CHICAGO - Stephen Strasburg is ramping up his throwing program, but the right-hander still appears to be at least two weeks away from rejoining the Nationals rotation. Strasburg, who has made only one start since June 8 due to shoulder and neck ailments, is slated to throw a "heavy" bullpen session Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. If that goes well, manager Davey Martinez said he'll throw a simulated game on Wednesday in St. Louis. And then if that goes well, he'll make a minor league...

CHICAGO - It's a warm, sunny day at the corner of Clark and Addison, but the wind's actually blowing in, a rarity at Wrigley Field given the other conditions. That could help keep the ball in the park, which of course benefits the pitchers in today's series opener between the Nationals and Cubs. Jeremy Hellickson is the kind of pitcher who looks for groundballs, so he won't complain about the conditions this afternoon. The right-hander still faces a stiff challenge, of course, in the Cubs...

On Wednesday evening, I was fortunate enough to spend my birthday attending the Nationals game and to sit with Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo in the MASN broadcast booth from the second through the fifth innings. You might assume my lofty position as a MASNsports.com guest blogger was my ticket to this invitation, but actually, several months back at the Nats Clubhouse Social event, I was the lucky winner of this opportunity as a raffle prize. As a diehard baseball fan that has spent a bit...

Tim Beckham took the Orioles by storm last season. The shortstop was acquired at the 2017 trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays for 18-year-old right hander Tobias Myers, who was pitching in Aberdeen at that time. In his first 20 games in Baltimore, Beckham slashed a ridiculous .424/.443/.741 with eight doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs. A change of scenery seemed to be exactly what Beckham needed. Quite possibly the best part about acquiring Beckham was that he wasn't just a rental for Dan...

The Major League Baseball announced for August 24-26 games the players will wear special uniforms with their nicknames instead of last names on their backs. Here are the nicknames for the Nationals: Matt Adams: "BIG CITY" Joaquin Benoit: "JACK" Wilmer Difo: "EL DE" Sean Doolittle: "DOC" Adam Eaton: "SPANKY" Erick Fedde: "FEDDECCINI" Koda Glover: "BEAR" Gio Gonzalez: "DOUBLE G" Matt Grace: "GRACEY" Bryce Harper: "MONDO" Jeremy Hellickson: "HELLY" Kelvin Herrera: "K 40"...

Michael A. Taylor played the part of "super sub" Thursday, contributing on offense and defense to a help the Nationals earn a split of their four-game set with the Braves, 6-3. Taylor smacked a solo shot and made a spectacular diving catch of a dying bloop shot off the bat of Kurt Suzuki as the Nats earned their 59th win of the season. At the start of the game, both Taylor and Adam Eaton provided key outfield assists to prevent the Braves from scoring runs. Manager Davey Martinez sighted the...

After going 3-6 on a road trip to New York, Texas and St. Petersburg, the Orioles return home tonight to face Boston with a record of 35-80. They are playing .304 baseball with 47 games to go. At this win percentage they would finish 49-113. Tonight they face this Boston team, which has almost the exact opposite record at 81-35. Boston lost to Toronto last night to see a six-game win streak end. But the Red Sox have won 10 of 12 and 25 of their past 31 games. They are 39-15 versus AL East teams...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Chris Davis walked up the left field line at Tropicana Field before batting practice this week, found a box seat in the second row and joked about becoming the guy whose name was etched in a tiny gold plate. If only it were that simple for Davis to escape his own skin. He isn't looking for pity, which rarely comes to a man who's being paid $161 million to play a sport. But the chance to duck the spotlight and the steady flow of criticism was embraced beneath the...

Manager: Joe Maddon (4th season) Record: 66-48 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 2B Javier Báez (25 HR, 88 RBIs, 19 SB), LF Kyle Schwarber (20 HR, 48 RBIs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (17 HR, 74 RBI), 3B David Bote (.338), RHP Pedro Strop (2.74 ERA, 8 SV) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-0 Pitching probables: Aug. 10: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (5-2) vs. RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-9), 2:20 p.m., MASNAug. 11: RHP Tanner Roark (6-12) vs. LHP Jon Lester (12-4), 4:05 p.m., MASNAug. 12: RHP Max Scherzer (15-5) vs. LHP...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - While the buzz continues surrounding Triple-A center fielder Cedric Mullins and his anticipated arrival in Baltimore, perhaps on the upcoming homestand, maybe as early as the weekend, Joey Rickard is fighting to hold onto his roster spot. He's gotten used to it, his minor league options always placing him on the bubble. But give him more games against the Rays and he'd become immovable. Plucked from Tampa Bay's organization in the 2015 Rule 5 draft, Rickard appears to...