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STRASBURG, STOREN TO HARRISBURG

Pair of rookie pitchers among five cut from major-league club Saturday

Nationals Newsstand
Washington Post

Stephen Strasburg to begin 2010 season in minor leagues

Kilgore - At 8:19 Saturday morning, Stephen Strasburg walked to the doorway of the Washington Nationals clubhouse in Space Coast Stadium and retrieved an empty blue duffel bag. Another identical one, stuffed with socks, spikes and shirts, already rested at the foot...

  • Blog - Jesse English, your bullpen darkhorse
  • Blog - Quick notes from the Nationals' fourth win
  • Blog - Updates: Nationals at Marlins
  • Blog - Nyjer Morgan scheduled to return Thursday
  • Blog - Roger Bernadina is in the mix, plus a Jordan Zimmermann update
  • Blog - Today's lineups
  • Blog - Polling the lineup and links

Nationals.com

Strasburg sent to Minor League camp

Ladson - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo doesn't like to rush pitching prospects to the big leagues. He was true to his reputation Saturday morning, as the Nationals sent right-handers Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen to Minor League camp.

  • Nationals come up short against Marlins
  • Mock has day of firsts vs. Marlins
  • Blog - Nats' Zimmerman impressed with Strasburg
  • Blog - Nats' Morgan will not play until Thursday
  • Blog - Nats' Guzman gets first test vs. Marlins
  • Blog - Chico optioned to Syracuse; Burke to the DL
  • Blog - Nats' Strasburg, Storen sent to Minor League camp

MASN.com

Updates on Morgan, Zimmermann

Jeff Wolfson - Monday: Pondering the Nationals roster | Tuesday: Examining Guzman and Duncan | Wednesday: Nats release Dukes, Kensing | Thursday: More on Dukes, a thought on Guzman | Friday: Hernandez in competition for fifth starter | Saturday: Strasburg, Storen optioned...

  • Phil Wood - Expected demotions; RIP "Toys"

Scoreboard

March 21, 2010
NY Mets 8 - Univ. of Michigan 1 Box
Baltimore 5 - Philadelphia 4 Box
NY Mets - Houston (Cancelled)
St. Louis - Atlanta (Cancelled)
Tampa Bay - Pittsburgh (Cancelled)
Washington 9 - Florida 7 Box
Chi White Sox 4 - Milwaukee 4 Box
Chi Cubs 1 - Cincinnati 1 Box
Cleveland 12 - LA Dodgers 5 Box
San Francisco 4 - Arizona 3 Box
San Diego 14 - Texas 5 Box

Boston - Toronto (Cancelled)
Detroit - NY Yankees (Cancelled)
Houston 10 - Boston 7 (Top 8)
Minnesota 12 - Tampa Bay 3 Box
Cincinnati 4 - Oakland 3 Box
Colorado 11 - Kansas City 11 (Bot 9)
Seattle 12 - LA Angels 6 Box


Standings

NL East W L Pct GB Strk L10
Philadelphia 93 69 .574 - W1 4-6
Florida 87 75 .537 6.0 L1 6-4
Atlanta 86 76 .531 7.0 L6 4-6
New York 70 92 .432 23.0 W3 5-5
Washington 59 103 .364 34.0 W7 7-3
Full League Standings

Team Leaders

Batters H HR AVG
Morgan 144 3 .307
Johnson 104 6 .295
Zimmerman 178 33 .292
Guzman 151 6 .284
Dunn 146 38 .267
Gonzalez 77 1 .265
Willingham 111 24 .260
Nieves 58 1 .259
Hernandez 58 1 .251
Dukes 91 8 .250
Pitchers IP W SV ERA
Beimel 39.2 1 1 3.40
Burnett 57.2 2 1 3.12
Clippard 60.1 4 0 2.69
Lannan 206.1 9 0 3.88
Martin 77.0 5 0 4.44
Villone 48.2 5 1 4.25
MacDougal 50.0 1 20 3.60
Tavarez 35.0 3 1 4.89
Hernandez 183.2 9 0 5.44
Detwiler 75.2 1 0 5.00

News From Around the League

New York Mets
New York Mets

A baseball lifer, Matthews living the life

The son of a big leaguer, Gary Matthews saw at an early age how the game can generate deep emotions. Now a veteran vying for an Opening Day nod, he knows the feeling first-hand.



Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies

Phils rally, fall to O's in Moyer's first start

Jamie Moyer, who is battling Kyle Kendrick for the last spot in the rotation, allowed five hits and one run in the Phillies' 5-4 loss to the Orioles on Sunday. Moyer also struck out six. Paul Hoover hit a solo shot and Greg Dobbs added a two-run blast.



Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves

McLouth gets extra at-bats in Minors game

With his frustrations mounting and the regular season just two weeks away, Nate McLouth jumped at the opportunity to get some extra at-bats amid the less stressful setting of a Minor League game on Sunday.



Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins

Kearns homers twice as Indians rout Dodgers 12-5

Austin Kearns hit his first two home runs of the spring and drove in five runs as the Cleveland Indians rolled to a 12-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.



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Fan Poll

In the Natmosphere

Nationals Fan Boy Looser

Nats' 30 in 30 on MLB

3/21/2010 6:33 PM - Just a quick drive-by today as I come up for air during the greatest first NCAA tournament weekend maybe ever. I'm firmly on the St. Mary's bandwagon now. Are the Gaels fun to watch or what?I taped the Nats' show on MLB, or whatever you do when you have a DVR. I guess you can't call it "taped" since, you know, there's no tape.I'd like to say the show was terrific. It was fine, typical of those types of thing. A hardcore fan like us crazies wouldn't learn anything new. One small part of it made my weekend along with all the great basketball: I could watch Ryan Zimmerman's park-opening home run on an endless loop every waking moment the rest of my life. It never gets old. Ever. I swear I can see myself and my wife when they show the stands behind the Nats' dugout.Love the Madness. Love... | More


Federal Baseball

Washington Nationals Win Ugly, 9-7 Over Florida Marlins.

3/21/2010 5:00 PM - Rob Carr - AP Washington Nationals' pitcher John Lannan threw 5.0 IP Sunday, giving up 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, with 2 K's and 60 pitches total, 45 of them strikes. (AP Photo/Rob Carr) View full size photo * With the Nationals' leadoff hitter and starting center fielder Nyjer Morgan out until later this week with hamstring issues, Willie Harris is leading off, and he starts today's game by grounding out on the first pitch he sees from Josh Johnson...Johnson gets a grounder to short from Adam Kennedy for the second out of the frame, and gives up a two-out walk to Ian Desmond who scores on Chris Duncan's double for a 1-0 Nationals' lead after a half... * There was a lot of talk yesterday amongst the Nationals beat writers, but even the Marlins' radio announce team commented this afternoon that the throw Ian Desmond made for the... | More


Federal Baseball

Washington Nationals At Florida Marlins: Spring Training GameThread.

3/21/2010 12:30 PM - More photos Richard Drew - AP Washington Nationals' starting pitcher John Lannan faces the Florida Marlins today in the Montreal Expos' old home, Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Browse more photos There's nothing like getting beaten in 26 of the last 35 regular season games played to make you despise (in a fun-sports-kinda-way) another team, and for the Washington Nationals to have that team be the Florida Marlins, the Jeffrey Loria-owned-reward-for-destroying-the-Expos, who've managed to win two World Series in their 17-year-existence while the Nats have only recently begun to recover from the damage Loria inflicted upon the first Major League Baseball franchise to play outside the US, only makes it worse. So far this Spring the Fish dominance continues, with Florida 3-1 in 4 games (that don't count), and this afternoon (at 1:05 pm EST on the radio on XM/185 and MLB Gameday Audio, which has... | More


