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Dillon Atkinson: Righties struggling against opposing southpaws

August 17, 2016, 6:33am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: Righties struggling against opposing southpaws

Before putting up three runs against Boston's bullpen in Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox, the Orioles were being no-hit through four innings by left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. The young southpaw, who struck out seven batters over his four no-hit frames, was removed from the game in the fifth inning with a left hamstring injury. Tuesday night was another case of the O's not doing too well against lefties. Yes, the Orioles own a 17-16 record this year when the opposing starting pitcher...

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Charlie Fliegel: Harper's exit velocity is trending up, and so are his numbers

August 17, 2016, 4:06am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Harper's exit velocity is trending up, and so are his numbers

A game in the thin air of Colorado is all a hitter needs to get his swing back, right? Bryce Harper got to play the Rockies, and had two hard-hit doubles, so maybe it's true. Obviously, one good night hitting, especially one in Denver, is probably not the best way to judge how well someone is hitting. There are, however, some actual signs that he is emerging from a slump - signs that are less likely to be attributed to just luck. But they have little to do with the thin air of Coors...

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Steve Mears: Some stats aren't fair to Trea Turner

August 16, 2016, 5:27am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Some stats aren't fair to Trea Turner

The standard statistics we have will never be fair to a player like Trea Turner. Trust me, he is not complaining, but you look at a player who puts extreme pressure on the defense to rush their throws on infield grounders and those throwing errors never get credited to the batter when they are forced. Those E-5s and E-6s count the same as outs against Turner's batting average. The other statistic that does not give the appropriate credit to a speedster is stolen bases. They say when Turner is...

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Ryan Romano: What are the biggest hits for Orioles stars?

August 16, 2016, 5:13am

Orioles

The Orioles weren't supposed to win on Sunday. Through the first eight innings, the story of the game was Wade Miley's meltdown and Johnny Cueto's effectiveness. Then Jonathan Schoop happened. With two on and two outs in the ninth, he swatted a three-run homer to turn a 7-5 deficit into an 8-7 lead. According to FanGraphs.com, the dinger improved the Orioles' win probability from 6.5 percent to 84.2 percent, making it the biggest hit of Schoop's young career by far. To commemorate the...

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Andrew Stetka: Concern over Gausman leaves O's with another rotation worry

August 15, 2016, 5:04am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Concern over Gausman leaves O's with another rotation worry

Starting pitching has been a concern for most of the season for the Orioles, but has appeared to turn a bit of a corner over the last month or so. Much of that is credited to the emergence of Dylan Bundy in the rotation. He's been nothing short of great. Sending Bundy or Chris Tillman to the mound gives Orioles fans confidence, but a third member of that rotation isn't holding his own. Kevin Gausman has all the talent in the world, but his recent stretch has to be concerning for the Orioles....

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Matthew Taylor: History shows August is a do-or-die month for Birds

August 12, 2016, 4:31am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: History shows August is a do-or-die month for Birds

They used to speak of August swoons in Baltimore. During the dark decade (and a half) for the local nine, the only thing more oppressive than the late-summer heat was the late-season treatment our beloved Birds received at the hands of opposing big league rosters. August was, after all, the month of 30-3. Things have gotten better in recent years, to say the least. Nevertheless, August baseball still creates anxiety in Charm City. I've written before that the August swoon, as originally...

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Zach Wilt: Adam Jones belongs among the O's all-time greats

August 11, 2016, 5:22am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Adam Jones belongs among the O's all-time greats

The Baltimore Orioles' bats are ice cold. Last night, the Birds were shut out for the fifth time this season, scoring just three runs in three games against the Oakland Athletics. As a team, the O's are hitting .247 in August and .225 since the All-Star break. Their batting average was nearly 50 points higher in the first half. Leadoff man Adam Jones has been one of the club's few bright spots during their second-half swoon. Jones picked up his 120th hit of the season in the loss last...

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David Huzzard: The Nats offense doesn't get enough credit

August 11, 2016, 4:32am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The Nats offense doesn't get enough credit

It should come as no surprise that the same debates about the Nationals are being had in 2016 that were had in 2012 and 2014 as Mike Rizzo built very similar teams. Even the 2013 and 2015 Nationals that failed to make the playoffs were similar. The Nats offense always seems to be in the top half of the league and the success of the team depends on the performance of the pitching. The debate in all those years has always been about the offense. Yesterday morning, I woke up and saw multiple...

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Dillon Atkinson: What potential postseason role will Showalter give Bundy?

August 10, 2016, 6:43am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: What potential postseason role will Showalter give Bundy?

It's been a journey, but the former top prospect is shining and making an impact in not only a major league starting rotation, but also in the Baltimore Orioles rotation. After his first career start in Tampa Bay on July 17, Dylan Bundy has recorded a 1.90 ERA, 11.03 K/9, 1.14 BB/9, 4.56 H/9, 1.14 HR/9 and a 50.9 groundball percentage in 23 2/3 innings over four starts. Having only pitched 65 1/3 innings in the minor leagues since the end of 2012 heading into this season, I was a bit shocked...

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Charlie Fliegel: Nationals may be most balanced team in National League

August 10, 2016, 5:06am

Nationals

With 50 games left in the season and the playoffs approaching, if you want to worry about the Nationals, you can certainly find something. They scored a total of three runs in their last three games, and they are getting no production out of first base, or, since May, Bryce Harper. Their bullpen looked shaky when their closer was injured and when he came back and couldn't produce, although it seems like they've remedied this. However, the Nats remain atop the division, with the second-best...

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Steve Mears: Looking at candidates for a fifth starter in D.C.

