Carter Kieboom’s path back to the major leagues has taken another step backward.

The oft-injured former first-round pick is back on the injured list at Triple-A Rochester, this time with a left oblique issue. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, Nationals manager Davey Martinez said.

This latest injury comes barely one month after Kieboom finally started playing every day at Rochester after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old third baseman missed all of the 2022 season, then remained at extended spring training throughout April while dealing with a shoulder problem.

After a four-game rehab stint at Double-A Harrisburg, Kieboom was activated off the IL and debuted for Rochester on May 9. In 26 games since, he hit .264 with six doubles, one triple, three homers, 18 RBIs, a .366 on-base percentage and .790 OPS.

“He’s worked really hard to get back to where he’s at,” Martinez said. “He’s had all these little nagging injuries. And then again, people don’t realize how tough it is to play every day (in) this game. It’s tough. When he’s not used to doing it for over a year and he’s playing every day, your body sometimes reacts to it. Hopefully this is just a minor setback and we can get him back on the field, because he’s been hitting the ball really well.”

MASN and ICE CUBE’S BIG3 Launch Programming and Community Impact Partnership

 

3 on 3 Professional Basketball League Is the Hottest Growth Property in Sports

 

Growing Ratings and Community Impact Programs Are the Focus of MASN-BIG3 Partnership

 

Network Joins CBS Sports as Media Home to BIG3

 

MASN to Carry 52 BIG3 2023 Games Throughout its Seven-State Television Territory

 

LOS ANGELES and BALTIMORE, MD – June 20, 2023 — The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and Ice Cube’s BIG3 pro league are joining forces to launch a programming and community partnership, bringing the excitement of televised three-on-three basketball to seven new states. This historic partnership will allow for viewing 52 professional 3-on-3 basketball league games this summer, starting later this month.

 

The BIG3 league, founded by producer, actor, and artist Ice Cube has quickly become the hottest growth property in sports. The summer 3-on-3 tour tips off Sunday, June 25, extending nine weeks with games in Chicago, Dallas, New York, Memphis, Miami, Boston, DC, Charlotte, and Detroit. All-Star and Championship Games will take place across the pond in London, England, on August 26th.

 

BIG3 features many of the biggest names in basketball history, including coaches Gilbert Arenas, Charles Oakley, George Gervin, Gary Payton, Nancy Lieberman, Stephen Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Rick Barry, Rick Mahorn, and Julius Erving.   Players this year include Joe Johnson, Jason Richardson, Nick Young, Michael Beasley, Isaiah Briscoe, Mario Chalmers, Leandro Barbosa, Gerald Green, Frank Nitty, Kevin Murphy, and many more.

 

MASN will televise BIG3 on MASN and MASN2.  A promotional video of the partnership is available here:

 

"The addition of MASN to our media partnership family is a tremendous milestone for the BIG3,” said Ice Cube. “This collaboration allows us to bring more of BIG3’s signature style of 3-on-3 to an area of the country that has shown us tons of love.”

 

“Cube and BIG3 energize communities across the country," said MASN and Orioles Chair, CEO, and Managing Partner John Angelos. “This partnership is another step toward merging Major League Baseball's economic development power and our network’s world-class live entertainment production capabilities with visionaries like Cube and Jeff. MLB and BIG3 can together rejuvenate the communities where our kids learn, live, and play."

 

“Our primary goal has been working to get all of our games in front of the best sports fans,” said BIG3 President and Co-Founder Jeff Kwatinetz. “The Mid-Atlantic region has some of the most dedicated BIG3 fans, and we are excited to bring FIREBALL, our unique brand of play, to a top tier regional sports network that is already home to iconic, must-see sports teams like the Orioles.”

 

The BIG3 is returning to a full nationwide touring model with stops at arenas in Dallas, New York, Memphis, Miami, Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, Washington D.C., and London, England.

 

Tickets for the first three weeks of season six are available here. To learn more about the BIG3 and see the full season schedule, go to BIG3.com and follow @thebig3 on twitter and Instagram.

