Archive for the ‘ Spring Training 2011 ’ Category

NATS CLAIM HYDE OFF BRAVES ROSTER ALSO ADD OLLIE

The Washington Nationals continue to add pitching today claiming lefthander Gary Lee Hyde off the Atlanta Braves roster and optiioned him to AAA-Syracuse.

Hyde, 26, split last season between AA-Mississippi and AAA-Gwinnett, two cities with the most double letters combined -5.  He was 2-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 29 games and recorded 8 saves before a July promotion to AAA-Gwinnett where he went 2-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 22 games.

The native of Atlanta, Georgia was the Braves 4th selection in the 2006 June draft by current Nationals Director of Scouting Roy Clark.  He missed much of the 2007 season and part of the 2008 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Lee joins lefties Attie Severino, Matt Chico and Ron Villone in the Chiefs camp.

In other news former New York Mets lefthander Oliver Perez signed a minor league contract with the Nationals today and joined them in their minor league complex in Viera, Florida.

Perez, 29, has spent the past two years with the Mets.  He has also pitched for the Pirates and will work with his former pitching coach and current Nationals Minor League pitching instructor Spin Williams.

With the Mets paying all of  Perez’s 12 million dollar salary this season, the Nationals believe that if Williams can work his magic with the fallen pitcher it will be worth the gamble.

 

 

MORE FLORIDA NEWS & NOTES

A few more news and notes from Spring Training 2011 in Florida….

*  The last Chiefs pitcher to toss a nine inning no-hitter – Mike Pazik now a scout with the White Sox was seen at Space Coast Stadium taking in Nationals games this week.

*  Former Chiefs outfielder Justin Maxwell now with the Yankees has a new batting stance – this time very similar to Alex Rodriguez.  Maxwell still in camp with the Yankess has made an impression on manager Joe Girardi and could make the team as an extra outfielder.

*  Righthander Ryan Tatusko who came to Syracuse in January for the Chiefs 50th Hot Stove Dinner is turning some heads in Nationals Minor League Camp and could be with the Chiefs in April.

*  Infielders a plenty -  Nationals have first baseman Chris Marrero, Mike Aubrey and Kevin Barker in minor league camp as well as infielders Seth Bynum, Chris McConnell, Alex Cintron and Matt Antonelli are in the mix for 2B, SS and 3B while Brian Bixler is still batting for a spot at the major league camp.

*  Outfielders too -  With Corey Brown, Jeff Frazier, Buck Coats, Jonathan Van Every and Boomer Whiting all playing for the AAA club it will be interesting to see if the Nationals send either Nyger Morgan or Roger Bernadina to the Chiefs or possibly both.

*  Nats believe Syracuse pitching staff could be really good.  Already in minor league camp are JD Martin, Shairon Martis, Garrett Mock, Luis Atilano, Adam Carr, Cole Kimball, Atie Severino.

 

 

 

 

 

FLORIDA UPDATE

With Jason Benetti and Kevin Brown back in Syracuse, they have left me to keep you updated on the comings and goings of Spring Training 2011.

*  Tigers defeated the Nationals Monday afternoon at Space Coast Stadium 4-2.  In the game former Chiefs manager Garth Iorg’s son Cale Iorg doubled in a run and played flawless at shortstop for the Tigers.  Look for Cale to begin the season with the Mud Hens.

*  Another former Chief’s son, Patrick Leyland, (son of Jim Leyland) caught the final three innings.

*  Today (Tuesday) was able to catch the Blue Jays and Phillies in lovely Dunedin, Florida.  Phils had most of their starters on hand and former Chiefs Pete Orr and Michael Martinez played in the later innings.  Both have a chance to be with the Phillies on opening day after injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco.

*  Visted the Chiefs former winter home for 31 years – Englebert Recreational Complex and took in a few innings of their AAA and AA games.  Former Chiefs still with Toronto include Doug Davis (Minor League Field Coordinator), Dane Johnson (Minor League Pitching Coordinator), Omar Malave (Gulf Coast League Manager), Jim Czjawski (Pitching Coach at Vancouver-rookie) who was the winning pitcher in the first game ever at then P&C Stadium on April 6th, 1997.  Dennis Holmberg will be in Bluefield-rookie and big Sal Fasano will be in AA-New Hamphsire all came over to say hello.

