But in order to accomplish such a goal, we’ve come to realize that there is room for some additional voices to join the DoD staff. So for those of you who think you might have some interest in writing about the Nationals, here is your chance to prove it. The qualifications are fairly simple:

• No prior writing experience is necessary, though it is helpful. If you can spell and have a solid understanding of the English language that’s typically a good enough start.
• Should have a working knowledge of the game of baseball and the Nationals in general.
• Be eager to share your thoughts and opinions. Must be open to receiving criticism.
• Must be interested in having fun while doing all this position entails.

Network wide, the Staff Writer is expected to contribute a minimum of 4 posts per month, or roughly one per week, with an ideal production total of 10 posts per month. There will be various projects we do as a site that your participation will also be requested.

Any individuals familiar with developing an audience through social media such as Facebook and Twitter are encouraged to apply.

Any questions that I can answer or address on the matter may be directed via email. If you are interested in applying, please follow this link and complete our FanSided application.

Stay tuned to District on Deck and like our Facebook page for all of the latest on the Washington Nationals. You can follow Aaron Somers on Twitter @AaronJSomers.

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Here are the questions I asked him and of course, his answers.

Q: What’s it going to take for the Pirates fans to get out to the games with regularity?

Tough question. If you look back at some of the attendance numbers, even back as far as the 70s, Pittsburgh hasn’t been a great baseball town. Even after the ballclub wins a world title the fans don’t seem to bust down the gates. To think that it has been 19 years since the city has seen winning baseball, we would say we are shocked everytime we see increased attendance like we’ve been seeing this season. Once school is out, PNC Park is pretty packed, but until an ownership change happens, don’t expect Pittsburgh to throw their 100 percent support behind the club. We can’t say we blame them.

Q: What’s your take on Bryce Harper?

We are huge Harper fans. Having a seven year old helps, but the guy is incredible. We hope he doesn’t change a bit. It’s refreshing to see … except when we think that with just a few more losses a few seasons back he would have been in black and gold.

Q: Who’s the Pirates’ next big prospect that will arrive? When?

April 27, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Pittsburghh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

The next big prospect … hmmm … Starling Marte is drawing some interest from fans. We don’t see him having the impact upon arrival that Andrew McCutchen has had, but Marte has shown us some serious tools. He is a better defender. He runs the bases better. But we can’t see his short term offensive potential having the impact that Cutch has had despite all the hype.

But using the term “big” as a defining adjective, we would have to say Jameson Taillon or Gerrit Cole. Both are over a year away based on their current pace. Bryan Morris isn’t a huge “prospect” per se, coming over in the Jason Bay trade a decade ago, but he has been pitching well in Triple-A. We could see Morris coming on the scene and helping this season.

Q: Perhaps it’s early, but will the Pirates be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

We can see them doing both. We could see Joel Hanrahan being sent out. The team should also make a move as they did last season for Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick. The unfortunate part of what they did at the deadline last season is they now have nothing to show for it. The Bucs were burned by Lee, who decided not to play this season rather than signing with Pittsburgh (or even Milwaukee, more recently). Having Lee’s bat in the lineup could have had the team a few games over .500 at this point after the stellar pitching numbers the club has put up.

The Pirates don’t have much choice but to buy. Clint Barmes has been the biggest free agent signing in Pirates history and he hasn’t produced. He wasn’t expected to put up big numbers, but the fact that he has regressed so badly has put even more pressure on the bench.

Speaking of the bench, Clint Hurdle and Jeff Banister have received ridiculously low production from those spots. Nate McClouth. Awful. Josh Harrison. Bad. Casey McGehee. Pathetic.

If the team continues to put up punchless offensive numbers, the Pirates could do a serious Black Friday at the MLB trade deadline.

Q: Your prediction for this series.

Unfortunately, I see a split. It pisses me off even thinking about it. Bedard has been great. We hope he can pitch well Wednesday night, but we are pretty sure the offense won’t be able to plate enough runs to give him the W. It’s been that way most of the season. I hope it’s 90 degrees in the asphalt jungle so his back stays loose.

On Thursday, the Bucs will grab a victory behind James McDonald. He has been off the charts. He’s confident in his pitches. He’s an A.J. Burnett-wannabe and has been a hive under A.J.’s armpit all season. It’s McDonald’s coming out party in 2012. The Nats will be lucky to get five hits off the right-hander Thursday night.

Q: Will the Pirates and Nationals have more than one player each in this year’s All Star Game?

Damn. Great question. We definitely think the Nats will – but it could be similar to last season as the team has a couple of representatives named late after the starters peel off due to injuries, divorce hearings, etc.

We can see McCutchen making the club, but it could be very difficult for a Pirates pitcher to get their due. For some reason wins and losses are a big part of the equation as we saw last year with Kevin Correia being named to the team. Ah, screw it … yeah, the Pirates will have two players. If Correia can get the nod then A.J., Hanrahan, or J-Mac will be there.

My thanks go out to Tom for taking the time to answer these questions for us before the upcoming series. Be sure to check out RumBunter for all the Pirates news and info you could possibly need.

Stay tuned to District on Deck and like our Facebook page for all of the latest on the Washington Nationals. You can follow Aaron Somers on Twitter @AaronJSomers.

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Based on all that was shared on Twitter as the game was set to begin, much of the pre-game chatter in the press box centered on the idea of Strasburg throwing a no-hitter this afternoon against the Padres. San Diego must have heard the talk as they wasted little time proving the Nationals’ beat writers wrong. Left fielder Will Venable led the game off with a bloop into shallow left-center field. It was seemingly a playable ball, but instead it dropped inbetween Roger Bernadina, Rick Ankiel, and Ian Desmond. Venable ended up on second for a leadoff double.

Stephen Strasburg looks in for the pitch, through the rain, in the first inning of Tuesday's game against the Padres. Image Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

Strasburg would get the next batter, Cameron Maybin, out before walking Chase Headley. First baseman Yonder Alonso stepped to the plate next and lined a single, scoring Venable. Then the rain started to come down and the game would end up being delayed, albeit briefly. Upon returning from the roughly 8 minute delay catcher John Baker was at the plate, with a full count and the bases loaded. He was able to guess a fastball was coming and promptly hit the first pitch back up the middle to drive in two more runs.

Rookie left fielder James Darnell hit a solo home run in the third, making the score 4-0 in favor of San Diego. Strasburg would pitch through the 4th inning – striking out five and walking two while allowing the four runs on seven hits. His ERA on the season rose to 2.25.

The Padres would add another run in the 5th on a Baker single off of Tom Gorzelanny. They’d add one more in the 8th, a Venable single off of Ryan Perry.

Washington’s lone run, and lone offensive highlight, was a solo home run in the 5th inning by Bryce Harper. It was his second in as many days and was estimated at about 406 feet to dead center field. Desmond was the only player with multiple hits on the game.

Champ of the Game: Desmond gets the nod for his 2 for 4 showing, adding a stolen base.

Venable deserves a mention for San Diego. He went 4 for 5 on the game with a pair of singles, a double, and a triple.

Chump of the Game: Bernadina, who went 0 for 4 at the plate, struck out twice, and admitted after the game that he should have caught Venable’s leadoff double to start the game.

Next Game: Wednesday, May 16th, 7:05 PM EST at Nationals Parks. Erik Bedard (2-4) vs. Gio Gonzalez (4-1).

Stay tuned to District on Deck and like our Facebook page for all of the latest on the Washington Nationals. You can follow Aaron Somers on Twitter @AaronJSomers.

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