On Sunday, June 3, the Washington Nationals will team up with the Baseball Tomorrow Fund to host a baseball equipment collection during the Nationals-Braves series at Nationals Park. Fans are invited to donate new and used baseball equipment to benefit the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DCDPR) as part of the ongoing commitment from Major League Baseball, its clubs and players to increase opportunities for youth participation in baseball and softball.
In conjunction with...
Last night, the Orioles got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays in their three-game series up north in Canada and lost their fifth straight game.
We all know that the Birds have had quite an remarkable run during the first two months of the season. To say that they have surprised everyone - fans, the local and national media alike - is an understatement. However, at this point, are the Orioles collapsing, or is this just an extraordinarily lousy stretch?
They have gone 2-8 in their last 10...
The Nationals find themselves in an enviable position. Clinging to the National League East lead by a half-game over the Miami Marlins on the last day of May, they expect to get cleanup hitter Michael Morse back as early as Friday when they start a three-game weekend series with the Atlanta Braves.
Morse, who is with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals this week on a rehab assignment, went 3-for-6 with a walk and an RBI over two games so far as a designated hitter. He's scheduled to play...
There was a time back in 2005 when I worked at a Major League Baseball team apparel store for extra money before leaving for college. This store specialized in Chicago Cubs gear, but it was that store that garnered my appreciation for team logos and memorabilia from the past.
Numerous retailers attempt to recreate some of the most unique logos in baseball history on caps, t-shirts, jerseys, plaques, and just about anything you can think of - and the novelty to that is the fact that baseball is...
At the moment, all is not well in Birdland. Four straight losses, seven losses in 10, three straight dropped series. Starting pitching - the bedrock of early success - suddenly seems quite vulnerable. The great unmeasurable of clutch performance feels measurable in the wrong way.
And yet, all is good. I promise it is.
Cast your memory to the preseason and recall that most analysts predicted a dismal campaign. Some even went so far as to say that the Orioles would lose 100 games. Even the...
The Washington Nationals today recalled catcher Jhonatan Solano from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Solano, who will wear No. 23 when he joins the Nationals for tonight's game at Miami, batted .250 with two doubles, two RBIs and eight runs scored in 13 games this season with Syracuse. The 26-year-old gunned down 40 percent (4 of 10) of would-be basestealers for the...
When the Nationals traded four major prospects for Gio Gonzalez this winter, many fans in D.C. were hesitant about the potential reward such a risky move could bring.
Gonzalez, 26, had two All-Star caliber seasons under his belt, and was one of the best left-handed strikeout pitchers in baseball, but some wondered about his potential to be an elite pitcher moving into the future. While he had succeeded in 2010 and 2011 with Oakland, he had also allowed more walks than any other pitcher during...
This post was inspired by Neal Shaffer's guest blog from last Wednesday entitled, "Tell the truth: Do you want Brian Roberts back?" I thought about responding to his post in the comments, but had so many opinions on the subject, it seemed like it needed its own post.
First, let's discuss Brian Roberts. Earlier this season, I wrote a post arguing that Roberts was the greatest second baseman in Orioles history. I also made the proclamation that I seriously doubted that he would have any...
Every Memorial Day weekend, the sound of the Harleys resonates in Washington, D.C., as they circle the city. Rolling Thunder has become an iconic part of somber Memorial Day remembrances across the city. There was, however, a very different rolling thunder that swept through Atlanta this weekend, as the Nationals pushed 22 runs across the plate at Turner Field over three days to steamroll the Braves.
The bats up and down the lineup took part, as clutch hit after clutch hit rained down...
While some have called catcher Matt Wieters the face of the franchise, chances are when you hear "Orioles," you think Adam Jones. The outfielder defied executive vice president Dan Duquette's general rule about waiting to negotiate deals until the offseason and was the recipient of the club's largest contract in a deal announced in a Sunday press conference. The vocal force of the team, Jones has emerged in Baltimore as more than just an outfielder.
On Saturday evening, MASNsports.com's...
Even as the Nationals were winning at a first-place pace, their quiet bats were a mild concern into early May.