 

ABOUT BIG3:

BIG3 (BIG3.com) is who we are, FIREBALL3 is what we play. It’s not your grandfather’s 3-on-3. The premier global BIG3 league features many of the greatest, most popular, and skilled professional athletes of all time. Founded by producer, actor and music legend Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, the BIG3 combines highly competitive, physical, fast game experiences and incredible fan experiences. In 2023, the BIG3 was named “Best in Web3” by Sports Business Journal for the league’s groundbreaking Web3 Project, Forever Experience Action Tokens (FEATs), offering utility and ownership-like value in BIG3 teams via blockchain technology.

 

ABOUT MASN:

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) is a regional sports network and multimedia platform that televises every available game of both the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, pre- and postgame shows, and NCAA Division I men’s and women’s sports, totaling more than 500 live events annually.  The network is available in a seven-state region, from Harrisburg, Pa., to Charlotte, N.C., on 25 cable and fiber optic providers, and is televised nationally via satellite provider DirecTV. MASN’s digital home - https://www.masnsports.com/ - features news and sports content and offers in-market streaming of both O’s and Nats games.  MASN has won more than 100 Emmy and Addy awards for broadcast and marketing excellence.

The Nationals need a win. It doesn’t matter how they get it. It doesn’t matter who makes it happen. They just need to win a game for the first time since Thursday in Houston and for only the third time in their last 15 games.

There are multiple paths toward that outcome, but the best of them would be a top-notch start from MacKenzie Gore. The left-hander shut out the Astros over 5 2/3 innings in that aforementioned game Thursday evening. He faded a bit in the sixth, and with his pitch count rising, Davey Martinez decided not to push him any farther. But the performance was a good one, and the Nats would love to get something like that (or even better) tonight.

Jordan Montgomery is the Cardinals’ starter, and the lefty has been good this month with a 2.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 18 innings. The Nationals have been better against left-handers than right-handers this season, but that wasn’t true over the weekend against the Marlins. Martinez has his usual lineup for these matchups, with Stone Garrett in left field and batting fifth. Riley Adams gets the start behind the plate, with Keibert Ruiz sitting.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 77 degrees, wind 13 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
LF Stone Garrett
1B Dominic Smith
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles
SS CJ Abrams

3 on 3 Professional Basketball League is the Hottest Growth Property in Sports

Growing Ratings and Community Impact Programs is Focus of MASN-BIG3 Partnership

Network Joins CBS Sports as Media Home to BIG3

MASN to Carry 52 BIG3 2023 Games Throughout its Seven-State Television Territory

LOS ANGELES and BALTIMORE, MD – June 20, 2023 — The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and Ice Cube’s BIG3 pro league are joining forces to launch a programming and community partnership, bringing the excitement of televised three-on-three basketball to seven new states. This historic partnership will allow for viewing 52 professional 3-on-3 basketball league games this summer, starting later this month.

Not so long ago – 2 1/2 weeks, to be precise – the Nationals appeared to be making real progress.

With an 8-7 win over the Phillies on June 2, the Nats improved to 25-32 overall. They even owned a winning record over nearly one-quarter of a full season, going 20-19 after opening the year a dismal 5-13. They were on pace for a 71-win season, which would be a dramatic improvement from a 55-107 fiasco in 2022.

Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore were leading the pitching staff, each making a case for All-Star consideration. The lineup, while still lacking in the power department, was managing to string together rallies with some regularity, scoring six or more runs five times in a span of 11 games. Young potential cornerstones Keibert Ruiz, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia were making positive contributions.

In that moment, it was fair for anyone who has watched this franchise’s decline from World Series champs to full-scale rebuild to wonder if the worst days of this painful process were now in the past.

Then the Nationals started losing. And losing more. And losing even more.

It was something of a throwaway line from Davey Martinez during a postgame press conference that didn’t include many bright spots.

