HOUSTON - For the first time in a while, Davey Martinez had a lineup decision to make today. With Howie Kendrick serving as designated hitter for Games 1 and 2 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park, the Nationals manager needed to choose between Asdrúbal Cabrera or Brian Dozier to start at second base. He chose Cabrera, opting for a more consistently productive bat over a more consistently effective defensive player. "I like the left-handed bat, obviously today," Martinez said. "And...

The offseason is moving through the period when players who have been outrighted off the 40-man roster can elect free agency. Players with a previous outright or who built up three years of service time in the majors. The market is open and the list of Orioles to enter it includes pitcher Sean Gilmartin, infielder Jace Peterson and catcher Jesús Sucre. The list of surprises is empty. The Orioles designated Gilmartin on June 25, claimed pitcher Tayler Scott off waivers from the Mariners and...

HOUSTON - The Nationals are playing in the World Series tonight. Yes, that's a true statement. What seemed elusive for so long is reality. At 8:08 p.m. Eastern time, Trea Turner will step into the batter's box and face Gerrit Cole, at which point the 115th Fall Classic will be underway and Washington baseball history will forever be changed. We've had nearly a week to rehash what happened in the National League Championship Series and preview what could happen in this World Series. None of...

HOUSTON - The Nationals made some tweaks to the fringes of their roster for the World Series, but as we've seen throughout this extended postseason run to date, the National League champs fully intend to stick with the core group of big-name pitchers and lineup regulars in search of their first title. The Nats added two new relievers for the Fall Classic in Joe Ross and Wander Suero, dropping Austin Voth and Roenis Elías from their NL Championship Series bullpen. The addition of Ross is a...

HOUSTON - When they take the field tonight for the first time as World Series participants, once the players have been introduced, once the anthem has been sung, once the ceremonial first pitch has been thrown, the Nationals will embark on their 11th game of this postseason. They'll do with Max Scherzer on the mound for the fifth time, fourth as a starter. There's a decent chance they'll be summoning Patrick Corbin out of the bullpen for the fourth time, to go along with two starts. They'll...

The World Series teams both have plenty of quality starting pitchers who can throw big-velocity fastballs. They just don't throw them as much as many other teams. For instance, the Houston Astros this year threw the lowest percentage of fastballs of all 30 major league teams at 45.6 percent. This despite the fact that Houston's average velocity of 94.2 mph ranked second in the big leagues, according to FanGraphs stats. As for Washington, the Nationals this season rated 15th in fastball usage...

HOUSTON - The decision to start Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in Games 1 and 2 of the World Series was easy for Davey Martinez and the Nationals. The tougher decision is how to line up Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez after that, not to mention how to assemble a lineup for these games in an American League ballpark. Martinez didn't reveal the rotation plan beyond Game 2, and it sounds like the Nationals genuinely don't know yet who they'll give the ball to for Game 3 in D.C. on...

HOUSTON - The Nationals could've gotten cute with their World Series rotation, sticking with the order that led them to a National League Championship Series sweep of the Cardinals and saved up their two best horses for potential Games 6 and 7. In the end, manager Davey Martinez decided to keep thing simple and just go with his best guys right out of the chute against the Astros' comparable aces. Max Scherzer will start Game 1 of the Fall Classic on Tuesday night, with Stephen Strasburg on...

Among the assortment of bullpen decisions for the Orioles is what to do about Miguel Castro. The arm can be electric, the outages frustrating and troublesome. At various junctures of Castro's tenure with the Orioles, he's been viewed as a possible starter, middle reliever and closer leading up to the new regime's commitment to keep him in the bullpen without a defined role. Does anyone really have one beyond high-leverage options? And speaking of options, Castro ran out of them and can't be...

The strength of the Nationals bullpen heading into the World Series boils down to Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle. Hudson has been a difference maker for the 'pen since his arrival July 31 in a trade with the Blue Jays. Hudson not only provided an arm that could close games but also brought the endurance to be a reliever that could extend past one inning if needed. Doolittle said Hudson's addition changed everything for him. Doolittle missed 12 games in late August due to right knee...