Josh Land

Williams on roster move, Ramos, Harper, Saturday doubleheader

June 25, 2014, 9:58am

Coming off Tuesday's 16-inning win in Milwaukee, the Nationals certainly didn't have a quiet morning leading up to this afternoon's series finale at Miller Park. The Nats needed seven relievers to cover 10 innings in last night's victory, so a move to add an arm to the bullpen was a near-certainty. So Washington called up right-handed pitching prospect Taylor Hill from Triple-A Syracuse and designated reserve infielder Greg Dobbs for assignment. Manager Matt Williams discussed the...

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Taylor Hill on callup: "It's definitely a dream come true"

June 25, 2014, 8:56am

Nationals

Taylor Hill on callup: "It's definitely a dream come true"

Taylor Hill's breakthrough with Triple=A Syracuse and the Nationals' need for length in their bullpen following last night's 16-inning game has landed the 25-year-old in the major leagues for the first time. Hill is having a tremendous first full season at Triple-A, tying for the International League lead with a 1.92 ERA, leading the IL with 93 2/3 innings and ranking second with a 0.99 WHIP. Stingy, indeed. Now he finds himself in a Nationals uniform, filling a long-relief role. "It's...

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Rachel Levitin: Examining which Nats are most deserving of All-Star nods

June 25, 2014, 5:42am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Examining which Nats are most deserving of All-Star nods

It's almost that time of year again, that time when fans get a say regarding who takes the field at a Midsummer Classic of sorts. It's almost time for the All-Star Game. This year's game will be hosted by the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis and voting runs through Thursday, July 3 at 11:59 p.m. It's always interesting to see who the Nationals get to send to the All-Star affair despite the fact that I've personally never gotten too into that particular exhibition...

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Daniel Clark: Managing the workload of a heavily relied-upon bullpen

June 25, 2014, 4:40am

Orioles

Daniel Clark: Managing the workload of a heavily relied-upon bullpen

The long major league season is nearing its halfway point and the Orioles have yet again been heavily reliant upon the bullpen. Since the return to winning ways in 2012, the bullpen has been impressive despite being over-worked - in particular in 2012. The 545 1/3 innings pitched by relievers in 2012 were fourth-highest in the majors, while the 514 innings pitched in 2013 were the 11th-highest. With respect to ERA, the mark of 3.00 in 2012 was the fifth-best in the majors, compared to 3.52 in...

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Nats grab early lead in Milwaukee (Zimmerman homers in 16th, Nats win 4-2)

June 24, 2014, 4:31pm

Nationals

Nats grab early lead in Milwaukee (Zimmerman homers in 16th, Nats win 4-2)

The Nationals wasted no time scoring against the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo. Denard Span singled to right field for the Nats' first hit of the night. With Anthony Rendon batting, Span stole his 13th bag of the season. Span then went to third on Rendon's single and scored on Jayson Werth's RBI groundout to give the Nats a 1-0 lead. Gallardo has allowed just two runs in his last 21 innings, struck out 20 and walked three. The Nats lineup made Gallardo throw 29 pitches in the first....

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Jonathan Shepherd: Solving the problem that is Manny Machado

June 23, 2014, 7:42pm

Orioles

Jonathan Shepherd: Solving the problem that is Manny Machado

Some say Manny Machado is in the midst of a slump. That he missed spring training, came into the season cold and proceeded to be off his mark. Before last night's came, that slump has been going on for 199 plate appearances this season with a slash line of .224/.274/.322. If you prefer using a more holistic metric that takes run expectancy for each of his at bats and compares it to the league average, his wRC+ is 66. That is well below league average (100 wRC+), average for a third baseman (97...