Minutes after his Nationals lost for the 14th time in 18 games overall, the sixth straight time against the Marlins, Martinez was mentioning Lane Thomas’ third-inning homer (which ultimately accounted for all of the team’s runs during the 4-2 loss) and how it was just the latest in an ongoing string of big hits by the starting right fielder.

“We talk about all these guys for the All-Star Game, right now Lane Thomas is possibly a guy that could make the All-Star team for us,” Martinez said. “He’s played that well.”

Lane Thomas, All-Star? It’s not a crazy thought.

Sunday’s performance left Thomas sporting a .287 batting average, 11 homers, 35 RBIs and an .822 OPS. That final number ranks 14th among all National League outfielders, so it’s not exactly elite. But it is solid, it’s far and away the best mark among all Nats regulars and it continues to rise.

The ball made a loud sound off Stone Garrett’s bat, a 105-mph bullet, and headed in the air toward deep left-center. A Father’s Day crowd of 25,339 at Nationals Park that had little reason to get excited most of the afternoon briefly rose with the kind of anticipation you’d expect from such loud contact at a big moment in a ballgame.

And then everyone slinked back into their seats as Jonathan Davis hauled in the ball at the warning track to end the bottom of the sixth, the Nationals still trailing the Marlins by two runs. Garrett, who came about 20 feet shy of giving his team the lead, slammed his helmet in frustration as he arrived at first base.

"I thought it was gone off the bat," teammate Lane Thomas said. "I think he did, too."

"We thought once he hit it," manager Davey Martinez said, "it was going to be a different ballgame."

The feeling of frustration was mutual throughout the ballpark as the Nats slogged their way through yet another loss to the division foe that somehow has become their white whale.

When the Nationals embarked on a 16-games-in-16-days stretch earlier this week, Davey Martinez began to map out scheduled days off for various members of his everyday lineup. The idea: Make sure everyone gets a break at some point, hopefully on a day when the pitching matchup is conducive to it.

So, Luis García sat Wednesday against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. Joey Meneses sat Thursday against Houston right-hander Christian Javier. Keibert Ruiz sat Saturday against Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett. And today, Martinez planned to sit both Dominic Smith and CJ Abrams against Miami lefty Jesús Luzardo … until circumstances forced a late change.

“I planned these probably a week ago,” Martinez said. “We’ve had a tough go, all the day games, traveling. I wanted to try to give these guys some days off.”

Smith was due to sit for only the second time in 46 games, but the second time in eight days. In both cases, Michael Chavis was set to make the start at first base in his place, with Meneses remaining as designated hitter.

That plan, however, changed about an hour before first pitch when Jeimer Candelario was scratched from the lineup with a sore right thumb. The veteran third baseman is still available to pinch-hit, according to the Nationals.

The Nationals keep finding themselves in this position, needing a win to avoid a series sweep. This is actually the fifth time in their last six series they’ve lost the opening two games to an opponent. In three of the previous cases (Dodgers, Braves, Astros) they found a way to salvage a win in the finale. They never had a chance to do it in the fourth series, because the finale against the Diamondbacks was postponed due to hazardous air quality. (We’ll see how Thursday’s makeup game shakes out.)

So if the pattern holds true, the Nats will actually beat the Marlins this afternoon and avoid the sweep. Then again, they still haven’t beaten the Marlins this season in five tries, having been swept in Miami last month and now finding themselves in danger of it happening again today.

We’ve talked a lot about pitching throughout this rough stretch, but let’s not give the lineup a free pass. The Nationals have averaged only 3.3 runs, 8.2 hits and a paltry 1.4 walks over their last 12 games (of which they’ve won only two). So they’ve got to do a better job making Jesús Luzardo work today. The long-ago Nats prospect continues to be an enigma: Over his last six starts, he’s alternated between allowing five or more runs or only one run (including once against the Nats).

