NEW YORK – The Nationals did a lot of things well in Monday night’s series opener against the Mets. They got a great start from Jake Irvin. They played crisp defense. They got some decent relief pitching. What they did not get is enough offense, especially in clutch situations late in the game. The Nats finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring pos

Talk about being thrown into the deep end and having to swim, that is, in a sense, what is happening to Orioles prospects Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo. These are top young talents, rated among the best in the game, that may be cornerstone players one day, but right now they are battling to get hits in a pennant race. And at a time when the team h

NEW YORK – It was the first, and arguably only time Jake Irvin faced real danger Monday night. Having set down the first nine Mets he faced, now here was the Nationals right-hander dealing with a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the fourth. Mark Vientos had worked the count to 2-2, and as the Citi Field crowd stood and roared in search of

One matter was resolved yesterday with the Twins claiming left-hander Cole Irvin on waivers only one day after the Orioles designated him for assignment. Irvin won’t stay in the organization, and now we track reliever Kyle Virbitsky’s progress while grading the Jan. 26, 2023 trade with Oakland. Virbitsky went a combined 7-2 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.19

NEW YORK – These Nationals don’t know what postseason baseball feels like, and they won’t be finding out in 2024. They do want to experience it in 2025, though, at minimum the pressure of a September pennant race where the outcome of each game only magnifies down the stretch. So consider the final two weeks of this season a dress rehearsal for the

NEW YORK – Though he’s out of the Nationals lineup for the fourth straight day, CJ Abrams did partake in more pregame drills than he had since hurting his left shoulder Thursday and should be available off the bench tonight if the team needs him during its series opener against the Mets. Davey Martinez said Abrams has made progress and wants to ret

A second attempt by the Orioles to pass Cole Irvin through waivers has failed. The Twins claimed Irvin this afternoon after the Orioles designated him for assignment yesterday. He went unclaimed at the trade deadline when the club made a flurry of late moves. Irvin was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 4 and had his contract selected on the 21

NEW YORK – We’ve reached the final two weeks of the season, and the Nationals’ final road trip. Every team remaining on the schedule has a winning record, everyone still technically in the pennant race. And these first three games come against a Mets team very much in the race, tied with the Braves for the National League’s final Wild Card berth. T

The easy part of the Nationals’ 2024 schedule is over. After yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Marlins (against whom they finished 11-2 this season), the Nats no longer have any sub-.500 teams remaining on their schedule. Starting tonight, the Nats final 13 games come against the 81-68 Mets (three games), the 76-73 Cubs (four games), the 82-68 Royals (t

DETROIT – As the Orioles offense continues to struggle and the team can’t seem to find a spark or any answers right now to turn it, the Orioles are probably still secure to make the playoffs. Probably. But each loss makes it harder to win a second straight American League East title and each loss gives Kansas City the chance to gain ground on the O