guestblogger

Andrew Stetka: O's opener marks start of strangest possible season

April 04, 2016, 6:27am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: O's opener marks start of strangest possible season

The Orioles embark on the 2016 season following what is quite possibly one of the strangest offseasons in recent memory. There were more ups and downs over the last five months than on a roller coaster. Entering the offseason, no one expected the O's to bring back their free agents. There was no chance they were paying Matt Wieters, Chris Davis and Darren O'Day. Yet, here we are and all three remain on the roster. After an offseason where the franchise spent more money than ever, we're left...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stetka brian matusz chris davis darren o'day guest blogger guestblogger hyun soo kim kevin gausman matt wieters orioles orioles buzz yovani gallardo

Marty Niland: Five important questions facing the Nationals in 2016

April 04, 2016, 6:44am

Nationals

Many Nationals fans are still feeling the sting of disappointment from 2015, when preseason World Series predictions dissolved in a cloud of injuries, disappointing performances and clubhouse dissension. The Nats finished out of the postseason and watched as the National League East rival New York Mets stole their division, playoff and pennant dreams. For all but the most optimistic fans, there are no such lofty dreams this season. With a new manager in Dusty Baker, a revamped bullpen and new...

Comments

Tags:

anthony rendon ben revere blake treinen bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger jayson werth jonathan papelbon marty niland michael a. taylor nationals nationals buzz ryan zimmerman shawn kelley stephen strasburg wilson ramos

Setting our Orioles guest blogger rotation for 2016

March 18, 2016, 11:48am

Orioles

For baseball fans, the two most cherished words in the English language are, "Play ball!" That cry signifies the start of a new season full of renewed hope. For MASNsports.com, that also means getting our coverage plans in order for what we hope will be a memorable season of Orioles baseball. Since 2011, we've shared our pages with some of the myriad of guest bloggers who write daily - and often more frequently - about the O's. If there's an opinion to be stated, a move to be critiqued, a...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stetka dillon atkinson guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz pete kerzel ryan romano zach wilt

Matthew Taylor: Comparing this year's Orioles with franchise greats

October 02, 2015, 6:12am

Orioles

The 2015 season has been a disappointing one for the Orioles. However, multiple players have posted impressive totals that rank with some of the greatest individual efforts in franchise history. Here's a look at those efforts and the O's greats they bring to mind. Young and mighty: Manny Machado and Boog Powell Manny Machado has had a stellar season at the plate. On Thursday, he became the Orioles' first 20-20 player since Brady Anderson in 1999 and the O's fifth 20-20 player overall. Paul...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz

Zach Wilt: Motivation for the offseason

October 01, 2015, 4:46am

Orioles

Champagne was popped last night at Camden Yards as the stadium hosted an American League East champion celebration for the second consecutive season. This year, however, it was a bit different from 2014's festivities. It was the visiting clubhouse that was covered in plastic and the modest home crowd contained just a few thousand unenthused fans as the Toronto Blue Jays won their first division title in 22 years. In 2014, the scene was just the opposite. Fireworks blasted into the September...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz zach wilt

David Huzzard: A most pivotal offseason

October 01, 2015, 4:30am

Nationals

Before Sunday's actions by Jonathan Papelbon, the Washington Nationals were already headed towards the most pivotal offseason since moving to Washington, D.C., but now it is going to be that much more difficult. The Nationals went from having Felipe Rivero, Craig Stammen and Papelbon in the bullpen for next season to just having Rivero and Stammen, remembering that Stammen is returning from major injury. A Nationals bullpen that was already in shambles is now more of a mess and is going to...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Rachel Levitin: Passion alive for baseball in D.C.

September 30, 2015, 5:48am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Passion alive for baseball in D.C.

