Dave Nichols: A few of my favorite things

Dave Nichols: A few of my favorite things
It's Friday, the Nationals had had a bit of a tough week, and I've brought enough gloom and doom in my first four posts this week to last for a while. If you've read all of my previous posts here, or follow my blog or my Twitter account, some of you may even wonder if there's anything about this team I actually do like. Well, with apologies to Oprah and Julie Andrews (how's that for obscure references in a baseball blog)?, let me share with you some of my favorite things about the 2011...

Prospect Hague shortens swing to success

Prospect Hague shortens swing to success
Potomac Nationals shortstop Rick Hague crushed a 10th-inning, walk-off double to lift the P-Nats to a dramatic, 7-6 victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats Sunday. It marked the first win of the season for the defending Mills Cup champions and involved big plays from Eury Perez, Destin Hood, Cutter Dykstra Stephen King, Brian Peacock, Jeff Kobernus and Steven Souza. The Rice University product from Spring, Texas, says the work the team did in Florida is showing off even this early in the...

Bowie at Harrisburg starting lineups for Sunday

Bowie at Harrisburg starting lineups for Sunday
Here arethe starting lineups for today's Double-A Bowie-Harrisburg game: Bowie Xavier Avery CF Greg Miclat 2B Jeff Fiorentino LF Brandon Waring 3B Robbie Widlansky DH Caleb Joseph C Ronnie Welty RF Billy Rowell 1B Carlos Rojas SS Rick Zagone LHP Harrisburg Josh Johnson SS Jonathan Tucker CF Steve Lombardozzi 2B Tyler Moore 1B Devin Ivany C R Buck Coats DH Jesus Valdez LF Adam Fox 3B Archie Gilbert RF Luis Atilano RHP

Thoughts and observations about the early days of the season

Thoughts and observations about the early days of the season
The Yankees need inconsistent pitcher A.J. Burnett to be consistent, and so far, thanks to an improved changeup, Burnett has won his first two starts. Also, catcher Russell Martin has made a good impression. No need to worry about the slow starts of Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee, or his Nationals counterpart, Adam LaRoche. Each is making good contact. Lee, hitting. 182 after being out a good chunk of March, is in late-spring training mode. LaRoche, who hit a game-winning home run Thursday,...

One final case of Manny being Manny

One final case of Manny being Manny
Manny Ramirez is one of the best right-handed hitters in history, but that's not how he's going to be remembered. Manny should be putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career, but he's never going to have a plaque in Cooperstown. Ramirez has retired from the Rays after it was reported that Major League Baseball was suspending him for 100 games for violating the sport's drug policy. Ramirez has already served a 50-game suspension with the Dodgers for using steroids. Manny has a...

Harper still No. 1 in position-by-position rankings

Harper still No. 1 in position-by-position rankings
Baseball America has released their position-by-position rankings for the top prospects in the game. To see the list you will need a subscription, but I wanted to share with you how it looks from a Nationals perspective. The Nats' No. 1 prospect, Bryce Harper, is still at the top of the list, and the organization can take pride in seeing some other familiar names in the top-20 at each position. At catcher, Jesus Montero of the New York Yankees is listed No. 1. Nationals prospect and...

Senators' Meyers pumped to notch opening win, get 9 Ks

Senators' Meyers pumped to notch opening win, get 9 Ks
The Double-A Harrisburg Senators could not have asked for a better way to start the campaign than a season-opening 5-0 shutout of rival Bowie before 4,042 at Metro Bank Park on Thursday. Right-hander Brad Meyers tossed five innings of scoreless ball, scattering four hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. He twice struck out the side for his first win of the season. "My fastball was on the first couple of innings," Meyers said. "I was finding my spots pretty good. They started to figure...

Harper with two base hits in professional debut

Harper with two base hits in professional debut
2010 No. 1 pick Bryce Harper posted a solid professional debut Thursday night, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout. Harper's Hagerstown Suns held off Rome, 3-2, in Rome, Ga. in Harper's first regular season game as a pro. Harper, playing right field and batting third in the order, had an RBI single and stole a base in the top of the first inning. In the top of the third, Harper singled on a bunt. He was later caught off first base and was tagged out in a rundown, pitcher to first base...

Prospect Solis doing just fine, still pitching in Viera

Prospect Solis doing just fine, still pitching in Viera
With the rosters at Single-A Hagerstown, Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg all announced as of this week, conspicuously not listed was the Nationals' 2010 second-round pick, pitcher Sammy Solis. But not to worry, there is nothing wrong with Solis, and he has pitched well in spring training. The Nats' left-handed pitching prospect says he expects to remain in Viera, Florida, for about two more weeks as he works in extended spring training. Solis suffered a quad injury while running...

Marquis confident as he makes season debut tonight against Fish

Marquis confident as he makes season debut tonight against Fish
Nationals right-hander Jason Marquis won his last start at Sun Life Stadium on Aug. 30, 2010, but he has a 7.07 career ERA in South Florida. Marquis hopes to repeat the most recent past as he takes the mound in his season debut tonight against the Florida Marlins. Marquis was very disappointed at the start he had to the 2010 season, and was determined in the offseason to put in the work necessary to come in ready to go in camp. Last season was Marquis' first losing campaign since 2006, going...

