Marty Niland: A Nats fan's response to a youngster in search of a team

Marty Niland: A Nats fan's response to a youngster in search of a team
Baseball fans may have heard the story of Pete Van Vleet of Ashland, Va., who wrote to every major league team, asking each to make a case for his newborn son, Jack, to be their fan. The 42-year-old Richmond native, a former colleague at The Associated Press, did not have a home team to root for growing up, and chose the Houston Astros because they were a National League contender in the early 1980s. He wants his kids to choose a team as he did. His 5-year-old daughter, Madeline, roots for the...
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Opposite dugout: Orioles using new tricks to produce similar results

Opposite dugout: Orioles using new tricks to produce similar results
Manager: Buck Showalter (8th season) Record: 20-10 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 3B Manny Machado (.237 average with 8 HR, 21 RBIs); 2B Jonathan Schoop (.296 average with 5 HR, 17 RBIs); CF Adam Jones (.268 average with 33 hits); RHP Dylan Bundy (5-1, 2.17 ERA); LHP Wade Miley (1-1, 2.27 ERA). Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-1 in 2016) Pitching probables: May 8: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2May 9: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Ubaldo Jiménez, 7:05 p.m.,...
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David Huzzard: Nats dispelling some back luck by racking up wins

David Huzzard: Nats dispelling some back luck by racking up wins
Adam Eaton is out for the season, Bryce Harper left yesterday's game with a groin strain, the back end of the rotation is a mess with a career minor leaguer just being inserted as the fifth starter and then there's the bullpen, and I think we all know the problems there. Yet the Nationals are 19-9, the best record in the major leagues. The Nationals are having the same bad luck with starters staying healthy they've always had and now have issues with pitching depth. And yet they just keep...
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Opposite dugout: Phillies coming along, but have plenty to work on

Opposite dugout: Phillies coming along, but have plenty to work on
Manager: Pete Mackanin (3rd season) Record: 12-15 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 2B César Hernández (.336 average with 39 hits), 3B Maikel Franco (.231 average with 5 HR, 25 RBIs), RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.18 ERA), RHP Héctor Neris (0-1, 3 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-3 Pitching probables: May 5: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Nick Pivetta, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 6: TBA vs. RHP Vince Velasquez, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 7: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson, 2:35 p.m.,...
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Luke Erickson: What it means to be the next man up on the farm

Luke Erickson: What it means to be the next man up on the farm
For those of you interested in gambl ... er, fantasy baseball, you're probably well aware of the depth charts that are created for the minors for dynasty leagues. But even if you're not, the Nationals have made you aware of who's the supposed next man up with their inability to dodge injuries. Adam Eaton is the latest starter to be lost for the season, and for now, the plan is to give backup Michael A. Taylor the chance to win the center field job for the third season in a row. This hasn't...
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Opposite dugout: Diamondbacks have surprised early with productive offense

Opposite dugout: Diamondbacks have surprised early with productive offense
Manager: Torey Lovullo (1st season) Record: 16-11 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: RF David Peralta (.326 with 3 HR, 7 RBIs), SS Chris Owings (.311 with 4 HR, 19 RBIs), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.315 with 4 HR, 19 RBIs), LF Yasmany Tomás (5 HR, 20 RBIs), 3B Jake Lamb (5 HR, 21 RBIs), RHP Zack Greinke (2-2, 3.19 ERA), LHP Robbie Ray (2-1, 39 Ks) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-5 in 2016) Pitching probables: May 2: RHP Taijuan Walker vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 May 3: LHP...
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Opposite dugout: Mets scuffling as injury bug bites hard

Opposite dugout: Mets scuffling as injury bug bites hard
Manager: Terry Collins (7th season) Record: 8-13 Last 10 games: 1-9 Who to watch: RF Jay Bruce (.289 average with 6 HR, 14 RBIs); OF Michael Conforto (.302 average with 4 HR, 8 RBIs); 2B Neil Walker (17 hits, 27 total bases); SP Jacob deGrom (0-1, 2.55 ERA); RP Addison Reed (3.38 ERA, 4 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-3 Pitching probables: April 28: RHP Jacob deGrom vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m., MASN2April 29: RHP Zack Wheeler vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 1:05 p.m., MASN2April 30: TBA...
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Luke Erickson: Checking out some early-season surprises on the farm