It's been an eventful end to the season for the Nationals, to say the least. It's definitely not the conclusion predicted early on in the year. Spoiler alert: The Nats aren't going to the playoffs. The explosion at Nats Park over the weekend sparked a barrage of national media attention. This is may end up being an unpopular opinion, but getting to this end point is something that's been in the making for a decade. When I moved to D.C. in August 2015, all I wanted - more than anything - was...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

Domenic Vadala: Heading into the offseason

September 29, 2015, 5:58pm

Orioles

Domenic Vadala: Heading into the offseason

Every year at the end of the season (postseason or not), I feel as if a blindfold has been removed from my head. Make no mistake about the fact that baseball season is and always will be No. 1 in my heart. However, from the time when hope springs eternal in March until the end, that's really all I'm able to see and hear. I tend to forget that there's an outside world that's not Orioles-centric. The season never really ends for me in a sense, as we publish fresh content daily at Birds...

Comments

Tags:

domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Matt of Matt's Bats: Taking the good with the bad

September 29, 2015, 5:43am

Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: Taking the good with the bad

It's been a weird couple of days to be a Nationals fan. I am used to being excited after a walk-off win, or sad after a big loss. But the past couple of days I have felt a feeling that I have never felt before as a Nationals fan - embarrassment. I was embarrassed by the way Jonathan Papelbon bullied the best player on the team and best player in baseball, Bryce Harper. I was embarrassed that the Nationals coaching staff let Papelbon play after the attack. I was embarrassed all around that no...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt nationals nationals buzz

Matt Kremnitzer: O's need to put right pieces around Machado

September 29, 2015, 5:08am

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: O's need to put right pieces around Machado

Going into next year and beyond, there's a lot to be worried about when it comes to the Orioles. There are plenty of question marks: Which players will return? Who will leave for other teams? Will the farm system improve? Will the Orioles rectify their player development issues? How long do Dan Duquette and/or Buck Showalter stick around? At the same time, though, the Orioles also have the luxury of a young superstar to build around: Manny Machado. Somehow still only 23, Machado is approaching...

Comments

Tags:

adam jones guest blogger guestblogger jonathan schoop manny machado matt kremnitzer orioles orioles buzz

Marty Niland: Enough blame to go around as promising season runs off the rails

September 28, 2015, 5:14am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Enough blame to go around as promising season runs off the rails

How did it come to this? Six months after after Bryce Harper essentially predicted a World Series championship in the preseason, the Nationals were eliminated from postseason contention with more than a week to play. Despite Harper's MVP-caliber season and Max Scherzer's Cy Young-caliber first half, the defending National League East champions haven't even clinched a winning record with seven games to play. After supposedly trading to shore up their bullpen weakness, the Nationals stood by...

Comments

Tags:

bryce harper guest blogger guestblogger jayson werth jonathan papelbon marty niland matt williams mike rizzo nationals nationals buzz

Andrew Stetka: For Orioles, goals have changed in season's final week

September 28, 2015, 5:02am

Orioles

The Orioles face a daunting task as they enter their final week of 2015. No longer in the running to repeat as American League East champions, and barely hanging on as wild card contenders, the O's are now simply trying to stack as many wins as possible heading into the offseason. A few weeks back, I looked at the team's struggles in the same negative light that many did. Even through that, I was able to search for and find positives. Now, as the team approaches the 81-loss mark, there's...

Comments

Tags:

andrew stetka guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Matthew Taylor: A surprising outcome from O's sweep of Nationals

September 25, 2015, 4:13am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: A surprising outcome from O's sweep of Nationals

What could be more surprising from this week's series with the Washington Nationals than the Orioles getting the sweep in D.C.? For me, it's the fact that I came away with a greater appreciation and respect for Bryce Harper. The heated three-game set left me thinking less about rivalry and more about respect, starting first and foremost with the Nationals' young superstar. Go figure. If you're not a Nationals fan, it's easy to dislike Harper. He's a classic case of the guy you would love...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matthew taylor orioles orioles buzz

