Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper had a nice debut for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in a 7-4 loss to Rochester in the 2012 opener on a chilly Thursday afternoon in Syracuse, N.Y. Playing center field, Harper went 2-for-4 in his first game at the Triple-A level, smacking a double, a single and stealing a base. General manager Mike Rizzo said in an interview this week on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. that he would not place a bet on Harper remaining at the Triple-A level the entire season. Rizzo said...

BOWIE, Md. - For the second year in a row, Manny Machado made an impressive debut with a new team. The Orioles top-rated position prospect must have a flair for the dramatic. With everyone paying close attention to his first at-bat in the Double-A Eastern League Thursday night, he smoked a first-pitch fastball from Harrisburg's Patrick Gilliam over the wall in left-center in the second inning as Bowie beat the Senators 4-2 in front of 4,268 chilled fans on opening night. "How about that? He...

CHICAGO - One final note from Wrigley before I head out and do some damage over at Geno's East, which I hear is a fantastic Chicago-style pizza place: Let's not overlook the work turned in by Chad Tracy today. Tracy, who sat around in the Nationals' dugout for seven innings trying to stay warm, delivered a clutch two-out double in the eighth inning that eventually turned into the game-tying run when Ian Desmond singled in Brett Carroll, who pinch ran for Tracy. Here's a guy that a year...

We hear his voice before and after every Nationals game. He's previewing the day's matchup and only hours later recapping another night in baseball. For Nationals fans, baseball season revolves around the sight and sounds of broadcaster Johnny Holliday. Holliday, along with analyst Ray Knight, have been covering the Nationals for quite some time, a mere tip of the iceberg for Holliday, whose radio and television career has stretched more than 40 years. Over those many decades, Holliday...

The Orioles just released their opening day lineup, and I don't see any major surprises. Nolan Reimold is batting leadoff. Adam Jones is hitting cleanup. The only spot that crossed me up was Wilson Betemit batting ahead of Mark Reynolds instead of behind him. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Wilson Betemit DH Mark Reynolds 3B Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Jake Arrieta RHP

CHICAGO - Today's "Coolest Quote of the Day" goes to Stephen Strasburg, who was asked what was going through his mind in the final innings of today's game, when the Nationals were mounting their rally against the Cubs and then subsequently took the lead. "Watching from the dugout, you almost feel like you're in the box there with them," Strasburg said. "That says a lot about the chemistry we have on this team that everybody in there was pulling for the next guy to get the job done. I...

BOWIE, Md. - Manny Machado admitted before tonight's game that he could face some struggles as a 19-year-old playing in the Double-A Eastern League. So far he isn't having any issues. On the first pitch he saw tonight, batting with one out and none on in the last of the second, Machado homered to left-center off Harrisburg starter Patrick Gilliam. Machado hit a liner that got out of here pretty quickly to give Bowie a 1-0 lead on opening night at Prince George's Stadium. Last year, between...

CHICAGO - See what I did there? Stephen Strasburg learned something today. But it wasn't anything relating to hitters' tendencies or specific pitch sequences that he should focus on in the future. The Nationals righty learned that Chicago can get a little breezy. "I knew it was called the Windy City but I didn't really think about it," Strasburg said. "I knew it was going to be pretty cold but I didn't realize how windy it would be." Now he knows. Although he battled the...

CHICAGO - Was this really opening day? Are we sure, given the weather and the intensity in the late innings, that we didn't hop in a time machine and end up in October? (Insert your jokes about the Cubs having no shot at October.) (Cubs fans, insert your jokes about the Nationals not being able to joke about postseason appearances just yet.) This sure had the feel of a game with a lot more riding on it than just who would get opening day bragging rights. The quality of the pitching on both...

BOWIE, Md. - It is sunny but chilly, but there have been some intense thunderstorms in Asheville, N.C. today and Dylan Bundy's scheduled pro debut has been rained out. The Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds will try again to open their season on Friday night. Bundy is now scheduled to be the starter tomorrow when the Shorebirds meet Asheville at 7:05 p.m. The rainout will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first pitch of Game One scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Both games of the...