Josh Land

Domenic Vadala: Serving up the youth movement

Domenic Vadala: Serving up the youth movement
I'll be as frank and up front as I possibly can in saying this: I'm not a big fan of youth. At 32, some people might ask what I mean by that, given that I'd like to hope that I'm not that old myself. However, when it comes to athletes, I like guys with a bit of experience. I'm not suggesting that the Orioles should nab other teams' good players out from under them as Boston and New York have done for years. What I am saying is that I like players that marinate a bit in the minor leagues...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger manny machado orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Marty Niland: Veterans, bench finally getting into the swing of things

Marty Niland: Veterans, bench finally getting into the swing of things
It's not conventional wisdom for a major league team to "get healthy" on the road, and even less conventional for it to happen against a hot team, but that's just what seems to have happened to the Nationals as they wrapped up their 4-3 road trip. In Pittsburgh, where the Nats have not won a series since 2010, the Nats took two games from a Pirates team that had won six of nine, including a series win over St. Louis. And they did it behind several players whose contributions this season...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
adam laroche guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz roger bernadina ryan zimmrman tyler moore
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matthew Taylor: Tillman continuing pitching staff's success on west coast

Matthew Taylor: Tillman continuing pitching staff's success on west coast
Chris Tillman provided the Orioles bullpen with some much-needed rest Thursday night by pitching eight shutout innings against the Angels. In the process, Tillman became only the second Orioles starter to go more than seven innings in 2013, which has left the team's relievers to carry a heavy early-season load. Coming into the game, the O's bullpen had pitched a shade more than 42 innings in the previous 13 games. Tillman averaged 5.2 innings per outing in five starts prior to Thursday....
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
chris tillman guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Patrick Reddington: In Rizzo we trust

Patrick Reddington: In Rizzo we trust
Redundancy isn't always a bad thing in spite of the negative connotations often associated with the word. In the case of the Washington Nationals' roster, it's actually a key to the way Nats GM Mike Rizzo, and general managers league-wide admittedly, construct their teams. The defending NL East champs have multiple closers for example. If 33-year-old veteran Rafael Soriano has had too much work, the Nationals can turn to the likes of Drew Storen, their '09 first-round pick who saved 42...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger mike rizzo nationals nationals buzz patrick reddington
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Anthony Amobi: McLouth playing a major role in Orioles' strong start

Anthony Amobi: McLouth playing a major role in Orioles' strong start
If there's one theme that we as fans have seen with the Baltimore Orioles since last season, it is this: manager Buck Showalter will find a way for everyone on his team to contribute. It seems that there is a different player contributing on a daily basis for the Orioles to attain another postseason berth; however, so far, in the first month of the 2013 campaign, one player has stood out to me. Well, it is not Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, nor Matt Wieters - it's Nate...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger nate mclouth orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Rachel Levitin: Unassuming Zimmermann the stopper the Nats need

Rachel Levitin: Unassuming Zimmermann the stopper the Nats need
Jordan Zimmermann's 2-0 win over Atlanta last night helped the Nationals snap the team's nine-game losing streak against the Braves. It's already apparent that the Nats have a few growing pains in their transition from the 2012 season to 2013, but that's the thing about baseball - you never quite know exactly how a singular game is going to shake out, let alone an entire season, until it's all said and done. What's great about Zimmermann's success this season thus far is that his work...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger jordan zimmermann nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Neal Shaffer: Bundy's issue demonstrates O's depth has improved

Neal Shaffer: Bundy's issue demonstrates O's depth has improved
Let's get this much out of the way early: Dylan Bundy is probably going to need surgery. Maybe not right now. It's possible that the current injury is a minor one and that the platelet-rich plasma injection will do the trick. Given his legendary dedication to fitness, he might not even miss much time. But let's be realistic. Tommy John surgery is an increasingly common occurrence among young pitchers, particularly the kinds of young pitchers who throw as hard as Bundy does. A 2003 USA...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
dan duquette dylan bundy guest blogger guestblogger neal shaffer orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