August 09, 2016, 8:43am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Looking at candidates for a fifth starter in D.C.

One week from today, the Washington Nationals will need a fifth starter for their rotation, and we found out that Joe Ross will not be ready to return to the rotation any time soon due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. To complicate matters, the location for this August 16th game is none other than Coors Field in Colorado, where even aces have been humbled by the altitude. To complicate matters further, the Nats will probably need this fifth starter for a while as the schedule does not have...

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Ryan Romano: Ground balls will help mask woes of O's outfield

August 09, 2016, 3:39am

Orioles

Ryan Romano: Ground balls will help mask woes of O's outfield

Through the ups and downs of recent years in Birdland, one thing seems to have held true about the Orioles: They sure can play defense. In 2013, the club set the record for fewest errors in a full season. Since then, they've ranked sixth, second, and fifth, respectively, in flubbed plays. But such a simplistic stat doesn't reflect the fluctuation of the Baltimore gloves, particularly by position. In 2016, the team's fielding in one area has taken a nosedive, and the pitchers would be wise to...

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Andrew Stetka: What could have been with the O's and Miguel Gonzalez

August 08, 2016, 4:58am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: What could have been with the O's and Miguel Gonzalez

While watching the Orioles take on the White Sox this weekend, I started thinking about things that could've been. More specifically, watching Chicago send Miguel Gonzalez to the mound on Friday night made me wonder how we all got here. How is it that the O's decided that Gonzalez wouldn't be a member of the 2016 rotation and went with other options instead? When looking at this picture, it's important not to focus on Friday night's result in a vacuum, but rather the entire package....

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Marty Niland: In a postseason atmosphere, Nats come up bigâ€¨

August 08, 2016, 4:46am

Nationals

Marty Niland: In a postseason atmosphere, Nats come up bigâ€¨

Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants was the kind of game the Nationals needed badly to win this season. Although they had the second-best record in all of baseball and the second-largest division lead in the National League, seven games over the Miami Marlins, the Nats needed to distinguish themselves from another top team. So in a game pitting two evenly matched division leaders, in which heroes of big games past had a chance to do it again, the Nats made the plays the Giants...

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Matthew Taylor: It's time to play Steve Pearce trivia

August 05, 2016, 5:35am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: It's time to play Steve Pearce trivia

Baltimore's gritty, do-it-all workhorse has returned to town. The Orioles traded for Steve Pearce on Monday in a move that delighted many fans who appreciate having a familiar face back in the fold. Just how familiar are you with Pearce? Find out with this Steve Pearce trivia: 1. Steve Pearce has four career multi-homer games, three with the Orioles and one with the Tampa Bay Rays. Two of those multi-homer games have come against pitchers who have suited up for the O's. Who are they? The...

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Zach Wilt: Britton a critical piece in Orioles' run at division crown

August 04, 2016, 4:46am

Orioles

Zach Britton locked it down again for the Orioles last night. The guy seems to be as much of a sure thing as traffic on the beltway at 5:45 p.m. It had been a little while since we've seen that "S" next to Britton's name in the box score. His last save came on July 23 against the Cleveland Indians. It was clear that Britton didn't have his best stuff; he threw 10 strikes of his 20 pitches and issued a walk to Rougned Odor. Jim Hunter commented on the MASN broadcast that Britton may...

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David Huzzard: Nationals aren't flashy, but keep on winning

August 04, 2016, 4:10am

Nationals

If you had asked me where the Nationals were in comparison to the rest of baseball, I'd have guessed they had the fourth or fifth best record in baseball. I knew they were behind the Cubs and figured there were a couple other teams ahead of them. So it surprised me when, leading up to the deadline, I kept hearing about how they had the second best record in baseball. The Nationals are a better team than we realize. I can't say exactly why that is, but I have some ideas. The first is no one...

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Dillon Atkinson: O's moves weren't flashy, but team has improved

August 03, 2016, 5:30am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: O's moves weren't flashy, but team has improved

Dylan Bundy's masterful seven innings last night may have helped you forget that the Orioles acquired two players via trade prior to this past Monday's non-waiver trade deadline. In case you missed it, the Birds added left-handed starter Wade Miley and utility man Steve Pearce. While you may be disappointed because you wanted someone like Jeremy Hellickson instead, I think we can all agree that the Orioles' current roster is better than the roster from last week. These moves aren't flashy...

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Charlie Fliegel: Veteran Werth still holds great value in Nats lineup

August 03, 2016, 3:07am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Veteran Werth still holds great value in Nats lineup

At the beginning of this season, there were doubts that Jayson Werth could be an effective hitter anymore. He looked lost for much of the previous year, he was entering his age 37 season, and a repeat of his .685 OPS could've easily sunk the Nationals' playoff chances. As this season began, he seemed to fulfill those expectations. He appeared pretty lost at the plate in April and May - he hit a few home runs, but he wasn't getting on base much at all. He only managed to post a .225/.280/.410...

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Steve Mears: How can the Nats roster change after the non-waiver trade deadline?

August 02, 2016, 7:13am

Nationals

Steve Mears: How can the Nats roster change after the non-waiver trade deadline?

In-season trading hit a new high this year as teams made 48 trades from June 1 to the deadline yesterday. It broke last year's record of 43 trades. Trades are best judged in hindsight to analyze the real winners and losers in trades, and quality over quantity. For anyone wondering how MLB.com rated teams after the non-waiver trade deadline, their power rankings in the National League had the top five teams in this order: Cubs, Nationals, Giants, Dodgers and Cardinals. Yes, they ranked the...