Nats building trust in the clubhouse

Nats building trust in the clubhouse
One critical component of a winning baseball team is accountability in the clubhouse by the players themselves. Veteran teams have leaders that lead by example. Small problems are solved before they become major fissures. The players in the clubhouse police themselves. When one player is not doing something on the field he should be doing, a veteran goes to him and fixes the problem. Sometimes when it comes from a teammate instead of a higher figure in the organization, like the...

Chef Rick Moonen introduces "Moon N' Doggie"

Chef Rick Moonen introduces "Moon N' Doggie"
On Monday night, Nationals fans will have a unique opportunity to sample Chef Rick Moonen's new seafood creation. During the Nationals game against the Phillies, Moonen will unveil his "Moon N' Doggie" gourmet shrimp dog at Nationals Park. The special will be sold in the Stars and Stripes Club and at the Red Porch during the final three games. The shrimp dog is served with Asian slaw and toga chips. Moonen will be signing autographs and meeting with fans throughout the entire series...

Zimmerman on Dunn: "He is the most important piece of this team"

Zimmerman on Dunn: "He is the most important piece of this team"
Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman missed a couple of games with a rib strain, but before he went down with that injury, I had a chance to talk to the Nats' silver slugger about the season and what lies ahead for the Nationals in 2011. He explained why he has been so consistent at the plate and continues to make the case for resigning slugger Adam Dunn. Zimmerman says hitting .300 is certainly a goal each year, but feels being consistent at the plate is the key every year to reaching that...

Batista speaks to seniors at the Chelsea School

Batista speaks to seniors at the Chelsea School
Miguel Batista -- author, musician, poet and pitcher -- spent his Friday afternoon speaking to youth at the Chelsea School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1976, the Chelsea School is a college preparatory school serving students in grades 5-12 with language-based learning disabilities from the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Batista spoke to the students about his journey to the big leagues and his unique appreciation for education, but colored his presentation with plenty of funny...

With the people

With the people
On a day like today, it's important to reflect on Stan Kasten's role in building this franchise, but that's a task I'll leave to our veteran baseball minds here at MASNsports.com. Because Nats Buzz strives to provide a fan-centric perspective, I wanted to take a moment to reminisce about another side of Stan Kasten -- the fan ambassador. I have no doubt that many of you met and chatted with Kasten during one of his many strolls around the ballpark. "What? I'm with the people," I once...

A.J. Cole ready for instructs debut

A.J. Cole ready for instructs debut
Right-hander A.J. Cole makes his Nationals instructional league debut Friday and will throw one inning against Houston at the Astros complex in Florida. It seems like just yesterday that Cole had to make a big decision: whether to start playing pro ball now or go to college. The Nats presented a big contract. The University of Miami offered him a full ride baseball scholarship. Cole says it was a pretty easy decision. "It all came down to that I really wanted to just play baseball for a...

Bryce Harper 0-for-2 in Instructional debut

Bryce Harper 0-for-2 in Instructional debut
Bryce Harper went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts as the Braves beat the Nationals 5-3 in the first game of instructional league from Viera, Florida. It was the first live pitching the team had seen in 20 days and the Nationals did have the winning run at the plate in the late going. The Nationals are at Houston tomorrow in Game 2 of the instructional league schedule. A.J. Cole will pitch one inning in that game. The Nats are throwing nine pitchers in each game, one for each inning.

Gospel Concert at Nats Park

Gospel Concert at Nats Park
Following Saturday's game, the Nationals will host their third annual Gospel Music Fest at Nationals Park. If you attend the game, you're invited to stay for the post-game concert, which will begin as soon as the concert can be properly set up after the final out (approximately 5:45 p.m.). Fans can also purchase tickets at www.nationals.com/gospel. Praise 104.1 FM Radio Personality Cheryl Jackson will serve as the emcee and Gospel music performers Tanya Blount, Shawn McLemore and...

Nationals Renew Affiliation with Hagerstown Suns of the Single-A South Atlantic League

Nationals Renew Affiliation with Hagerstown Suns of the Single-A South Atlantic League
The Washington Nationals today announced the signing of a two-year Player Development Contract with the Hagerstown Suns of the Single-A South Atlantic League. Nationals President Stan Kasten, Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development Bob Boone and Director of Player Development Doug Harris made the joint announcement. "Our partnership between the Nationals and Hagerstown has fit well," said Kasten. "We very much...

A day in the life at Nats instructional league

A day in the life at Nats instructional league
Nationals prospects are busy from the early morning hours this week as they get ready to take on the Atlanta Braves in game one of the instructional league schedule on Thursday. Nationals hitting instructor Rick Schu says they are in the batting cage at 7:00 a.m. every morning. They then get on the field to work on defensive drills. The guys have workouts with individual coaches based on pre-camp evaluations of each players' specific areas of need. "These players are special guys. These...

