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James Baker: Beating Pythagoras

August 08, 2012, 5:49am

Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been confounding sabermetricians and national pundits all year. The Orioles currently sit eight games over .500 and are tied for the second wild card spot, even though they have been outscored this year. And not just outscored, but outscored badly. The Orioles' current run differential is currently -55 (447-502), which is awful. It is one of the worst run differentials in baseball and should not belong to a team in a legitimate playoff hunt. Bill James developed...

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Stephen Walker: Gio Gonzalez is his own worst enemy

August 07, 2012, 4:49am

Nationals

Stephen Walker: Gio Gonzalez is his own worst enemy

Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez possesses unique talent. A left-handed power pitcher in a division full of rivals who struggle against southpaws, his performance and joie de vivre plays a vital role in the Nationals' stirring success so far this season. That's important, because Washington traded four top prospects to get the two-time All Star. Gonzalez, with his wide smile, otherworldly curveball and 13 victories, has been a good addition for Nationals teammates and fans alike. He should be...

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Zach Wilt: Miguel Gonzalez has become one of the Orioles' best stories

August 07, 2012, 5:02am

Orioles

This Orioles team has been chocked full of surprises. From Chris Davis earning the win after a wild 17 innings at Fenway Park to scoring 11 unanswered runs in the Bronx and climbing out of a five-run hole to beat the Bombers. Recently in Baltimore, a new pleasant surprise has emerged and he goes by the name, "Miguel Gonzalez." As Orioles fans, we are so used to spot starters burning out our beloved bullpen and costing our favorite team wins. We became accustomed to the likes of Chris...

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Zach Wilt: Seven years later, Markakis has finally found his niche

July 31, 2012, 5:30am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Seven years later, Markakis has finally found his niche

I certainly can't predict what Dan Duquette will do to improve the Orioles today by the 4 p.m. trade deadline, but I'm confident enough to guarantee you that Nick Markakis will still be playing right field for Baltimore in tonight's match-up against the Yankees. There haven't been any legitimate trade rumors reported with Markakis' name on them, but in the Twitterverse, message boards and sports talk radio world, there are always fans wondering why the Orioles wouldn't try to move their...

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Domenic Vadala: Tying together the past and present

August 06, 2012, 4:54am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Tying together the past and present

I've liked a lot of movies in my life; as an Italian-American, "The Godfather Trilogy" and "Rocky" are both up there. I'd also throw in "Back to the Future," as well as a few others. However, by far my favorite movie of all time will always be "Field of Dreams." That movie uses baseball to tell a story about a father and son righting old wrongs. It also ties together the past and present in an unparalleled manner. This coming weekend, the O's will pay homage to one of the most...

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Ted Leavengood: LaRoche a very substantial bird in the hand

August 06, 2012, 4:38am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: LaRoche a very substantial bird in the hand

For the four games against the Marlins, Adam LaRoche was 7-for-15 with three home runs and seven RBIs, an amazing offensive display. It has always been said of LaRoche that he is a strong second-half player, but no one could have understood just what others were talking about until this past month. He is hitting .457 for the last two weeks with seven home runs, .337 for the past four. Most fans were content with the first-half numbers that LaRoche put up. He was the mainstay of the Washington...

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Marty Niland: Jordan Zimmermann finally gets his due

August 03, 2012, 4:32am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Jordan Zimmermann finally gets his due

It looks like Jordan Zimmermann's teammates - along with the rest of the baseball world - are finally starting to appreciate him. Of all the moves Davey Johnson has made this season, the best may have been resetting his pitching rotation after the All-Star break with the 26-year-old right-hander at the top. Zimmermann has been the team's most consistent pitcher all season, with an major league-leading 19 quality starts in 21 outings. In fact, he has never pitched fewer than six innings - one...

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Matthew Taylor: Feeling the plight of the low-budget little man

August 03, 2012, 4:25am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Feeling the plight of the low-budget little man

Think about big-budget baseball teams that have been a disappointment this season. Which teams come to mind, and how do you feel about them? The Philadelphia Phillies stand out to me. The Phillies have baseball's second-largest payroll at $175 million and are in last place in the NL East with a 47-58 record. I'd also have the Miami Marlins in the conversation. They're just ahead of the Phillies in the standings, and five slots below them in payroll. The Marlins own a 48-56 record despite...

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James Baker: Making a statement

August 02, 2012, 8:41am

Orioles

Chris Tillman stepped to the mound in the bottom of the first inning after watching his counterpart, Ivan Nova, retire the Orioles on six pitches. Tillman proceeded to give up five runs, including a Robinson Cano two-run job, before the Orioles' seats were even warm. It appeared it would be another long night. As the second inning started, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters both got on board with singles. Wilson Betemit and Lew Ford were set down by strikeouts and Nova quickly put two strikes on...

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David Huzzard: A little love for the long men

August 02, 2012, 5:20am

Nationals

David Huzzard: A little love for the long men

A good team, a winning team, is made up of a couple types of players. These are stars and role players. The guys that play their roles will never get as much credit as the Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg or Gio Gonzalez-type players, but they are equally important to any winning team, and at 62-41 that is what the Nationals are. One of the more overlooked roles is long relief. These are the pitchers whose chief duty is to come into a game when it is getting out of hand and to...

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Rachel Levitin: Which Nationals player is worthy of Ring?