Luke Erickson: Checking out some early-season surprises on the farm
We're roughly three weeks into the minor league seasons - still in small sample size territory, but large enough to use as a story peg take notice. Before you start champing at the bit for these guys to get promoted, remember two things: The entire league hasn't seen them yet, and there has to be a space for him at the next level. At Single-A Hagerstown, Daniel Johnson caught my eye last season by racking up nine assists and four errors last summer in 62 games for short-season Single-A...
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Marty Niland: Healthy Zimmerman makes a big difference for Nats

Marty Niland: Healthy Zimmerman makes a big difference for Nats
One big difference between the Nationals and Mets that allowed the Nats to sweep the weekend series with their National League East rivals was overall team health. Several key members of the Mets lineup were out with injuries all weekend, while the Nats' starting lineup was intact by Sunday. One member of the Nats who is clearly benefiting from relative good health early this season is first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The team's first draft choice after moving to Washington made it through four...
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Opposite dugout: Rockies living up to hype ... so far

Opposite dugout: Rockies living up to hype ... so far
Manager: Bud Black (1st season) Record: 13-6 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 3B Nolan Arenado (.329 average with 6 HR, 13 RBIs); 1B Mark Reynolds (.318 average with 5 HR, 16 RBIs); CF Charlie Blackmon (.270 average with 20 hits); RHP Antonio Senzatela (3-0, 2.08 ERA); RHP Greg Holland (2.00 ERA, 9 saves). Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (4-2 in 2016) Pitching probables: April 24: RHP Jacob Turner vs. LHP Tyler Anderson, 8:40 p.m., MASN2April 25: RHP Joe Ross vs. TBA, 8:40 p.m.,...
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David Huzzard: A closer look at Nats' closer troubles

David Huzzard: A closer look at Nats' closer troubles
A couple of days ago, the Nationals made a much-needed change by removing Blake Treinen from the closer's role and replacing him with Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover. This is the current best option and the only option the Nationals truly have at this point. After the Nationals got outbid for Mark Melancon and Kenley Jansen, and Arlodis Chapman only wanted to play for the Yankees, the Nationals were no longer going to get a closer during the offseason. Earlier in the offseason the Nationals'...
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Opposite dugout: Injuries, ineffectiveness plague middling Mets

Opposite dugout: Injuries, ineffectiveness plague middling Mets
Manager: Terry Collins (7th season) Record: 8-8 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: OF Michael Conforto (.320), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 9 RBIs), RF Jay Bruce (.293/.379/.638 with 6 HR, 14 RBIs), LF Yoenis Céspedes (6 HR, 10 RBIs), RHP Jacob deGrom (0-0, 1.89 ERA), RHP Matt Harvey (2-0, 2.45 ERA), RHP Addison Reed (4 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (7-12 in 2016) Pitching probables: April 21: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Jacob deGrom, 7:10 p.m., MASN April 22: LHP Gio Gonzalez...
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Opposite dugout: Injuries, ineffectiveness have hurt middling Mets

Opposite dugout: Injuries, ineffectiveness have hurt middling Mets
Manager: Terry Collins (7th season) Record: 8-7 (UPDATE) Last 10 games: 5-4 Who to watch: C Travis d'Arnaud, RF Jay Bruce, LF Yoenis Céspedes, RHP Jacob deGrom, RHP Matt Harvey, RHP Addison Reed Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (7-12 in 2016) Pitching probables: April 21: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Jacob deGrom, 7:10 p.m., MASN April 22: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Matt Harvey, 4:05 p.m., MASN April 23: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Zack Wheeler, 8:08 p.m., ESPN Inside the Mets: Fans in...
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District 34 podcast: Nats rolling to start season

District 34 podcast: Nats rolling to start season
If you're Capitals or Wizards fan like I am, you'll probably join me in being thankful that the Nationals are cruising along through these first couple of weeks of the season. While stressing during the Caps and Wizards' playoff wins last night, it was nice to watch the Nats roll the Braves for an easy 14-4 victory. And with the big win at the new SunTrust Park came a lot of news out of the Nationals clubhouse, giving Byron Kerr and myself a lot to talk about on this week's episode of the...
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Marty Niland: Roy Sievers was a true hero, but can today's stars match him?