Nationals Insider

Riggleman: No Guzman at 2B

3/21/2010 11:51 AM - Riggleman: No Guzman at 2B | More


The Nats Blog

This Week In Baseball - 3/21/10

3/21/2010 10:45 AM - The MLB bloggosphere and mainstream media were sent buzzing after it leaked that the Phillies were kicking around the idea of offering their slugger Ryan Howard, for Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. While the supposed trade was never more than a hypothetical, the idea caught the imagination of many and played on the fears of a few. Despite Howard being a perennial MVP candidate, there are many who believe that Pujols will end up being possibly the best hitter ever, meaning the Cardinals probably wouldn't have even considered the trade were it ever offered. ... It was leaked this week that Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine use during the 2009 season. Washington was subject to a random drug test in the middle of last season, knowing that he would test positive, he reportedly admitted his use to MLB officials before the test came back. Washington released this... | More


Nationals Inquisition

This One Shall Do

3/21/2010 10:36 AM - Ive been under the weather since Friday night. In fact, Ive been in a bit of a coma. Im not sure what happened, but I am thinking it had something to do with Fridays 13-5 Nats ST victory over the Cardinals. I started feeling a little woozy when some nobody named Tyler Greene took Stephen [...] | More


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Chien-Ming Wang and Jordan Zimmermann throw bullpens

Posted by Mike Henderson on Mar. 21, 2010 at 11:40 AM
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Chien-Ming WangGood news from Nationals spring training camp in Viera, Florida:  Offseason pickup and shoulder-injury survivor Chien-Ming Wang threw three bullpen sessions last week, the third at about 50 percent effort.  It's hoped that he'll be back to full strength by the middle of April and on the active roster by the middle of May -- by which time he's apt to be sorely needed unless the Nats' Opening Day starting rotation enjoys consistent success on the hill.

Jordan ZimmermannAnother sorely needed guy will be Jordan Zimmermann who's recovering from last year's Tommy John surgery.  Nonetheless, he'll also be throwing a bullpen session in Viera on Monday and is said to be ahead of schedule on his rehabilitation.  Hopeful as that sounds, it seems -- for safety's sake if nothing else -- more likely that Zimmermann will return to the active roster in 2011 than in 2010.

 

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Why the Love for Guzman?

Posted by Jim Kurtzke on Mar. 20, 2010 at 8:29 PM
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As the Nationals head into the home stretch of Spring Training, one question keeps coming up:  What are they so committed to veteran players who are: a) coming off injuries; and b) not that good to start with?  Earlier in Spring Training, Jim Riggleman anointed Scott Olsen as part of the starting rotation, even though Olsen's lack of velocity suggests that all is not well.  More broadly, what is it about a guy with crappy career stats -- 33-41, 4.77 ERA -- that warrants such royal treatment?  I sure can't think of any.  God knows there are better options (see Strasburg, Stephen).

And now we have the same thing going on with Cristian Guzman.  Rigs has told Mark Zuckerman that he "cannot envision any scenario in which [Guzzy] is not with" the team heading north.  Really?  No scenario?  Let me see if I got this right.  For weeks, Rigs has said that Guzzy needs to make the long, hard throw from the hole to prove that his throwing shoulder is healthy.  And given precisely that opportunity in Saturday's game, Guzzy tosses a lolly-pop and misses Adam Dunn to boot.  Again, why is the team so committed to a minus defensive shortstop with a paltry .307 OBP for this career?  As with Olsen, better options abound. 

I've already weighed in on the shortstop competition -- read more here -- and come out in favor of Ian Desmond.  Not simply because the stats, health, youth, and upside potential all suggest that's the best outcome.  Although that should be enough.  But also because, when given a choice between continuing to go with marginal players that have lost you a couple hundreds games in the past two years, and the choice to do something different, go different. 

Before the season starts, let's hope that Rigs will see it the same way.  Because if this team is going to improve, he is going to have to make a whole lot of decisions involving change vs. continuity.  C'mon, Jim, take a risk.  Because, compared to the status quo, it really is not much of a risk at all. 

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Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen off to Harrisburg (updated)

Posted by Mike Henderson on Mar. 20, 2010 at 8:27 AM
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Stephen StrasburgThe date of Stephen Strasburg's major-league debut -- or, more precisely, guesses thereat -- has been a hot subject in Nats Town over the last few weeks, and Nationals manager Jim Riggleman didn't do much to cool it off on Friday:

We're going to meet tomorrow -- myself and [general manager] Mike (Rizzo) and the rest of the guys, and put some moves together that we're going to be making in the next three days. . . . [Strasburg's status] will be one of the discussions we're going to have, I'm sure.