Zach Wilt: Jonathan Papelbon's history with the Orioles

September 24, 2015, 5:42am

Orioles

Jonathan Papelbon desperately wanted out of Philadelphia for a chance to pitch in October again. The veteran reliever spent seven seasons in Boston with the Red Sox and put together an impressive resume that included pitching in four postseasons and recording the final out of the 2007 World Series. How can anyone forget that riverdance celebration? Things went south in 2011 when the Sox entered the season as the favorites to win the American League after the acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger jonathan papelbon manny machado orioles orioles buzz zach wilt

David Huzzard: The importance of a winning season

September 24, 2015, 5:21am

Nationals

David Huzzard: The importance of a winning season

With every passing day as the playoffs become more and more of an improbability, it is important to remember the 2015 Washington Nationals are still playing for something. With 78 wins and eleven games to play, the Nationals need to go 4-7 to clinch their fourth consecutive winning season. This might not sound like much or even that important. What's the big difference between 82 wins and 78 at this point? The Washington Nationals aren't making the playoffs either way, but the last time a...

Comments

Tags:

david huzzard guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz

Domenic Valada: "Battle of the Beltways" an extra-special series

September 22, 2015, 1:39pm

Orioles

Domenic Valada: "Battle of the Beltways" an extra-special series

With the O's in DC this week, we find ourselves watching National League games for the first time in a while. Some people like interleague play, and some don't - either view point is fine with me. But I'm a fan of it. People might ask how I can call myself a purist and like interleague play. The answer is because, as I said, I'm a purist - the pitcher is part of the team, so why shouldn't he have to swing a bat? But speaking for myself, the "Battle of the Beltways" is extra special....

Comments

Tags:

beltways domenic vadala guest blogger guestblogger orioles orioles buzz

Rachel Levitin: After season full of Nats' injuries, all eyes will be on Rizzo this offseason

September 23, 2015, 6:12am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: After season full of Nats' injuries, all eyes will be on Rizzo this offseason

After last night's 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Nationals are 6 1/2 games back while the New York Mets maintain first place in the National League East. All other teams in the division have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The magic number is six. No matter what happens at the tail end of the 2015 season, though, the unfortunate part of the year - besides possibly missing the playoffs, since it's not a done deal yet - is the fact that this team...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger nationals nationals buzz rachel levitin

Matt Kremnitzer: O's philosophies may have to change

September 22, 2015, 6:26am

Orioles

Matt Kremnitzer: O's philosophies may have to change

As Andrew Stetka discussed yesterday, you know the Orioles are not going to re-sign all of their impending free agents. There's a very real possibility that they decide to let all of them walk. The choice to not re-sign Nelson Cruz, and to a lesser extent Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller, hurt the 2015 team somewhat, but a lot of that collapse has come from other key parts of the Orioles taking significant steps back. That departing group did not have much to do with the starting rotation...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt kremnitzer orioles orioles buzz

Matt of Matt's Bats: Picking postseason favorites with Nats on outside looking in

September 22, 2015, 6:03am

Nationals

Matt of Matt's Bats: Picking postseason favorites with Nats on outside looking in

With the Nats 6 1/2 games out of the National League East with 13 games to go, it looks a lot like the New York Mets are going to pull away with the division title. There still is hope, though. The Nats are 6 1/2 games out, and the Mets are coming off a series loss against the New York Yankees. If the Nats can make up enough ground to roll into New York next week within three games of the division lead, they could pull of an end-of-season upset. As much as I would love to see that happen, it is...

Comments

Tags:

guest blogger guestblogger matt's bats nationals nationals buzz

Andrew Stetka: Adam Jones' heart is in the right place

September 21, 2015, 7:12am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Adam Jones' heart is in the right place

When I read last week that Adam Jones wanted to meet with Peter Angelos, Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter during the offseason to discuss the team's plans for re-signing players and making trades, I honestly thought it was an old link. It was the same story last offseason when Jones wanted to discuss the team's mindset following an American League East crown. Now that the dream of a repeat has gone out the window, have any of the plans changed? Jones doesn't want to see a mass exodus like the...