Nationals No. 1 draft selection Bryce Harper played his final instructional league game today in Orlando and then will head back to his hometown of Las Vegas. If Harper has time in Las Vegas, he will likely workout with UNLV and his former college coach Tim Chambers on their first day of camp, which opens Wednesday. But that does not mean Harper is done playing competitive baseball before 2011 spring training. Despite not being on the initial Scottsdale Scorpions roster, there's still a...

As you already know, free agent reliever/movie star Owen Wilson will join the Nationals bullpen this winter when his new movie, "How Do You Know" hits theaters on December 17th. Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd also star in the romantic comedy. The film's website is now available at www.howdoyouknow-movie.com. On the website, you can sign up to receive updates about the film, view digital stills, watch the trailer or visit the film's new Facebook page. Parts of the movie...

The Rays managed to bring the Division Series back to Tropicana Field tonight for Game 5 after falling behind, 0-2, to the Rangers. That's the good news. David Price is 0-2 with a 7.45 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers, allowing 16 runs and 17 hits, and walking 15, in 19 1/3 innings. That would be the bad news. Cliff Lee has a 2.87 ERA in 13 career starts against the Rays. Yeah, you guessed it. They don't play the games on paper - though they've been known to play them...

Scottsdale Scorpions Manager: Randy Knorr, Harrisburg Senators Pitchers: RHP Adam Carr RHP Cole Kimball RHP Brad Peacock LHP Sammy Solis Catcher: Derek Norris Infielder: Steve Lombardozzi Outfielder: Michael Burgess It will be very interesting to see how all four of the Nats pitching prospects do against top flight competition, especially left-hander Sammy Solis, who has been signed for only two months and did very well against instructional league competition the last couple of...

As new O's manager Buck Showalter continues to put his stamp, if you will, on this organization, what about the minor leagues? During his brief time as O's skipper, Showalter already has made trips to Bowie and Aberdeen and saw some of the O's younger prospects workout during the instructional league camp at Camden Yards. How much impact and input does Showalter want to have on the minors? In a recent meeting in his Camden Yards office, Showalter talked on that topic. "I trust John...

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail doesn't believe that an announcement on the coaching staff is "on the horizon," but he adds that it's "truly in Buck's hands, what he does and the circumstances." We're waiting for the Orioles to soon reveal which coaches are returning, without naming replacements for the departed. "There are so many managerial positions to be filled that it has a ripple effect on the staff," MacPhail said. Hitting coach Terry Crowley will return,...

Today is your last chance to cast your vote for Luke Scott for the Hank Aaron Award, which is given annually to the top offensive player in each league. This year, fan votes will be counted alongside the votes from a panel of Hall of Famers hand-selected by Hank Aaron himself. So toss your vote in with Tony Gwynn, Harmon Killebrew, Paul Molitor, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams, and Robin Yount to help Scott secure the honor of this year's award. Check out Luke Scott's batting stats here...

So, does anyone want to trade places with Brooks Conrad? The Atlanta second baseman committed three errors yesterday, the final one allowing the go-ahead run to score in the ninth inning and putting the Braves within a game of elimination. "I wish I could just dig a hole," Conrad said, "and sleep in it." I'm sure a few of his teammates would bring the shovel. Maybe I just expect too much in the postseason from a player named Brooks. Aubrey Huff delivered a huge hit in the ninth, tying...

A scout from outside the organization who ventured inside Camden Yards over the final weeks of the season made the following observation about Adam Jones, including differences in the center fielder since manager Buck Showalter took control of the club: "I think the biggest guy that I've seen impacted is Jones. I thought in the middle of the season that he was at a crossroads for me, whether he was going to go one way or the other. I think he's really stepped up. "He's got the most...

In 2009, with Bowie, Brandon Erbe was limited to 14 starts due to shoulder problems. This year he had to deal with more shoulder issues. He made 14 starts for Triple-A Norfolk. He would pitch just once after June 20th, throwing a couple of innings on July 24 in an injury-rehab outing with Aberdeen. This time, the problem led him to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum on August 13th. Angels' physician Dr. Lewis Yocum performed the procedure. "It was the same injury (this season),...