Two Friday evening solo home runs dealt to the visiting Cardinals in Viera, which vaulted Strasburg's spring ERA all the way to 2.00, may have influenced the discussion.

Drew StorenBut it's more likely that considerations relating to development and service time weighed most heavily in the team's decision Saturday morning to send Strasburg and reliever Drew Storen to minor-league camp.

It'd be surprising if either Strasburg or Storen were to spend as much as half the season in the minors.  While it had been thought that Strasburg might start the season opener at high-single-A Potomac on April 8, it's just been reported that both Strasburg and Storen will begin the 2010 season at double-A Harrisburg.

This Hutch estimates an early-June MLB debut for Strasburg and Storen against Cincinnati, who will be bringing much-anticipated Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman to town the weekend of June 4-6.  Great seats are still available.  (You're welcome, Stan.)


UPDATE 20-Mar-2010 6:45 pm: Wondering what Strasburg's schedule might be for the season? The Post's Adam Kilgore does the hard work so you don't have to…

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The NL East, position by position: center field

Posted by Mike Henderson on Mar. 19, 2010 at 8:40 AM
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This series continues its position comparisons of the National League East by rating the division's teams according to whom they'll be deploying at center field in the 2010 season. The rankings below, from highest to lowest, account for both defense and offense.

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Natmosphere rumbles in wake of Elijah Dukes' release

Posted by Mike Henderson on Mar. 17, 2010 at 1:24 PM
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Elijah DukesAs reported earlier here by colleague Jim Kurtzke, the Nationals have made their first startling roster cut of Spring Training, issuing outfielder Elijah Dukes his unconditional release on Wednesday morning.

According to MASN's Ben Goessling, off-the-field issues didn't play a part in the team's decision.  Early Twitter returns indicate that the Natmosphere isn't buying that assertion, which has since been recast as one involving tradability and team chemistry.

The Nationals' current alternatives to replace Dukes in right include -- in no particular order of desirability -- Roger Bernadina, Willie Harris, Justin Maxwell, Nyjer Morgan, Mike Morse, Josh Willingham, or possibly (per MLB.com's Bill Ladson) 36-year-old free agent Jermaine Dye.

While the team admits that Dukes remains a talent of high promise -- if somewhat challenged by breaking pitches -- Nats general manager Mike Rizzo has made no bones about the degree to which he feels individual players' makeup contributes to the success of the team as a whole.  Whether or not, or for whatever reasons, Rizzo itched to get rid of Dukes, scratching Dukes from the roster probably will not cause Rizzo to lose much sleep -- at least for the moment.


Less surprisingly, Goessling reports that relief pitcher Logan Kensing, who last week was sent to the Nats' minor-league camp, was also handed his release Wednesday morning in Viera.

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Dukes Released

Posted by Jim Kurtzke on Mar. 17, 2010 at 10:24 AM
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It's the big news of the day:  media outlets -- here and here -- are reporting that the Nats have released Elijah Dukes.  Stunning news, to be sure.  Such a development certainly shakes up the starting line-up, and opens up right field for the taking.  We'll track developments throughout the day. 

Update: During Spring Training, Dukes has hit just .150/.261/.250.  Other outfielders have performed dramatically better.  Willie Harris at .333/.462/.714, Kevin Mench at .333/.385/.917, and Roger Bernadina at .298/.409/.278.  Justin Maxwell, however, has disappointed (.115/.294/.269).  

Who is your favorite to take over in right?

