Josh Land

Charlie Fliegel: Who steps up in Ramos' absence?

September 28, 2016, 5:03am

The season-ending injury to Wilson Ramos is obviously a big blow to the Nationals. And with everything Ramos has gone through, especially after the season he was having, it's hard not to feel sad for him. But the loss of one player, even one who was the team's second-best hitter this year, won't end the Nats chances. Ramos hasn't exactly been hitting well recently, with only a .764 OPS in the second half, but the team's production hasn't diminished - August was, in fact, their best month...

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Nationals select C Spencer Kieboom

September 27, 2016, 12:40pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of catcher Spencer Kieboom from Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Kieboom joins the Nationals for the first Major League assignment of his career. The 25-year-old is a career .264 hitter with a .344 on-base percentage and a .381 slugging percentage over the course of his five seasons in the Minor Leagues. This year, with Double-A Harrisburg, Kieboom hit...

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Steve Mears: "Next man up" and the postseason roster

September 27, 2016, 6:51am

Nationals

Steve Mears: "Next man up" and the postseason roster

The Nationals have been holding tryouts for the postseason roster, and last night, Dusty Baker made some calculated moves, some interesting moves and some moves out of necessity. The moves out of necessity were to replace Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, as both are nursing injuries. Then Baker had to replace Wilson Ramos, who left the game with an apparent right knee injury. Baker went to Pedro Severino over Jose Lobaton in what Baker described after the game as "next man up." While you...

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Ryan Romano: What makes Brad Brach's fastball so great?

September 27, 2016, 5:12am

Orioles

Ryan Romano: What makes Brad Brach's fastball so great?

The Orioles bullpen has no shortage of underdog stories. Zach Britton washed out of the big league rotation before transforming into the sinkerballer extraordinaire he is today. Darren O'Day went undrafted out of college and bounced around several clubs until Baltimore snatched him up. And Mychal Givens started his minor league career as a shortstop, converting into a pitcher just three years ago. Brad Brach's journey is worth reflecting on, too: In eight years' time, he's gone from...

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Opposite dugout: Blue Jays hoping to hold onto top wild card spot

September 27, 2016, 3:41am

Orioles

Opposite dugout: Blue Jays hoping to hold onto top wild card spot

Manager: John Gibbons (9th season) Record: 86-70 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: DH Edwin Encarnacion (42 HR, 126 RBIs); RF Jose Bautista (21 HR, 67 RBIs); 3B Josh Donaldson (.284 average with 36 HR, 96 RBIs); RHP Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 3.12 ERA); RHP Marcus Stroman (9-9, 4.34 ERA). Season series vs. Orioles: 9-7 Pitching probables: September 27: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. RHP Aaron Sanchez, 7:07 p.m., MASNSeptember 28: RHP Chris Tillman vs. LHP Francisco Liriano, 7:07 p.m., MASNSeptember 29: RHP...

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Relive Nats Clinchmas through GIFs, videos and photos

September 26, 2016, 1:10pm

Nationals

Relive Nats Clinchmas through GIFs, videos and photos

The Nationals have returned home as National League East champions! Before the team takes on the Diamondbacks, let's take a look back at Saturday night's party in Pittsburgh. The Nats headed into Saturday's game with the magic number at two. Needing a win and a Mets loss, the Nats jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning at PNC Park and didn't look back. After wrapping up the win, the Nats retreated to the clubhouse, happy about the win but still needing a Mets loss to be able to pop...

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Marty Niland: Sunday's win showed this Nats team has moxie

September 26, 2016, 4:32am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Sunday's win showed this Nats team has moxie

If the injured, tired Washington Nationals were wondering where they might get that extra push for the postseason, they may have found it Sunday in Pittsburgh. A day after clinching the National League East and celebrating late into the night, the Nats were clearly a weary team. They wrapped up a nine-game, 10-day road trip, and approached the end of the 162-game grind with Stephen Strasburg out indefinitely, Daniel Murphy's status uncertain, and Ryan Zimmerman hurting after being hit by a...

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Andrew Stetka: Despite ups and downs, O's have playoffs in their sights

September 25, 2016, 4:21pm

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Despite ups and downs, O's have playoffs in their sights

Fourth place. That's where I had the Orioles finishing this season. I wasn't alone. Many so-called experts pegged the O's for a fourth- or even fifth-place finish in the American League East. All five experts from CBS Sports had the O's in fifth. Five of six pundits from Yahoo! Sports slotted the O's in last as well, with the other picking them fourth. Bleacher Report had the Birds last, too. In a panel of 31 experts from ESPN, just two gave the O's a playoff spot, both slotting them as...

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Matthew Taylor: O's sudden shift hurts more this time around

September 23, 2016, 5:41am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: O's sudden shift hurts more this time around

The Orioles are out of playoff position for the first time all season one week after an improbable division title seemed entirely possible following a Kevin Gausman gem at Fenway Park. An uplifting win that puts the postseason in reach has yielded to listless baseball. This all feels familiar, but worse. After all, we saw the same routine last season. You'll recall that the 2015 O's were a half-game out of the American League wild card race and five games back in the division on Aug. 19...

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Patrick Reddington: Joe Ross takes a cautious first step

September 23, 2016, 5:26am

Nationals

Patrick Reddington: Joe Ross takes a cautious first step

In spite of their needs in the rotation, with Stephen Strasburg currently unavailable, the Nationals resisted the urge to rush 23-year-old righty Joe Ross back. Dusty Baker was excited about the idea of adding Ross to the mix after he missed more than two months working his way back from right shoulder inflammation. "I've heard guys around the league tell me that when he's right, he's as nasty as any young pitcher in the big leagues," Baker said last week before Ross pitched in the majors...