David Huzzard: Advanced metrics place Harper in select company

David Huzzard: Advanced metrics place Harper in select company
As a disappointing 13-14 April comes to an end for the Nationals, the only thing that went right was Bryce Harper. An April OPS of 1.150 is only so impressive on its own, but consider that the tops in all of baseball last season was Miguel Cabrera with .999 and the only regulars with better than that in April 2012 were Matt Kemp, Bryan LaHair, Josh Hamilton and David Ortiz. Harper is off to a hot start, but there are signs that it won't be ending anytime soon. Watch Harper at the plate....
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
bryce harper david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Zach Wilt: Kevin Gausman's biggest concern

Zach Wilt: Kevin Gausman's biggest concern
Kevin Gausman's first five starts in 2013 have absolutely captivated the baseball world. Some prospect experts love talking about his smooth upper-90s fastball while others highlight his quick work on the mound or his ability work out of jams. For me, I'm most impressed with Gausman's command, which is highlighted by his incredible 29-to-1 K/BB ratio. In 28 2/3 innings pitched, Gausman has surrendered just one free pass and struck out 29. To give you some perspective, only one big leaguer...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger kevin gausman orioles orioles buzz zach wilt
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Ted Leavengood: In Span, Nats have a glove of a different kind

Ted Leavengood: In Span, Nats have a glove of a different kind
Denard Span is no Michael Morse. Morse had the kung-fu warm-up cut - immortalized in his bobblehead - and there was his A-Ha walk-up music. Span had large shoes to fill on many levels. It did not get easier when Morse ripped up the Cactus League for nine home runs and a .357 batting average in spring training. It was reminiscent of the 2011 spring when he had his breakout season, hitting .303 with 31 home runs. There were more than a few call-ins to radio shows bemoaning the loss of Morse and...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
denard span guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ted leavengood
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Domenic Vadala: When did the culture change in Baltimore?

Domenic Vadala: When did the culture change in Baltimore?
With the advent of the internet, we're, in theory, no longer bound to listen to only local radio as most stations stream their programming online. So being interested in some local perspective on the NBA playoffs, I tuned into WEEI-Boston's midday "Mut and Merloni" show last week. At that moment, they were talking about the American League East and specifically about the Toronto Blue Jays. While they did agree that on paper they were a good team, they also said they felt that the culture...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Marty Niland: For Harper, here's hoping best is yet to come

Marty Niland: For Harper, here's hoping best is yet to come
Of all the red-letter days in Washington's baseball history, Nationals fans may well look back on April 28, 2012 as the most important date of all. It was on that date that a 19-year-old rookie named Bryce Aron Max Harper made his major league debut, amid the media spotlight of Los Angeles. He singled and drove in a run for a Nats team that was struggling offensively, and while Washington would fall to the Dodgers, both Harper and the Nats would soon heat up and not look back. Harper...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Patrick Reddington: How I learned to stop worrying and love Henry Rodriguez

Patrick Reddington: How I learned to stop worrying and love Henry Rodriguez
From the start of spring training, Nationals manager Davey Johnson preached patience. Henry Rodriguez, who led the league in wild pitches in 2011 and managed to throw 10 in 29 1/3 innings of work in 2012, continued his wild ways this spring, but the Nats' 70-year-old skipper said it was just a matter of time before the right-handed reliever figured things out. Rodriguez's 2012 campaign saw him temporarily assume the closer's role and save nine games before flaming out rather quickly and...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
davey johnson guest blogger guestblogger henry rodriguez mike rizzo nationals nationals buzz patrick reddington
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matthew Taylor: Inside the O's now-ended streak of extra-inning success

Matthew Taylor: Inside the O's now-ended streak of extra-inning success
The Orioles' streak of 17 consecutive extra-inning victories ended with Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Toronto. The Orioles matched the 1949 Cleveland Indians for most consecutive extra-inning victories in major league history. I reviewed the box scores from all 17 games and came away with the following facts and figures: * The average number of innings played per game during the streak fell just shy of 12 (11.82352941176471, to be exact). The longest game of the streak by innings played was 18...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Anthony Amobi: Will Jake Arrieta ever figure it out?