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Tags: Elijah Dukes

Nats' latest cuts underscore shift in 'pen philosophy

Posted by Mike Henderson on Mar. 16, 2010 at 7:00 PM
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On Monday the Washington Nationals announced the third round of cuts to their 2010 major-league roster:

  • Starting pitcher Collin Balester was optioned to triple-A Syracuse. The formidably mustached 24-year-old right-hander from California had made a pair of appearances this spring -- a hopeful one on March 4 and a ghastly one four days later -- for a total of 4 1/3 innings, striking out three batters, walking four and giving up seven hits and four earned runs.
  • The team also optioned left-handed Dominican reliever Atahualpa Severino, 25, to Syracuse. In two Spring 2010 outings, Severino walked a pair, struck out none and gave up two hits and one earned run over two innings.
  • Left-hander Aaron Thompson was optioned to double-A Harrisburg, where he had made six 2009 starts after being acquired by the Nats in the trade that sent Nick Johnson to Florida. The 23-year-old from New Mexico has posted impressive numbers since his arrival in the system: he accrued a 3.31 ERA for the double-A Senators last season, while in two 2010 Spring Training appearances he struck out two batters, issued one base on balls and one hit and allowed no runs over four innings.
  • Right-hander Ryan Mattheus, 26, was also optioned to Harrisburg, where he will log few if any innings as he continues to rehabilitate from the Tommy John surgery he underwent at midseason 2009.
  • Juan Jaime, 22, was optioned to high-single-A Potomac, where the Dominican right-hander will hope to confound batters as he did at short-season Vermont and low-A Hagerstown last season. In twelve starts and two relief appearances in 2009, Jaime struck out 76, walked just 31 and allowed 37 hits and 13 earned runs over 55 2/3 innings.
  • Ron VilloneReliever Ron Villone was released by the team. In three Spring 2010 appearances, the 40-year-old left-handed journeyman struck out one batter, walked six and gave up two hits and three earned runs over a total of an inning and two-thirds.

All told, it was a day of few surprises (again) but also two rays of hope.

First, there's nothing to indicate that Thompson shouldn't be in the mix to start in 2011 at Nationals Park, or that Jaime shouldn't be in 2012. That's good news to a system that hopes to solidify the rotation in 2011 and beyond behind a hopefully-dominant starting tandem of Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.  (And since the Nats' 2010 staff is still unsettled, the possibility that either Thompson or Jaime might even get a shot at the bigs in 2010 can't be written off.)

Tyler ClippardSecond, the cult of the left-handed specialist is getting short shrift on South Capitol Street. Having shed Villone and Eddie Guardado and outrighted Doug Slaten to Syracuse, the team appears to be content with the chances of right-handers like Tyler Clippard to record outs against left-handed batters (and portsiders like Sean Burnett to dispatch righties).

Barring extreme platoon splits like Ryan Howard's, this would seem to be an approach worth trying, and it'll be interesting at season's end -- provided long-suffering fans' patience can hold out that long -- to try to judge how effectively the Nats have been able to swing the pendulum back from bullpen micro-specialization.

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The NL East, position by position: left field

Posted by Mike Henderson on Mar. 16, 2010 at 9:00 AM
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Josh WillinghamIf there'll be anything striking about the National League East's left fielders in 2010, it'll be a remarkable degree of parity and few areas of abject weakness.  (At least defensively, especially since Adam Dunn has decided to concentrate on becoming a first baseman.)

The rankings below, from highest to lowest, account for both defense and offense.

  • Chris Coghlan has impressed the Marlins enough to convince that penurious outfit to part with a salary some $50,000 over the league minimum.  He's certainly worth it, as he's apt to outperform his predecessor, current Washington National Josh Willingham, at the position.  Brett Carroll will be Coghlan's backup.
  • Not that Washington will suffer.  Although Willingham's better known for his offense, you could do far worse than to deploy him in left field every day.  (Or almost every day, with supersub Willie Harris as the number-two guy in left.)
  • The man Harris spelled in Atlanta, Matt Diaz, will most likely be a backup himself this year for former Pinstripe Melky Cabrera.
  • Chris CoghlanPhiladelphia fans will be hoping for another great year from Raul Ibanez instead of the more likely regression to the mean.  Ben Francisco, whom the Phillies picked up in the deal with Cleveland that also brought them two-plus months of Cliff Lee, will be the team's fourth outfielder and bench bat.
  • Jason Bay was a smart and perhaps somewhat lucky pickup for the Mets, whose fascination with Bay's venerable backup Gary Matthews Jr. cannot be characterized so easily or hopefully.  (That fascination may linger for a while; Matthews is having a good Spring Training so far.)