Patrick Corbin gets the start on the other side. He was solid against the Astros, allowing only two runs over five innings, though he did issue a whopping five walks. If he can hold Miami in check, Davey Martinez should be able to turn to his top relievers today.

Update: Jeimer Candelario was a late scratch from the lineup for undisclosed reasons. Michael Chavis will slide over to third base, and Dominic Smith (who was supposed to sit today) will start at first base.

It takes a lot for the Nationals to beat the Marlins these days. Actually, no one can say for sure what it takes to beat the Marlins this season, because they’ve now had five opportunities to do it and have yet to emerge victorious.

You would think, though, most paths to success would include clutch hitting and quality relief pitching. The Nats got neither of those during today’s frustrating 5-2 loss to Miami.

A lineup that gave itself only a few chances to drive in runs did so only twice, stranding a runner in scoring position in three different innings. And Davey Martinez, whose bullpen was without the services of several arms typically used in high-leverage spots, watched as failed starter-turned-reliever Chad Kuhl made a mess of the decisive seventh inning and Rule 5 pick Thaddeus Ward surrendered two big insurance runs in the top of the ninth to put the game out of reach.

So it was the Nationals lost yet again to their plucky division rivals from South Beach. They are now 0-5 against them this season despite being outscored by only eight runs in total. And they’re an unfathomable 4-20 dating back to the start of the 2022 season.

"The thing is, it's almost like we've got to play perfectly," Martinez said. "And that's tough to do every night. If we don't chase, do some other things, the outcome might be a little better. We've got to keep playing hard. Get on base for the next guy. When we do that, we actually score a few runs."

When looking for reasons to explain the Nationals’ more competitive play early this season, it was easy to point to the club’s improved defense as a significant factor.

After rating as the majors’ worst defensive team in 2022, the Nats ended April ranked 22nd with minus-4 Defensive Runs Saved. That’s far from excellent play in the field, but it did represent real improvement from the previous year.

When they take the field this afternoon, though, the Nationals find themselves back at the bottom of the list. They entered the day with minus-29 DRS, tied with the Athletics for worst in the sport.

Defensive metrics, of course, remain far from a perfect measurement of actual defensive play. But the eye test also seems to suggest the team’s performance has regressed in this area over the last month or so.

“I still feel like we’re playing pretty good defense,” manager Davey Martinez insisted today. “Look, you’ve got to remember we’ve got two guys that are really young in the middle of the field, and it’s going to be part of the process. But I think overall they’re doing well.”

The Nationals, as you may have heard by now, just can’t beat the Marlins. Friday night’s 6-5 loss left them 0-4 this season against Miami and a staggering 4-19 over the last two seasons. How is that possible? Credit to the Marlins, who to be sure are an improved team with a good pitching staff. But that’s an absurd winning percentage against any opponent, no matter how good.

The Nats will try to reverse that trend this afternoon in the second game of the weekend series. They’ll have Jake Irvin back on the mound after a 10-day layoff. Thanks to an off-day at the beginning of the week, the team decided to skip over Irvin’s turn in the rotation and give the rookie a chance to rest and work on some things in the bullpen. He was quite excited about the way his last throwing session went. We’ll see if that actually translates into positive results in today’s game.

The Marlins send left-hander Braxton Garrett to the mound, so Davey Martinez has his right-handed-heavy lineup in there. That includes Stone Garrett, now officially part of a left field platoon with Corey Dickerson. And it includes Riley Adams, who gets the start behind the plate while Keibert Ruiz gets the day off.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 16 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
2B Luis García
3B Jeimer Candelario
DH Joey Meneses
LF Stone Garrett
1B Dominic Smith
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles
SS CJ Abrams

The Nationals came into this weekend’s three-game series against the Marlins needing to find some way to beat their divisional foes.

Entering tonight, the Nats were 4-18 with a -41 run differential against the Fish since the start of last season. They played tight but were ultimately swept out of Miami last month, losing all three games by a total of four runs.

The Marlins aren’t world-beaters. Although they began the night in second place in the National League East, they had a -30 run differential on the year.