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Stuart Wallace: A whole lot of shaking going on

June 23, 2014, 7:34pm

Nationals

Stuart Wallace: A whole lot of shaking going on

To shake or not to shake was a uniting theme between the Nationals and the Atlanta Braves in their recent four-game series that pitted the National League East foes against one another in a fight for first place in the division. For the Nationals, the question was whether to shake off fastballs in favor of other pitches for Friday starter Stephen Strasburg - in particular, against Braves slugger Jason Heyward. For the Braves, it was a continued shakging off of catcher Evan Gattis' signs by...

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Nationals barely visible in All-Star voting

June 23, 2014, 4:51pm

Nationals

The Nationals may be in first place in the National League East, but they are not well-represented in the 2014 All-Star Game voting. Actually, they're barely represented at all. In the most recent All-Star balloting figures, Bryce Harper is the only Nationals player listsed among the top vote-getters. He sits in 15th place among NL outfielders, and has amassed 680,930 votes. Harper has missed nearly two months recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. Before his...

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Fans select Chris Tillman as the AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead

June 23, 2014, 11:42am

Orioles

Fans select Chris Tillman as the AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead

The Orioles today announced that right-hander Chris Tillman has been selected as the AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead. For the third consecutive year, fans were able to select the player they wanted immortalized in a bobblehead giveaway. The bobblehead is scheduled to be distributed during Fan Appreciation Weekend on Sunday, September 21 to the first 25,000 fans age 15 and over. Voting began on April 3 and fans voted two different ways throughout the promotion: through unlimited mobile voting,...

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Light Rail users from north of ballpark urged to allow extra time to and from Oriole Park

June 23, 2014, 7:46am

Orioles

Light Rail users from north of ballpark urged to allow extra time to and from Oriole Park

Due to emergency repairs to the tracks at the Mount Washington, Cold Spring and Woodberry stations over the next three weeks, fans planning to take the Light Rail to and from Oriole Park should allow extra time in each direction. During the three-week closure, Light Rail will operate on a modified schedule and trains will not travel to the Mt. Washington, Cold Spring or Woodberry stations. Bus bridges will be in place to accommodate passengers traveling between Falls Road station and North...

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Opposite dugout: NL-leading Brewers wielding hot bats with Nats coming to town

June 23, 2014, 5:31am

Nationals

Opposite dugout: NL-leading Brewers wielding hot bats with Nats coming to town

Manager: Ron Roenicke, fourth year Record: 47-30 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: C Jonathan Lucroy (.331/.397/.520, 26 doubles, 8 HR, 39 RBIs); CF Carlos Gomez (.317/.382/.532, 20 doubles, 12 HR, 40 RBIs); 3B Aramis Ramirez (.297/.341/.500, 10 HR, 38 RBIs); RHP Yovani Gallardo (5-4, 3.34 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 3-4, 27 runs scored, 31 runs allowed Pitching probables June 23: Matt Garza vs. Gio Gonzalez, 8 p.m., MASN2 HD June 24: Yovani Gallardo vs. Jordan Zimmermann, 8...

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Opposite dugout: Struggling White Sox remain formidable foe with Abreu, Sale

June 23, 2014, 4:27am

Manager: Robin Ventura, third year Record: 35-41 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 1B Jose Abreu (.270/.320/.598, 21 HR, 57 RBIs); 3B Conor Gillaspie (.338/.383/.446, 19 XBH, 26 RBIs); LHP Chris Sale (6-1, 2.20 ERA, 0.75 WHIP); LHP Jose Quintana (3-7, 3.87 ERA, 75 K) Season series vs. O's (2013): 3-4, 18 runs scored, 21 runs allowed Pitching probables June 23: Chris Sale vs. Wei-Yin Chen, 7 p.m., MASN HD June 24: Jose Quintana vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD June 25: Hector Noesi vs....

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Andrew Stetka: Pearce providing pop for O's

June 23, 2014, 4:24am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Pearce providing pop for O's

The Orioles are finding some of their best offensive production from the unlikeliest of places through the first three months of the season. Steve Pearce has given the Birds a surprising boost and is forcing Buck Showalter to pencil his name into the lineup more often lately. It's a bit funny to look at the 31-year-old's career numbers and realize that some of the game's best players enjoy those types of spoils in one season. Pearce has 23 home runs and 110 RBIs in his seven big league...

