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Zach Wilt: Looking at Brad Brach's improvements from last year

April 20, 2016, 8:06pm

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Looking at Brad Brach's improvements from last year

Brad Brach appeared in his eighth game of the season last night in the Orioles' walk-off victory against the Blue Jays and for the first time in his nine innings pitched, the O's reliever allowed an earned run. His ERA skyrocketed from 0.00 to 1.00 ERA in 2016. Seriously though, Brach looked solid again out of the 'pen, this time coming in to relieve Ubaldo Jimenez. He issued just one walk and even the RBI double off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion came on a well-placed, low 86 mph splitter. In...

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Charlie Fliegel: Which "window" has closed for the Nats?

April 19, 2016, 9:16pm

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Which "window" has closed for the Nats?

Last year, there was quite a bit of talk about how the Nationals' "window" was closing because Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond were leaving, along with a few others. But I never bought into that, and while it's early, the Nats certainly look like a team that can succeed with its current roster. Sure, they aren't consensus World Series favorites anymore, but where did that ever get them? Some sort of window didn't close on them after last season just because they lost a few key...

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Steve Mears: Harper's 100th homer ball among baseball history

April 18, 2016, 5:19pm

Nationals

Steve Mears: Harper's 100th homer ball among baseball history

Bryce Harper just hit his 100th home run, and like any milestone home run, you have to wonder if Zack Hample (Google search "Zack Hample ARod 3000 hit") ended up with the baseball or someone else who might want to keep it. Well, we contacted the Boras Corporation and confirmed Harper now has that home run No. 100 baseball. But you might not know that the young girl who caught the ball in Section 140 got the ball and returned it to Harper. Mystery easily solved. Where is Babe Ruth's 600th...

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Ryan Romano: Machado and selling out for power

April 19, 2016, 5:19am

Orioles

Ryan Romano: Machado and selling out for power

Through the first two-odd weeks of the 2016 season, no team has hit better than the Baltimore Orioles. Manny Machado has spearheaded the onslaught, slugging a .383/.431/.723 slash line over 51 plate appearances. If Machado maintains this production, it'll mark the second straight year of improvement with the bat. This time, however, he's done things quite differently, and it's worth wondering if he should take another path. We'll first look at Machado's 2015 breakout, which happened...

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Marty Niland: Nats playing loose, getting the job done

April 18, 2016, 5:46am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Nats playing loose, getting the job done

Even with Sunday's extra-inning loss to Philadelphia, courtesy of a blown save by Jonathan Papelbon, the Nationals are still doing quite well. At 9-2 and four games ahead of Philadelphia in the National League East, they have the best record and biggest division lead in all of baseball. That seems light years ahead of last season, when they struggled out of the gate, going 5-6 through the first 11 games. To the untrained observer watching on TV, the biggest difference seems to be attitude -...

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Andrew Stetka: Masking an obvious weakness

April 18, 2016, 5:26am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Masking an obvious weakness

The season is only two weeks old, but I've written a lot already in 2016 about the need for the Orioles to mask their weaknesses. There's no real secret what people are talking about when it comes to the O's and weakness - it's their starting pitching. These Birds, like the ones in recent past, are very good offensively. They can play defense with anyone. There are no real qualms about the bullpen. The starting pitching is an entirely different story. When it comes to Saturday night's game...

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Matthew Taylor: Orioles fans should be enjoying the moment

April 15, 2016, 5:38am

Orioles

I attempted to convince myself that daytime baseball wouldn't be a distraction from my work. Listening to the radio broadcast on Monday as the Orioles stared down the Red Sox in the Fenway Park opener was simply background noise, I reasoned. It made sense initially. However, by the ninth inning, with both the game and my stomach knotted up, I conceded the point in the hopes of witnessing a victory for myself. I turned on the TV broadcast to watch the game's final inning unfold. Crouched low...

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David Huzzard: The importance of banking wins

April 14, 2016, 5:39am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The importance of banking wins

The Nationals are 6-1. Five of those wins have come against a stripped down and possibly tanking version of the Braves. It can be pointed out that the Braves are projected to lose 100 games and that their lineup is Freddie Freeman surrounded by a bunch of minor league hopefuls and aging or injured castoffs, not too unlike Ryan Zimmerman and the 2007-2010 Nationals. The Braves are bad and they're bad on purpose, but the Nationals have still won those games and as long as every win counts the...

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Zach Wilt: So far, Chis Davis seems to be handling the pressure

April 14, 2016, 5:25am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: So far, Chis Davis seems to be handling the pressure

Chris Davis hadn't even dotted the i's on his seven-year, $161 million contract this winter before the deal was criticized by the baseball world. The Orioles appeared in many columnists' "worst deals of the offseason" articles and were scrutinized for overspending on a guy that would surely never repeat the production of his 2013 and 2015 seasons. Comparisons were made to Ryan Howard and Josh Hamilton, two power hitters who cashed in on their successes only to disappoint in their older,...

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Charlie Fliegel: Nats don't have a set-up man, let's hope it stays that way

April 12, 2016, 6:37pm

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Nats don't have a set-up man, let's hope it stays that way

It's a week into the 2016 season, and Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon has looked good. But that most important of baseball engineering marvels, the bridge to the closer, is far from concrete. The issue is that they have several decent set-up man candidates, but no shoe-in. This shouldn't be something to worry about, though. Instead, Dusty Baker and Mike Maddux could turn it into a real positive. With no set-up man, they have the freedom to shape the end of each game as they see fit. Shawn...

