It's a tough day for all Americans today. The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., brings a lot of emotions to all who remember that tragic day for our nation. Like many of us, Nationals manager Davey Martinez remembers exactly where he was and what he was doing on that fateful morning. "Yeah, you know, it was a day no one will ever forget, obviously," Martinez said while getting visibly emotional...

This weekend series between the Nationals and Pirates continues to be filled with reunions and signs of the changing times between these two franchises. Josh Bell homered in his return to Pittsburgh last night. Today, he'll get the chance to face Wil Crowe, the pitcher the Nats sent to the Pirates in order to acquire the first baseman last winter. A second-round pick by the Nationals in 2017, Crowe is 3-7 with a 5.94 ERA in 22 appearances (21 starts) this year for the Bucs. The former top...

As the Orioles (46-94) get set to play a straight doubleheader today with a pair of seven-inning games versus Toronto, there are a few interesting notes to review from Friday's 6-3 win. That victory snapped Toronto's eight-game win streak. As this series began the Blue Jays were winners of 11 of 12 and 14 of 19 games. They were coming off a four-game series sweep in the Bronx, where they outscored the Yankees 25-8. They were 27-14 in the last 41 games. The Orioles now have won three of four,...

The Orioles are sending rookies Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer to the mound for today's doubleheader against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Kremer is starting the opener. Kremer has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk as the 29th man, rejoining a team he hasn't pitched for since June 24 in Buffalo, where he allowed six runs and walked five batters in one-third of an inning. In his previous start, he held the Jays to two runs and three hits with six strikeouts in six innings at Camden Yards....

Try as he might to ignore it at the time, Josh Bell couldn't avoid knowing his stat line on May 13, the low point of a 2021 season that was shaping up to be a disaster. The big slugger, in his first season with the Nationals, was batting .133 with three homers, 10 RBIs, a .198 on-base percentage, .289 slugging percentage and .487 OPS that ranked among the lowest in the majors. And this was with the season nearly one-quarter complete. So imagine what Bell thinks these days when he sees his...

We will get to see Double-A Bowie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, baseball's No. 1-ranked pitching prospect, make at least one more start in the 2021 season. Limited to three innings on Thursday at Harrisburg, Rodriguez will pitch next week, likely on Wednesday, when Bowie hosts Altoona in the final week of the regular season for the Double-A Northeast. Should Bowie advance to the playoffs the following week - when there will be one playoff series involving the top two teams in the league -...

The comparisons came to Ryan Mountcastle almost from the minute that the Orioles selected him with their second pick in the 2015 draft. His size, the position he played. There was an attachment to Cal Ripken Jr. long before he approached the Hall of Famer's club record for most home runs by a rookie in a season. Mountcastle enters today's doubleheader needing only one to tie Eddie Murray for second place with 27 and leave him one behind Ripken, baseball's Iron Man. Two legends of the game....

The Orioles know exactly what's at stake. The importance of the remaining games for each opponent that's in a pennant race. Vying for a division title or the distinction of a wild card. A team buried in last place can wield plenty of influence. And the Orioles are going to take their biggest swings at it. Don't strive to be a spoiler but hope to succeed at it. Cedric Mullins and Ryan McKenna homered in the first inning tonight and rookie Chris Ellis grinded through the fifth before the Blue...

They got another quality start from Josh Rogers. They got a big blast from Josh Bell in his return to Pittsburgh. The Nationals just needed their bullpen to finish off the Pirates. A bullpen that featured two unfamiliar people pitching the bottom of the ninth, which ultimately undid the Nats. Patrick Murphy, given a chance to close with Kyle Finnegan unavailable due to his recent workload, got into a jam and had to give way to Alberto Baldonado, who inherited a second-and-third jam and let the...

Major League Baseball has suspended Nationals pitcher Sean Nolin five games and manager Davey Martinez one game after determining Nolin intentionally hit Braves slugger Freddie Freeman with a pitch Wednesday night in Atlanta. Nolin, who was also fined an undisclosed amount, initially appealed his suspension and was to remain on the active roster until his case was heard, but the Nationals later announced the lefty dropped his appeal and began serving the suspension tonight. Martinez is serving...