The Nationals could be eliminated from the National League East race tonight. That's not a scenario anyone anticipated back in February (or April or June or maybe even July or August, for that matter) but it's the reality of the situation. The Nats are eight games back of the Braves in the division with nine to play. That means the elimination number is two, which means a Washington loss and an Atlanta win make it official. (The elimination number for the NL wild card race, for what it's...

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Nationals manager Davey Martinez has been impressed with the progress he has seen from backup catcher Spencer Kieboom this season. Kieboom got his opportunity early in the season when Pedro Severino struggled at the plate and Matt Wieters battled injury. This season, Kieboom, 27, has demonstrated the biggest key element for young catchers working with Nats pitchers: being able to call the game to give that pitcher the best chance to succeed. He played one game for the Nats in 2016. This season,...

And then there were 10. Just 10 games and three series remain in the 2018 season. The Orioles (44-108) begin their last road trip of the season playing three games at Yankee Stadium starting tonight and three in Boston beginning Monday night. Then they return home for a four-game series with the Astros to conclude the year. On Wednesday night the Orioles held Toronto to four hits in a 2-1 win over the Blue Jays. DJ Stewart hit his first career homer and scored the second run when he doubled and...

NEW YORK - Rookie Austin Wynns gets another start behind the plate tonight and Chris Davis is back at first base as the Orioles open a three-game series against the Yankees. Joey Rickard is in left field, Tim Beckham is starting at shortstop and Trey Mancini is the designated hitter. Yefry Ramírez is making his third start and fourth appearance against the Yankees. He's allowed a combined 10 runs and 15 hits in nine innings in his two starts, and he tossed three scoreless innings out of the...

One of several reasons the 2018 Nationals have underachieved this season has been their lack of starting pitching depth. Washington suffered lengthy injuries to starters Stephen Strasburg and Jeremy Hellickson this season, and replacements Erick Fedde, Tommy Milone and Jefry Rodriguez could not adequately replace their performance. However, one could argue the Nationals' pitching depth began to feel strained in July 2017, when Joe Ross tore his ulnar collateral ligament and was forced to...

Talk about flying under the radar. He finished fourth in the South Atlantic League in ERA and second among qualifying Orioles minor league pitchers. Yet while higher-drafted players and/or pitchers that got promoted this season got more attention, he just kept cranking out solid starts. If you mention the Orioles top pitching prospects, you might leave him off your list but you definitely should not. At 20, right-hander Brenan Hanifee went 8-6 with a 2.86 ERA for Single-A Delmarva. Over 23...

The outfield grass at Nationals Park hasn't always looked pristine this summer, most notably after a couple of concerts that left much of center field a splotchy brown. But the field itself had held up well through it all, never once appearing to negatively impact play despite heat, rain, All-Star festivities and more. But on Thursday night, two players in the Nationals-Mets game got their feet caught in the outfield turf, wound up creating massive divots and nearly injured themselves in the...

Manager: Aaron Boone (1st season Record: 93-59 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: DH Giancarlo Stanton (35 HR, 93 RBIs), RF Aaron Judge (.279/.391/.534 with 26 HR), 3B Miguel Andújar (.295/.329/.520 with 84 RBIs), SS Didi Gregorius (84 RBIs, 10 SB), LHP CC Sabathia (3.80 ERA), LHP Aroldis Chapman (31 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 10-6 Pitching probables: Sept. 21: RHP Yefry Ramírez (1-6) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (7-7), 7:05 p.m., MASNSept. 22: RHP David Hess (3-10) vs. TBA, 4:05 p.m.,...

At 44-108, 2018 has officially become the worst season in franchise history for the Orioles. In 65 years of Orioles baseball, 2018 marks just the third 100-loss season. The Birds lost 107 games in 1988, when they began the year 0-21, and 100 games in their inaugural season in 1954. Their .289 winning percentage this season is their lowest in franchise history. With 10 games remaining this season, the Orioles sit 59 games out of first place in the American League East. The last team to finish...