August 01, 2012, 6:02am

Nationals

Forgive me while I sin momentarily and dream of baseball that has yet to played. And, no, I'm not talking about Washington baseball in October or the remaining games of the 2012 season. I'm talking about way out into the future, decades down the line. The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., inducted two new members on July 21. Then a week or so later, a friend and fellow baseball enthusiast packaged the Cooperstown 2012 induction program up and sent it to me in the mail....

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Neal Shaffer: Dan Duquette's non-move and what comes next

August 01, 2012, 5:16am

Orioles

Neal Shaffer: Dan Duquette's non-move and what comes next

Of course Dan Duquette stood pat at the non-waiver trade deadline. Of course. What, after all, did you expect him to do? I'm on record saying the Orioles should be buyers. I still think that's true, and grooves like the current one against the Yankees are a big reason why. This group just doesn't fold, and I find the prospect of what they might do with a little more talent tantalizing. That said, I'm not the least bit surprised that Duquette didn't pull a trigger. If he's shown us...

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Stephen Walker: Enjoying the journey without knowing the destination

July 31, 2012, 5:16am

Nationals

Stephen Walker: Enjoying the journey without knowing the destination

The statheads are trying to ruin my delight in the Nationals' 2012 season, including Sunday's comeback win over the Milwaukee Brewers, the club's 24th so far. I'm trying hard not to let them. Now, I love baseball research and statistical analysis. The Society for American Baseball Research, SABR for short, has changed how fans, managers and front office personnel interpret, evaluate, and even enjoy teams and players. What's driving me crazy are recent analyses of the Nationals' chances...

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Ted Leavengood: Thanks to Johnson, Nats morph into a contender

July 30, 2012, 6:12am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Thanks to Johnson, Nats morph into a contender

The 2012 Nationals have moved beyond any centennial comparisons to Clark Griffith's inaugural year at the helm in D.C. Davey Johnson coming aboard in Washington 100 years after the Old Fox is a nice parallel. However, at this juncture, Johnson's ability to connect with his players and mold a winning club has put his team at a far more historic juncture. After Sunday's unbelievable comeback win against Milwaukee, the Nationals' 61-win record can be matched only by Cincinnati. The improbable...

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Domenic Vadala: Does lady luck smile on daring ones?

July 30, 2012, 5:42am

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Does lady luck smile on daring ones?

For the record, let me say unequivocally that I'm not in favor of the Orioles trading Dylan Bundy or Manny Machado. I firmly believe that part of the reason the Orioles have lost for so many years in a row is due to mismanagement of prospects in the minor leagues. I'm not sure that in the past the O's wouldn't have been willing to move one of their top prospects for a rental, thus jeapordizing the future. Look no further than former Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi if you want...

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Marty Niland: Remembering your grandfather's Nats and the last time Washington led the majors

July 27, 2012, 4:55am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Remembering your grandfather's Nats and the last time Washington led the majors

At 20 games over .500, the Nationals have hit their high-water mark since moving to Washington in 2005, and with the right combination of events this weekend, they could find themselves with the best record in baseball. Think about that for a minute. Before this season, anyone who might even dare to form that combination of words would have been laughed out of town - just as the relocated Nats were regarded in many circles as the laughingstock of baseball Such a statement was completely...

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Matthew Taylor: A look (way) back at the O's first deal at the deadline

July 26, 2012, 6:38pm

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: A look (way) back at the O's first deal at the deadline

The trade deadline is approaching. You know the names floating around the rumor mill in 2012, but do you know which players were involved in the first trade-deadline deal in Orioles history? The O's dealt Vic Wertz, a right fielder and first baseman, to the Cleveland Indians on June 1, 1954, for Bob Chakales. The deal came two weeks before the June 15 trade deadline that was in place until 1986, when it moved to July 31. Neither player spent a full season in Baltimore, but Wertz became part...

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James Baker: The emotional roller coaster of (near) contention

July 26, 2012, 5:15am

Orioles

James Baker: The emotional roller coaster of (near) contention

Put very simply, we are not used to this. Orioles fans are in no way emotionally prepared to be over .500 and in the playoff hunt this late in the season. The Orioles have spent 109 days over .500 this year. For the sake of context, last year the Orioles spent a grand total of 14 days over .500. This level of play has completely frayed the nerves of some Orioles fans, and if you don't believe me then you haven't been paying attention. Before last week's five game win-streak, there were...

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David Huzzard: Masterful Johnson blends ingredients into a winner

July 26, 2012, 4:47am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Masterful Johnson blends ingredients into a winner

A manager has something to do with winning, but whatever that is, it can't be measured and it is not certain how much it matters. Only that it does. If the average person were given the finest ingredients in the world they could not produce a dish as excellent as a master chef, and that is what Davey Johnson is as a manager. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo gave Johnson the ingredients, but Johnson has worked them into a dish that has produced a 58-39 record 97 games into the...

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Rachel Levitin: Context, not one loss, defines an entire season

July 25, 2012, 5:18am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Context, not one loss, defines an entire season

Life's pretty busy these days, what with the constant news cycle, work weeks that extend beyond 40 hours even if they shouldn't and the general buzz-buzz-buzz attitude that American culture unintentionally employs upon its citizens. That's why it makes sense that busy folks would be baseball fans. Here's my logic: It's a long season. There are at least 162 games in a season. That allows fans the opportunity to catch up if a game or two (or more) just so happen to be missed. And - just...