*  Former Chiefs outfielder in 2009-10 Leonard Davis is in the Jays camp trying to catch make the AAA-Las Vegas team, closer to his California home.

*  Off to Legends Field on Wednesday to see former Chiefs outfielder Justin Maxwell and Chiefs Wall of Famer Ron Guidry who is in camp as an instructor.

Just four weeks until the Home Opener in Syracuse…..

Nationals vs. Yankees – Saturday, March 12th

4:01 (End 9th): Derek Norris has ended this game with a walkoff 380-foot single to left center…Nats win it 6 to 5.  More to come…

3:57 (Bottom 9th): Yankees lefthander Robert Fish goes to 3-1 on Gonzalez and then throws him an intentional ball four…bases loaded, one out, for pinch hitter Derek Norris.  Bernadina came out on deck but Norris pinch-hit, and now Fish is giving way for a right-hander to get the matchup back in the Yankees’ favor.  Into the game now: Daniel Turpen.

3:55 (Bottom 9th): …and he gets plunked on an 0-2 pitch after two gigantic swings.  1st and 3rd, one out for Alberto Gonzalez…outfield is way in, infield at DP depth.

3:54 (Bottom 9th): Ankiel gets the bunt down…Bryce Harper up with the winning run on third and one out…

3:50 (Bottom 9th): Just back from the MASN broadcast booth…only one run’s been scored since then on a Rick Ankiel solo home run.  We’re 5-5 and Jesus Flores just reached second base on a throwing error by Eduardo Nunez to start the 9th…Nyjer Morgan’s pinch running as the potential winning run.

2:52 (Bottom 6th): Sorry for the suspense there, went to talk to AJ Burnett post-start (very amusing guy)…Vazquez was hit and Pena drove in the run with a sac fly.  But the Nats just got it back…Desmond and Zimmerman single and walk, respectively, with one out, and…wait for it…wait for it…Michael Morse! singles to left-center to drive in another run.  Morse is removed for a pinch-runner, Jerry Hairston Jr. with 2 on and 2 out…Nats down 5-4 with Ramos up…

2:34 (Top 6th): Maya absolutely pulls the string on a 3-2 curve to Montero for the K.  The Nats infield is in with pinch-runner Doug Bernier on third and one out.  Jorge Vazquez, who’s driven in 3 of the 4 runs, awaits…

2:31 (Top 6th): Cano greets Maya rudely with a long fly ball to deep center field…but Roger Bernadina just plain drops it at the warning track, right where the shadows and sunshine intersect.  Official ruling a triple, which I have to disagree with – Roger got his glove on it and should have made the play.  Let the center field “battle” continue…

2:29 (End 5th): Laynce Nix just sent a rocket into orbit here at Space Coast…high fastball 
from righthander Hector Noesi that he turned on and clobbered way over the right field fence.  4-3 after five…the mystifying Yunesky Maya on for the Nats.

2:14 (Top 5th): Lannan gets Gardner to start the 5th on a pop out, and his day is down.  Time for lefty Sean Burnett to show his stuff.

2:10 (End 4th): A.J. Burnett has reeled off 9 straight outs since Mike Morse’s home run…4-2 after four.  Burnett has looked fairly sharp with 4 strikeouts and just 2 hits allowed.

2:02 (Top 4th): On our Inside Pitch podcast, Justin Maxwell told us that Alex Rodriguez has been the biggest veteran influence on him with the Yankees so far.  It shows – Maxwell’s stance looks like it’s certainly borrowed some elements from A-Rod.  He grounds out to shortstop though, and Lannan strikes out Mesa to end the frame.  It’s been a rough 4 innings for the southpaw – 4-2 Yankees.

2:00 (Top 4th): Jorge Vazquez is not a fan of John Lannan’s pitches.  After a scorcher of an RBI single in the first, he serves a bomb over the left-centerfield wall for a 2-run home run.  4-2 Yankees, Vazquez has driven in three.  He’s well over .400 with 3 HR and 8 rBi for the spring…still, expect to see him in Scranton this year.

1:53 (Bottom 3rd): When A.J. Burnett is on, his stuff is just filthy to watch.  He froze Roger Bernadina on a 2-2 breaking ball right on the outside corner – Roger had no chance and struck out for the second time.

