Roch Kubatko

More on Orioles trade speculation and minor league manuevering

More on Orioles trade speculation and minor league manuevering
The amount of trade and free agent activity is making heads spin. A dizzying pace that can be explained only by the upcoming deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement. The current one expires on Wednesday, which also explains why the deadline for tendering contracts to arbitration-eligible players has been moved up to Tuesday. The Mets seem intent on conducting all of their offseason business by the end of the weekend. Except, of course, for the hiring of a manager. No sense rushing...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
borgschulte buck britton cedric mullins felipe rojas alou jr. jaylen ferguson john means kyle moore matt mike elias nick white orioles ryan fuller trey wiedmann troy marrow featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Taking the good with the bad

Matt of Matt's Bats: Taking the good with the bad
It's been a weird couple of days to be a Nationals fan. I am used to being excited after a walk-off win, or sad after a big loss. But the past couple of days I have felt a feeling that I have never felt before as a Nationals fan - embarrassment. I was embarrassed by the way Jonathan Papelbon bullied the best player on the team and best player in baseball, Bryce Harper. I was embarrassed that the Nationals coaching staff let Papelbon play after the attack. I was embarrassed all around that no...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Giving thanks for Denard Span

Matt of Matt's Bats: Giving thanks for Denard Span
Last week, Nationals fans got the disappointing news that center fielder Denard Span, who had just come off the disabled list, needed hip surgery and would be out for the rest of the 2015 season. This is a huge blow for the team and Nats fans. In his three seasons on the Nationals, Span became a fan favorite and a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder. Since he becomes a free agent at the end of this season, and given how Michael A. Taylor has played this year, chances are Span has played his last...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
denard span guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: A closer look at Anthony Rendon's collision at home plate

Matt of Matt's Bats: A closer look at Anthony Rendon's collision at home plate
During Sunday's Rockies-Nationals game, a lot of people questioned the ruling on the field in the 7th inning when the umpires called Anthony Rendon out at home plate. With Rendon on second and the score tied at 4-4, Ryan Zimmerman hit a single to right field. Rendon tried to score, testing the arm of Carlos Gonzalez. CarGo nailed a perfect throw to catcher Michael McKenry, who applied the tag to Rendon. Home plate umpire Alan Porter called Rendon out. Almost immediately, Nationals manager Matt...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
anthony rendon guest blogger guestblogger matt matt's bats nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Looking at Michael A. Taylor's contributions to the Nats

Matt of Matt's Bats: Looking at Michael A. Taylor's contributions to the Nats
The Washington Nationals are in a tough position right now, having just been swept by the New York Mets to give up sole possession of first place in the National League East and they got blasted to smithereens by the Diamondbacks. The Mets blasted the Marlins too, and now the Mets are up one game. Aside from making the next two months of baseball really competitive and fun to watch, there is some good news for Nats fans. The injuries that haunted the team have mostly healed, and now the Nats...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt matt's bats michael a. taylor nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Hoping for a big splash from Nats at trade deadline

Matt of Matt's Bats: Hoping for a big splash from Nats at trade deadline
The trade deadline: baseball's most frantic and exciting time of the year. Already, Johnny Cueto, Scott Kazmir and Juan Uribe have been dealt to the Royals, Astros and Mets, respectively. There are probably a lot more deals coming before July 31 as teams that are postseason contenders are buying, and teams that probably won't make it to October are selling. The first-place Nationals are probably buyers this year because they have a few holes that need to be fixed to be playoff-ready. Last...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz trade deadline
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Nationals in good place after All-Star break

Matt of Matt's Bats: Nationals in good place after All-Star break
The All-Star break has passed and the second half of the 2015 MLB season has officially begun. After the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, the Nationals face the Mets to kick off the second half. This is the first time the Nats are facing their second-place rival since the first week of May, if you can believe it. Even with all the injuries and the poor performance in May, it was a very good first half for the Nats. They ended the first half with sole possession of first...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Picking the Nationals' all-time All-Stars

Matt of Matt's Bats: Picking the Nationals' all-time All-Stars
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is on Tuesday, July 14. At least one representative from each major league team plays for home field advantage in the World Series. Fans vote for the starting nine position players, a players' vote fills in reserves, and then the manager consults with the leagues and picks the pitching staff and remaining bench players. This year's contest is at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Two Nationals made it in - Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer - and that...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Could Ross be real steal from offseason deal?

Matt of Matt's Bats: Could Ross be real steal from offseason deal?
Last offseason, Nationals fans were expecting the team to make a big move for a second baseman, after Asdrubal Cabrera left in free agency and people thought Danny Espinosa's hitting troubles would continue. Instead, the Nats were part of a blockbuster three-team deal that landed them a shortstop prospect and a pitching prospect. On Dec. 17, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Rene Rivera, Burch Smith, Jake Bauers, Steven Souza Jr. and Travis Ott. The San Diego Padres got Gerardo Reyes, Jose Castillo,...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger joe ross matt nationals nationals buzz trea turner
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Trying to fix the Nationals bullpen

Matt of Matt's Bats: Trying to fix the Nationals bullpen
The Nationals bullpen has been struggling. The most recent example of how the bullpen has cost the Nats a win was the Thursday game in Milwaukee, where the bullpen gave up too many hits to ruin a 5-1 lead. Last year, the Nationals bullpen was very good, but they had Craig Stammen (out for the rest of this year with an injury), and Tyler Clippard and Jerry Blevins (both traded in the offseason). Now the Nats bullpen sports a collective 3.61 ERA, which ranks 10th in the National League and 20th...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Handicapping the Nationals' Triple Crown contestants

