting into some trouble in the fourth. In that frame, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond committed two errors. The first miscue allowed Jimmy Rollins to reach base when Desmond bobbled the ball. Later, Rollins was awarded third base when Desmond was called for interference as he tried to cover second base. "It...

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Hague injured during P-Nats game

April 14, 2011, 3:14am

Nationals

Single-A Potomac Nationals shortstop Rick Hague suffered a right shoulder injury Wednesday night against the Winston-Salem Dash. Hague hurt his shoulder on a headfirst slide into second base. No details as to the extent of the injury, but as soon as I know, I will pass along to you. Hague is batting .357 in four games with one homer and four RBIs. The P-Nats split their doubleheader with the Dash and their record now stands at 2-3.

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Nationals devise prescription for facing "Doc" Halladay

April 13, 2011, 10:24am

Nationals

Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay is the opposing starter tonight as the Nationals go for the series win against Philadelphia at Nationals Park. Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) has started the season off, well, like a reigning National League Cy Young Award winner should. In his first two starts, Halladay has allowed only one run on 11 hits in 13 innings while walking one and striking out 13. Halladay was particularly good against the Nationals last season, going 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA in three...