1:46 (Top 3rd): It is legitimately hard to find an empty seat in this place.  Good luck finding a much bigger crowd than this for a spring training game.  And good luck finding a better two innings than John Lannan just threw…two groundouts and a strikeout of Cano give him his first 1-2-3 frame.

1:37 (Bottom 2nd): Michael Morse is hotter than a pistol in Texas in the middle of July.  Wrapped in a hot blanket.  He hit what looked like a lazy fly ball to right field that just kept going…and going…and going…and ended up over the fence for a 2-run blast.  Manager Jim Riggleman and GM Mike Rizzo both called Morse the clear front-runner for the LF job this morning…he’s now at an even .500 in ST, 13 for 26.  2-2 here in the second.

1:32 (Middle 2nd): Much stronger second for Lannan…a leadoff walk to former Nat Justin Maxwell erased by a first pitch ground ball DP off the bat of Melky Mesa and a 4-pitch strikeout of Brett Gardner faces it off.  Ks don’t come easy for Lannan, who’s struck out just 287 in 566 1/3 career innings.

1:26 (End 1st): A.J. Burnett has to work for his strikeouts, but he sure gets his strikeouts…18 pitches to 3 batters, but rings up Bernadina, Desmond, and Zimmerman to end the first.

1:21 (Bottom 1st): High comedy right off the top of the inning!  Roger Bernadina half-swung at a seemingly inside fastball and got rung up by home plate umpire Ed Hickox…but Roger thought he walked, tossed off his shin guard and took a few steps toward first before both the crowd and the ump let him know what happened.  Good try though.

1:17 (Middle 1st): John Lannan’s getting roughed up by some guys who didn’t have much success against the Chiefs last year.  Eduardo Nunez (6-51, .118) walked and scored on a Robinson Cano single, Jesus Montero (11-41, .268) singled, and Jorge Vazquez (5-22, .227) drove in a run.  It’s 2-0 Yanks after a half inning…now time for the A.J. Burnett show.

Kevin here…Absolutely gorgeous day here at Space Coast Stadium for what looks to be the biggest crowd we’ve had since Jason or I have been here for the Nats and the Yankees.  It’s a very watered-down Yankees roster – A.J. Burnett’s starting with Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner and Russell Martin in the lineup, but there’s no one else who’s likely to be a roster regular.  In fact, the vast majority of this travel roster won’t start in the bigs.

One guy to watch is former Chief Justin Maxwell, who’s starting in left field and hitting 8th today. Jason chatted with both Justin and current National Michael Morse pregame – stay tuned to our twitter @ChiefsRadio and the Chiefs Inside Pitch podcast (http://syracusechiefsinsidepitch.mypodcast.com/) to listen to those.
Here are today’s starting lineups - 
Yankees
CF Brett Gardner
SS Eduardo Nunez
C Russell Martin
2B Robinson Cano
DH Jesus Montero
1B Jorge Vazquez
3B Ramiro Pena
LF Justin Maxwell
RF Melky Mesa
SP A.J. Burnett
In other words, quite a few players who we could certainly see in Scranton this year.
Nationals
CF Roger Bernadina
SS Ian Desmond
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse (.480, 4
HR, 7 RBI)
C Wilson Ramos
DH Rick Ankiel
RF Laynce Nix
2B Danny Espinosa (.407, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
SP John Lannan

Nats cuts

More on this later, but here’s a list of players sent to AAA camp this morning (with last year’s team in parentheses):

Pitchers
Luis Atilano (Syracuse/Washington)
Adam Carr (Harrisburg/Syracuse)
J.D. Martin (Syracuse/Washington)
Garrett Mock (Syracuse/Washington)
Josh Wilkie (Syracuse)
Catchers
Carlos Maldonado (Syracuse/Washington)
Jhonatan Solano (Harrisburg)
Infielders
Michael Aubrey (Norfolk)
Kevin Barker (Veracruz)
Oufielders
Jeff Frazier (Toledo/Detroit)
Jonathan Van Every (Indianapolis/Boston)
-Atilano’s gotten buried by the additions to the Nats rotation during the last year (Maya to the U.S., Zimmermann back from injury).  He made 16 starts last year in Washington but posted a 5.15 ERA.  Same goes for J.D. Martin
-Aubrey’s another case of “If you can’t beat him, sign him.”  4 homers and 12 RBI in a four-day span against the Chiefs in July last year caught Syracuse’s attention (and likely the Nats).
-Frazier’s an IL All-Star who had 25 of his 77 career homers last season in Toledo.  He’s been playing in pro ball since ’04 and absolutely had a stunning year last year.  Will be an asset for the Chiefs.
Nats and Astros tonight @ 6 in Viera.  Stay tuned to the blog for more…..Kevin and I will be going to the ballpark shortly. 