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Zach Wilt: On-base percentage the key to wins and losses for O's

September 22, 2016, 4:42am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: On-base percentage the key to wins and losses for O's

There's no question that the Orioles have one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball. Opposing starters fear the wicked combo of Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis and Manny Machado, three guys with more than 30 homers. Oh by the way, Adam Jones is two shy of being the fourth Oriole to join that list. With 10 games remaining, the Birds are on pace to hit 253 home runs this season and they've crushed a league leading 238 so far. In September however, the O's bats seemed to have gone quiet during...

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David Huzzard: Which Nationals will bring home postseason awards?

September 22, 2016, 4:20am

Nationals

Awards season is as much about stories as it is about the performance on the field. With the season drawing to a close, there is a lot of talk about the postseason awards and three Nats names come up consistently in Dusty Baker, Daniel Murphy, and Max Scherzer. Baker has a good chance at winning National League Manager of the Year. He took over a Nationals team that disappointed last season and was much healthier in 2016. How much credit his increased use of the bench deserves for that is up...

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Dillon Atkinson: Backsliding bats have been costly to Birds

September 21, 2016, 5:39am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: Backsliding bats have been costly to Birds

At the end of June, everything was going right in Birdland. The Orioles were 47-31, holding a five-game lead atop the American League East. The Red Sox and Blue Jays started climbing back in the division, but heading into the All-Star break, the Birds still held a two-game lead over both Boston and Toronto. Heading into tonight's contest against the Red Sox, the Orioles are now 82-69, third place in the AL East. They are trailing Boston by five games and Toronto by one game. What in the world...

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Charlie Fliegel: Ryan Zimmerman's rotten luck

September 21, 2016, 5:24am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Ryan Zimmerman's rotten luck

We don't need to worry about Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, right? Those hits should start coming any minute. After all, despite his poor numbers since coming back, he's top 10 in exit velocity and bottom 10 in BABIP, so, it's all just bad luck. Right? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Zimmerman is fourth in groundball exit velocity, and top 25 for liners and fly balls. So he hits grounders hard, and it's not like he's not hitting other pitches softly. But he hits so many...

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"Don't Miss the Magic" providing inspiration for those battling disease

September 20, 2016, 2:33pm

Orioles

"Don't Miss the Magic" providing inspiration for those battling disease

UPDATE: The Orioles have extended the charitable component from "Don't Miss the Magic" to run through the end of the post season. Every online stream, download, and share will will be accompanied by a $5 donation by the Orioles Charitable Foundation to Shannon's Fund. LISTEN HERE: Don't Miss the Magic (Soundcloud) We're still a few weeks away from the end of the regular season. Orioles fans are hoping the season isn't over for quite a while, of course. But even with the playoff...

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Steve Mears: Could Nats take better advantage of Trea Turner's speed?

September 20, 2016, 9:01am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Could Nats take better advantage of Trea Turner's speed?

Are the Nationals taking enough advantage of Trea Turner's speed? On the surface, the answers is yes, as Turner has 27 stolen bases and is now 10th in the major leagues in stolen bases, but consider that Turner has been on first or second base more than 40 times this season where he did not steal. In the game of inches, the Nationals could rearrange the lineup to improve Turner's chances to steal even more bases and be more aggressive. Combine smart with aggressive and you improve your odds...

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Ryan Romano: Wade Miley isn't this bad, but he has struggled

September 20, 2016, 5:20am

Orioles

Ryan Romano: Wade Miley isn't this bad, but he has struggled

Across April, May, June and July, not a single left-handed pitcher started for the Orioles. The club made sure that would change in August by swinging for the Mariners' Wade Miley, a veteran southpaw with a history of reliability and durability. Yet while Miley has taken the hill every fifth day for the O's, he hasn't pitched very well - opponents have roughed him up for a 7.55 ERA in nine starts and only 39 1/3 innings. As the de facto replacement for Wei-Yin Chen, Miley needs to perform...

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Orioles extend player development contract with Class-A Aberdeen

September 19, 2016, 11:06am

Orioles

The Orioles today announced they have extended their working agreement with Class-A Aberdeen, signing a two-year extension through the 2018 season. The Orioles will continue their relationship through the 2018 season with the Aberdeen IronBirds, which plays home games at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md. The IronBirds have been the Orioles' New York-Penn League affiliate since 2002. Currently, nine players on the Orioles' active roster started their professional baseball careers...

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Marty Niland: Taking a trip back to the 2012 playoff clincher

September 19, 2016, 4:53am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Taking a trip back to the 2012 playoff clincher

As the Nationals begin the second leg of their final road trip this season, fans are still wondering when they will clinch the National League East title. Barring an extended losing streak against teams playing less than .500 ball at the moment, the Nats are likely to celebrate their third division title in five years in a visitors clubhouse in front of another team's fans. That might be bittersweet for many Nats fans, but they can still remember some celebrations that came at home. In fact,...

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Andrew Stetka: Finishing with non-losing record still an underrated sight

September 19, 2016, 4:44am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Finishing with non-losing record still an underrated sight

It hit me like a ton of bricks the other day. I suppose I was caught up in the aftermath of a thrilling win that took a perfect relay throw to seal it: Michael Bourn to Manny Machado to Matt Wieters for the tag and win. It preserved Zach Britton's 44th save of the season and capped a comeback from four runs down. It also ensured that the Orioles, for a fifth straight season, won't be losers. Last year, of course, it took winning the final five games of the season to accomplish this feat....