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This Day in D.C. Baseball History

Posted by Mark Hornbaker on Mar. 15, 2010 at 10:39 PM
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March 15, 1945

College Park, MD - Bert Shepard, a one legged veteran of World War II, tries out as a pitcher for the Washington Senators. The Senators owner Clark Griffith was so impressed with Shepard that he hired him as the team’s pitching coach. During the 1945 spring training Shepard with his artificial leg got to pitch in three games. For the rest training camp his main job was to pitch batting practice.

Bert Shepard was a World War II fighter pilot who lost his right leg on May 21, 1944 when his plane was shot down while he was flying a mission over Germany. This heroic man survived his plane crash and a gunshot wound to his chin. Afterward Shepard was taken to a German hospital where they amputated most of his right leg. During the next few months he was in POW camp in Germany.

After the war in February 1945 Shepard was sent to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. where he was fitted for an artificial leg. As amazing as it is one month later this heroic American was trying out for a major league baseball team.

What is more amazing was that on August 4, 1945 Senators’ manager Ossie Bluege called on Bert Shepard to come in and pitch a few innings of a game that the Senators were trailing by quite a few runs. The left hander ended up pitching five and a third innings and only gave up one run and three base hits. That will be the first and last game for war hero as the Senators released him on September 30, 1945.

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MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" series stops in Viera

Posted by Ian Koski on Mar. 15, 2010 at 4:04 PM
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The Nationals will be the focus of Tuesday night's installment of "30 Clubs in 30 Days" on MLB Network.

According to the network, the hour-long piece features interviews with Jim Riggleman, Stephen Strasburg, Josh Willingham and Jason Marquis. Curiously omitted was the Nationals' lone All-Star last season, Ryan Zimmerman, or anyone affiliated with the club in the 2008 season.

The episode will air Tuesday night at 9 pm on MLB Network.

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The Nationals announced Saturday they'd be sending Stephen Strasburg to Double A Harrisburg.
The Nationals announced Saturday they'd be sending Stephen Strasburg to Double A Harrisburg. (Ed Wolfstein/Icon SMI)

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Podcast

October 24, 2009
With the 2009 season in the books, we look back at how the Nats arrived at their miserable 59-103 record. We discuss the promotion of Mike Rizzo to GM, the post-season blogger awards, the race to replace Manny Acta as manager, and the Nationals' top offseason priorities. (MP3)
July 15, 2009
We tackle the firing of manager Manny Acta and the promotion of Jim Riggleman, Obama's crack about the Nats, whether Ryan Zimmerman deserves to be an all-star, the current state of the Nats, why Austin Kearns is still a Nat, Adam Dunn's trade prospects, and the 2009 draft. (MP3)
June 20th, 2009
Broadcasting from Nationals Park, Mike and Ian discuss the rumors of Manny Acta's imminent firing and interview MASN play-by-play man Bob Carpenter about the Nats' season, the performance of at-times controversial color commentator Rob Dibble, and more. (MP3)
May 27, 2009
With steroid accusations and trade rumors in the air, we look at how the Nats' bullpen and and rotation have changed, preview June's amateur draft, celebrate Ryan Zimmerman's on-base streak, and applaud the dismissal of Daniel Cabrera. (MP3)
April 29, 2009
With the Nationals having lost 15 of their first 19 games, we look at what's gone right and what's gone wrong - namely the bullpen. We ask whether the team is playing with enough fire and second guess all of the team's big personnel decisions. And we answer four reader questions! (MP3)

2009 Draft Picks

RND PLAYER POS
1 Stephen Strasburg RHP
  San Diego State University
1 Drew Storen RHP
  Stanford University (CA)
2 Jeffrey Kobernus 2B
  University of California-Berkeley
3 Trevor Holder RHP
  University of Georgia
4 A.J. Morris RHP
  Kansas State University
5 Miguel Pena LHP
  La Joya HS (TX)
6 Michael Taylor SS
  Westminster Academy (FL)
7 Andrew 'Dean' Weaver RHP
  University of Georgia
8 Roberto Perez SS
  Dorado Academy (PR)
9 Taylor Jordan RHP
  Brevard CC (FL)

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