Nationals vs. Astros – Thursday, March 10th

9:59 (End 9th): The classic walkoff error!  Brian Dopirak lines a one-out double to right and Bryce Harper chucks it wildly to no one in particular, scoring pinch runner Jimmy Paredes.  6-5, Astros win.  Good night for now from Kissimmee…more to come.

9:53 (Middle 9th): 1-2-3 go the Nats in the 9th.  Severino back to the hill for the bottom of the 9th…Manzella, Navarro, and Dopirak due up for Houston.  You’ll get first names if they do something important.

9:51 (Top 9th): Plenty of intriguing prospects in the game now for Washington…CF Eury Perez, the stolen base king of the organization, is up to bat with one out.  Danny Espinosa, the only starter still in the game besides Derek Norris, awaits on deck.

9:48 (Bottom 8th): Shuck pops out to Jhonathan Solano, whose initial “h” is still misplaced…we go to the 8th all tied.  Who’s ready for some extra inning spring training baseball? *reverse jinx*

9:45 (Bottom 8th): Rally time for Houston…after 2 quick outs by Severino, Angel Sanchez draws a 4 pitch walk and Drew Locke lines a sharp single to center…2 on, 2 out for J.B. “Aw” Shuck.

9:40 (Bottom 8th): First time I’ve seen Bryce Harper in person and he did not disappoint.  Lofted a single to left field…except he ran the whole way and turned it, somehow, into a double.  But Harper was stranded there when Rick Ankiel struck out for the third time.  5-5 as we go to the bottom of the 8th…Atahualpa Severino in to pitch for Washington.

9:33 (Top 8th): Wholesale changes at this point…Ross Wolf is in to pitch for Houston with a bunch of subs in the game including Koby Clemens…Bryce Harper is due up 3rd in this inning for the Nats.

9:31 (Bottom 7th): Oh hey, Bryce Harper is in!  And he made a nice running catch to end the 7th…we’re all squared away at 5 heading to the 8th.

9:29 (Bottom 7th): Sorry to all those hanging on my every word, I went to take a bunch of pictures.  We are still tied at 5, through the Astros have 2 on and 2 out in the bottom of the 7th against Cole Kimball.  Stay tuned…

9:15 (Top 7th):  After ripping a ball foul by inches down the left field line, Espinosa straightens out his swing and lines an RBI single to left.  Tied up at 5.

9:12 (Top 7th): And Bernadina shows off the muscles!  He smacks a 2-run triple off the wall in left-center to make it a 5-4 ball game…and he’s standing on 3rd with one out.  Somebody wants to make the big league team…let’s see what Danny Espinosa can do now.

9:11 (Top 7th): He didn’t, but he walked and then took second on a just-off-the-plate wild pitch.  So Roger Bernadina represents the tying run with runners on 2nd and 3rd and a 3-1 count against the lefthander Wright.

9:06 (Top 7th): You can currently hear a dog yapping from somewhere in the vicinity – that’s how quiet it is in the park right now.  Noise just picked up a bit though as Jeff Frazier rapped an RBI double off of new Astros pitcher Wesley Wright to score Chris Marrero.  After a Rick Ankiel groundout to first, Frazier’s on 3rd with one out in a 5-2 game.  Let’s see if Brian Bixler can get him home…

9:01 (Bottom 6th): The Astros have struck out three times in this game.  Hunter Pence – probably the best player in tonight’s game – has all three of them.  We head to the 7th, 5-1 Houston.

8:59 (Bottom 6th): Balester off to a strong start – fielding his position as he throws out Bourgeois on a bunt attempt and inducing a weak popup to shortstop from Barmes.  Also of note, Garrett Mock’s final line: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.  Three subpar outings for him here in spring training so far.