Marty Niland: Roy Sievers was a true hero, but can today's stars match him?
Somewhere last night, an excited kid of 10 or 11 proudly hung a Bryce Harper poster in his or her bedroom, and fell asleep to dream of the day when they, too, would hit a walk-off homer for the Nationals, sending the crowd into delirium. It's not hard to find heroes on the Nats these days. The team is off to another great start at 7-5. The past two victories came on Daniel Murphy's walk-off double and Harper's mad dash home Friday, and Harper's game-winning shot Sunday. Murphy came within...
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Luke Erickson: Playing to win vs. player development

Luke Erickson: Playing to win vs. player development
In theory, the difference between playing to win and developing talent should be, um, minor. Getting ahead in the count (or not falling behind) is what you need to learn to get to the majors (and remember to stay there). In practice, however, it's not always one and the same. Last Saturday night in Woodbridge was a good example of the difference. Joan Baez is the No. 29 Nationals prospect according to Baseball America, which for better or worse is the bellwether for most prospect followers. He...
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Opposite dugout: Rebuilding Braves welcome Nats to new ballpark

Opposite dugout: Rebuilding Braves welcome Nats to new ballpark
Manager: Brian Snitker (2nd season) Record: 6-6 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.400/.481/.867 with 5 HR, 6 RBIs), 2B Bandon Phillips (.326 with 4 SB), CF Ender Inciarte (4 HR, 7 RBIs), RHP Julio Teheran (1-0, 0.95 ERA), RHP Jim Johnson (1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP with 3 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (4-15 in 2016) Pitching probables: April 18: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Mike Foltynewicz, 7:35 p.m., MASN2 April 19: RHP Joe Ross vs. RHP Julio Teheran, 7:35 p.m.,...
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David Huzzard: Getting used to offense-first Nationals

David Huzzard: Getting used to offense-first Nationals
It's a strange new world for Nationals fans. For the last five seasons, the Nationals have been a good team and sometimes one of the best teams in baseball, and they've done so on the back of their starting rotation. This current iteration of the Nationals is very different. Pitching is not a strength, and after Tanner Roark, the starting rotation is a weakness. When July 31 rolls around, the Nationals are going to be looking for a starting pitcher and bullpen help. The latter has been the...
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Luke Erickson: Looking over the minor league rosters

Luke Erickson: Looking over the minor league rosters
As you might have guessed, the release of last week's rosters was almost precisely what fans of the "Baby Nats" were hoping for - not too conservative with the kids, not too aggressive with the top pitcher and top position player. The folks in Hagerstown have to be happy with the talent that's sent there. Because the Nationals tend to draft collegiate players over high schoolers, it's rare to have one teenager on a full-season roster, never mind four (Carter Kieboom, Juan Soto, Tyler...
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Opposite dugout: Cardinals need bounceback season from rotation to contend

Opposite dugout: Cardinals need bounceback season from rotation to contend
Manager: Mike Matheny (6th season) Record: 2-4 Last 10 games: 2-4 Who to watch: SS Aledmys Díaz (.300/.369/.510 with 17 HR, 65 RBIs), C Yadier Molina (.307/.360/.427), RF Stephen Piscotty (22 HR, 85 RBIs), RHP Adam Wainwright (13-9 with 4.62 ERA), RHP Seung-Hwan Oh (1.92 ERA with 19 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-5 in 2016) Pitching probables: April 10: RHP Adam Wainwright vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN April 11: RHP Lance Lynn vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m.,...
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