That ever so slightly improved tonight as did their record against the Nats. Despite another hard-fought game, the Nationals dropped the series opener 6-5 in front of an announced crowd of 22,379 at Nats Park, with the Marlins improving to 18-5 in one-run games already this season.

“We were down. We got a good pitcher in there. We come back," manager Davey Martinez said after the loss. "Score some runs early and then the bats, we had a couple of opportunities to score again. We just couldn't capitalize. And then big moment, ball up the middle. I think that inning really started with the walk. We always talk about not walking guys because, especially early in innings, it's gonna bite you. But overall, I thought you know we did well, we played well, we came back, we kept coming back. We just couldn't score any runs at the end.”

Victor Robles walked into the Nationals clubhouse with a little more hop in his step than he had over the past month-plus. He wasn’t very mobile or flexible while dealing with a back injury that had him on the 10-day injured list since May 8.

Robles was back to his energetic self today because he was returned from his rehab assignment and reinstated to the active roster this afternoon, while Alex Call was optioned to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.

“We made a move today before the game,” manager Davey Martinez said to open his pregame media session ahead of tonight’s opener against the Marlins. “Victor is back with us. He checked all the boxes down there. He feels really good. So we optioned Call down. Look, I can't say enough about Alex. He played unbelievable defense for us. He was out there every day. He's an unbelievable competitor, a good teammate. We want to send him down and kind of get his swing straightened out a little bit. I don't think it'll be the last you've seen of Alex. But he was struggling a little bit with the bat. So we get Victor back. He was swinging the bat really well before he got hurt. So hopefully he'll jump-start us again.”

Robles was off to a good start to the season, hitting .292 with four doubles, a triple, eight RBIs, 10 walks, 13 runs and eight stolen bases in 31 games before he was placed on the IL. And he continued that success in his rehab in Rochester, reaching base in all four games and going 4-for-7 (.571) with a double, two home runs, five RBIs, a walk and five runs scored in his final two outings with the Red Wings.

The 26-year-old is back in center field and batting eighth tonight as the Nats face reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara. But even as he’s thrust back into the starting lineup, the Nats will continue to monitor how his back is feeling.

After a 2-4 road trip, the Nationals have lost five straight series, all coming against tough opponents. And depending on how you view the Marlins, another one is on deck this weekend.

The Fish are 38-31 and in second place in the National League East, but have the second-worst run differential in the division at -30. Their bread and butter is one-run games in which they are a stunning 17-5, including two out of the three games they won against the Nats in May.

Of course, the Nats have struggled against the Marlins for a while. They are 4-18 against their division rivals since the start of last year.

Trevor Williams gets the start in tonight’s opener. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.355 WHIP in his first 13 starts. He has set season highs with six strikeouts in back-to-back outings and turned in a quality start against the Marlins the last time these two teams met.

Sandy Alcantara gets the call for the Fish. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has not put up the kind of numbers we’re used to seeing from the right-hander, going only 2-5 with a 4.75 ERA on the year. But he did hold the White Sox to one run over seven innings in his last start.

HOUSTON – It seems hard to believe given his offensive struggles the last three seasons, but Victor Robles’ pending return should be a real boon to the Nationals’ offensive fortunes.

Robles, out since May 7 with a back injury, appears to be in the final stages of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester and could be activated this weekend, perhaps even in time for tonight’s series opener against the Marlins at Nationals Park.

Will the 26-year-old center fielder with a career .670 OPS really make much positive difference at the plate? If he performs anything like he did prior to suffering the injury while sliding into second base in Arizona, yes.

Robles was making some real strides through the season’s first month-plus. It’s not just his .292 batting average and .388 on-base percentage, impressive as those are. It’s his approach at the plate, a vast improvement from 2020-22.

Robles has always been one of the freest swingers in baseball, often to his detriment. His strikeout rate the last three seasons was a lofty 25.1 percent, his walk rate a scant 6.1 percent that plummeted to 4.2 percent in 2022.