8:57 (Bottom 6th): Nothing particularly important or exciting has happened since we’ve last spoken, though the Nats have made some changes here in the bottom of the 6th.  Collin Balester is in to pitch with Stephen King (no, not THAT one) in to play third base.

8:46 (Bottom 5th): There’s probably a baseball cliche’ somewhere about 2-out errors…Matt Downs just made the Nats pay with a deeeeep double to center field to score a run.  5-1 Stros.

8:44 (Bottom 5th): Looked like 3 ground ball outs in a quick 5th for Mock…until JHJ threw away a grounder off the bat of Jason Michaels.  2 outs, man on second for Matt Downs.

8:38 (Middle 5th): Sparkling defensive inning by the Astros.  Hall made a nice stab of a hard-hit Bixler line drive and then full-out dove to his left to stop a Bernadina grounder.  Clint Barmes ended the inning with a nice catch in the Astros bullpen of a foul pop by Danny Espinosa.  Back to the Garrett Mock era…

8:35 (Top 5th): Brian Bixler just had another nice at-bat despite the end result…he worked the count full before smashing a one-hop liner to Bill Hall at second, and then nearly beat out a poor throw.  In unrelated news, my stomach just realized I ate chicken on a stick.  I immediately regret this decision.

8:32 (Top 5th): Brandon Lyon time here in the 5th.  Remember when he last saved 20 games?  Oh wait, that was last year.  Final line for Wandy: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.  And the score is 4-1 as well.  Only two digits that matter tonight, I suppose.

8:28 (Bottom 4th): Wandy Rodriguez has been solid, if not spectacular tonight…Nats go down 1-2-3 in the top 4th, capped off by a second Ankiel K.
Big play for the Nats in the bottom of the frame though…a strike em out, throw em out DP as Mock K’s Pence and Ramos throws out Barmes.  A weak Carlos Lee chopper to 3rd and a nice barehand pick by Jerry Hairston, Jr. (JHJ) later, we’re on to the 5th.

8:19 (Bottom 3rd): Roger Bernadina!  Perfect throw home from left field nails Jason Michaels at the plate to mercifully end an 8 batter, 5 hit, 3 run inning.  4-1 ‘Stros after three.

8:10 (Bottom 3rd): Garrett Mock’s second pitch gets lined into left by Chris Johnson for a 2-run single.  His 5th is smacked against the LF wall by Jason Michaels for an RBI double.  Yikes.
Mock’s ST line so far, in 2 games and 2 batters: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 0 K.
Final line for Gorzelanny…2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Neither is desirable.

8:06 (Bottom 3rd): A 1 out bloop single by Carlos Lee that neither Bernadina nor Ankiel wanted to catch followed by a line drive double to right from Bill Hall…2nd and 3rd, 1 out, again.  Let’s see how Gorz gets out of this one…
…by heading out to the dugout.  The dreaded spring training mid inning pitching change means Garrett Mock gets to show his stuff here in the 3rd.

8:00 (Bottom 3rd): Sorry for my temporary disappearance there, folks…but if you’ve been following @ChiefsRadio on Twitter, you know Jason’s discovered this delicacy called “chicken on a stick,” which is exactly what you think it would be, so naturally I had to try it out.  It’s…well, it’s chicken on a stick.  It works
.  Anyway, Gorz pulled another magic act to escape the 2nd after just an unearned run and the Chiefs went down fairly meekly in the 3rd.  One note though…Wilson Ramos has wheels for a catcher.  He nearly beat out a slow ground ball to 3rd…so close that the crowd actually booed at the out call.

7:50 (Bottom 2nd): Trouble, trouble.  With 1 out, Jason Michaels lined a single to CF, Matt Downs walked, and Carlos Corporan singled to right field…then Jeff Frazier bobbled the ball, putting a run home and men on 2nd and 3rd with one out.  So, no RBI if you’re scoring at home (and if you are, really?).

7:44 (Bottom 2nd): Lead stays at 1-0 after Roger Bernadina bounced out to end the 2nd.  Gorz on for inning number two after surviving a bases loaded jam in the first.  Of note: the Nats game notes aren’t updated enough to say who’s pitching after Gorz tonight.  So stay and be surprised.

