If you just look at a few basic stats, it appears that Orioles reliever Mychal Givens had a much better season in 2017 than he did in 2018. In 2017, he went 8-1 with a 2.75 ERA. This year, he was 0-7 with a 3.99 ERA. But a look at other stats shows Givens' last two seasons were more comparable than the above would indicate. And he had a stunningly strong finish to the 2018 season, but it went under the radar as the Orioles were setting a team record for losses and there was rampant speculation...

Setting the 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 draft won't necessarily be the first order of business for the Orioles' reconstructed front office, with the non-tender deadline set for Nov. 30, but it's going to involve more heavy lifting. The roster is full and the Orioles need to create room for pitchers Dillon Tate and Branden Kline, who are assured of making it. Catcher Martin Cervenka and left-hander Luis Gonzalez also are expected to have spots open to them. As I've pointed out in the...

Baltimore fans who remember Wade Miley's lack of success as an Oriole probably thought he might not pitch deep into Game 5 of the National League Championship Series yesterday when his Milwaukee Brewers faced the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were right. Miley lasted one batter. He threw just five pitches as he walked Cody Bellinger. But he wasn't pulled due to ineffectiveness or an injury. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had loaded his lineup with right-handed hitters to face the left-handed Miley....

Perhaps it's because the timing of the injury and surgery came a month before the All-Star break and there were so many other issues with the club that it got lost in the pile. Check with former manager Buck Showalter and players inside the clubhouse and they'll point to Richard Bleier's absence from the bullpen as one of the most devastating hits delivered to the Orioles. He wasn't the closer or primary setup man. He didn't start. He just kept getting outs and brought some order to a...

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Michael A. Taylor, who wasn't able to capitalize during his latest opportunity to play every day and wound up buried on the bench by season's end. PLAYER REVIEW: MICHAEL A. TAYLOR Age on opening day 2019: 28 How acquired: Sixth-round pick, 2009 draft MLB service time: 4 years, 10 days 2018 salary: $2.525 million Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in...

Yeah, there's still some baseball to be played, but with the Nationals missing the postseason for the first time in three years and the Braves eliminated, there's nobody left that you're really rooting for or against. Meanwhile, the falling temperatures of autumn have got you craving a little comfort food. Something to nosh on while the league championship series wrap up, the World Series starts up and the Nats make offseason preparations for a return to the playoffs in 2019. The chefs here...

The Nationals feel very good about a couple of young right-handed pitchers from the Dominican Republic who did a nice job at recent fall instructional league workouts. Nationals pitching coordinator Paul Menhart singled out right-handers Joan Adon and Francys Peguero. "Those are two guys that have shown some maturity and could definitely be in the mix for a full-season team next year," Menhart said. Adon, 20, a reliever, spent time with Rookie-level Gulf Coast Nationals and short-season...

I was asked again yesterday about candidates to manage the Orioles next season. Whether a particular name is in the mix. Whether I can place odds on a veteran such as Joe Girardi or Dusty Baker versus a newbie such as MLB Network analyst and former player Mark DeRosa. We must go back to my previous statement that the new president of baseball operations will choose the manager. We're putting the cart before the horse by speculating on Buck Showalter's replacement. I'm still expecting the...

If the rebuilding Orioles are going to take a turn for the better during the 2019 season, no doubt they'll need solid starting pitching to do it. One pitcher who has room for improvement is right-handed starter Andrew Cashner. His stats took a big fall from his 2017 season with Texas. On Feb. 15, Cashner signed a two-year free agent deal with Baltimore worth $16 million with an option for 2020. The $10 million option for 2020 will vest if he reaches 340 combined innings for 2018 and 2019....

As our offseason coverage kicks into high gear, we're going to review each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Bryce Harper, whose eventful season on the field is now going to be followed by an eventful offseason at home. PLAYER REVIEW: BRYCE HARPER Age on opening day 2019: 26 How acquired: First-round pick, 2010 draft MLB service time: 6 years, 159 days 2018 salary: $21.625 million Contract status: Free agent 2018 stats: 159 G, 695 PA, 550 AB, 103 R, 137 H, 34...