BallHype - Latest Washington Nationals News Articles

Wilkie Deserves the Nod

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 14:30:31 +0000

Good for Josh Wilkie, making the Rising Stars roster. He had the fifth best ERA in the AFL through Thursday's games. He's been nearly as good as Drew Storen in the less glamorous middle relief role. I had two long talks with Wilkie in Phoenix and was so impressed with him. (You'll be seeing more on him soon.) He's an undrafted free agent out of GW, of course, which gives him a local connection. But he is truly a Washingtonian these days -- he lives here in the offseason, and he hopes one day to be able to ride the Green Line to work, He's got one true major-league level pitch -- the changeup -- but in the AFL his command has been outstanding. So he doesn't have a fastball to match Strasburg's, for instance, but he puts it right where he wants it. Will a tremendous changeup and good

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Report: Lincecum reaches deal on drug charge

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:20:02 +0000

San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has an agreement with a prosecutor in his home state of Washington that could settle his misdemeanor marijuana charge, The Columbian reported Friday. The Vancouver, Wash., newspaper said Clark County prosecutors have reached a deal with a lawyer for the 2008 Cy Young Award winner that would result in a $250 fine for possessing a marijuana pipe.

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Report: Lincecum has agreement on pot charge

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 06:18:48 +0000

San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has an agreement with a prosecutor in his home state of Washington that could settle his misdemeanor marijuana charge, The Columbian reported Friday.

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Report says Lincecum has agreement on pot charge

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:46:06 +0000

A newspaper says San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has an agreement with a prosecutor in his home state of Washington that could settle his misdemeanor marijuana charge.

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Report: San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has deal to settle drug charge

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:40:04 +0000

A newspaper says San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has an agreement with a prosecutor in his home state of Washington that could settle his misdemeanor marijuana charge.

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Trio of Nats complete free-agent group

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Austin Kearns, Ron Villone and Dmitri Young all filed for free agency on Friday, thus taking care of the entire slate of eligible players for the Nationals.

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Strasburg scratched with strained muscle in neck

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:54:36 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Nationals say No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg has a strained neck muscle and is being scratched from his scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game.

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Top pick Strasburg (neck) scratched from start

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:04:48 +0000

The Washington Nationals say No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg has a strained neck muscle and is being scratched from his scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game.

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Washington Nationals' top-pick Stephen Strasburg to miss fall league start

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:00:08 +0000

The Washington Nationals say No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg has a strained neck muscle and is being scratched from his scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game.

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Nats pick Strasbourg has strained neck (AP)

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:56:43 +0000

The Washington Nationals say No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg has a strained neck muscle and is being scratched from his scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game. The team says the right-hander is being held out of Saturday's game for precautionary reasons. The Nationals are listing Strasburg's status as day to day and are not sure when his next Arizona Fall...

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Top pick Strasburg (neck) scratched from start

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:54:12 +0000

The Washington Nationals say No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg has a strained neck muscle and is being scratched from his scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game.

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Strasburg scratched with neck muscle strain

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:09:03 +0000

Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals number-one overall draft pick this June, was scratched from Saturday's scheduled start in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game due to a strained muscle in his neck, the team said Friday. According to a Nationals spokesman, Straburg's condition is day-to-day, and he is expected to pitch again before the AFL schedule is completed on Nov. 19. Strasburg, a 6-foor-4 right-hander, is 3-1 with a 5.28 ERA in four starts for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, with 17 strikeouts and five walks in 15 1/3 innings.

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Strasburg scratched from Rising Stars

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Nationals prized pitching prospect and 2009 top pick Stephen Strasburg will skip his scheduled start Saturday in the AFL Rising Stars Game due to a muscle stain in his neck.

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Storen Takes Toga Yoga Class

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 17:00:29 +0000

Drew Storen is just a crack-up. I'd like him even if he had no shot of ever being a big league reliever -- and he does, and he will be, and soon. I called him for the column that's running in Saturday's dead tree edition (I'll try to remember to "insert link here" when it's finally online), but with the time difference and my inability to stay awake past sundown, I was having trouble reaching him. He sent me a text message saying he was sorry he missed my call -- if I've heard that once from a pro athlete, I've heard it ... once -- but he was in a "toga class." I couldn't wait to finally talk to him to see if that was a typo. Sadly, it was; he was in yoga class. Fellow Stanford player and Nats draftee player Jack McGeary turned him on to it

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A Scout's Take on the Desert Dog Nats

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 13:57:10 +0000

You might recall that during my frustrating trip in mid-October, it was difficult to get scouts to discuss players because they hadn't had enough opportunities to see them. I called a scout this week to see if I could get some feedback. This scout, by the way, works for an AL team and says he is very impressed with the Nats' offseason moves, particularly the promotion of Kris Kline to director of scouting and the hiring of Ron Schueler as special assistant to the GM. He knows both of them and said they are excellent. Anyway, here's his take on the Baby Nats: Stephen Strasburg "I saw his first game, and he threw pretty well. First time I've ever seen him. He threw a fastball-curve-changeup; he didn't throw any sliders. He has a hard curve, 82, 83 miles an hour. I'm told his slider is a lot harder. His command

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Giants' Lincecum cited for marijuana possession

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 02:03:23 +0000

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges following a traffic stop in his home state. Washington State Patrol spokesman Steve Schatzel said Thursday that the 2008 Cy Young Award winner and former University of Washington star was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 in the town of Hazel Dell, about four miles north of the Oregon border, on Oct. 30.

