P-Nats Home Opener (Apr 9)

[Senators2005]

2007 Season Preview
04/05/2007 2:53 AM ET
By Michael Walsh / MLB.com


Former Expo & Manager of Potomac Nationals Randy Knorr

The Potomac Nationals climbed to the top of the bleachers along the first base line at Pfitzner Stadium Wednesday and lined up for their initial team picture. Photographers moved players and coaches from one place to another, hats a little more skyward or a little lower, changed the number of players per row and asked for changes in expression. Players changed uniform numbers, front members sent out updated versions of the rosters and employees worked to refresh themselves with the scoreboard operating system.
 
Adjustments, all that will lead to the development of the 2007 version of the P-Nats. Adjust and develop. Two words that Potomac manager Randy Knorr believes his team has to take to heart to be successful this season.

"I think I have a different goal," said Knorr, moving something higher in priority than wins and losses. "My goal is I look at these players on day one and at the halfway point I want them better than they were at day one, and at the end of the season I want them better than they were at the halfway point. I feel like if I can get them better, I feel like we're going to win a lot of ball games. And that's our job as a staff. If we don't win a lot of ball games I think we've failed as a staff."

There's the development part of things. It's easy enough to talk about, but Knorr believes that the Carolina League offers a particuarly good opportunity for players to learn to make adjustments over the course of a season. A lesson he thinks will serve them well as they move through higher levels of baseball.

"The reason why I like this league so is that there are only seven other teams," Knorr said. "So we feel, as an organization, if you can have a successful year at this level by making the adjustments because the other teams are going to know you, we feel like you can play in the big leagues if you have a good year here.

"It goes both ways. The pitchers have to realize, 'This is how I got him out last time. Do I go the same route or do I make an adjustment?' and it's the same thing for the hitters.

In terms of what his team possesses as hitters and pitchers, Knorr thinks things are looking up. Nationals pitchers struggled last season, ranking near the bottom of the Carolina league in ERA and home runs surrendered.

Knorr has announced his rotation for the beginning of the season, with Craig Stammen starting the opener against Lynchburg Thursday. John Lannan and Carlos Martinez will round out the Lynchburg series, with Clint Everts and Shairon Martis starting the first two games of the initial home series beginning April 9. Knorr has not set a starting lineup yet.

"I think we've got a good group of pitchers, starters and the bullpen," Knorr said. "I think they'll keep us in the game a lot. We've also got a ton of good hitters. It's going to make my job difficult with just keeping them sharp and getting them enough playing time because they're all pretty good."

With them all being pretty good - seven of the Washington Nationals top-25 prospects are in Potomac to start the season - Knorr's search for playing time becomes a full-time job.

"It is tough, because when a guy is hot, you want to keep him in the game but yet you don't want the other guy to sit long because he's going to lose his rhythm at the plate," Knorr said. "And it's the same thing on the mound. I've got all these guys in the bullpen that can really throw the ball well and if our starters are taking us deep into ball games it's going to be harder to get these guys in. I don't want them to be sitting three or four days without pitching.

"But that's what the fun part of the job is," Knorr said. "You feel good about having a team like this where they're all pretty good. It makes your job easy, but it makes it hard."

Adjust. Develop. Wait and see what comes into focus.

[Senators2005]

Opening Day at the Pfitz is tonight at 7:30pm.  I'll be there taking pictures for my blog.  If anybody shows up I shouldn't be hard to find - I'll be wearing my Nationals official fall jacket and snapping photos.  I expect it will be yet another cold night for baseball. 

Go P-NATS!

HOLY CRAP!  They are undefeated so far!    

[Senators2005]

Man was it cold...and the P-Nats played like their bigger brother from RFK.  They got corn-holed as the Salem Avalanche shut them out with a one-hitter.   

Well despite all that...I managed to snap some really good photos with the new camera.  I'll be uploading them to my web blog as soon as I can get them all processed with photoshop.

Here's a few for the thread:

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Looks like you went one day too soon. Clint Everts had a nice outing tonight, and the P-Nats are 3-1!

[Senators2005]

Yeah I heard...good for them.  Maybe those guys can show the parent club over in Washington how to put a competitive hard-working team on the field.   

[Senators2005]

P-Nats are HOT!  They won again last night...they are now 5-1 and atop their division! 

Potomac Takes Series Finale From Salem
04/12/2007 11:11 PM ET
By Michael Walsh / Potomac Nationals

WOODBRIDGE, Va - Brandon Powell looks like he might be getting comfortable in Potomac red, white and blue again after the Nationals 4-2 win over Salem Thursday night at Pfitzner Stadium.
The Nationals third baseman was the Potomac player of the year in 2006, leading the team in batting average, hits, doubles, total bases and stolen bases.

Powell waved goodbye to Woodbridge after being selected by the San Diego Padres in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft in December.

But the Padres didn't hang on to the young infielder - letting him go late in Spring Training and opening the door for his return to the Nationals organization and his re-entry into the Carolina League.

The homecoming didn't get off to the best start, though. Powell didn't play in the opening series against Lynchburg and was 0-for-7 to in two games against Salem with a strikeout .

But that was before Thursday. Powell came through for Potomac in a big way, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a two-run single to up his average by 200 points.

Powell's home run gave the Nationals their first lead of the ballgame in the sixth inning, one frame after Edgardo Baez tied the score with a long ball of his own.

For his part, Baez continued to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-3 with a double to go along with his second home run in as many nights.

Dee Brown continued his hitting streak at the plate, six in a row to start the season, but waited until the last of his four at-bats to do so, with an infield single to third, setting the table for Powell's eighth inning, 2-RBI single that would prove to be the difference in the game.

Potomac got a strong performance from starting pitcher Craig Stammen, who went six innings giving up just one run on five hits while walking two and striking out one. The win is Stammen's second of the year.

Alex Morales and Adam Carr came on in relief of Stammen in the briskly played two-hour and 18 minute contest on a blustery night in Northern Virginia. Morales worked two innings of perfect relief, needing just 18 pitches to record five Avalanche outs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Carr came on in the ninth to earn his first save of the year a night after Dan Kolb picked up his first on the 2007 campaign. Carr ran into a couple of rough spots, getting into a second-and-third jam when Tommy Manzella led off the inning with a double and J.R. Towles coaxed a walk, before retiring the next three hitters to close out the game.

The keeps the Nationals atop the Northern Division of the Carolina League with a record of 5-1 on the year and helps Potomac pick up a half-game in the standings on idle, second-place Lynchburg.

Potomac will play host to Lynchburg to close out their seven-game home-stand with a three-game set that opens tomorrow at 7:35 p.m. Left-hander John Lannan (1-0, 1.50) will take the hill for the P-Nats, with righty Derke Hankins (1-0, 0.00) taking the ball for the Hillcats. Salem took two games from Lynchburg in the opening series of 2007 for both teams before the third game was canceled due to cold weather in the Hill City.

[LetsGoNats]

I went to Thursday night's game.  The P-Nats looked pretty good.   Powell and Baez looked good.   Stammen shut them down for 6+, but wasn't overpowering.  Carr had good stuff, but seemed to struggle finding the strike zone, but eventually nailed down the save.  Ian Desmond is supposedly our #10 prospect, but I don't see it.  He's okay in the field, but not much at the plate.   Maybe he just had a bad night.