Lopez's road to D.C. paved by stunning advance through minors

Lopez's road to D.C. paved by stunning advance through minors
With Reynaldo Lopez struggling a bit with five walks and lasting only four innings in his second major league start Saturday at San Francisco, it is easy maybe to forget what a giant step forward the Dominican hurler has made in his development this season. Lopez allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in the no-decision for the Nationals at AT&T Park. The Giants went on to win 5-3. Lopez tossed 92 pitches, 51 for strikes. The right-hander went 5-5 with a 2.90 ERA in 17 minor...

Trea Turner exceeding expectations in Syracuse, continuing whirlwind season

Trea Turner exceeding expectations in Syracuse, continuing whirlwind season
Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs shortstop Trea Turner is ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the mid-season Baseball America updated list. Turner has played 34 games with the Chiefs after playing 68 games in Double-A, 10 of those with the Harrisburg Senators. Syracuse Chiefs play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Brown joined me Sunday on "Nats Insider" on 106.7 The Fan and quoted a familiar refrain when discussing Turner's abilities. "Trea has been so much fun to watch," Brown said. "Nationals fans...

Patrick Reddington: Is A.J. Cole the Nationals' next big thing?

Patrick Reddington: Is A.J. Cole the Nationals' next big thing?
Two unearned runs scored on a bases-loaded error by Harrisburg Senators third baseman Adrian Sanchez and two more on came in on a two-out RBI double later in the sixth inning of last night's game in Arm and Hammer Park in Trenton, N.J., where the Senators beat the Trenton Thunder 6-4 with a five-run comeback in the top of the ninth inning. A.J. Cole, 22, left his ninth start of the season after 5 2/3 innings with a 1.97 ERA on the year and the Senators down 4-1. But the Matt Skole-led rally in...

Getting ready to see Strasburg

Getting ready to see Strasburg
With the news that pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg will start his professional career at the Double-A level with the Harrisburg Senators, I took care of the leg work for you and checked in with the Director of Broadcasting for the Senators, Terry Byrom, about the upcoming season. Byrom let us know when tickets will go on sale, and talks about the history of big names playing baseball in Harrisburg and the Eastern League All-Star game. He also discusses the impact of new manager Randy Knorr,...