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Lincecum cited for marijuana possession (AP)

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:01:56 +0000

San Francisco Giants star pitcher Tim Lincecum is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges following a traffic stop in his home state. Washington State Patrol spokesman Steve Schatzel said Thursday that the 2008 Cy Young Award winner and former star at the University of Washington was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 about four miles north of the Oregon border on Oct.

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Nationals claim Slaten off waivers

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 21:36:42 +0000

The Nationals today claimed left-handed reliever Doug Slaten off waivers from the Diamondbacks. From the news release: Slaten, who stands 6-foot-5, is 3-5 with 13 holds and a 3.68 ERA in 126 career big league appearances with Arizona spanning four seasons (2006-2009). During his four-year big league career, Slaten has suffered just one blown save, stranded 77 percent of inherited baserunners (60 of 78) and limited left-handed batters to a .322 on-base mark while yielding just four home runs. Slaten's finest season came in 2007, when he posted seven holds en route to a 2.72 ERA in 61 appearances as the Diamondbacks claimed the NL West flag. The 29 year-old Slaten pitched in 11 games for Arizona in 2009, but spent the majority of the season with Reno of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, going 3-2 with nine saves and a 3.09 ERA in 39 appearances. While in the

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Thu, 5 Nov 2009 21:36:42 +0000

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Nats claim Slaten off waivers

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 17:37:00 +0000

The Nationals claimed reliever Doug Slaten off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

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End of Series means flexibility for Nats

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 05:08:00 +0000

The day after the end of the World Series marks the unofficial beginning of the offseason and the official start of free agency, which means it's decision time for clubs. For the Nats, it also means a little contractual freedom.

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Knorr to manage Harrisburg Senators

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:05:22 +0000

Randy Knorr will be the next manager of Double-A Harrisburg Senators, replacing John Stearns. From the Nationals' Web site: Knorr spent last season as the [Nationals'] bullpen coach, but [general manager Mike] Rizzo and [interim manager Jim] Riggleman told him his future was as a manager. Knorr said if he had to do it all over again, he would have been more vocal when it came to the pitching staff and have tried his best to convince Josh Bard and Wil Nieves that catching was more important than hitting. "I love managing," Knorr said. "It's a new job. I want to be on the bench." Knorr has a history of success in the Minor Leagues. In 2008, he guided Class A Potomac to a 79-61 record en route to the Carolina League championship. The Nationals have not announced who will replace Knorr as the bullpen coach. In other news, Rick

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Mattingly Swats The Nats

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 15:43:55 +0000

NBC 4 in Washington D.C. is reporting the Don Mattingly, bench coach for the L.A. Dodgers, has decided not to interview for the vacant Nationals head coaching spot. Honestly I'm not surprised. When I first heard that Mattingly was a candidate for the job I thought it was too good to be true. However, as a Nats fan I can't help but feel a little offended that Mattingly won't even take the interview. I mean, I know this team is bad but with the right coaching they have enough young players to be competitive in the next few years. Oh well. I guess there are plenty of fish in the sea. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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Mattingly not interviewing with Nationals

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:25:00 +0000

Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly has declined to interview for the Nationals' opening for manager, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti confirmed through a team spokesperson on Tuesday.

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Nationals add former GM Schueler to front office

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 21:23:52 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Nationals have hired former Chicago White Sox general manager Ron Schueler as special adviser to GM Mike Rizzo and promoted Bill Singer to director of professional scouting.

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Washington Nationals hire Ron Schueler as special adviser to GM

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 21:07:45 +0000

The Nationals have hired former White Sox general manager Ron Schueler as special adviser to GM Mike Rizzo.

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Nats add Schueler as adviser to GM Rizzo (AP)

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 21:03:42 +0000

The Washington Nationals have hired former Chicago White Sox general manager Ron Schueler as special adviser to GM Mike Rizzo and promoted Bill Singer to director of professional scouting. Schueler worked for the San Francisco Giants the past two seasons. He was GM of the White Sox from 1990-2000. Singer's new duties include overseeing Washington's major league, minor league and winter...

