Josh Land

Neal Shaffer: Thinking about Cal Ripken Jr. as O's return to prominence

Neal Shaffer: Thinking about Cal Ripken Jr. as O's return to prominence
The other day I got to thinking about Cal Ripken. I've got this old baseball. In great shape, still in the Rawlings box. Model RO-A. "Official American League Baseball" from back when the American and National Leagues were separate entities. "Cushioned Cork Center," it says. Emblazoned with the script signature mark of then-AL president Bobby Brown. I'm not actually sure when or how I got the ball. It must have arrived shortly after my family moved to Maryland in '88, right around the...
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Josh Land

Ted Leavengood: Nationals' sun may be setting, but what a view

Ted Leavengood: Nationals' sun may be setting, but what a view
Five home runs in a 9-0 blowout, and still Gio Gonzalez completely stole the spotlight from Rick Schu's offense. He flirted with history for six innings, taking a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh. Then one got away. It was so close, so close to being corralled by Adam LaRoche, so close to being foul, but it was a hit. Gonzalez left the mound at the end of the inning muttering to himself, but he finished the game off as a one-hit complete-game shutout. Just that one cheap hit. Gonzalez...
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Josh Land

Zach Wilt: Matt Wieters and the stats that matter

Zach Wilt: Matt Wieters and the stats that matter
OK, I'll admit it - I'm a bit of a stat nerd. As much as I'd like to, I don't have a scout's eye for the baseball. The numbers help to tell me who's performing well and who isn't and my love of statistics is a big part of the reason I'm obsessed with this game. For instance, Adam Jones' 31-homer, 102-RBI season tells me he's one of the game's best center fielders. No one at his position has more home runs or RBIs by a longshot. Somehow, Jones' offensive outburst in 2013 has been...
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Josh Land

Domenic Vadala: Do the Orioles embrace winning?

Domenic Vadala: Do the Orioles embrace winning?
I read an article in USA Today last week about the Pittsburgh Pirates and how they clinched their first non-losing season in 20 years. For beginners, hats off to them. That's a feeling with which Orioles fans can certainly identify after last year, although the Orioles' streak was halted before it reached 20 - or 15 for that matter. For the most part, I feel that the players and coaches have taken this somewhat in stride. However there was one quote in the article that stood out to...
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Josh Land

Matthew Taylor: A history lesson of hope and uncertainty

Matthew Taylor: A history lesson of hope and uncertainty
Call it a baseball revival. Long-suffering franchises are seeing the light after extended periods of darkness. But after the emotion of the moment passes, will fans keep the faith? The Orioles entered the winning tent last year after 14 consecutive losing seasons. The Pittsburgh Pirates followed suit this week, ending their worst-in-any-sport streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons when they won their 81st game. Baseball is fun again in both cities. Or at least I think it is. The Orioles'...
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Josh Land

Patrick Reddington: Which Denard Span is the real Denard Span?

Patrick Reddington: Which Denard Span is the real Denard Span?
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo described Denard Span as a "front line defensive center fielder" when he acquired the then-28-year-old outfielder from the Minnesota Twins last winter. Rizzo went on to say that he saw the 2002 Twins' first-round pick who turned 29 in February as, "a confident leadoff type of hitter (who) appeals greatly to us because of his skill set as an offensive player. You know, high average guy, .350 OBP-type of guy, doesn't strike out - one of the tougher guys...
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Josh Land

Rachel Levitin: Considering an early arrival

Rachel Levitin: Considering an early arrival
It had been longer than I could remember since I last sat in the stands at Nationals Park, so on Sunday I changed that. Maybe it was the fact that it was "Sunday Night Baseball" on the eve of Labor Day or maybe it was the fact that I was feeling slightly burned out. But either way, I went to that game. The unfortunate part is that I missed the eighth-inning comeback due to having to catch the Metro in the bottom of the seventh. The superstitious voice in my head said, "You know, the second...
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Josh Land

Andrew Stetka: Baltimore's inferiority complex is showing again

Andrew Stetka: Baltimore's inferiority complex is showing again
It's no secret that Baltimore sports fans have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Whether you root for the Orioles, or both the O's and the Super Bowl champion Ravens, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The national media doesn't seem to respect the Orioles in the same way as it does some other teams. Part of it could be understood after a long string of consecutive losing seasons. Then again, I've seen the Pittsburgh Pirates glorified in the media over the past few days as they end...
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Josh Land

David Huzzard: Where it all went wrong

David Huzzard: Where it all went wrong
This is normally the time of year where I start to realize that I won't be able to watch baseball again for five or six months, depending on how you count the postseason and spring training. This season, the Nationals have failed to live up to expectations to a degree that has me glad the season is going to end. It isn't a feeling I am proud of, want to embrace or hope others feel. There was a clinical study recently that said sports can have a profound impact on our moods. It makes sense,...
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Josh Land

Neal Shaffer: A resolution to embrace city's sports success

Neal Shaffer: A resolution to embrace city's sports success
It's September again. And Baltimore, let's agree, is a great autumn city. It's harsh in the depths of summer and winter, but fall is our reward for enduring both. This is a place for when things get just cold enough for a sweater at night. That's when we're at our best. In terms of sports, "at our best" in fall also meant, for many years, "the Ravens are back." But we're in year two now of the September experiment, when the Orioles remain relevant even as the NFL settles in to...
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Josh Land

