The 2019 season will be remembered as the Year of the Dinger. But will it stretch into the October postseason? We'll find out when the Twins and Yankees - the first two teams in history to each hit at least 300 home runs in a season - open an American League Division Series on Friday night in Yankee Stadium. Major League Baseball set a record with 6,776 home runs this season, beating the old record by 671. Fourteen teams broke franchise records for home runs. There were 24 teams with at least...

LOS ANGELES - The thrill of victory and the smell of champagne and beer had worn off. In their place was a happy but tired Nationals club that celebrated Tuesday night's epic wild card victory over the Brewers hard, then spent all of Wednesday afternoon flying across the country, then spent Wednesday night working out under the lights at Dodger Stadium, where tonight they'll open a best-of-five National League Division Series with a 106-win team from L.A. The previous 24 hours had been a...

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals will send Patrick Corbin to the mound Thursday night for Game 1 of their National League Division Series against the Dodgers. That much they know for sure. They do not yet know who will start Game 2 on Friday night, but they certainly appear to be open to the idea of giving the ball to Stephen Strasburg only three days after his dominant three-inning relief appearance in their wild card game victory over the Brewers. "Most definitely," manager Davey Martinez said...

The impression I get after a season of a lot of interaction with fans via this blog, Twitter and a radio show is this, in a nutshell: A large majority of Orioles fans are very understanding of the club's rebuilding situation. They have taken a mostly supportive wait-and-see approach, and they are optimistic for the future. They got frustrated with some aspects of the 2019 season and team, yet know there is a bigger picture to consider. They're hopeful. That is a large majority and that is...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde wasn't ready last month to hand Austin Hays the center field job on opening day. No amount of prodding from the media was going to soften his stance. It was too soon to begin construction of a 26-man roster to be unveiled in late March. The story is the same regarding Renato Núñez. Hyde won't say that Núñez is going to be the primary designated hitter next season. But he speaks as if Núñez is on the team. "I think it's way too soon to think...

While it's been quiet on the baseball side this afternoon, with no news from the Orioles regarding players joining or leaving the 40-man roster, announcements were made on changes to the business side. T.J. Brightman has been hired as senior vice president and chief revenue officer. Jennifer Grondahl received a promotion to senior vice president of community development and communications, and Greg Bader has been promoted to senior vice president of administration and experience. They join...

After launching an organizational transformation in baseball operations nearly one year ago with the hiring of Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias, the team now confirms the leadership vision off the field. The Orioles have hired T.J. Brightman as Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, and promoted Jennifer Grondahl to Senior Vice President of Community Development & Communications, and Greg Bader to Senior Vice President of Administration & Experience. The...

There was a point during Tuesday night's wild card game, around the third inning or so, when it looked like Davey Martinez's postseason managerial debut was going to be remembered for the wrong reason. With Max Scherzer digging the Nationals into a 3-0 hole after serving up a pair of quick homers and the Brewers all set up to use their pitching staff exactly as they planned, Martinez's decision not only to start Scherzer in this game but to then let him bat for himself and continue pitching...

Of all the ups and downs the Nationals bullpen has struggled through this season, the biggest challenge is waiting for them in Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers offense is loaded with left-handed batters. The Nationals bullpen, as was seen with the wild card roster, has only one lefty, Sean Doolittle. The Dodgers, who host the Nationals in the National League Division Series starting Thursday, have a versatile power-hitting lineup that hit 279 home runs during the regular season, most in the NL. Los...

Following a 4-3 win in the National League wild card game, the Nationals turn their focus to Los Angeles for Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Manager Davey Martinez confirmed that left-hander Patrick Corbin will start Game 1. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has not announced his Game 1 starter. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg tossed three scoreless innings in Tuesday's comeback win over the Brewers, taxed for only 34 pitches. So that opens the door for...