nationals

Bryce Harper's Coach: "He is a good all around kid"

April 29, 2010, 10:02am

A recent Baseball Prospectus article had some disparaging opinions regarding the makeup of 17-year-old phenom Bryce Harper. Kevin Goldstein wrote the article, "Future Shock: Bryce Harper" (April 22, 2010) on Harper as a player: "One scout called him among the worst amateur players he's ever seen from a makeup standpoint, with top-of-the-scale arrogance, a disturbingly large sense of entitlement, and on-field behavior that includes taunting opponents. He's just a bad, bad guy," said one...

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Exclusive: One-on-One with Bryce Harper

April 29, 2010, 8:15pm

Nationals

With the June First-Year Player Draft now less than a month and a half away, I got another opportunity to speak with 17-year-old catcher phenom Bryce Harper as his season with the College of Southern Nevada heads toward postseason play. Harper leads the Coyotes in several offensive categories including batting average (.410), hits (64), doubles (14), home runs (21), RBIs (59), total bases (143) and slugging percentage (.917) in 47 games. CSN is 38-10 and 25-7 in conference play. We touched...

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Matt Chico adds new pitch, gets win for Harrisburg

May 01, 2010, 1:01pm

Nationals

Matt Chico adds new pitch, gets win for Harrisburg

Senators pitcher Matt Chico continues to work hard to get back to the Major Leagues and had a very good outing this week for Harrisburg at Reading, his first win of the season. I caught up with Matt this week and he talked about the conditions of his start and his new pitch, the two seam fastball. "I had no problems in the 40 degree weather. It is cold but you are warm. "It wasn't bad. It was one of those games where I like the result but I didn't feel good. One of those nights I had...

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New Perspective: Watching Strasburg on the Road

May 03, 2010, 4:25pm

Nationals

New Perspective: Watching Strasburg on the Road

I wanted to relay my experiences from my visit last week to Reading, Pennsylvania to watch Stephen Strasburg's start. Strasburg did very well in that game, going five innings, allowing no hits and retiring the first 13 batters he faced. Unlike Sunday's start in Harrisburg, Strasburg was in control from the start and even contributed the game winning base hit. It is always fun to watch opposing team's reactions to Strasburg, especially the fans, who booed Strasburg as he ran slowly to...

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Strasburg versus Reds in June?

May 04, 2010, 10:24am

Nationals

With the team announcement that Nationals number one overall selection Stephen Strasburg is moving on to the Syracuse Chiefs, I project the possible May starts for #37, and if all goes well, his first major league baseball start would be in early June for the home series against the Cincinnati Reds. Jim Callis, Executive Editor of Baseball America told me it makes sense for the Nats to have Strasburg in Harrisburg for a month, Syracuse for a month, then bring him up for 100 innings before...

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Chambers insists Harper "very coachable"

May 04, 2010, 5:03pm

Nationals

Chambers insists Harper "very coachable"

College of Southern Nevada enters the final week of the regular season riding an eight game winning streak and a 42-10 overall record. The Coyotes are 29-7 in conference play, guaranteeing their 6th Scenic West conference regular season championship. They have two games remaining on their schedule at Salt Lake Community College, Friday and Saturday before the post season starts May 12th. Potential #1 overall selection Bryce Harper continues to lead the team with 21 HRs, .417 batting average...

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Desmond calls on Double-A coach to refine hitting

May 04, 2010, 6:57pm

Nationals

Desmond calls on Double-A coach to refine hitting

Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond went 2-4 with a home run, a single, 2 RBI and a run scored in the Nats 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves Tuesday night at Nats Park. Desmond is batting .338 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI in last 6 games. His homer was number two on the season and came off Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami in the fifth inning. "He just threw me a slider. I was able to stay through it and get enough of it to get it out of the park. I was looking for it. He gave it to me. That's...

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Game 2 Braves preview: Atilano riding sinker to Big Leagues

May 05, 2010, 9:23am

Nationals

Game 2 Braves preview: Atilano riding sinker to Big Leagues

Nats starter Luis Atilano learned his best pitch the sinker from the Nats organization. He will prominently display that pitch again tonight as he takes on the Atlanta Braves in his 3rd overall start and 2nd at home. I asked Luis what he felt about his 2-0 start: "I feel happy about it. I am keeping my focus from day to day. I am trying to get quick outs during my starts." "I am working pitch by pitch. I am not trying to do too much. A lot of times I am behind in the count. But that...

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Chambers dispels Nats job rumor

May 05, 2010, 1:07pm

Nationals

College of Southern Nevada baseball coach Tim Chambers told me that he has "absolutely not" been offered a job with the Nats. Tim said he called the Nats Assistant General Manager Roy Clark last night and they joked about how the media frenzy with him and the interest in his player, Bryce Harper, most likely fueled this type of speculation. "I was a 'bird-dog' while Roy was with the Atlanta Braves. As a matter of fact, when Clark left the Braves, the team sent me a letter that I was no...

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Going for the win in the 10th

May 05, 2010, 7:39pm

Nationals

Braves closer Billy Wagner, from nearby Crozet, Virginia, came on in the 10th inning with the lead and was able to stop the Nats rally. Wagner allowed a single by Cristian Guzman and it looked like the Nats would have a chance to tie or win the game. But Wagner retired the next three batters to notch only his third save of the season. Ian Desmond was next and was not asked to bunt with a man on first and no outs. Manager Jim Riggleman wanted to go for the win with the bullpen getting heavy...

