Ryan Romano: String of bad luck has skewed Givens' numbers

Ryan Romano: String of bad luck has skewed Givens' numbers
The 2016 MLB season has passed the one-third mark, but that doesn't mean every small-sample fluke has disappeared. Some players still haven't played up to their true talent level, while others have performed far above where they should have. For the Orioles, a few position players -- Adam Jones for the former, Hyun Soo Kim for the latter -- fit each of these molds. The best example of an unfortunate player, though, lies on the other side of the ball. In his sophomore season, Mychal Givens has...

Marty Niland: Nats used series against Reds to get bats going

Marty Niland: Nats used series against Reds to get bats going
So, the Nationals just lost two out of three to the second-worst team in the National League, allowing 22 runs 31 hits and seven home runs to the 21-36 Reds. Let's dwell on the positives, though, shall we? Despite the pitching staff getting spanked by one of the league's top hitting teams, the struggling offense finally showed some signs of life. In Sunday's comeback win, it was downright resilient. After having his 11-game hitting streak snapped, Daniel Murphy was on the verge of going...

Andrew Stetka: O's pitchers falling victim to longball in recent weeks

Andrew Stetka: O's pitchers falling victim to longball in recent weeks
Just three weeks ago in this very space, I wrote about what a great job Orioles pitchers were doing in limiting home runs. It came right on the back of a second seven-game winning streak and strong performances by the likes of Chris Tillman and Kevin Gausman. Things have taken an unfortunate turn. After going through the first six weeks or so of the season and sitting second in baseball with the fewest home runs allowed, the O's have now fallen out of the top 10. They were hanging around...

Matthew Taylor: Recalling the majesty of Sam Horn

Matthew Taylor: Recalling the majesty of Sam Horn
Fair or foul? Chris Davis' awe-inspiring blast down the right-field line versus the Red Sox on Wednesday night was deemed to be foul and upheld on review. Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who said the team had a camera angle showing the ball was fair, wasn't buying it. Neither was David Price, who tweeted that the ball was "definitely fair." You know you've hit it well when opposing players are discussing your efforts. Price's full tweet deemed Davis' moon shot "the most majestic ball...

Zach Wilt: Kim proving he belongs in O's lineup

Zach Wilt: Kim proving he belongs in O's lineup
Last night marked Hyun-Soo Kim's sixth consecutive start and 19th game played for the Baltimore Orioles. The Korean outfielder is slashing an impressive .382/.469/.509 on the season and he collected three hits, a walk and two runs scored in the O's wild 13-9 win over the Red Sox. Two weeks ago, I made my case for Kim and suggested that the O's play him regularly, at least for a bit, to see what they have with him. Now that we have a better idea, let's dive in and take a look. Wednesday...

David Huzzard: Winning is nice, but Nats can still improve roster

David Huzzard: Winning is nice, but Nats can still improve roster
"As long as the Nats are winning," is a phrase we're hearing quite often these days from everyone from fans to announcers. It is the age old sports cliché that winning cures all and that all flaws can be ignored as long as games are being won. It's not good logic and not logic that can be afforded. Think of it in the terms of personal health. You can wait until there's a problem and pay thousands of dollars in medical bills or you can get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat a healthy diet...

Dillon Atkinson: Identity of 2016 Orioles should be revealed by All-Star break

Dillon Atkinson: Identity of 2016 Orioles should be revealed by All-Star break
After posting a 14-9 record in April to start the season, the Orioles followed up with a rocky month of May, going 14-13 during that span. Prior to the series in Houston last week, the O's were 12-7 in May, which means they went just 2-6 to cap off the month. If you're an O's fan, I'm sure you've been pretty frustrated over the past week or so. Both the pitching and offense seem so flat. In the past two weeks, the Orioles' pitching staff has a 4.50 ERA (5.08 FIP). A few weeks ago, my...

Charlie Fliegel: Nats bullpen has been a strength so far this season

Charlie Fliegel: Nats bullpen has been a strength so far this season
It looked like one of their biggest weaknesses coming in to the 2016 season, and yet, almost a third of the way through the year, the Nationals bullpen has been a strength. Among National League bullpens, it ranks first in ERA, second in OPS against and first in K/BB ratio. Yet, only Shawn Kelley (eighth), Sammy Solis (15th) and Yusmeiro Petit (37th) rank in the top 40 in ERA among NL relievers. In terms of WPA (Win Probability Added), Felipe Rivero is 14th in the NL, Petit is 26th and the rest...

Steve Mears: Monday's Nats win paid homage to another skipper's philosophy

Steve Mears: Monday's Nats win paid homage to another skipper's philosophy
The Nationals got a big look at the in-game management style of Joe Maddon earlier in the month in Chicago where they played a four-game series. Maddon also has many philosophies that he shares as the manager of the Chicago Cubs, and his 'TryNot To Suck' advice might have started as a joke, but it is at the core of one of Maddon's core principles that if you are going to 'suck' at one part of your game you had better find other ways to help your team win. Maddon turned the 'Try Not To...

Ryan Romano: O'Day defying odds with success in crunch time

Ryan Romano: O'Day defying odds with success in crunch time
Darren O'Day has always defied expectations. He went from a walk-on at the University ofFlorida to the team's closer. After going undrafted out of college, he signed with the Angels,then shot through the minors and got a regular role with the Mets and Rangers. And whenTexas let him walk following an ugly 2011 campaign, he signed with the Orioles and took offonce more. O'Day's profile certainly fits the underdog mold; he's excelled despite anunderwhelming arsenal and a cringe-inducing...