Zach Wilt: Focusing on September, and September only

Zach Wilt: Focusing on September, and September only
"September's an eternity." - Buck Showalter In a lot of ways, September feels like it lasts forever. As August concludes, so too does my favorite time of year as those seemingly long summer days grow shorter and shorter. Kids are back in school, the Baltimore humidity begins to subside (it will soon, I promise) and I start to brace myself for the cold winter that will greet us in what seems like a matter of days. I don't think Buck Showalter was talking about my animosity towards the...
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Josh Land

Ted Leavengood: Desmond is Nationals' rock-solid rock star

Ted Leavengood: Desmond is Nationals' rock-solid rock star
You will not find his picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated nor Rolling Stone, but Ian Desmond is a rock star. He is a rock, one of the most solid players on the Nationals roster, and he is emerging as a star who deserves to be recognized as such. Desmond's WAR rating currently stands at 5.2 for the 2013 season. Wins Above Replacement - or WAR - is the blue ribbon of baseball analytics. FanGraphs is one of two Web sites that provide ongoing WAR ratings. WAR provides one magical number...
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Josh Land

Dave Nichols: Harper's eighth-inning sacrifice was case of results trumping process

Dave Nichols: Harper's eighth-inning sacrifice was case of results trumping process
The Washington Nationals salvaged the last of the three-game weekend set with the New York Mets on EPSN's Sunday Night Baseball, overcoming an early deficit with a three-run eighth inning to win 6-5, spurred by Bryce Harper's sacrifice bunt with men on first and second and no outs, trailing by two runs. The percentages say it was a bad play. Statheads throughout Natstown winced. The Nationals only had six outs left and Harper gave one away on purpose. The next batter, rookie Anthony...
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Josh Land

Domenic Vadala: O's not standing pat in pursuit of postseason

Domenic Vadala: O's not standing pat in pursuit of postseason
I appeared on a New York podcast late last week to talk Orioles-Yankees going into the weekend. Out of the 45 minutes of questions they asked, two stood out: Will the Orioles make a move before the waiver trade deadline, and which player(s) are you watching the closest as the pennant race heats up and the season winds down. My answer to question one was that indeed I did believe the Birds would make a deal. My response to the second question was that whoever the Orioles did pick up in a trade...
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Josh Land

Matthew Taylor: Comparing 2012 and 2013 in terms of bullpens and bats

Matthew Taylor: Comparing 2012 and 2013 in terms of bullpens and bats
How are the 2013 Orioles different from the 2012 Orioles? If you answered that the bullpen isn't as good this year, you're right. If you said this year's team doesn't hit as well with runners in scoring position, you're wrong. And if you concluded that this year's team is a heavier hitting bunch, you're both right and wrong. Let's address each one in order. First, the bullpen. The 2012 Orioles bullpen was lights-out while the 2013 version is more of a dimmer switch. O's...
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Josh Land

Patrick Reddington: The Nats' MVP, if not the National League's

Patrick Reddington: The Nats' MVP, if not the National League's
After going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in last night's 9-0 win over the Miami Marlins, right fielder Jayson Werth has a .329/.406/.540 line with 13 doubles and 21 home runs in 101 games and 411 plate appearances in the third year of his seven-year deal with the Nationals. Since returning from a disabled list stint June 4, the 34-year-old outfielder has a .355/.441/.595 line with 11 doubles and 17 home runs in 74 games and 304 plate appearances. The 11-year veteran, to the surprise of...
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Josh Land

Andrew Stetka: The future of Brian Roberts

Andrew Stetka: The future of Brian Roberts
The Orioles are going to have a couple of interesting decisions to make going into the offseason. I'm not for a second proclaiming the Birds out of the running for a postseason berth, but whether there is October baseball in Baltimore or not, the offseason will come about. The lineup seems pretty set for this team going into 2014. Aside from finding an everyday designated hitter (if that's something the team wants to do), only two positions are really up in the air - left field and second...
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Josh Land

David Huzzard: Impressions of Syracuse and the forgotten Danny Espinosa

David Huzzard: Impressions of Syracuse and the forgotten Danny Espinosa
Last night was the first Nationals game I watched since Thursday, and that isn't because I have been so frustrated by the season I've given up on baseball. It is because I spent the last five days on a whirlwind tour of minor league ballparks. This trip was to include two of the Nationals affiliates, but short-season Single-A Auburn was rained out. Luckily for us, it was called early enough that it gave us time to make it to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in time for the second inning of the second...
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Josh Land

Neal Shaffer: A tale of coming close

Neal Shaffer: A tale of coming close
If given the choice, how would you want to fail? Failing miserably - which is to say not even being in the mix for whatever you're after - sucks. On balance, though, it's better than coming up just short. Failure itself is absolute. The final marker is always either "you did" or "you didn't." Within that construct, however, there exists a hierarchy. One that has little bearing on the end results but plays a major role in how we feel about them. Coming close hurts because it teases...
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Josh Land

Zach Wilt: Make or break stretch ahead for O's

Zach Wilt: Make or break stretch ahead for O's
On Friday, I opened up my mailbox to see an envelope from the Orioles with my season ticket holder postseason order form. This was both exciting and nerve-racking as a guy who has experienced the many highs and lows of the 2013 season to date. I want my money to go toward more games this season, not a down payment for 2014. It's funny how quickly spoiled the Orioles have made me after having such low expectations for the majority of my life. This time last year, I was counting down the games...
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