The Nats scored at least five runs just seven times in their first 31 games, riding their pitching to a 19-12 start. Since then, Washington has scored five or more 10 times in 16 contests with the latest offensive outburst carrying the team to a 7-2 win Sunday night in Atlanta.
The Nats overcame an early 2-0 deficit, tying the Braves with two in the fourth and then taking the lead...
After last night's game, Davey Johnson told reporters in Atlanta that Chien-Ming Wang will move into the Nationals' rotation and Ross Detwiler will shift to the bullpen.
Wang has made one relief appearance this season after missing nearly all of the first two months because of a strained hamstring. The 32-year-old allowed one run in three innings Friday at Atlanta. He is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Miami Marlins.
Detwiler's season got off to an excellent start, as the...
Steve Lombardozzi is back in the Nationals' lineup after not playing Saturday, earning his fifth start in eight contests.
Lombardozzi owns a team-best .310 batting average to go with eight runs and five RBIs.
Gio Gonzalez is on the mound as the Nats look to close out a sweep of the Braves. Gonzalez can overtake Stephen Strasburg for the team strikeouts lead. The left-hander has fanned 69 on the season, which stands one behind Strasburg, and enters the night 6-1 with a 1.98 ERA.
Gonzalez...
Stephen Strasburg wasn't at his best and pinch-hitting ace Chad Tracy hurt himself on the same play he drove in the eventual winning run.
But that might've been the extent of the negative for the Nationals in Saturday's series-clinching 8-4 win over the Braves in Atlanta.
Every Nats starter other than Tyler Moore had at least a hit with Danny Espinosa's three-run homer being the big knock. Adam LaRoche added two RBIs while Bryce Harper hit his third homer and first since May...
For the first time since last Sunday, Tyler Moore is back in the Nationals' lineup, batting seventh and playing left field. Moore hasn't touched the field since starting the Nats' series-ending rout of the Orioles.
Moore has been with the Nationals since being called up April 29, but has been seldom used. Today marks just his fifth start and 12th appearance overall. The 25-year-old utility man has struggled at the plate in his limited chances, batting .176 (3-for-17) with no walks, no...
Not so slowly, Steve Lombardozzi's story is becoming more than a feel-good local angle.
As Lombardozzi continues to perform, his role with the Nationals appears to be increasing.
The Maryland native was back in the lineup Friday in Atlanta, leading off and playing left field for his third start in four games and fourth in six contests. He had started just 13 of the team's first 39 games this season.
The versatile 23-year-old has played second, third, short and left for the Nats so far this...
The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-handed pitcher Stu Pomeranz and catcher Ronny Paulino from Triple-A Norfolk, optioned catcher Luis Exposito to the Tides and designated infielder/outfielder Bill Hall for assignment.
Pomeranz has not allowed an earned run in 10 appearances this season with Triple-A Norfolk (five games, 10 IP) and Double-A Bowie (five games, 13.1 IP). He pitched more than one inning in nine of 10 appearances, striking out 35 and walking three. Pomeranz...
Memorial Day weekend traditions abound in the Washington area. From tributes to America's fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery and other resting places to the rumble of Rolling Thunder motorcyclists honoring MIAs to parades, picnics, pool openings and beach vacations, we have our own ways of marking the unofficial start of summer.
Now, thanks to the Nationals' surprising play this season, we have a new one: watching meaningful baseball.
Until now, this was usually the weekend when...
Most Orioles fans can name the last time that the team had a winning season: 1997. Fewer can name the first time that the team had a winning season: 1960.
Baseball came to Baltimore in 1954; it wasn't until six years later that winning baseball arrived in town. While the 1957 Orioles finished an even 76-76, the Birds totaled more wins, 89, than losses, 65 for the first time in 1960.
The 1960 team featured American League Manager of the Year Paul Richards, Rookie of the Year Ron Hansen and...
As we all know, veteran Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts returned to competitive baseball last night as he played three innings for the Double-A Bowie Baysox last night.
Roberts is playing for the Baysox as part of a rehabilitation assignment. He's missed much of the past two seasons dealing with post-concussion syndrome issues and other injuries.
His Wednesday night was pretty mundane, as he walked in both his plate appearances and made some routine plays in the field.
No matter what...