Marty Niland: Stephen Strasburg proving he is better

Marty Niland: Stephen Strasburg proving he is better
So where are the Stephen Strasburg trolls now? A year ago, they were out in force, but a guy who was once seen by some as a first-round bust seems to have quieted them, maybe for good. Remember last year, when Strasburg was lifted from a game in Cincinnati after just one batter into the second inning with tightness in his upper back? It was the fifth straight game where he lasted five innings or fewer, and the fourth in five when he didn't make it to four. Strasburg was 3-5 with a 6.55 ERA at...

Andrew Stetka: Orioles' lineup shuffle comes without true leadoff hitter

Andrew Stetka: Orioles' lineup shuffle comes without true leadoff hitter
It'd be really easy to get all fired up and stomp my foot at Ubaldo Jimenez to start this week. There are a ton of questions as to what the Orioles do with him going forward and how they deal with his struggles. Instead, I'm going to go a different route. I've been really interested in what Buck Showalter is doing with his lineup over the last few days. He's mixed things up and thrown guys around in a way that made me scratch my head once the lineup was posted. He's been handed a lineup...

Matthew Taylor: Which Oriole could pull off major hitting streak?

Matthew Taylor: Which Oriole could pull off major hitting streak?
Hitting streaks have been on the top of many minds in Major League Baseball lately. Jackie Bradley pieced together a 29-game hit streak that ended Thursday night. That left him five games short of the Red Sox team record, held by Dom Dimaggio, which he could have been tied when the Red Sox visit Camden Yards next week. Meanwhile, MLB started its celebration of the 75th anniversary of Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hit streak on Sunday and is pushing out daily notifications about his hit(s) on...

Zach Wilt: What is the Orioles' true identity in 2016?

Zach Wilt: What is the Orioles' true identity in 2016?
When the Orioles began the season 7-0, they set fans' expectations high for 2016 right out of the gate. Then a month later, they matched that seven-game winning streak with another as the team surged to a 23-12 record on May 14. A division title or playoff berth would be the only thing to satisfy Charm City this season. As with any team playing 162 games, the Birds have cooled. They've matched their season-high losing streak, three games, are 2-3 on their current road trip and have lost six...

David Huzzard: The baseball world dislikes Bryce Harper, and D.C. should love it

David Huzzard: The baseball world dislikes Bryce Harper, and D.C. should love it
As has happened on several occasions, I was told last night that Bryce Harper is a jerk. It turns out that this guy's nephew once road in an elevator in Crystal City. I've never met a person who I'd judge on their elevator behavior of eyes forward, hands at side, saying as little as possible and trying desperately to hold in the District Taco they just ate. This isn't the first time a stranger or acquaintance has informed me that Harper is a jerk. They see the Nationals hat and it's close...

David Huzzard: Trea Turner is the first wave of improvement

David Huzzard: Trea Turner is the first wave of improvement
In late July 2015, the Washington Nationals held a three-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. A couple of weeks later, they were eight games back. It was a depressing and shocking turn of events for Nats fans. Injuries played a role in the Nationals' struggles as several stars returned to the lineup and performed worse than those they replaced. But it wasn't just that the Nationals struggled. The Mets took advantage of the Nationals' struggles and it was partly due...

Dillon Atkinson: A decision must be made regarding Kim

Dillon Atkinson: A decision must be made regarding Kim
When an outfielder on a ballclub has made eight starts in the team's 43 games, what role would you think he has? Would you think he was a right-handed hitting platoon outfielder who only started against left-handed pitchers? Would you think he was a fourth outfielder whose primary use was as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement late in games? I would assume one of the two, but neither is the case with the Orioles. In this situation, this is left-handed hitting left fielder Hyun Soo...

Charlie Fliegel: It's time for Nats to call Turner to majors

Charlie Fliegel: It's time for Nats to call Turner to majors
The Nationals' offense has made some strides in the last few weeks now that Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon and Ben Revere have started hitting. Unfortunately, Danny Espinosa has yet to get on track, and it's time to consider making a move there. Espinosa's hit a paltry .203/.305/.287 this season, and it's bad even if you dismiss his early performance as a slow start. Going back to April 29, he has hit .224/.302/.353, which is the best sample you can get leading up to today. This may be...

Steve Mears: Opportunity in offing as Zimmerman awaits blessed event

Steve Mears: Opportunity in offing as Zimmerman awaits blessed event
Have you looked lately to see what the one-two punch for the Syracuse Chiefs have been doing? Trea Turner and Brian Goodwin are just tearing up Triple-A while wreaking havoc on the base paths. They are usually running the bases two times a game if they get up five times since both are hovering around a .380 on-base percentage and have found other ways to get on base. Both are almost certain locks to be called up in September or sooner, and the Nationals might have a need real soon as it turns...

Ryan Romano: How unlucky is Ubaldo Jimenez?

Ryan Romano: How unlucky is Ubaldo Jimenez?
One of the trickier elements of baseball analysis is figuring out the role of luck - or the absence thereof - in a player's output. When we look at Ubaldo Jimenez, and see that he has a 6.04 ERA in 2016, we can safely say that he's not this awful of a pitcher, and that he'll allow fewer runs as the season goes along. But how much will he improve? Has he remained the same from 2015, or gotten worse? For Jimenez, the story always seems to revolve around walks. He limited them last year,...