Potomac looks for quick start tonight against Dash

Potomac looks for quick start tonight against Dash
The Potomac Nationals face off against Winston-Salem tonight in a critical Game Three of the Carolina League Championship from Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, VA. The Nationals got back in the best-of-five Mills Cup with a 5-3 win Tuesday in Winston-Salem to even the series at 1-1. Nationals right-hander Jimmy Barthmaier takes on Winston-Salem right-hander Terry Doyle, with first pitch at 7:03 p.m. Barthmaier won his last four decisions to end the regular season for the P-Nats, going 4-1...

Potomac evens series with Winston-Salem 5-3

Potomac evens series with Winston-Salem 5-3
The Potomac Nationals got on the board in the Carolina League championship series with a comeback 5-3 victory in Game 2 at Winston-Salem over the Dash. The P-Nats made a pair of comebacks, down 1-0 in the fourth and 3-2 in the eighth. Trailing by 1, the P-Nats scored three times in the eighth and then the bullpen got six outs to win the contest. Derek Norris' RBI blooper single to right plated Francisco Soriano to tie the game at 3. Bill Rhinehart's sac fly scored Dan Lyons in the...

Walton on a mission in Potomac

Walton on a mission in Potomac
July 20 was not a day that Jamar Walton likes to remember. It was the day the Kansas City Royals released the outfielder from Advanced-A Wilmington. The former fourth-round selection had struggled to a .200 batting average in 59 games with the Blue Rocks. Then in mid-August the Nationals were in need of outfield depth. Chris Curran, Nick Moresi and Edgardo Baez had all helped out in the outfield. Walton added another clutch bat and strong defense to keep the P-Nats rolling. The 6'4",...

Bisenius grateful for health and shot with Nats

Bisenius grateful for health and shot with Nats
Nationals reliever Joe Bisenius is excited to get back to the majors and have a shot to pitch for the Washington Nationals. In his major league debut, back in April of 2007 with the Phillies, he got Braves All-Star Chipper Jones to pop out and ended a threat in his first full inning of work. That game seemed like ages ago until he got it going this season. The last two seasons he has battled through a couple of injuries to get back to feeling good again and pitching well. The 6'4"...

Jewett talks to and about Morgan as suspension looms

Jewett talks to and about Morgan as suspension looms
Syracuse Chiefs manager Trent Jewett joined the Nats following the end of the Triple-A season, and Sunday he got the chance to sit down and speak with one of his former players in outfielder Nyjer Morgan. Morgan is likely facing a long suspension for a string of incidents the last couple of weeks and could find out his fate for the remainder of the 2010 regular season as early as today. Jewett, who managed Morgan while he was with the Indianapolis Indians in the Pirates organization from...

Potomac advances to league finals

Potomac advances to league finals
The Potomac Nationals have advanced to the Carolina League championship series which begins tomorrow in Winston-Salem. It is the second time in the past three seasons the team have reached the Mills Cup Championship. The franchise is going for their fourth league title. The P-Nats defeated Frederick 10-3 in Woodbridge to win the series 3-1. Bill Rhinehart went 2-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI, while Nick Moresi, Chris Curran and Tyler Moore each added a pair of RBI and Marcos Frias went five...

Riggleman pleased with progress on defense

Riggleman pleased with progress on defense
Danny Espinosa makes a diving stop towards the second base then gets up and throws the runner out, saving potentially two more runs and keeping the Nats in game. Ryan Zimmerman grabs a hot shot out of the air and throws to first to get the hitter. Adam Dunn quickly fires back across the mound to the shortstop who nabs the runner at third trying to take an extra base for a unique 5-3-6 double play. These may have been plays that would not have been made when the team was struggling to...

Marquis Reflects on 9/11

Marquis Reflects on 9/11
Nine years ago today, Jason Marquis was scheduled to take the mound in Atlanta against the Phillies. Up early to do some work on his fantasy football team, Marquis watched the first plane fly into the World Trade Center on television. Like many Americans, when the second plane hit the Twin Towers, he frantically began checking with loved ones in the city -- including his sister who was working at the New York Stock Exchange. "You feel helpless," Marquis recalled. "All you can do is hope...

Desmond to lead off Sunday's finale; Espinosa day off

Desmond to lead off Sunday's finale; Espinosa day off
Manager Jim Riggleman shuffled the top of the lineup for Sunday's final game of the season against the Florida Marlins, placing Ian Desmond in the lead off spot and Adam Kennedy batting second. Riggleman said, "I am not going to play (Danny) Espinosa today. I am going to get Adam Kennedy some at bats. He has been sitting for a few days. I would like to get him some at bats. Espinosa has been leading off. "I know eventually we are not going to have Nyjer (Morgan) so I would like to...

Moore and Oduber shine as Nats build talent base

Moore and Oduber shine as Nats build talent base
The Nationals minor league system was honored this season with most valuable player of the year awards handed out to Potomac's Tyler Moore and GCL Nationals Randolph Oduber. Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu says both players deserved their awards and greatly improved from the beginning of the season. Schu says Oduber, who hails from the island of Aruba and attended Western Oklahoma State College, came in and "really battled all season." "He had a great season in the GCL," says...