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Ryan Romano: Why does Worley fall apart late in games?

April 11, 2016, 8:40pm

Orioles

Ryan Romano: Why does Worley fall apart late in games?

Through the first four games of the Orioles' 2016 campaign, no starting pitcher had allowed more than two runs. Vance Worley looked to sustain that success when he took the hill on Sunday against the Rays, and at first, it seemed like he would. The first time through the order, Worley allowed only two baserunners -- both singles -- and racked up four strikeouts. Things began to fall apart during the second go-round, however, as the Tampa Bay hitters touched Worley up for a solo home run, a...

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Steve Mears: Figuring out where Taylor and Werth fit in Nats lineup

April 11, 2016, 6:13pm

Nationals

Steve Mears: Figuring out where Taylor and Werth fit in Nats lineup

Before Monday's game, the trio of Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy had combined for a .540 on-base-percentage, which means the three of them on base 54% of the time. The Nationals have had runners in scoring position (RISP) aplenty in the first four games, but are only batting .229 in their 35 RISP situations. That should certainly improve in RISP efficiency, but in the meantime, the batters in the back of the order are getting many RBI opportunities. The strategy for Dusty Baker...

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Andrew Stetka: Joey Rickard's big week

April 11, 2016, 5:35am

Orioles

As the baseball world focuses on great stories coming out of the first week, a few lesser known rookies have taken center stage. Trevor Story's historic start for the Colorado Rockies would be impossible to go unnoticed, while the Houston Astros' new first baseman Tyler White has caught fire in his first few games. On a lesser known scale nationally, but already beloved in Baltimore, is Joey Rickard. Just months ago, Rickard was a prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays system looking for a path to...

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Matthew Taylor: Here's my connection to the Orioles, what's yours?

April 07, 2016, 8:31pm

Orioles

I returned to Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday evening after a visit to my beloved hometown in Baltimore. It's never easy to leave. It was soothing to listen to the Orioles radio broadcast that night as I prepared dinner in my house away from home. I haven't lived in the Baltimore area for nearly a decade now, but no matter how far I go, the Orioles always bring me closer to home. There are seemingly endless love songs expressing the sentiment that the object of one's affection feels like...

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Zach Wilt: Orioles offense showing a different look

April 07, 2016, 5:43am

Orioles

The Orioles are atop the American League East with an undefeated record. They're on pace to finish the 2016 season with an historic 162 wins. The Birds haven't lost a game in months. What a great time to cheer on the orange and black. That's always a fun exercise when you're team starts the season 2-0. Feel free to use that first paragraph for your Facebook status today. In all seriousness, my biggest takeaway from the early part of the 2016 season is that the Orioles offense looks...

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David Huzzard: Dusty Baker is already in charge

April 07, 2016, 5:25am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Dusty Baker is already in charge

It is good to have baseball back. Of the conclusions that can be drawn from this young season, there are none aside from the fact that A.J. Pierzynski cannot catch baseballs. There was one little mentioned and almost unnoticed event. While everyone was distracted by Bryce Harper's hat, Jayson Werth batted in the bottom half of the Nationals lineup and didn't tear up the lineup card or complain to the media after the game. Dusty Baker has passed his most important test as manager. He has shown...

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Dillon Atkinson: Rule 5 ritual has been successful for Duquette

April 06, 2016, 5:55am

Orioles

Dillon Atkinson: Rule 5 ritual has been successful for Duquette

After being hired as the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations following the 2011 season, Dan Duquette has made little noise in the Winter Meetings each offseason. He hasn't been completely quiet however, as he always participates in the Rule 5 Draft. Duquette has selected six players in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft in his time with the Orioles, with four of those players breaking camp with the major league club in their respective year. Here are those...

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Charlie Fliegel: Staying healthy and on field is key to Nats' season

April 06, 2016, 5:09am

Nationals

Charlie Fliegel: Staying healthy and on field is key to Nats' season

There are plenty of things that really help swing a season one way or the other. For the 2016 Nationals, the answer is painfully obvious. Let's look at a few possibilities: The bullpen - it stunk last year, except maybe not as much as you remember. The Nats ranked 10th in the majors in bullpen ERA. Mismanaged and maybe too much in its own head (a.k.a. mismanaged), but not necessarily what made 2015 bad. I have more faith in their free agent acquisitions, young talent and a dnew pitching coach...

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Ryan Romano: Can Alvarez and Trumbo improve the O's offense?

April 05, 2016, 9:34am

Orioles

Ryan Romano: Can Alvarez and Trumbo improve the O's offense?

When we think of the Baltimore Orioles, we generally imagine a team that scores a lot of runs. Chris Davis, Manny Machado and Adam Jones have hit quite well in recent years, and unless they get hurt, their success should hold steady in 2016. Supporting cast members such as Matt Wieters, Caleb Joseph and Jonathan Schoop have served as reliable depth options. And most importantly, new arrivals Mark Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez should make things even better. Overall, it seems like the team should...

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Steve Mears: Understanding Ben Revere's importance to the Nats lineup

April 05, 2016, 8:33am

Nationals

Steve Mears: Understanding Ben Revere's importance to the Nats lineup

On January 8, Ben Revere's life took one of those turns that you cannot control. He got that phone call informing him he was traded to the Washington Nationals. Revere made one of his first phone calls to Denard Span, who only gave him positive comments about the Nats. Span and Revere were teammates with the Minnesota Twins, and Span was always a person Revere knew he could go to for advice. The Nats would be Revere's third team within a year, as the Philadelphia Phillies traded him to the...