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Andrew Stetka: A generation of O's fans finally get their taste

October 06, 2014, 5:26am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: A generation of O's fans finally get their taste

A week ago when I wrote in this space, I questioned whether or not Buck Showalter had prepared his team properly for a postseason run. I didn't doubt, so much as wonder if the team was ready after a long layoff between clinching the American League East and starting the playoffs. Never could I have imagined that a week later, I'd be looking forward to the AL Championship Series starting in Baltimore after watching the Orioles slay what Adam Jones referred to as the "three-headed monster" of...

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Marty Niland: In game of inches, Nationals coming up short all around

October 06, 2014, 5:18am

Nationals

We've all heard that baseball is a game of inches. It's a seemingly small measurement that can make the difference between a ball and a strike, a hit and an out or even a win and a loss. Such measurements are also apparently important to Giants pitcher Tim Hudson, who questioned the Nationals' collective manhood before the start of the National League Division Series, suggesting that the Nats might not have the fortitude to win in the postseason. Rather than proving him wrong, though, the...

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Matthew Taylor: Hoping to fulfill parade promise to my son

October 03, 2014, 4:45am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Hoping to fulfill parade promise to my son

Baseball is the World Series and a championship team! Celebration and parades, confetti in the streets. And maybe, just maybe, this year that team is your team. Because in baseball, anything is possible. I promised my son a parade. We've read the book "Baseball Is ..." several times ever since my father purchased it as a gift for his grandson. That grandson has always loved the section quoted above, which begins on a page illustrated with players in a pileup, the word "Champs!" on the...

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David Huzzard: However you measure it, the Nationals dominated in 2014

October 02, 2014, 4:30am

Nationals

Just as it is unfair to judge a painting until the artist makes the final stroke, it is unfair to judge a baseball team until it's played its final game. On Sunday, the Nationals finished off the regular season with a masterful pitching performance by Jordan Zimmermann, as he threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history. It was truly the perfect ending to what had become a dominant season. Step behind a tapestry and the artist's plan will be lost in the mess of threads, but step around to...

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Zach Wilt: Who has advantage in ALDS matchup?

October 02, 2014, 4:17am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Who has advantage in ALDS matchup?

The first pitch of Orioles postseason is just hours away. For me, like just about everyone in Birdland, it can't come soon enough. Who else has had trouble sleeping this week? It feels like forever since the O's took the field, even longer since they were at Camden Yards. While the American League East champs have prepared for the Detroit Tigers to come to town, this nervous fan has spent days researching the Birds opponent from every possible angle. After reading thousands of words in...

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Rachel Levitin: Ready for another round of October baseball in D.C.

October 01, 2014, 5:18am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Ready for another round of October baseball in D.C.

When I first moved to D.C. in 2005 to start my freshman year at American University, my dad used to joke and say, "Good thing they've got a baseball team just in time for you to start. They must've known you were coming." This was funny unto himself, to me, and my family since I grew up and went to grade school within walking distance of Wrigley Field. It's because of that particular upbringing that I developed a love for the game of baseball. The sport's storied history was and still...

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Rachel Levitin: Younger Nats fans lucky to experience winning baseball in D.C.

September 24, 2014, 5:19am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Younger Nats fans lucky to experience winning baseball in D.C.

The last (and first) time the Nationals clinched the National League East championship, it was Oct. 1, 2012. It was the end of the season. Stakes were high. Adrenaline was ever-present. It was all new territory and they were able to secure the victory while also celebrating on their home turf at Nationals Park. The second time around, things were a little different. The Nats clinched their division on Sept. 16 in Atlanta at Turner Field with a couple of weeks still left in the season. Sure, it...

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Daniel Clark: Four keys to Orioles having ALDS success

October 01, 2014, 4:52am

Orioles

With the regular season having come to a close, now is a good opportunity to reflect on expectations for the 2014 season and appreciate just how impressive this Orioles team has performed. Despite the numerous injuries and suspensions during the journey, a 96-66 record, a 12-game division lead and a ninth American League East title was probably more than what even the most optimistic Orioles fan expected. And now, as the postseason swings into gear, the city of Baltimore holds high hopes that...

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Matt Kremnitzer: Can the Orioles rotation hold up?

September 30, 2014, 12:59pm

Orioles

The offseason addition of Ubaldo Jimenez was supposed to bolster a decent group of Orioles starting pitchers that included Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris and Miguel Gonzalez (along with Kevin Gausman waiting in the wings). Instead, Jimenez was terrible and was eventually demoted to the bullpen, Gausman joined the rotation full-time and every non-Jimenez starter finished the season with an ERA of 3.65 or lower. As a group, the O's rotation finished the season a respectable fifth in the...

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Andrew Stetka: Preparing for the postseason

September 29, 2014, 5:21am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Preparing for the postseason

It's obvious that Buck Showalter has done an admirable job in leading the Orioles since 2010 when he took over for Juan Samuel and Dave Trembely before him. Showalter has led the Birds to two postseason berths now and the team heads into this year's playoffs as a division champion for the first time since 1997. There's one thing that could tell you just how good Showalter is in the coming weeks, though, and that's his ability to prepare his team for the postseason. I'm not entirely sure...