Nats Pay Tribute to 9/11 Victims and Heroes

Nats Pay Tribute to 9/11 Victims and Heroes
On Saturday, the Nationals will remember the September 11th attacks in Washington, New York and Pennsylvania with several special events throughout the game. During batting practice, Nationals players wore DC Fire Department caps to honor the emergency personnel who responded to the attacks. In a pregame ceremony, Mike Rizzo and Ivan Rodriguez will be recognized as Honorary Fire Chiefs with a special helmet presentation. Additionally, the Post 9/11 Foundation will present the Nationals with...

Getting to know new National Danny Espinosa

Getting to know new National Danny Espinosa
Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa burst onto the scene at the beginning of September and ignited the team with his aggressive and exciting play in the Nats infield. He got off to a sizzling start at the plate as well, going 9-for-16 with 3 homers and 10 RBI in his first week. Coaches at Long Beach State saw the raw talent, energy, and passion from Espinosa when he was in his second year of high school. Former 49ers coach Mike Weathers recruited Espinosa, and current coach Troy...

Knorr: "You play hard or you don't play"

Knorr: "You play hard or you don't play"
With several teams in the Nationals chain doing well all season on the field, including Syracuse playing down to the final week before being eliminated, the spotlight has turned to Potomac and Harrisburg as they battle to stay alive in the postseason. Harrisburg leads their series 1-0 over Altoona while Potomac looks to bounce back following a tough loss in Game 1 at Frederick. It's a good reflection on the talent level a team has in its organization if you have affiliates who make the...

Hispanic Heritage Night

Hispanic Heritage Night
I have to admit, I wait for this one all season. It's like my Christmas in September. I love Hispanic Heritage Night at Nationals Par. The music, the dancing, the PA announcements in Spanish -- it's a perfect celebration of the Latino influence in baseball. On Friday, the Nationals will honor Hispanic culture, as they do every season during Hispanic Heritage Month, with a pre-game flag ceremony highlighting each Hispanic player's home country including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama,...

Vote Nats in Best of 2010

Vote Nats in Best of 2010
The Metro Express Best of 2010 nominations are out and the Washington Nationals are up for the final vote in several categories including "Best D.C. Team." Jim Riggleman is also up for "best coach" against Karl Hobbs, Mike Shanahan, Gary Williams and Bruce Boudreau. Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg are both on the ballot for "Best D.C. Athlete," along with Chris Cooley, Alexander Ovechkin and John Wall. Strasburg will also face off against Ivan Rodriguez, Donovan McNabb and John...

Schu talks prospects as instructional league approaches

Schu talks prospects as instructional league approaches
Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu is preparing to head back to Florida to begin the instructional league, which runs from September 16 through October 13. This week we will cover a few of the Nats prospects that Schu worked with this season and update some of their offseason schedules. Hagerstown first baseman Justin Bloxom had his season cut short on August 7 but is working hard to recover from minor knee surgery. The Kansas State product put up some nice numbers: a .309 average in...

Nats' former starters pitch shutout from the bullpen

Nats' former starters pitch shutout from the bullpen
The Nats and Mets are even at 1-1 in the series following Tuesday's 4-1 New York win at Nats Park. After starters Jordan Zimmermann and Yunesky Maya departed in the first two games, the bullpen threw nine innings of shutout ball. Scott Olsen, Collin Balester and Ross Detwiler combined to throw nine scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts, and just a pair of walks. Olsen threw four innings on Monday. Balester pitched the ninth inning yesterday and two innings today, striking out five of the nine...

Nats Honor Roberto Clemente

Nats Honor Roberto Clemente
When Wil Nieves was a youngster playing baseball in Roberto Clemente Sports City, he knew exactly what number he wanted to wear in tribute to his favorite player and his country's hero. Nieves grew up hearing about Clemente and his many accomplishments, but in that small town on the outskirts of San Juan, Nieves realized that Clemente was so much more than a great athlete. "People loved him because he was a great player and a great person," Nieves said. "We need to learn from him how to...

Fan Appreciation Month and New Season Ticket Plans

Fan Appreciation Month and New Season Ticket Plans
This September, the Nationals will honor their fans with a month full of special giveaways, prizes and more. During the final home games, fans will be surprised with Nationals merchandise, autographed items from Nationals players including baseballs and lineup cards, tickets to the 2011 Dream Gala, tickets to upcoming home games, sets of Lexus Presidents Club tickets and the use of a suite for the final game of the season. One lucky fan will receive the ultimate prize: an opportunity to...

Josh Willingham Named Washington Nationals' Nominee for the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award Presented by Chevrolet

Josh Willingham Named Washington Nationals' Nominee for the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award Presented by Chevrolet
Fans are encouraged to vote for Willingham to receive the National Award online Washington Nationals Outfielder Josh Willingham was named the team's 2010 nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet, the Nationals announced today. RC dayWillingham is one of the 30 Club nominees who are finalists for the national award, which is given annually to the Major League Baseball player who combines a dedication to giving back to the community with outstanding skills on...