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David Huzzard: Top three in rotation are undisputed advantage for Nats

September 08, 2017, 5:45am

2.19, 2.50, 2.78 - that isn't just a random collection of numbers, those are the ERAa of the Nationals' top three starting pitchers, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg. Those three rank second, third and fourth in ERA and first and 11th in FIP (Strasburg and Scherzer are tied). Scherzer is the current front-runner for NL Cy Young with a healthy lead in all the categories the voters are going to look at. He has the second-best ERA in the league, the best FIP and WAR, leads in...

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Zach Wilt: Debating the Orioles' MVP

September 08, 2017, 5:33am

Orioles

Since Aug. 1, the Orioles are 20-15 and have outscored their opponents by 38 runs. This turnaround was not forecasted by many, as the Birds were a season-high seven games under .500 on July 16 and had slipped to 4 1/2 games back of a wild card at the end of the month. Their August turnaround came at the perfect time and would not have been possible without an incredible breakout performance by Manny Machado. Up to that point, it had been a hard-luck season for Machado. Entering July, Machado...

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David Huzzard: Does Harper's absence create an opportunity?

September 01, 2017, 5:36am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Does Harper's absence create an opportunity?

Bryce Harper is the most important player to the Nationals' success, yet his absence creates an opportunity for the Nationals to find out if they really need him. Ask yourself: How good does a player have to be to be worth what Harper is going to command in free agency, and will Harper really command that much. The second part of that question is important because if the Nationals decide to offer Harper an extension this offseason, they need to be close to what he and his agent believe he is...

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Zach Wilt: Welcome to September baseball

August 31, 2017, 7:19pm

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Welcome to September baseball

Welcome to baseball season in September. Our Orioles had their season-high seven-game winning streak snapped last night and are currently sitting three games above .500. They wrapped up August as one of the hottest teams in baseball after having won three consecutive series, clicking on all cylinders. The playoff race is officially on, but where did this sudden surge come from? From June 11-Aug. 28, the the Orioles were unable to get over that pesky .500 threshold. They played 70 games of...

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Dillon Atkinson: After changes to lineup, three veteran Orioles have stepped up offensively

August 30, 2017, 5:23am

Orioles

When you think about the production in the Orioles lineup, who comes to your mind? My guess would be Jonathan Schoop, Manny Machado, Trey Mancini, Tim Beckham or maybe even the catching duo of Welington Castillo and Caleb Joseph. Aside from Machado coming back to a superstar level in the second half and Beckham not coming over to the Birds until August, all of these players have produced at the plate fairly consistently all season long, so they're the obvious choices that would come to mind....

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Luke Erickson: Who they gonna call?

August 26, 2017, 11:03am

Nationals

For the first six seasons in D.C., Sept. 1 meant one thing for fans of the Washington Nationals: Let's see if any of these minor leaguers might make the team next spring. Like, for example, Ian Desmond in 2009, Wilson Ramos in 2010, and the trio of Steve Lombardozzi, Tommy Milone and Brad Peacock in 2011 (yes, it counts because Milone and Peacock were key pieces in the trade for Gio Gonzalez). But this season, like the last five, the Nats are playoff contenders and the expectations for the...

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Marty Niland: Nats getting key plays from unlikely sources

August 27, 2017, 8:05pm

Nationals

Marty Niland: Nats getting key plays from unlikely sources

How many injuries can the Nationals withstand and still maintain the second-best record in the National League? Let's hope that question remains rhetorical. But when an infielder who wasn't supposed to get out of the minor leagues this season and the 13th different man to play the outfield in 2017 are making key plays, it's not a bad idea to keep that question in mind. At 27, AdriÃ¡n Sanchez had been knocking around the Nats' minor league system for 10 seasons. He'd been hitting .254 at...

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Andrew Stetka: After weekend sweep, O's back to sniffing postseason spot

August 28, 2017, 4:55am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: After weekend sweep, O's back to sniffing postseason spot

After a weekend sweep in Boston, the Orioles find themselves back in the thick of a playoff race that they really have no business being part of. Then again, none of the teams battling for the American League's second wild card spot have much of a claim to it. Outside of the division leaders, only the Yankees (who hold the top wild card position) and the Rangers even have a positive run differential this season. But after putting together a four-game winning streak to get back to .500, the...

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David Huzzard: Nationals have prospered against adversity

August 24, 2017, 8:18pm

Nationals

The Nationals have faced as much adversity possible for a team more than a dozen games up in their division in late August. There exists a subset of baseball fans that theorize that the teams that do best in the playoffs are those that have been battle-hardened by a tough division race or fight for the wild card. This is the typical type of adversity people think of, but the Nationals have faced a different kind and it may prove beneficial when they reach the playoffs this season. D.C. is the...

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Dillon Atkinson: Since break, Mancini and Machado have flipped offensive production

August 23, 2017, 5:43am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: Since break, Mancini and Machado have flipped offensive production

Prior to the All-Star break, Orioles left fielder Trey Mancini looked like he was Rookie of the Year-worthy, if not for Yankees' Aaron Judge posting Most Valuable Player caliber numbers. The 25-year-old rookie posted a .312/.354/.538 slash line with 14 homers and a 133 wRC+. Orioles superstar Manny Machado was on a different path, however, slashing .230/.296/.445 with 18 home runs and a 90 wRC+ through the first half of the season. Since the All-Star break, these two players are producing...

