With regard to the potential return of baseball in July, Nationals closer Sean Doolittle expressed concern on Twitter about the health and safety of himself and his fellow players on the field as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Doolittle expressed through Twitter that he is concerned about working with others indoors. If a player or staff member gets the virus, does the entire team need to be tested? How long will the quarantine continue? What safety protocols will be in place when a person...

To say the least, Orioles minor league left-handed pitchers Alexander Wells and Zac Lowther have a lot in common. A lot. They are close in age, with Wells 23 and Lowther just turned 24 on April 30. They were both non-roster invitee pitchers in O's big league camp in Sarasota. Both have been named the Orioles' Jim Palmer Award winner as Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Both excelled last year at Double-A Bowie. And here is another one - both have some doubters as it relates to their big...

The Orioles are supposed to be in Minnesota today to start a three-game series. They're supposed to be putting last year's failings behind them. In a big pile that could bury them if it toppled. Three games against the Twins at Camden Yards produced three losses. Three games at Target Field produced three losses. All of them coming in April, with a series win against the White Sox nestled in between. Alex Cobb made only three starts in 2019 and the last two came against the Twins before the...

The pandemic and absence of sports leaves many of us lamenting losses that, when kept in proper perspective, aren't really that important. They hurt but they don't do irreparable harm. This isn't a lecture. Maybe more of a reality check. I've got my health and my job. Same with my fiancée, sister, daughter and niece. My mother is doing the best that she can in isolation on the Eastern Shore Other people have it much worse and I remind myself of it each time that I look in the mirror and...

Nationals first baseman Eric Thames did not play Major League Baseball from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, he worked his way through the minor leagues and played in the Venezuelan Winter League. Then, from 2014 to 2016, he took a chance and accepted a contract to play in the Korea Baseball Organization for the NC Dinos. The move paid off. Thames rediscovered his game with the Dinos, crushing 124 homers with 382 RBIs in 390 games. With the KBO games being televised for audiences in the United States,...

While the fight over compensation for a potential 2020 season draws most of the headlines, the matter of health and safety appears to be taking priority in early negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. There are countless issues that must be worked out before a season can officially begin, but the question on most players' minds right now is a simple one: What happens if somebody tests positive for the coronavirus? MLB hadn't publicly said much of anything...

When you are pro baseball player that lives in Florida, you can probably often find other pro players to work out with and train with. That is true for Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle, who lives near Orlando. In an interview yesterday, he told me he is spending his days right now working out, playing ball and hanging out by the pool. Sounds like a pretty good day, right? So when Mountcastle looks to take part in some baseball activities these days, he is doing that with other accomplished...

The proposal for finding a way to start the baseball season around the July All-Star break carried with it the potential of 80 or so games, or half a season. One solution that has been brought forth is three 10-team divisions across both leagues, based on geography. From the Nationals' point of view, that would mean playing all teams in the National League East and the American League East, plus Pittsburgh. MASN broadcaster Bo Porter, a former big league manager, coach and player, likes the...

It's time for another round of Nats trivia! If you didn't play along in our three previous installments, be sure to check out the quizzes on opening days, the postseason and club highs and lows. This quiz is all about uniform numbers. How well do you know your Nationals based not on names or stats but the number on the back of their jerseys? This will test both your simple and your deep-cut knowledge. Just to make one thing clear: Unless otherwise stated, all questions refer only to numbers...

If the Orioles are able to play baseball in 2020, no one else on the active roster is going to have more home runs or RBIs from the previous season than designated hitter Renato Núñez. Trey Mancini ranked first in both categories, but is unable to play this year while recovering from colon cancer surgery. His goal is 2021. It was a breakout season for Núñez, who earned the opportunity to appear in 151 games and accumulated 599 plate appearances. His 132 hits, 24 doubles, 31 home...