Matt of Matt's Bats: Handicapping the Nationals' Triple Crown contestants
If you're like me, you were glued to the TV on Saturday evening, watching the Belmont Stakes to see American Pharoah win the Triple Crown. In horse racing, the Triple Crown means that a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. American Pharoah was the first Triple Crown winner since a horse named Affirmed did it in 1978. American Pharoah's win on Saturday ended a 37-year drought for thoroughbred racing's biggest prize. (It was also more fun to...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger jordan zimmermann matt nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: No place in baseball for intentional plunkings

Matt of Matt's Bats: No place in baseball for intentional plunkings
The week did not end well for the Nationals. The team was just swept by the Cincinnati Reds, a team that is 10 games out of first place in their division. The loss snapped the Nationals' streak of winning nine series in a row. Now, the Nationals come home to take on the highest run-scoring team in baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays. The worst thing that happened this weekend took place in Game 1 of the Reds series, when Tony Cingrani, a former starter and now middle a reliever, hit Bryce Harper...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger joey votto matt nationals nationals buzz tanner roark tony cingrani
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Has Desmond put rocky start in rear-view mirror?

Matt of Matt's Bats: Has Desmond put rocky start in rear-view mirror?
Ian Desmond started the season off rocky. By rocky, I mean nine errors and 23 strikeouts in April. But Desmond, who some could argue is the best shortstop in baseball, has started to turn it on and is playing more like the Desmond we knew in past years. As showcased in the Nationals' series against the Yankees and Phillies last week, Desmond still has some pop in his bat. He hit two home runs, just missed a third and is on a 10-game hit streak. While he wasn't as productive to start the...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger ian desmond matt matt's bats nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: The Nationals' secret slugger

Matt of Matt's Bats: The Nationals' secret slugger
Last week, I wrote about Bryce Harper and how he is surging at the plate. Harper has become the best baseball player in all of Major League Baseball right now. His six home runs, 13 RBIs and .455 batting average this past week helped the Nats go 5-2 and outscore their opponents 53-35. Now that Harper has won two consecutive National League Player of the Week awards, I wanted to let you in on the other secret to the Nats' recent success: Wilson Ramos. Harper is getting all the attention he...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz wilson ramos
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: For Harper, maybe the best is yet to come

Matt of Matt's Bats: For Harper, maybe the best is yet to come
"He swings and hits a long drive to deep right-center! Going back is the center fielder! See you later! Another homer for Bryce Harper! This one wins the game!" That's how Saturday's game ended: Nationals 8, Braves 6, on a walk-off home run by Bryce Harper. He killed a Cody Martin offering to right-center to end the game. Harper has hit more than just a few home runs this past week. The Miami Marlins came to town, and Wednesday it was boom, boom, boom. Three home runs in one game. After an...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: May will be a good test for the Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: May will be a good test for the Nationals
Thankfully, April is over. Now that it's May, the Nationals are winning. Winning is what Nats fans expected; it just has not been how we planned it. After a full month, the Nats sit just below .500 at 13-14. The Nats looked like they were going to end April on a losing streak. On April 27, they were on a six-game skid. However, to end the month, they turned up the gas and won three in a row against the Braves and Mets. Between Tuesday and Thursday, the bats heated up to produce 34 runs in...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: No way around it, injuries have hurt Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: No way around it, injuries have hurt Nationals
It's been a tough week for Nationals fans. Following a series loss against the Cardinals, the Nats arrived in Miami to face the Marlins. Even though Miami has one of the best sluggers in baseball, Giancarlo Stanton, who is just starting to get hot, many doubted the Marlins had the fire to win against the Nats. Coming off the week they just had where they won five out of six, you'd think the Nationals would have a chance to win the series or even sweep the Marlins. Wrong. The Marlins took the...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Rafael Martin's long and winding road

Matt of Matt's Bats: Rafael Martin's long and winding road
We are barely into the third week of baseball, but there is already a heartwarming story about one of the players on the Nationals, Rafael Martin. Martin's story is like something out of a rock and roll ballad. Martin almost let go of his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, but held on tightly, kept working hard and now he's a pitcher for the Nationals. Rafael Martin Romero was born on May 16, 1984, in San Fernando, Calif. That makes him about 31. He attended Jurupa Valley High...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals rafael martin
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: Despite issues in field and at plate, Nats should come around

Matt of Matt's Bats: Despite issues in field and at plate, Nats should come around
The Nationals have played seven games so far and have an unimpressive record of 2-5. When everyone is excited for baseball season to begin and expectations are so high that this team could win the division and even go to the World Series, it's disappointing that there have been so many sloppy plays and bad losses. However, there are also bright spots that people may not be noticing. Let's start by looking at what's going wrong, because that's what people are talking about. If Ian Desmond...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments
Josh Land

Matt of Matt's Bats: The Nationals through the eyes of a 10-year-old

Matt of Matt's Bats: The Nationals through the eyes of a 10-year-old
Hello, Nationals fans! Aren't you happy baseball is back? My name is Matt, a 10-year-old kid from the D.C. suburbs. I am a huge Nats fan, so I am so excited to be writing for MASNsports.com this season. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the readers who may not know me. In July 2012, I started a blog called Matt's Bats, which you can find here. I started writing Matt's Bats because I became a huge fan of baseball after going to my first Nationals game in 2009. When I...
Continue reading
0
  0 Comments
Tags:
guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz
LinkedIn Pinterest
0 Comments



LATEST ORIOLES NEWS

LATEST NATIONALS NEWS