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Luke Erickson: Stadium woes for Nats' Single-A teams

August 22, 2017, 1:38pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Stadium woes for Nats' Single-A teams

For most of this century, the Nationals' full-season Single-A teams have been seeking new stadiums. Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown was built in 1930 and has been hosting professional ball for 61 of its 87 years. G. Richard Pfitzner stadium in Woodbridge was built in 1984 and has been home to the current Potomac franchise since its inception. There is an axiom in engineering: fast, cheap or good - pick two. Well, both stadiums were built quickly and economically. However, at the time they were...

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Andrew Stetka: Mancini putting together special rookie year

August 21, 2017, 4:54am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Mancini putting together special rookie year

The Orioles aren't going to have their first Rookie of the Year since Gregg Olson won it in 1989 this season, but they certainly have a guy who will be in the conversation. Trey Mancini burst onto the scene late last year with three homers in five games, and this year he's making his mark in the middle of the order for the Birds. During a season that has had a few more downs than ups, Mancini has been a consistent bright spot. Despite seeing his average drop 14 points in the last ten games,...

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David Huzzard: Commending the job Mike Rizzo has done

August 18, 2017, 6:08am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Commending the job Mike Rizzo has done

The Nationals can be viewed as either one of the luckiest teams in baseball or one of the unluckiest. But there is a third option and that is that general manager Mike Rizzo knows what he is doing. I would have said before this season that if the Nationals don't have a deep playoff run, Rizzo is as good as gone as GM. There are just some GMs, good enough to rebuild a team but not good at putting those final pieces in place to win it all. Rizzo has started to look like the latter, but this...

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Luke Erickson: Thoughts on that other fall baseball

August 16, 2017, 6:21pm

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Thoughts on that other fall baseball

With the minor league season winding down - Labor Day is the last day - thoughts start to turn to the Arizona Fall League. In theory, the AFL, which runs from Oct. 10-Nov. 18 this season, is a finishing school for the top prospects. In practice, it's not quite that. That's not to say that top prospects don't appear; they do, but not exclusively. Pitchers, for example, have a tendency to fit into one of three categories: injured, Rule 5 draft-eligible, marginal. Consequently, the offensive...

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Dillon Atkinson: Does Jonathan Schoop deserve AL MVP consideration?

August 16, 2017, 6:15am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: Does Jonathan Schoop deserve AL MVP consideration?

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop has been having a career year, absolutely obliterating all of his prior season highs. Through 118 games, he's slashing .303/.354/.543 with 26 home runs and a 134 wRC+. His best season totals prior to 2017 was when he batted .279/.306/.482 with a 112 wRC+ in just 86 games in 2015, and he hit 25 long balls in a full 2016 season. He's on pace to hit well over 30 homers this season, which would be a first in his career. So far, he's definitely earned Most...

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Andrew Stetka: Rotation fixes still needed for O's

August 14, 2017, 10:19am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Rotation fixes still needed for O's

Despite what you may have seen over the past few weeks, the Orioles still don't have a ton of pitching at their disposal. The starting rotation has been the weakest link on this team for years, and the 2017 campaign has been no different. O's starters have the worst ERA in the American League at 5.53, second-worst in the majors only to the Cincinnati Reds. Baltimore also ranks 13th in innings pitched from its starters in the AL, ahead of only the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. On the...

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Zach Wilt: Manny Machado's luck

August 11, 2017, 6:32am

Orioles

One of the best moves that the Orioles made at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline was rather under publicised. Sure, Tim Beckham has shown his importance, earning American League Player of the Week honors for going 14-for-24 (.583) in his first six games with Baltimore. Jeremy Hellickson has been a solid addition to the O's rotation, delivering quality starts in his first two outings against the Royals and Angels. But Manny Machado's resurgence in the second half has been incredibly...

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David Huzzard: Waiting for the regular season to end

August 10, 2017, 2:25pm

Nationals

David Huzzard: Waiting for the regular season to end

The Nationals have such a commanding lead in the division that it has the same feeling as a losing season. It is like the Nationals are playing out the string, but instead of the season ending with golf outings and vacation, it will become exciting again and the Nationals will be in the playoffs. For now though, the Nationals are playing out the string. I'd say it should be a feeling familiar to Nats fans, but how many really exist that suffered through the 2008 and 2009 seasons? Let alone...

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Dillon Atkinson: Do Ryan Flaherty and J.J. Hardy have secure spots once activated?

August 09, 2017, 7:07am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: Do Ryan Flaherty and J.J. Hardy have secure spots once activated?

With the great production coming from the shortstop position in the last week, you may have forgotten that Orioles infielders Ryan Flaherty and J.J. Hardy are going to be returning to the ballclub this month, barring any setbacks. Flaherty, who has been on the disabled list since May 19 with a right shoulder strain, is currently rehabbing at Double-A Bowie. His rehab assignment ends August 15, but manager Buck Showalter hopes he'll be ready to go sooner. Hardy was placed on the shelf June 19...

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Luke Erickson: Are any Nats affiliates playoff bound?

August 06, 2017, 10:13am

Nationals

Luke Erickson: Are any Nats affiliates playoff bound?

If you've been following the Nationals' minors closely (*ahem*), you'd know this ranges from virtually impossible (DSL Nats, Syracuse) to almost laughable (Potomac, Harrisburg, Auburn; all in last place by several games). Two of the affiliates, however, are in contention. If you're one to bring the tartar sauce while going after your white whale, you might make the argument that these two teams - the Gulf Coast League Nationals and the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns - are the ideal. The...