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Game 3 preview vs. Braves: Nieves on Olsen's hot start

May 06, 2010, 10:31am

Nationals

Game 3 preview vs. Braves: Nieves on Olsen's hot start

Nats left-hander Scott Olsen gets the start tonight against the Braves' veteran Tim Hudson as the Nats look for their fifth series win of the season. Olsen, coming off a lights out performance in the win over Florida last Friday night, is 7-1. He tossed six innings and allowed five hits and no earned runs, while striking out four and walking three. He has a current 13-inning scorelesss streak. Catcher Wil Nieves likes what he has seen so far from Olsen: "He has been attacking the strike...

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Strasburg ready for next step in Syracuse

May 07, 2010, 12:09pm

Nationals

Strasburg ready for next step in Syracuse

The next step in Stephen Strasburg's seemingly meteoric rise is Syracuse as he gets a chance to see what he can do at the Triple-A level. Jason Benetti, play-by-play announcer for the Chiefs, sat down with Strasburg as he arrived in Syracuse and asked him how his life has changed since being selected as the #1 overall selection. "Oh, obviously there are a lot more people watching me," Strasburg said. "I never knew this would happen so fast. I am learning along the way." What did Tony...

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Strasburg lights out against Gwinnett

May 07, 2010, 8:19pm

Nationals

Syracuse Chiefs starter Stephen Strasburg rolled past the Gwinnett Braves in his Triple-A debut from a sold out Alliance Bank Stadium. Strasburg continued to hit 96-99 miles per hour on his fastball, a drop off the table curve ball and an assortment of off-speed stuff that confused the G-Braves hitters. Strasburg also added 2 RBI as Syracuse led 3-0 when he left the game. He had run scoring single in the 2nd inning and a perfect bunt in the 4th that scored the 3rd Chiefs run. His line was...

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Rizzo and 33 days

May 09, 2010, 7:20pm

Nationals

With the Nationals' victory over the Florida Marlins 3-2 Sunday, the Nats are 17-14 and won their 17th game of the season 33 days faster than last year's pace. The Nats did not secure the team's 17th win until June 11 last season and by then the Nats were close to 20 games out of first place. I caught up with Nats General Manager Mike Rizzo during the game and we reflected on the Nats great start and how he played it in spring training. He said he told the team to do three things this...

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Looking closer at the Adam Jones enigma

May 10, 2010, 7:09pm

Nationals Orioles

O's outfielder Adam Jones is struggling at bat, and the worry for fans - and for team officials as well - is that this could be more than just a slump. It hasn't been only a series, road trip or month where Jones has been not great at bat, but all season, and his struggles date back well into last year. This time in 2009, Jones was looking great at the plate, just like the All-Star he would soon be. But the story has been different since the first of June last season, after Jones' torrid...

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Bryce and Bruney

May 10, 2010, 7:26pm

Nationals

Just so you have them when the Nats pick Bryce Harper with the number one overall selection, here are his stats: Bryce finished his first collegiate regular season with a .417 batting average, 71 runs, 17 doubles, 2 triples, 23 homers, 68 RBI, .917 slugging percentage, .509 on-base percentage, grounded into only 2 double plays, 16-20 stolen bases, .982 fielding percentage, 165 total bases in 55 games. The College of Southern Nevada finished 43-13 and won the Scenic West Conference. The...

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MASN To Televise Strasburg's Second Triple-A Start

May 10, 2010, 7:50pm

Nationals

MASN To Televise Strasburg's Second Triple-A Start

MASN will televise Stephen Strasburg's second Triple-A start, as the Norfolk Tides visit the Syracuse Chiefs on Wednesday May 12th. MASN will show the Strasburg game via tape delay starting at about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, following the Orioles-Mariners tilt at 7:00 p.m. Last Friday, in Strasburg's first game with the Chiefs, the highly touted prospect allowed just one hit and no runs through six innings. In the stellar outing, which was also televised on MASN, Strasburg struck out...

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Posting some stats before the start of O's vs. M's

May 10, 2010, 8:05pm

Nationals Orioles

Posting some stats before the start of O's vs. M's

Checking on some O's and Mariners stats as those teams begin a three-game series tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles scored just one run and hit .161 (10 for 62) in losing the last two games of the Minnesota series. The Birds have scored two runs or less in five of the last seven games. The Orioles have gone without a hit with runners in scoring position in six of their last seven games. They went 8 for 16 with RISP in the other game which was the first game of Saturday's...

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Trying to lower the Cliff bar

May 11, 2010, 4:00am

Nationals Orioles

Cliff Lee vs. David Hernandez. Lee: 0-1, 2.40 ERA. Hernandez: 0-4, 5.74 ERA. Lee: no walks, 13 strikeouts in 15 innings. Hernandez: 19 walks, 20 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Lee: 3-0, 2.70 ERA lifetime vs. the Orioles. Hernandez: 0-2, 5.09 ERA lifetime vs. the Mariners. Don't worry. Patterns are made to be broken. The Mariners lost eight in a row before ending the streak on Sunday. They fired their hitting coach (yeah, yeah, I know). There's growing speculation that Ken Griffey Jr. will...

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Minor notes

May 11, 2010, 12:38pm

Nationals

The rough early season for the Harrisburg Senators offense is starting to show with the moves the team is making. Unfortunately, the Nats have given up on outfielder Michael Daniel. Daniel batted only .182 with no homers and just 2 RBI in 19 games. The University of North Carolina product was a seventh round selection in the 2005 first year player draft. Bill Rhinehart has been transferred to Potomac after batting .196 in 28 games. Pedro Lopez has been promoted to Syracuse, but he is...