As promised, Harper hitting seventh in his debut

As promised, Harper hitting seventh in his debut
I'm not going to lie, it was a little strange typing Bryce Harper into the lineup that you see below. I'm still not used to the 19-year-old phenom being in the Nationals' batting order, and I'm probably not the only one. Harper will bat seventh and play left field in his major league debut tonight, and he'll take his hacks off Dodgers righty Chad Billingsley, who is 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA so far this season. The Nationals will send Stephen Strasburg to the hill, as he looks to notch his...
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Dodgers take early lead, outlast Detwiler and Nationals, 3-2

Dodgers take early lead, outlast Detwiler and Nationals, 3-2
The Nationals opened their series in Los Angeles against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers with phenom Bryce Harper arriving for Saturday night. Kershaw crashed that good feeling early and often, as the Dodgers hung on for a 3-2 win over the Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw set the tone early by striking out the side in the first inning, sandwiched around an error that got Steve Lombardozzi on base. Kershaw (2-0) notched his 12th straight win at home, going eight innings, allowing just...
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Lombardozzi hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth

Lombardozzi hitting second, Espinosa hitting sixth
Before we dive even deeper into Bryce Harper cracking the Nationals lineup tomorrow, let's look at the Nats lineup today. There's an interesting twist to manager Davey Johnson's lineup against the Dodgers: He's dropped second baseman Danny Espinosa to sixth in the order and has Steve Lombardozzi playing third base and hitting in the No. 2 spot tonight. Johnson has said he likes slotting Espinosa into the two hole in his lineup because he likes having run-producers towards the top of the...
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Looks like Lidge is back in peak form

Looks like Lidge is back in peak form
VIERA, Fla. - Stan Kasten was once an NBA general manager. Now the former president of the Nationals is back in baseball, only with an NBA Hall of Famer by his side. Kasten and Magic Johnson are part of a group which agreed to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion late last night. The purchase will get Kasten back into the major leagues, although in some ways, Kasten never left, even after resigning as Nationals president after the 2010 season. He was still seen around the Nats'...
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Former Nationals president Kasten part of group that will buy Dodgers

Former Nationals president Kasten part of group that will buy Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced late Tuesday that the team will be purchased for a record $2.15 billion by a group that includes former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Also a part of the group is former Nationals and Atlanta Braves team president Stan Kasten. Johnson's group won out the right to buy the Dodgers over groups led by multiple sports team owner Stan Kroenke and New York Mets limited partner Steven Cohen. Johnson said in a statement: "I am thrilled to...
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A fan's guide to the Nationals' April schedule

A fan's guide to the Nationals' April schedule
Let's get you ready for the first month of the season, and if you have the good fortune of seeing the Nationals on the road to begin in Chicago and New York, here is a quick primer. Every time I get an advance schedule for a local team, I always look to see what other sporting events are going on in the four major professional sports and check the live music or comedy schedules to see if they possibly matchup with off-days. I also have to hit the best pizza, wings or hot dog joints available...
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Coffey might shelve sprint from bullpen with Dodgers

Coffey might shelve sprint from bullpen with Dodgers
Setup man Todd Coffey is taking his quality stuff and energizing entrance to the west coast with the announcement that the right-hander will be leaving the Nationals to sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This made me think that the engaging personality that is Coffey may hang up his famous entrance each game from the bullpen. Why? Last season, I asked Coffey if anything unusual had ever happened at any stadium when he made his famous sprints in from the bullpen after getting...
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Peacock knows he doesn't need to rush delivery to be effective

Peacock knows he doesn't need to rush delivery to be effective
Nationals pitcher Brad Peacock gave up a couple of hits and a walk in his major league debut, but didn't let that bother him. He still felt very good about his first outing. After all, he was excited and nervous during his first start with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs back on July 16. He settled down following that game and reeled off five straight wins from July 22 to August 29. Peacock said during those last few weeks, Syracuse pitching coach Greg Booker helped him to calm down on the...
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