7:37 (Top 2nd): Rick Ankiel continues to struggle mightily against lefthanders with a strikeout against Wandy Rodriguez.  If there’s a reason he doesn’t end up on the big league roster, that’s probably it – .801 OPS vs righties last year, .452 vs lefties.  Eek.
But, hey, Brian Bixler!  The guy can rake…slams a 2-2 pitch into right center for an RBI triple and the Nats lead 1-0.  That’ll up his .538 average on the spring.

7:31 (Bottom 1st): This has the feel of one of those games that could go on for a while as Carlos Lee walks…and as I say that, Bill Hall bounces into a 4-6-3 DP on the first pitch.  I believe the term is “tailormade”…thanks, Billy.

7:27 (Bottom 1st): Rough start for Gorz…Jason Bourgeois (who seems like Michael Born lite) led off with a bloop single to right and stole second, then Clint Barmes walked, and now a wild pitch has moved runners to second and third with nobody out for Hunter Pence-Carlos Lee-Bill Hall.  Although the next pitch to Pence got the job done with strike three.

Hello Chiefs fans – Kevin Brown here live from (actually) chilly Kissimmee, Florida, where the Nationals and Astros are doing battle.  Lots of guys to keep an eye on here for Syracuse purposes – here’s your starting lineup…

LF Bernadina
2B Espinosa
3B Hairston, Jr.
C Ramos
DH Norris
1B Marrero
RF Frazier
CF Ankiel
SS Bixler
SP Tom Gorzelanny in his Nats debut…probably the man with the inside track on the 5th spot.  For now.  Chad Gaudin threw 5 sparkling innings in the Nats’ first game of the day against the Mets.
I’ll update this post as I see fit.  For now, we’re underway, and Norris stranded Hairston and Ramos in the first despite a sharp line drive – right into the glove of Carlos Lee.  El Caballo!

Nats @ Marlins postgame

Nats pounded the fish….WSH record this spring is 7-3…..some stuff of note:

-Danny Espinosa is really, really not coming back to Syracuse.  The Nats sprinted to a 3-0 lead.  All three of ‘em came off Espinosa’s bat.  In the third, he roped a double to left off of Javier Vazquez to score Alberto Gonzalez.  In the fifth, he switched to the right side against lefty Mike Dunn and blasted a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw.  In his three-year career, Espinosa’s power has shone through from both sides of the plate.  He has hit a homer every 25.21 at-bats against righties and one every 24.03 at-bats against lefties.  Oh, and his third at-bat got him an RBI single, too.

-Michael Morse is wrestling a job from someone.  He was 2-for-3 today with a double and a walk.  He made a shoestring catch on a sagging Dewayne Wise liner in the first.  He’s now 10-for-23 this spring.  It’s the equivalent of Butler losing in the Horizon title game.  Someone’s likely losing a spot.
-Todd Coffey struck out the side swinging in the fifth.  Speaks for itself.  That’s four innings of one-hit ball this spring for him.
-The Nats bullpen…and, thus, the Chiefs bullpen.  After Coffey, Craig Stammen (celebrating his 27th birthday) wiped six straight guys out.  Doug Slaten gave up back-to-back homers in the eighth…then Tim Wood scuffled in the ninth.  But, when the “game” was “on the line”, the ‘pen was good.
Two games tomorrow….1:05 against the Mets and 7:05 at the Astros.  We’ll be at both.  

Nats @ Marlins pregame

Just got to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter….a few comments before Vazquez v. Marquis:

-Roger Bernadina starts again in center.  He’s the only challenger for the center field position who’s hitting above .200 (at .313).  He leads off.
-Laynce Nix opens in right field.  He’s 4-for-9 as he fights to stick in the Nats outfield.  If he doesn’t, good news for the Chiefs:  In his last two full minor-league seasons (Nashville ’07/’08), he’s hit a combined 47 homers with 134 RBI
-Marquis’ second start.  In his first appearance, Jason Marquis–off a season in 2010 which saw floating debris appear in his elbow–allowed just one hit in three innings (Mar. 4 against the Braves).  He’s one of roughly 10 starters aiming to have one of the five starting spots in the Nats rotation.
Chatted with Chiefs manager Randy Knorr earlier.  Check it out on out Inside Pitch podcast at http://www.syracusechiefs.com.
For in-game updates, follow us @ChiefsRadio on Twitter.
Jason

