Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has said he believes his team will score some runs and has some real upside on offense. He's got a point, with players like Austin Hays, Ryan Mountcastle, Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander. You can add to that the speed of Cedric Mullins and the hope to get some offense out of other spots that would exceed what was produced there last year. Here is a look at where the Orioles ranked by position last year in OPS in the American League and I'll list which player or...

No matter how the opening day lineup is stacked today, and it should duplicate the one wasted yesterday by the postponement, the Orioles are going to make at least five changes from the 2020 version. They shouldn't need to wait another day unless the Red Sox determine that the sun is too bright. José Iglesias won't be batting third and playing shortstop. Renato Núñez won't be batting fourth and serving as designated hitter. Chris Davis won't be playing first base and batting fifth....

The Nationals' 2021 season won't begin tonight, and at this point, it's too soon to know for certain when it will be commence after Major League Baseball postponed the scheduled opener against the Mets due to ongoing contact tracing within the Nationals organization following Wednesday's discovery that a player tested positive for COVID-19. No makeup date has been determined, but the league said in a statement that the game will not be played Friday "out of an abundance of caution." The...

The Orioles won't play today in Boston, but they're able to set their opening day roster by the noon deadline. There are no surprises beyond the early rainout. Outfielder DJ Stewart is on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Reliever Shawn Armstrong is on the paternity list, keeping him away from the team for a maximum of three days. Reliever Travis Lakins Sr. is optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, but manager Brandon Hyde indicated yesterday that the assignment could be...

The Orioles today officially set their 26-man roster for Opening Day. The roster includes 14 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and four outfielders. 11 of the 26 players were on the Orioles' 2020 Opening Day roster. Six players are donning an Orioles jersey for the first time. The Orioles have placed OF DJ Stewart (left hamstring strain) on the 10-day Injured List and RHP Shawn Armstrong on the Paternity List. Additionally, RHP Travis Lakins Sr. has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Two...

The Orioles aren't opening their season later this afternoon. Today's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park has been postponed due to a forecast that calls for periods of rain throughout the afternoon. (The weather app on my phone only shows clouds in Boston after 10 a.m., but it isn't official.) The game has been rescheduled for Friday at 2:10 p.m. "The decision to postpone our first game of the season was not made lightly," Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy said in a statement....

The Washington Nationals will celebrate Opening Day and their first home game of the 2021 season on Thursday, April 1 when the team hosts the New York Mets. The game will be aired exclusively on ESPN, with first pitch scheduled for 7:09 p.m. ET. The game will also be broadcasted on 106.7 The Fan FM. In accordance with CDC recommendations and MLB protocols, the Nationals will implement appropriate social distancing and safety measures that will allow Nationals Park to host 5,000 fans on Opening...

The day has come at last. The 2021 baseball season begins today. All 30 clubs are scheduled to play, including the Nationals in tonight's nationally televised opener against the Mets. Fans will be in attendance everywhere, 5,000 of them here. Alas, five members of the Nats' expected opening night roster will not be there after one tested positive for COVID-19 and four others were deemed close contacts to him. It turns today into more of a bittersweet event than a full-on celebration of...

Starting on April 1, 2021, MASN will be providing live streams of both MASN and MASN2 on MASNsports.com. In order to be able to watch the live streams online, fans will need to be subscribed to a participating cable system that already includes MASN in their package. In the next few days, MASN will also be launching an app that will be available for download from Apple's App store, Google Play, and Roku. This app will enable fans who already get MASN at home to now watch Orioles and...

In a time when there is still so much uncertainty in the world, there are some things we do know for a fact as it relates to the 2021 baseball season. Spring training started on time and was completed without any serious hiccups. The Nationals will start their 2021 campaign eventually, even after a player returned a positive COVID-19 test yesterday and opening day against the Mets was postponed. There is no universal designated hitter and the regular 10-team postseason is back, while the...