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Nationals hire special adviser to GM

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:35:44 +0000

The Washington Nationals today named Ron Schueler special adviser to the general manager and promoted Bill Singer to director of professional scouting. From the news release: A 42-year baseball veteran, Schueler joins the Nationals after serving the previous two seasons as Senior Advisor of Player Personnel for the San Francisco Giants. Schueler is perhaps best known for an 11-year stint (1990-2000) as General Manager of the Chicago White Sox, during which his clubs compiled an 817-734 record and a .527 winning percentage while finishing first or second in the AL Central or West eight times, including a pair of division titles in 1993 and 2000. In 2000, his final season as General Manager, Schueler's White Sox were named "Organization of the Year" by Baseball America. In addition to his tenure as White Sox General Manager, Schueler has served in various special assistant capacities with the Cubs, Cardinals and Athletics,

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Nationals make front-office moves

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:43:00 +0000

The Nationals made a couple more front-office moves on Tuesday, when they named Ron Schueler special advisor to general manager Mike Rizzo and promoted Bill Singer to director of professional scouting.

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Another impressive start for Strasburg

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 23:49:15 +0000

Nationals No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg struck out six and gave up four hits in five innings as the Phoenix Desert Dogs defeated the Surprise Rafters, 10-2, in Arizona Fall League play today. He threw 68 pitches (43 strikes) and is 3-1 this fall. Here's the box score.

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Nationals add two to front office

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:01:00 +0000

GM Mike Rizzo continued to reshape the Nats front office by adding new director of player procurement Kasey McKeon and special assistant Jay Robertson to his staff.

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Dominican court orders Nationals to pay $40K

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:23:10 +0000

A Dominican Republic tribunal has ordered the Washington Nationals to pay $40,000 in damages to a scout who was fired after signing a prospect who lied about his age.

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Dominican court orders Nationals to pay $40K

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:17:06 +0000

A Dominican Republic tribunal has ordered the Washington Nationals to pay $40,000 in damages to a scout who was fired after signing a prospect who lied about his age.

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Dominican court orders Nationals to pay $40K to fired scout

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:10:07 +0000

A Dominican Republic tribunal has ordered the Washington Nationals to pay $40,000 in damages to a scout who was fired after signing ...

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Nats ordered to pay $40K to fired scout (AP)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:06:59 +0000

A Dominican Republic tribunal has ordered the Washington Nationals to pay $40,000 in damages to a scout who was fired after signing a prospect who lied about his age. Jose Baez, the Nationals' former director of operations in the Dominican Republic, sued the team for what he said was an unjustified firing.

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Strasburg impressive in third AFL start

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:37:45 +0000

Yesterday, Nationals prospect Stephen Strasburg held Surprise to one hit for 4 1/3 innings to pick up his second win in the Arizona Fall League, as the Phoenix Desert Dogs beat the Rafters, 7-6, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. In his previous start, five days ago against Peoria, he was hit hard and often. Here's the story from mlb.com.

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Washington Nationals ordered to pay fired Dominican instructor Jose Baez

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:26:14 +0000

Jose Baez, a former instructor of the Nationals' Dominican program who was fired in the wake of the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal, was awarded $40,000 by a San Cristobal judge as a result of a wrongful termination lawsuit.

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Nationals make more front office moves

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:22:04 +0000

The Washington Nationals have named Kasey McKeon director of player procurement and Jay Robertson as special assistant to the gen- eral manager. McKeon has spent the previous seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies as assistant to the general manager for GM Dan O'Dowd. McKeon previously worked for Cincinnati, Cleveland and San Diego in various scouting positions. He is the son of longtime baseball manager and executive Jack McKeon. Robertson spent the previous eight seasons as special a ssistant to the general manager with the Texas Rangers, under John Hart (2002-05) and Jon Daniels (2006-09). Previously, Robertson spent 11 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, which included serving as special assistant to GM Hart from 2000 to 2001. The Nationals continue seeking to fill their vacant managing job, which is currently held on an interim basis by Jim Riggleman.

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Top 10 Eagles-Redskins MNF Notes

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

10) Welcome to Philadelphia, Will Witherspoon. Is it that easy to play MLB, that a guy can move over in a week and deliver value...or is it just that Witherspoon is like a man that's gotten off Death Row now that he escaped the Rams? 9) Honestly, at this point, I'm wondering if Michael Vick has photos of Andy Reid at the dogfights. Can we please put away Line of Scrimmage Punt Return until it actually has a good play? (For the record, with 11 minutes left in the fourth, the line threw in some pancake work and got Vick a nine-yard carry around the left side to convert a third down. Woo.) I get that we need to stop any kind of momentum a sputtering offense has by constantly jerking the QB in and out, but, um, no, we don't actually need that, really... 8) Given that Jim Zorn no longer calls plays, why should the cameras look for his reaction shot after plays? He's got as much impact on this game as, well, you and I... 7) On 3rd-and-16 at midfield, in their first ...

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