Anthony Amobi: Will Jake Arrieta ever figure it out?
On Sunday, Jake Arrieta started on the mound for the Orioles. One would have thought after a successful spring training, he would finally figure it out after several seasons in the majors. From the looks of things, he still may not have. After his performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arrieta was again optioned to Triple-A Norfolk for seemingly the umpteenth time in the last couple of seasons. Sitting in the stands Sunday, I wondered how a guy who looks like your prototypical power...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
chris tillman guest blogger guestblogger jake arrieta orioles orioles buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Rachel Levitin: Can Goon Squad affect turnaround for Nats?

Rachel Levitin: Can Goon Squad affect turnaround for Nats?
Three weeks into the 2013 season and the Nationals are struggling to get their 2012 groove back. Fact is, though, it's only April and there are months of baseball still to be played. The biggest factor haunting the Nats in present day is high expectations associated with coming off a successful run last year. "We've been pressing," outfielder Jayson Werth told MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko. "We've been trying to do too much. That's a common side effect. It's just one of those things....
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

David Huzzard: The Espinosa-Lombardozzi debate isn't much of one at all

David Huzzard: The Espinosa-Lombardozzi debate isn't much of one at all
The Danny Espinosa/Steve Lombardozzi debate highlights many fascinating aspects of baseball fandom. It is tools vs. grit, slash line vs. batting average, and strikeouts vs. productive outs. The main issue is that in every meaningful category for their careers, Espinosa is a better player. Look at the two slash lines. Espinosa, for his career, is at .236/.311/.407 and Lombardozzi is at .273/.314/.352. While the increase in contact rate is aesthetically pleasing, it is close to meaningless...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Ted Leavengood: Déjà vu all over again

Ted Leavengood: Déjà vu all over again
There was something eerie watching Drew Storen work a perfect eighth inning against the Cardinals last night. More uncanny is the similarity of Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL on both April 20, 2012 and April 21, 2013. Zimmerman was hitting a lusty .224 with a single home run and seven RBIs last year and fast forward to Sunday, and Zimmerman is hitting .226 with a single homer. Last year, Bryce Harper was summoned just a week later. He was well ahead of schedule and started slow. But he caught...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
anthony rendon bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman ted leavengood
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Zach Wilt: For starters, O's have options to replace Arrieta

Zach Wilt: For starters, O's have options to replace Arrieta
Yesterday, the Orioles sent Jake Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk after his disappointing start against the Dodgers. Personally, I'm optimistic about Arrieta, as he's a hard-throwing righty who has movement on his pitches and has shown dominance at times when he commands his pitches. The Orioles believe he has the stuff to help them down the road and think his emotions are what affects his mechanics. For now, the O's will replace Arrieta with relief pitcher Alex Burnett. They'll need to add...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
freddy garcia guest blogger guestblogger jair jurrjens jake arrieta josh stinson orioles orioles buzz zach britton zach wilt
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Marty Niland: Keep expectations realistic for Anthony Rendon

Marty Niland: Keep expectations realistic for Anthony Rendon
Welcome to the big leagues, Anthony Rendon. Making his major league debut Sunday against the New York Mets, the Nationals' 2011 first-round draft pick went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, including one to end a 2-0 loss. He made a nice foul catch in the first inning, but like the rest of the Washington offense, never got comfortable at the plate against Mets starter Dillon Gee. That might seem disappointing, but it's probably typical for a rookie who has fewer than 60 games of minor...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
anthony rendon guest blogger guestblogger marty niland nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments



LATEST ORIOLES NEWS

LATEST NATIONALS NEWS

       
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65