HOUSTON – For 26 innings over three agonizing nights, the Nationals tried like might to hit a baseball high and far at the home run haven that is Minute Maid Park. For 26 innings, they could not get anything to clear the fence.

And then, at last, in the 27th inning of this series against the Astros, Keibert Ruiz finally broke through and delivered the big blast his team had so desired all week.

But because Hunter Harvey couldn't record the 27th out without surrendering the tying run, the series was extended to a 28th inning and the Nats found themselves in extras for the first time this season.

And thanks to some long-awaited offensive execution by several members of the lineup, they emerged at the end of the night with a well-deserved 4-1 victory over the defending World Series champions.

"It always feels good to win," Ruiz said. "I feel really good for the team. We've been playing really good, coming from behind. We lost yesterday, but we've come from behind and we've been playing better. Don't give up, keep the head up and keep playing hard."

HOUSTON – It was easily forgotten, because of what transpired moments later, but prior to the controversial ending of Wednesday night’s game, the Nationals put themselves in an especially disadvantageous position when they allowed Kyle Tucker to steal third off them without even attempting to throw him out.

Tucker, leading off second base with one out in the bottom of the ninth of what was at that point a tie game, took off for third as Hunter Harvey delivered his pitch to the plate and slid in safely as catcher Keibert Ruiz could do nothing but watch from his position.

It may not have mattered, because Harvey proceeded to walk Corey Julks and then surrendered the grounder by Jake Meyers that scored the winning run when Meyers wasn’t called for interfering with Ruiz’s throw to first. But it stuck with manager Davey Martinez, who has grown tired of seeing that type of play happen against his team over and over this season.

“It definitely matters,” Martinez said. “In a situation like that … we’ve got to keep the guy on first base or second base, wherever he may be.”

This has become a disturbing, regular pattern for the Nationals, who enter tonight’s game having surrendered 67 stolen bases (tied for third-most in the majors) while throwing out only 15 runners. The problem is more acute in late innings, with Harvey, Kyle Finnegan, Mason Thompson, Carl Edwards Jr. and Andrés Machado having combined to allow 20-of-22 opposing runners successfully steal of them.

The Orioles (42-25) host the Blue Jays (38-31) today to wrap up a three-game series and a six-game homestand. The homestand began with the Orioles sweeping Kansas City and now they have split the first two games of this series.

Baltimore scored 11 runs each on Sunday and Tuesday, but where held to just six hits - all singles - last night in a 3-1 loss to Toronto. That result ended the Orioles' win streak at five in a row, two short of their season high. They fall to 4-1 this year against Toronto and to 13-11 versus the Blue Jays since the beginning of the 2022 season.

Toronto, which has won nine of 13 of and is 12-6 its past 18 games, is now 18-8 in its past 26 games at Oriole Park.

The Orioles are 6-4 in rubber match games and 3-2 when that game is against an AL East opponent. They have won three in a row within the division with rubber match wins over Boston, Tampa Bay and New York.

In their first four games this season against Toronto, Baltimore batters had produced 31 runs. But last night the Orioles were held without an extra-base hit for the third time this season. That also happened April 8 against the Yankees and June 7 against the Brewers.

Austin Voth is hoping to begin throwing again next week to test the right elbow that forced him on the injured list yesterday.

Voth is taking a stronger dose of an anti-inflammatory to reduce the swelling.

The Orioles placed Voth on the IL after he allowed two runs and three hits Tuesday in one-third of an inning. He also walked a batter, and Cavan Biggio’s homer was the first that Voth surrendered in his last 18 appearances.

Voth’s previous outing also was a struggle, with two walks in one-third of an inning against the Royals.

“It’s getting better,” he said this morning. “It’s just a matter of calming it down to the point where I can move it without moving something. And from there, I’m not throwing right now, so the next step would be probably throwing in maybe a week to see how it’s doing.”