The low Single-A Hagerstown Suns, the South Atlantic League affiliate of the Nationals, have worked for years to try to get a new facility built in their city to replace the aging Municipal Stadium. But site after site has run into issues with financing or voter disinterest, and other sites in Warrenton, Va., and Fredericksburg, Va., have been rumored as possible replacements. Yesterday's Free-Lance Star in Fredericksburg reports the city would be "ideal" for a minor league team, based on...

What is it about Bryce Harper that has allowed him to have so much success at such a young age? Well, he's immensely talented, of course. At 20, Harper can do things on a baseball field that many players with a decade's worth of experience cannot dream of doing. Beyond that, however, is Harper's work ethic, his drive, his desire to give his all in every single facet of the game. Harper's going to outwork you off the field, then he's going to outhustle you on it. That's his goal every...

Eight starts, seven victories, a 1.69 ERA. Jordan Zimmermann keeps on rolling. Zimmermann went 7 2/3 innings tonight, allowing two runs on nine hits, striking out five and walking none as the Nationals beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the first game of a three-game set. He's now 7-1 on the season. The main concern coming out of this game, however, is the health of Bryce Harper, who left in the bottom of the fifth inning after colliding face-first with the right field wall. We'll wait for updates...

Scary moment out in Los Angeles, as Bryce Harper left tonight's game against the Dodgers after colliding face-first with the right field fence. Harper was chasing a deep fly ball hit by A.J. Ellis, and lost track of where he was in relation to the wall. As the ball came down over his head, Harper turned and went face-first into the wall, colliding with the chain-link portion of the fence that protects the video board. He went down in a heap, and after the Nationals were able to corral the...

That headline would have been a heck of a lot smoother if Ryan Zimmerman and Jordan Zimmermann would just get together and agree to have their last names spelled the same way. Make it happen, fellas. Do it for the sake of my headlines, if nothing else. The Zimmerman(n) boys have helped the Nationals to an early 4-0 lead over the Dodgers after three innings. Zimmerman has a two-run double and three RBIs, and Zimmermann has thrown two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Both guys are on...

Most reporters that cover the Orioles likely get similar questions, but here are some I have been getting lately: * How long can the Orioles go with Ryan Flaherty struggling on offense? * Is Jair Jurrjens the next minor league pitcher to get a shot in the rotation? * When will the Orioles callup Kevin Gausman? * Will Manny Machado be moving back to shortstop? OK, haven't gotten that last one in a while but just wanted to make sure I had your attention. Bet that one did the trick. My...

The Orioles are back home tonight after playing 14 of their past 17 games on the road, and they're facing an opponent that doesn't normally make the trip to Baltimore. The San Diego Padres have been to Camden Yards once before, and you have to go back to 2002, when the Orioles took two of three games. Melvin Mora had five RBIs in the series opener. The following night, Tony Bautista hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. The Orioles won two of three games in their first visit to San...

Coming off a stellar performance in the World Baseball Classic, the Orioles seemed very optimistic about Pedro Strop heading into the 2013 season. Buck Showalter leaned heavily on him through much of 2012, until Strop struggled with pitch location in September and into the postseason. In Strop's final 11 regular season outings, he surrendered six earned runs over 7 1/3 innings pitched, issued eight walks and struck out seven. Opponents were hitting .371 against him with a .444 BABIP (Batting...

Losing two home games against the Chicago Cubs is disheartening and, after the excellent game Friday night, it was as if a switch just flipped and the progress of the prior week vanished in the flash of a Stephen Strasburg meltdown. There wasn't much to like on Saturday and Sunday unless you are a ticket rep for the Nationals. They are selling ducats like snow cones in 100-degree heat. Sky-high expectations bring in the fans and despite the cool weather and the failure of the real Nationals...

The Nationals kick off a 10-game West Coast road trip with a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the MASN broadcast beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time with "Nats Xtra" pregame. Jordan Zimmermann pitches for the Nationals and will be opposed by the Dodgers' Josh Beckett. The two right-handers have had distinctly different seasons: Zimmermann is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA, while Beckett is 0-4 with a 5.13 ERA. Steve Lombardozzi will make his second straight start in left field for the...