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Marty Niland: Solstice brings a potential defining moment for the Nats

June 23, 2014, 4:18am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Solstice brings a potential defining moment for the Nats

The Summer Solstice is a day of celebration in many cultures, and now Nationals fans might want to adopt it as a holiday of their own after a magical and momentous series against the Atlanta Braves. Those who paid close enough attention Saturday evening might have actually noticed the Earth tilting and the momentum shifting at Nationals Park. In the waning moments of the year's latest daylight, the Nats rolled back the tide of disappointment against the Braves, and possibly set the tone for...

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All-Star voting: Jones a long shot for starting lineup

June 22, 2014, 6:04pm

Orioles

All-Star voting: Jones a long shot for starting lineup

Two Orioles players have consistently led at their respective positions in the 2014 All-Star voting. As for the rest, well, they are running out of time. With less than two weeks remaining in online All-Star voting, Nelson Cruz is still leading at designated hitter, and Matt Wieters stands atop the leaderboard among American League catchers. Cruz is tied for first in the majors with 23 home runs, and has collected 2,457,349 votes. He holds about an 800,000-vote lead over the Red Sox's David...

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Orioles option right-hander Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk

June 20, 2014, 8:22pm

Orioles

The Orioles announced after tonight's game that they have optioned right-hander Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk. Gausman, 23, is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA (23.0IP, 7ER) in four starts for the Orioles this season.

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Matthew Taylor: Reunited, and it feels so good

June 20, 2014, 5:38am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Reunited, and it feels so good

I reunited with two longtime friends last weekend. We grew up in Baltimore and share a common love for the Orioles. Life has taken us in different directions, but baseball brings us back together. Our summertime reunions have occurred in ballparks across the country. We had one in Cooperstown when Cal Ripken Jr. entered the Hall of Fame. This year, with one of my friends preparing for a cross-country move, we returned home. The trip provided me the opportunity to spend time with another old...

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Patrick Reddington: Dissecting the Nats' problems against Atlanta

June 20, 2014, 4:45am

Nationals

Patrick Reddington: Dissecting the Nats' problems against Atlanta

Heading into the final series of the season with the Atlanta Braves last September, the Nationals were 4-12 against their National League East rivals, with an 0-6 record against the eventual division winners in games played at home in the nation's capital. Then-Nats skipper Davey Johnson was determined to send the Braves a message at the end of a fairly contentious, season-spanning battle between the two teams which saw several players hit with pitches intentional and questionable, ejections...

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Opposite dugout: Tanaka, Yankees welcome Birds to New York with first place within reach

June 20, 2014, 4:01am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Tanaka, Yankees welcome Birds to New York with first place within reach

Manager: Joe Girardi, seventh year Record: 38-33 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 1B Mark Teixeira (.250/.367/.460, 11 HR, 33 RBIs); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.279/.346/.396, 21 XBH, 31 RBIs, 20 SB); C Brian McCann (.223/.288/.367, 8 HR, 33 RBIs); RHP Masahiro Tanaka (11-1, 1.99 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 1-2, 13 runs scored, 21 runs allowed Pitching probables June 20: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., MASN HD June 21: Vidal Nuno vs. Bud Norris, 1 p.m., MASN HD June 22:...

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2015 Dream Week to offer Orioles fans once-in-a-lifetime experiences

June 19, 2014, 12:35pm

Orioles

Orioles fans of a variety of ages and abilities will enjoy a week filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences at the team's 2015 Dream Week. Held at the Orioles' two-site complex in Sarasota, Florida (Ed Smith Stadium and the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex) from January 25-31, 2015, Dream Week offers participants the full major league treatment, playing daily doubleheader intrasquad games and receiving instruction from former Orioles including Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, Mike Borddicker, Al...