VanAllen comfortable with transition to reliever

VanAllen comfortable with transition to reliever
Harrisburg Senators left-hander Cory VanAllen worked hard in the offseason to get ready, and his diligence paid off with a very good spring training. Now, VanAllen is ready to make that next step with the Senators as a relief pitcher. "In the offseason, I trained back home in Houston with a lot of other big leaguers," VanAllen said. "I worked with left-hander Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals." VanAllen, who has worked with Garcia for several years, credits the St. Louis southpaw...

A correction: Fan, not Harper, won contest at NatsFest

A correction: Fan, not Harper, won contest at NatsFest
Last week, I wrote about the fan experience at NatsFest, but my post had an important error. I mentioned that Bryce Harper easily won a Guitar Hero contest against a fan - information that I later found out was incorrect. In fact, Cody Strakonsky, a 15-year-old first baseman and right fielder from Brunswick, Md., handily beat Harper during their Guitar Hero faceoff at Nationals Park. Competing to the song "Tick Tick Boom," Strakonsky crushed Harper, despite being slightly nervous to meet...

MASN Announces 2011 Baseball Television Schedule for Orioles, Nationals

MASN Announces 2011 Baseball Television Schedule for Orioles, Nationals
MASN, the television home of the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles, today announced its Major League Baseball programming schedule for the 2011 season. Once again, all Nationals and Orioles games broadcast by MASN will be available in crystal-clear high definition. The Nationals will have 95 games air live on MASN and MASN HD, and an additional 66 games on MASN2 and MASN2 HD. Viewers in the Washington, D.C., area will also be able to watch nearly every Sunday afternoon game on MASN's...

Nationals finalize 25-man roster

Nationals finalize 25-man roster
The Washington Nationals today selected the contracts of infielder Alex Cora, right-handed pitcher Chad Gaudin, outfielder Laynce Nix and first baseman/outfielder Matt Stairs. The Nationals also placed right-handed pitcher Henry Rodriguez (right shoulder) on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to March 22, and placed right-handed pitchers Elvin Ramirez (right shoulder), Stephen Strasburg (right elbow) and Chien-Ming Wang (right shoulder) and on the 60-Day Disabled List. Nationals Executive...

Hagerstown releases 2011 roster

Hagerstown releases 2011 roster
The Single-A Hagerstown Suns have announced their 2011 roster, with the biggest name being outfielder and No. 1 draft pick Bryce Harper. The roster also includes Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty's son, Shane McCatty, and catcher David Freitas. The outfield appears to be extremely talented with Harper joining Wade Moore, Michael Taylor and Randolph Oduber. Here is the full roster: Pitchers: LHP Paul Applebee RHP Sam Brown RHP Wilson Eusebio LHP Matt Grace RHP Ben Graham LHP Bobby...

Prospect Solano ready for second shot in Syracuse

Prospect Solano ready for second shot in Syracuse
Catcher Jhonatan Solano is ready to begin his 2011 campaign with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs after spending last season at Double-A Hagerstown. The Colombian-born Solano is making his second appearance with the Chiefs. Solano hit .252 with six homers and 42 RBI in 90 games with the Senators after playing 63 games with Syracuse in 2008. He was a great find for the Nationals in 2006 when he signed as a non-drafted free agent. Now, the 25-year old gets another shot at Triple-A, a promotion...

Broderick learns from rocky debut

Broderick learns from rocky debut
This was not the debut that Nationals right-handed reliever Brian Broderick was looking for in his first chance on the mound. Broderick allowed four runs in just two-thirds of an inning on two hits, a walk and a balk. The Braves ended up scoring six runs in the inning to blow the game open, and eventually won, 11-2. But a debut is just that: A start to his career. He won't be measured by the first outing and he will learn from the experience. He did, however, admit to being a little bit...

Potomac Nationals reveal 2011 roster

Potomac Nationals reveal 2011 roster
The defending Single-A Carolina League champion Potomac Nationals announced their 2011 roster today. A lot of people within the organization have talked about how talented the roster looks to begin defense of the Mills Cup, with players like Rick Hague, Destin Hood, Sandy Leon, Trevor Holder and Danny Rosenbaum. Pat Lehman is a George Washington product. Also of interest is Lenny Dysktra's son, Cutter Dykstra, who is one of the six infielders on the 25-man roster. Here is the...

Without inning, pitch restrictions, Zimmermann ready for 2011 debut

Without inning, pitch restrictions, Zimmermann ready for 2011 debut
Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann makes his 2011 debut Sunday at Nationals Park as Washington wraps up its three-game set with the Atlanta Braves. Zimmermann was 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA last season. He will be opposed by Braves right-hander Tim Hudson (17-9, 2.83 ERA). Zimmermann's first career start was a win against the Braves on April 20, 2009. After successfully rehabbing from ligament replacement surgery, Zimmermann made seven starts for the Nationals in 2010. Sunday marks...

Clippard rally-killing performance helps lift Nats to win

Clippard rally-killing performance helps lift Nats to win
The Nationals won their first game of the season Saturday 6-3 over the Atlanta Braves, keyed by a big rally-killing effort from the bullpen with Tyler Clippard leading the charge. The Braves threatened a big rally in the sixth inning when Dan Uggla led off the inning with a solo homer off of Chad Gaudin's first pitch that made it 4-2 Nationals. Following a walk and a double, Clippard got out of a 3-1 count to strikeout pinch hitter Brooks Conrad and induced Martin Prado into a liner to...