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Marty Niland: Five reasons the Nats will make a deep postseason run

September 29, 2014, 5:15am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Five reasons the Nats will make a deep postseason run

The time we've been waiting for all year is at hand. After closing out the regular season on the highest possible note - Jordan Zimmermann throwing the Nationals' first no-hitter since the team moved to Washington D.C., in 2005 - the team and its fans can now get ready for the postseason. The bitter taste of the 2012 Game 5 meltdown is behind us now, as is the disappointment of missing the postseason in 2013. Instead, the Nationals can focus on winning Washington's first pennant since 1933,...

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Matthew Taylor: Postseason moments aren't always savored

September 26, 2014, 4:49am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Postseason moments aren't always savored

When you think of great postseason moments, which ones come to mind? Chances are there are a fair number of home runs in the mix. Carlton Fisk. Kirk Gibson. Kirby Puckett. Joe Carter. David Freese. Playoff home runs are tailor-made for highlight reels. They tell quick, dramatic stories that often come to define a game and even a series. As the Orioles approach the 2014 playoffs, I've spent time wondering about the postseason moments that await. My daydreaming about the good things that could...

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Zach Wilt: Comparing Nelson Cruz to Frank Robinson

September 25, 2014, 4:36am

Orioles

Zach Wilt: Comparing Nelson Cruz to Frank Robinson

Nelson Cruz's career year couldn't have come at a better time. The Orioles slugger will likely finish the season with the Major League lead in home runs, assuming Jose Abreu doesn't go on an absolute tear. He currently sits at 40 homers, seven more than his previous career-high in 2009 and his 108 RBIs are also more than he's ever driven in, he finished with 90 in 2012. Cruz has totaled more doubles and taken more free passes this year than he had in any of his previous nine seasons in the...

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David Huzzard: Waiting for October

September 25, 2014, 4:39am

Nationals

The day after the Nationals clinched the division, they put out a lineup that was more Triple-A Syracuse than it was Washington and it was a sign of things to come. Post clinch baseball is weird. A couple of days later, with the Nationals going for a four game sweep of the Marlins, and Stephen Strasburg through seven innings with a pitch count in the 80's, Craig Stammen entered for the eighth and disposed closer Rafael Soriano for the ninth. Post clinch baseball is somewhere between spring...

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Daniel Clark: Selecting the 25 to continue the journey

September 24, 2014, 4:43am

Orioles

Daniel Clark: Selecting the 25 to continue the journey

As the 2014 regular season nears its completion, the focus for the Orioles now shifts to the playoffs and with that, decisions need to be made on what the American League Division Series roster will look like. Despite the injuries and suspensions sustained throughout the season, the Orioles have managed to find adequate replacements throughout the journey, helping to ensure the winning ways have been maintained. However, there are still some uncertainties remaining ahead of the playoffs, in...

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Jon Shepherd: Voices in the stands

September 23, 2014, 5:07am

Orioles

In 2007, I was where you are. I voraciously read about the Orioles and participated on message boards. My thoughts and discussions about baseball were largely limited to reacting to written pieces or the dizzying pace at the old Baltimore Sun Orioles forum. Perhaps different from you, I was becoming more and more a message board hero armed with a set of sabermetric concepts, but without much understanding of the underlying data science. As I became aware of my path to be an internet...

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Marty Niland: One blogger's vote for 2014 Nats awards

September 22, 2014, 5:29am

Nationals

Marty Niland: One blogger's vote for 2014 Nats awards

Each year, the D.C. chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association polls members of the Nationals blogosphere to determine its Player Achievement Awards. The voting is organized by District Sports Page editor and fellow MASNsports.com guest blogger Dave Nichols. This year's winners will be announced on Monday, Sept. 29 on the DC-IBWAA Web site. This blogger is honored to have a ballot this year. Here are the submissions in a few categories, with explanations. A player receives five...

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Andrew Stetka: Sizing up the O's potential playoff foes

September 22, 2014, 5:03am

Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Sizing up the O's potential playoff foes

In just over a week, the Orioles will dive into the postseason for the second time in three years. In 2012 there was a happy-to-be-here mindset, maybe not with the team, but definitely with the fan base. Things are different this time. There is an expectation. There won't be a one-game wild card playoff for the O's. They are guaranteed a five-game series in the American League Division Series and are going to have home field advantage. The only thing that remains unclear entering the final...

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Matthew Taylor: Seeing players as human beings

September 19, 2014, 4:55am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Seeing players as human beings

The appeal of sports is built on emotion, and the past week has delivered plenty of it for Orioles fans. The highs and the lows have served to humanize the players for whom we cheer and have reminded me of how limited my perspective on them actually is. If there's a common thread for me between the elation provided by the O's clinching their first division title since 1997 and the disappointment produced by Chris Davis' suspension for Adderall use, it's this: Both moments afforded me a...

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David Huzzard: Nats' new magic number is 11

September 18, 2014, 5:53am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Nats' new magic number is 11

Eleven wins. That is what it will take for the Nationals to win the World Series. Sounds doable, right? All they need to do is go 11-8 in the month of October and they are not just the champions of the National League East, but the champions of the world. Winning 11 games in a month, playing three games over .500 - neither sounds too difficult for a team like the Nationals. Then you start looking at stats. The Nationals are second in the National League in runs scored with the only team in...