After solid season with Suns, Hood ready for instructional league

After solid season with Suns, Hood ready for instructional league
Destin Hood, 20, is capping off a great season in Hagerstown by playing for the Nationals instructional league team in Viera, which begins play Thursday against the Braves. The 6'1", 225-pound outfielder from Mobile, Alabama played in 129 games for the Suns, batting .285 with 30 doubles, three triples, five homers and 65 RBI, totalling 140 hits and 56 runs. Hood struggled a little bit last season (batting .246 in 38 games with Vermont) so the Nats asked him to work hard to get into baseball...

Lannan looking for #9 again

Lannan looking for #9 again
Nationals left-hander John Lannan (8-7, 4.61) is looking for his ninth win of the season as he takes to the mound tonight against the Houston Astros. If he can secure the victory tonight at Nats Park, it will mark the third consecutive campaign in which he has won nine games in a season for Washington. Lannan has experienced an incredible surge the last half of the season after struggling out of the blocks. Since August 6, Lannan has won six of eight starts and has struck out 19 batters...

Switching to outfield should be easy transition for Harper

Switching to outfield should be easy transition for Harper
The Nationals instructional league team has completed their first weekend of work in Viera, Florida, with game one set for Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. Bryce Harper had a good opening three days, getting started in the pros with his new teammates and coaches. Nationals hitting instructor Rick Schu says the team's number one pick should have no trouble switching from his familiar catching spot to the outfield. "He can catch. He can play infield, he can play outfield," Schu said....

The Final Homestand

The Final Homestand
It's almost that time. With just thirteen Nationals games left on the schedule and only ten left at Nationals Park, it's time to say goodbye to ballpark friends and bring this season to a close. This week, don't forget to pick up a raffle ticket to "Jerseys Off Their Backs," which benefits the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation. Winners will receive a game-worn jersey on Sunday, Sept 26 during a special post-game ceremony. The final two giveaways of the season include a Mr....

Nats look for one in series at Philly; need Maya to step up

Nats look for one in series at Philly; need Maya to step up
The Nationals look to salvage game three of their series with the Phillies Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. They will have to do it with a pitcher who has yet to win a major league game and who faces a veteran hurler that has not lost a game since July 21. Right-hander Yunesky Maya has had a tough early inning to get through in his first two starts and then has been able to settle down. Last time out in Atlanta, he allowed four runs in the second inning, including two balk calls, but...

Harper: "This is the life...This is where I wanted to be"

Harper: "This is the life...This is where I wanted to be"
He eats peanut butter and honey as his pre-workout morning meal. He loves the Dallas Cowboys. And he once hit a baseball 570 feet. Today he finished his first workout as a professional baseball player with the Washington Nationals at the team's instructional league in Florida. The 17-year-old Bryce Harper says the first day wasn't too strenuous as he got to know his new teammates and coaches. "We just went over a few things in the beginning, bunt coverage, bunt defense," said Harper,...

Potomac claims Mills Cup

Potomac claims Mills Cup
Potomac defeats Winston-Salem 2-1 to win Carolina League championship series 3-1 from Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge. Bill Rhinehart and Tyler Moore with RBIs and Marcos Frias didn't allow an earned run as the P-Nats stunned the Dash, a team that had won 12 out of 20 meetings between the clubs during the regular season. Frias went five innings, allowing just four hits and one run with no walks and four punch outs. Joe Testa pitched two and two-thirds innings not allowing a base hit for...

Potomac within one win of Carolina title

Potomac within one win of Carolina title
Bill Rhinehart and Jose Lozada slammed home runs and Jimmy Barthmaier escaped two jams to lift Potomac to a 10-2 dismantling of Winston-Salem in Game Three of the Carolina League Championship Series at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge. The Nationals lead the series 2-1 with Game Four Friday night at 7:03pm. The P-Nats need one victory to secure their second Mills Cup title in the past three seasons. Rhinehart smacked his round tripper in the 1st inning and added a two-run double. Lozada...

Morgan calls season a "learning year"

Morgan calls season a "learning year"
Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan said Thursday he is ready to learn from his mistakes and move on. Morgan found himself embroiled in controversy over a two week stretch in late August which culminated on Sept 1 with an on field brawl at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. League officials lightened Morgan's suspension to eight games on Thursday afternoon after his appeal, a decision he thought was "fair." "I definitely learned so much, not just from this incident but the whole year," Morgan...

Looking at the 2011 Schedule

Looking at the 2011 Schedule
Earlier this week, Major League Baseball announced the tentative schedule for next season. It reminds me of being at college in the midst of gearing up for finals and papers when the class schedule for the next term would finally come out. I was always so happy to be able to start planning ahead and preparing for the next semester. Yes, I was a bit of a dork but it's exciting, isn't it? So, what do we know about next season? Despite the fact that we'll be bundled up for the home...