For the first time since they arrived in town a decade and a half ago, the Nationals know they have a manager for the long haul. The organization and Davey Martinez agreed to a contract extension today, ensuring the manager who guided the franchise to its first World Series title in 2019 will remain in his position beyond 2021 and become the longest-tenured skipper in club history. The deal has not been officially finalized yet, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but an...

This hasn't been the season Max Scherzer or the Nationals envisioned. All they can do now is try to finish strong and head into the winter with something of a positive taste left in their mouths. For Scherzer, the final opportunity to do that comes tonight against the Mets. Though his overall numbers (4-4, 3.67 ERA, 1.386 WHIP) are not up to his usual standards, Scherzer has pitched pretty well over the second half of this season. In his last five starts, he has a 3.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts...

Anthony Santander demonstrated his value to the Orioles this summer during his appearances in the lineup and in right field. He also showed how much he's missed. Santander appeared in 37 games before the Orioles shut him down with a strained right oblique muscle, but his overall impact earned him the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole award for 2020. The award is voted upon by members of the media who cover the team on a regular or semi-regular basis. Outfielder Trey Mancini won it in...

The Orioles today announced that outfielder Anthony Santander has been voted the winner of the 2020 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media who cover the team on a regular basis. Santander finished the season hitting .261/.315/.575 (40-for-153) with 13 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 24 runs scored, 32 RBI, and 10 walks. His season was cut short after being placed on the Injured List with a strained right oblique on September 5. At the time of his injury,...

If this were a normal season, players currently slumping would have over 100 games to do something about it. But now those same players have three more games. It's probably not enough time to overcome slumps that have lasted a week or more. Some players' stats are falling big-time and they are going to have to look at them all winter. Does that create a complicated evaluation process for the Orioles? They have 60 games of a body of work and not 162 to look at. Some players that were key...

The defensive decline that's hurting the Orioles on the field and in the metrics again is going to be a point of emphasis in the offseason. Doesn't it seem that way every year since the days of Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy and pre-decline Adam Jones? The Orioles wanted an upgrade at shortstop, discussed Adeiny Hechavarría and signed plus-plus defender José Iglesias to a one-year deal with an option for 2021. They wanted Richie Martin to play shortstop every day at Triple-A Norfolk and...

As the Orioles offense broke out tonight and they won the final game of a three-game series, a somewhat unlikely source had an early big hit. It was center fielder Cedric Mullins. It's not that he had been hitting poorly; he had not. But Mullins had struggled this year as a right-handed batter facing lefties. However, his two-run, bases-loaded double tonight was a key hit that gave the Orioles an early 3-0 lead in the second inning. They went on to beat Boston 13-1 to avoid being swept three...

On the day that Orioles manager Brandon Hyde summons Austin Hays into his office this weekend for the traditional exit interview - in a non-traditional major league city - he's going to talk again about the importance of staying healthy in order for the young outfielder to reach his full potential. The Orioles know what Hays can do when he's on the field. They just need to keep him on it. Exactly how does a team protect a player from a succession of freakish injuries? Hays hasn't slowed down...

The game did not turn out the way the Nationals wanted, but one thing is for certain: Patrick Corbin battled. Robinson Chirinos went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and an RBI single as the Mets won 3-2 at Nationals Park, taking the opener of a season-ending four-game series on Thursday night. The signature moment for the lefty came in the seventh inning when the Nats were down two runs. Corbin again demonstrated his value with a gutsy performance to get out of a jam. The Mets loaded the bases on...

Third baseman Carter Kieboom was disappointed that a left wrist injury ended his season prematurely. The 23-year-old felt like he made several strides forward in the field and in the batter's box, especially over the last couple of weeks. Kieboom knows his numbers at the plate did not jump out, but that doesn't mean those at-bats weren't extremely valuable. Kieboom ended up hitting .202 in 33 games, with one double, nine RBIs and 17 walks. He struck out 33 times. But his defense at third...