Nats @ Mets postgame notes

After leading since the second inning, he Nats saw the Mets come back to tie Tuesday’s game at three in the eighth on a home run off the bat of Cory Vaughn, the son of former Brewer (among other allegiances) Greg Vaughn.  But, the Nats grabbed the win on an RBI double in the tenth from Laynce Nix against former Durham Bull Dale Thayer (not to be confused with former Colorado State head coach Dale Layer).  Some thoughts about the game:

-Brian Bixler’s power.  With the Nats up 2-1 in the seventh, Bixler smashed a 2-1 pitch from Jason Isringhausen over the left field wall.  It was Bixler’s second career Spring Training home run and his first since 2007.  After the game, Bixler told me the first one came off of former Braves pitcher Oscar Villareal.  Bixler, who spent his offseason in his home state of Ohio, is now 6-for-10 this spring.
-Rule (V) of thumb.  Right-hander Brian Broderick relieved Jordan Zimmermann in the fourth and threw two clean frames.  The, in the sixth, he coerced a Willie Harris groundout and struck David Wright out looking.   Then, Daniel Murphy doubled to left.  Nick Evans followed and swatted a single to left.  Michael Morse’s one-hope throw was on target, but Derek Norris couldn’t tag Murphy and hold the ball.  Moral of the story:  Broderick’s line was good but could have been great.  That run’s the only one he’s coughed up this spring in three outings.  Poached from the Cardinals this offseason in the Rule V Draft, Broderick won 11 AA games last year asa starter.  He attacked hitters all day today.
-Michael Morse loves New York.  Morse has three homers this spring, all against the Mets.  His second-inning bomb prompted one Mets staffer in the press box to exclaim, “This guy kills us.”  Here’s hoping Morse stays healthy and does what he’s wanted to do for a long time:  be an everyday starter in the majors.
-I can be centerfield.  Nyjer Morgan DH’d today, but stole a couple of bags, bunted on and walked  twice.  Rick Ankiel, starting in center, flagged a couple of high-difficulty balls down.  Roger Bernadina played very well yesterday.  An above-average AAA center fielder will start for the Chiefs April 7 Opening Day in Buffalo.
Check out the Inside Pitch podcast for a chat with Josh Wilkie who is a major-league-camp invitee for the first time in his career.  And follow us on Twitter @ChiefsRadio for live updates from spring training.
To Jupiter in the AM for the Nats and Marlins.  Insert planetary joke here.
Jason
 

Pregame notes–Nats @ Mets

I come to you today from Digital Domain Park, the spring training domicile of the New York Metropolitans.  It bears the name of James Cameron’s animation company.  Everyone involved with the Nats is hoping this game goes in fast motion as compared to yesterday’s Homeric 3 hour, 30 minute bullpen-exploder.  For in-game updates, follow us on Twitter @ChiefsRadio.  Some pregame notes for you:

-Jordan Zimmermann’s on the mound for the Nats today.  We saw the ’07 first-round pick last year (and in ’09 for that matter).  He’s making his second start of the spring for the Nats.  He didn’t allow a run in three innings in his first start five days ago (against the Cardinals).  
-Chris Marrero’s batting eighth.  He’s just 22, but it feels like he’s been in the system for a decade.  He’s 4-for-7 this spring and a good candidate, it seems, to be in Syracuse this season.  Last I saw Marrero, he was learning right field under Randy Knorr at Potomac.  He’s playing first today….where he, for my eyes, is a safer bet.
-The outfield of intrigue.  Left to right today, Jim Riggleman’s got Michael Morse, Rick Ankiel and Jeff Frazier.  Nyjer Morgan’s DHing.  Roger Bernadina’s got the day off.  Morgan’s 1-for-16 this spring….we’ll see if anything stands out today.
-The Nats are 2-0 against the Mets this year.  This New York team is half of what it normally is….the Mets have a split squad today with the other group in Kissimmee to face the Astros.
-’10 Bisons Daniel Murphy, Nick Evans, Justin Turner, Kirk Nieuwenheis and Mike Nickeas are in the lineup for the Mets today….consecutively from 4 to 8.
More postgame….
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