Which American League team had the third-best team batting average during the 2020 season? And, yes, it was a season shortened to 60 games, 102 fewer than normal. It was the Orioles. They ranked 12th in team batting average at .246 in 2019 and were third at .258 in the AL last summer when the league average was .245. While the Orioles in 2020 produced 4.57 runs per game, under league average of .4.65, they rated eighth in OBP (.321), sixth in slugging (.429) and tied for eighth in team OPS...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has chosen Thomas Eshelman to start Sunday afternoon's exhibition opener against the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium. Hyde wanted to get through a handful of full-squad workouts before making his decision. Eshelman rejoined the Orioles on a minor league deal last month. He made 12 appearances in 2020, including four starts, and tied Travis Lakins Sr. for the team lead with three wins. He also registered a 3.89 ERA and 1.240 WHIP in 34 2/3 innings. The Orioles...

The Washington Nationals announced the inaugural Phil Rizzo Scout of the Year Award on Thursday. The award will be given annually to the Washington Nationals scout who represents the integrity, character, and work ethic exemplified by Phil Rizzo. Steve Arnieri, Special Assistant to the President of Baseball Operations and General Manager, is the first winner. The award will be presented annually at the baseball Winter Meetings. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager...

Though a few things have changed since he last walked into the Nationals clubhouse - like the mandatory COVID-19 testing and temperature checks, the spaced-out lockers and the fact everyone must wear a mask indoors - Ryan Zimmerman feels far more a sense of familiarity right now at his home away from home. "It's good to be back out here and kind of going through the day-to-day grind again," he said. "I missed that part, for sure." It's been nearly a year since Zimmerman was last with his...

For Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, a 2020 season that began with him going 1-for-13 and getting optioned to the alternate site ended with him re-establishing his career while leading the majors in bunt hits. The .077 batting start reminded us of his .094 start to the 2019 year. That led to his demotion all the way down to Double-A Bowie, and Mullins ended that season playing in the Eastern League playoffs. But that was also the beginning of his road back. In 48 games last summer he hit...

This year, fans will be able to listen to a record number of Nationals Spring Training games. The flagship station of the Washington Nationals, 106.7 The Fan (WJFK-FM) in Washington D.C., and The Team 980 (WTEM-AM) will broadcast a total of eight Nationals Spring Training matchups. For the first time, the Nationals are also pleased to offer seven Spring Training games streamed through Nationals.com. Please see the full radio broadcast schedule below (all programming is subject to change). In...

Carter Kieboom has heard all your theories. That he wasn't aggressive enough at the plate. That he was hampered by an injury. That he couldn't handle the pressure of replacing Anthony Rendon at third base. And he heard all the chatter this winter about his future with the Nationals. That the club was going to trade for a new third baseman, either Kris Bryant or maybe Eugenio Suárez. Or sign a free agent who would bump him out of the lineup, like Justin Turner or DJ LeMahieu. Here, though,...

Right-hander reliever Cole Sulser's first season with the Orioles started off pretty well, but it didn't end up that way. He went 1-5 with a 5.56 ERA and with 17 walks and 19 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings. The 30-year-old Sulser went 1-2 with five saves, a 3.46 ERA and a .116 (5-for-43) opponent's batting average in his first 10 outings. But he finished 0-3 with an 8.38 ERA and a .316 (12-for-38) opponent's batting average in his last nine outings. In this entry from last month, Sulser...

Making it through spring training healthy is a priority for the Orioles, but so is keeping players away from the injured list through the regular season. Breaking camp with them is important. So is avoiding shutdowns and extended absences later. Reliever Hunter Harvey talks about it every spring. Outfielder Anthony Santander came to the Orioles as a Rule 5 pick recovering from shoulder surgery and his last two seasons have been cut short, most recently due to the oblique strain in September...

For the first time this spring, all 72 players in the Nationals' big league camp were on the field and participating today. On the second day of full-squad workouts, the only two pitchers who had yet to participate (Javy Guerra and Jeremy Jeffress) were cleared to join their teammates. Guerra, who had been in Arizona with his wife as she gave birth in recent days, arrived in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday and on Tuesday cleared his mandatory intake testing. Jeffress, meanwhile, passed his...