Lots of positives in disappointing series for Nats

So the Nationals just lost two out of three to the second-worst team in the National League, allowing 22 runs 31 hits and seven home runs to the 21-36 Reds. Let’s dwell on the positive, though, shall we? Despite the pitching staff getting spanked by one of the league’s top hitting teams, the struggling offense …

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Lunch with Fred Valentine

Lunch with Fred Valentine and host Mark Hornbaker Where: Hunter’s Bar and Grill 10123 River Rd, Potomac, MD 20854 – http://huntersbarandgrill.com/ When: Saturday, June 18, 2016 from noon to 1:30. Want to have lunch with Washington Senator fan favorite Fred Valentine? Here is your opportunity. I will be having lunch with Fred at the Hunter’s …

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Strasburg’s better (No, really, he is)!

So where are the Stephen Strasburg trolls now? A year ago, they were out in force, but a guy who was once seen by some as a first-round bust seems to have quieted them, maybe for good. Remember last year, when Strasburg was lifted from a game in Cincinnati after just batter into the second …

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Remembering Tom Cheney, who deserved better

Max Scherzer’s 20-strikeout performance against the Detroit Tigers was certainly one for the ages, the highlight of one of the most remarkable weeks in the history of the Washington Nationals. But Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, whose contract extension was a key part of that week, owe a debt of gratitude to a man who might …

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Nats aren’t as far behind Cubs as they seem

The old adage goes that good baseball teams play .500 on the road and have a winning record at home. Still, Nationals fans can’t help but have a bad taste in their mouths after dropping the last four games of a 5-5 road trip to the Chicago Cubs. It seems the Cubs have been edging …

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Ross, Nats pitchers show there’s no need for a DH

When the Nationals visit the Kansas City Royals tonight, manager Dusty Baker will pencil a designated hitter into his lineup for the first time this season. But even playing in an American League park, Baker might actually think twice before he does so. Most Nationals fans could sense that Joe Ross was done for the …

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Is this fun enough for you?

The Nationals have a new slogan this season, and it’s probably not the one the marketing team envisioned. Instead of the “One Pursuit” tagline the team rolled out for the 2016 season, what seems to have caught on with the fans is Bryce Harper’s seemingly impromptu “Make Baseball Fun Again.” Spawned in the the wake …

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Nats playing loose, getting the job done

Even with Sunday’s extra-inning loss to Philadelphia, courtesy of a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon, the Nationals are still doing quite well, thanks. At 9-2 and four games ahead of Philadelphia, they have the best record and biggest division lead in all of baseball. That seems light years ahead of last season, when they struggled …

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Five questions the Nationals need to answer this season

Many Nationals fans are still feeling the sting of disappointment from 2015, when preseason World Series predictions dissolved in a cloud of injuries, disappointing performances and clubhouse dissension. The Nats finished out of the postseason and watched as the NL East rival New York Mets stole their division, playoff and pennant dreams. For all but …

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The Annual D.C. Baseball History Meeting: A wish that became a reality

I remember a chilly spring afternoon about twenty-two years ago, when I stepped into one of the many souvenir stores in Wrigleyville, Chicago’s nostalgic neighborhood intimately linked to Wrigley Field and baseball, while wearing my letterman-style jacket that sported a big curly W on the chest and the word “Senators” sewed on the back. Most …

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