And so we have arrived at the final home game of the 2018 season. Which, of course, also means it could be the final home game of Bryce Harper's Nationals career. This isn't the manner anyone expected or wanted it to happen, on a late Wednesday afternoon against the Marlins, with nothing at stake and rain in the forecast. But this is the reality of the situation. We don't know for sure what today has in store, but there will be opportunities for fans to salute Harper, beginning at roughly...

BOSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter knows who's supposed to start Game 2 of today's doubleheader. However, he won't reveal the name until he's certain that the pitcher won't be needed out of the bullpen for the opener. Ryan Meisinger gets his first major league start in Game 1. "He was going to pitch anyway," Showalter said. "They're all probably going to pitch today, so what order ... There's a lot of other things that I'm not going to talk about and the reflection it might have...

The Nationals announced their minor league awards today. Infielder Carter Kieboom was named the Nats organization's 2018 Minor League Player of the Year. Left-handed pitcher Ben Braymer and right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe are the 2018 co-Minor League Pitchers of the Year. Infielder Jake Noll is the winner of the sixth-annual Bob Boone Award. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The Nationals said these players will be honored in a...

BOSTON - Chris Davis is on the bench today for the third consecutive game as the Red Sox send left-hander David Price to the mound for Game 1 of the doubleheader. Rookie DJ Stewart also is out of the lineup. Adam Jones gets another start in left field, and Joey Rickard is in right. Tim Beckham continues to serve as the designated hitter, with Jonathan Villar at shortstop and Steve Wilkerson at second base. Rookie Austin Wynns is catching. For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF Jonathan Villar SS...

The Washington Nationals named infielder Carter Kieboom their 2018 Minor League Player of the Year, left-handed pitcher Ben Braymer and right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe their 2018 co-Minor League Pitchers of the Year and infielder Jake Noll the winner of the sixth-annual "Bob Boone Award." Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. These players will be honored in a ceremony during 2019 Spring Training. Kieboom, 21, hit .280 with 31 doubles,...

This week marks the final week for guest bloggers on MASNsports.com and I could not think of a better way to wrap up the year than to look forward to next year. Today I present my bold Orioles prospect predictions for the 2019 season. Remember, these are bold predictions, so some of them may seem far-fetched, but if they all come true next year, please don't call me asking what your future holds or for the winning lottery numbers (I'd keep that info anyway). Breakout Offensive Prospect - SS...

On a team with stars such as Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Juan Soto, sometimes it can be easy to forget about Anthony Rendon. And while it's probably what he wants, as the man famously will go to excessive lengths to avoid talking about himself and his accomplishments, we would be doing the world a great injustice if we let what he's done this season go away quietly without mention. Even as everyone has been ignoring him, Rendon has put together a stellar season. And even...

The Nationals' offense got a chance to really open up the game in the seventh with six runs to roll past the Marlins 9-4 for a series victory Tuesday night at Nats Park. With the win, the Nationals (80-78) finally move back into second place in the NL East, ahead of the uber-slumping Phillies. Colorado defeated Philadelphia 10-3. Anthony Rendon led the hit parade again, going 3-for-3 with a single, double, homer and four RBIs. The third baseman now has an 11-game hitting streak and a current...

The Orioles end their 2018 road schedule with today's day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park, with games at 1:05 and 7:10 p.m. Boston won the series opener 6-2 Monday night before Tuesday's rainout. The Orioles are 18-61 on the road and have lost seven of eight and 15 of their last 17 away from Baltimore. They've lost eight straight road series and are 3-20-2 in road series for the year, winning series on the road versus the Yankees, Mets and Braves. The Red Sox are 7-1 at home and 15-2...

Watching outfielder DJ Stewart get on a roll the last six games and go 7-for-14 for the Orioles with five extra-base hits, it can be easy to forget that Stewart struggled at times this year and at times during his career since the Orioles selected him No. 25 overall in round one of the 2015 draft. He joined the organization amid the hype and with the high expectations that any first round draft pick faces. But in 2015 at short season Single-A Aberdeen, Stewart hit .218/.288/.345. He started the...