ATLANTA - The pregame drama for the Nationals and their 4-0 record was manager Davey Martinez submitting a lineup that originally had Bryce Harper batting second. About a half an hour later, Martinez switched the lineup back to Anthony Rendon at No. 2 and Harper in the No. 3 hole. "That was a misprint," Martinez said. "That's something I thought about. I kind of construct lineups a few days in advance. It's something that I was thinking about looking at and I must have said it. When I...

In an attempt to infuse some energy into a lethargic lineup, Orioles manager Buck Showalter is putting rookie Chance Sisco behind the plate tonight and Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander in right field in the continuation of a three-game series against the Astros. The offense is in a collective funk to start the season, posting a .134/.231/.260 slash line that easily ranks last in the majors. The Orioles have scored only six runs and none of them have come against starters Jake Odorizzi, Kyle...

The Washington Nationals will celebrate Opening Day and their first home game of the 2018 season on Thursday, April 5 at 1:05 p.m. when the team hosts the New York Mets. The Nationals want all fans to enjoy the entirety of the Opening Day experience, and are encouraging fans to plan ahead and come to the ballpark early. Fans are encouraged to enter the ballpark through the gate closest to their seating area to avoid congestion at the Center Field Gate. ALL GATES will open at 11:00...

What's the first weekend of the season without a little controversy? As if it hadn't been talked about enough, Paul and I discuss Chance Sisco's now infamous bunt in the ninth inning against the Twins on Sunday to start off this week's Orioles episode of the "MASN All Access" podcast. Was Sisco in the wrong, or did he do the right thing when he bunted during José Berríos' one-hit shutout? We'll weigh in with our thoughts and hear from MASN analyst and Orioles Hall of Famer Rick...

HOUSTON - As the Orioles offense looks to break out tonight in Houston, the challenge on this Tuesday is vast. They face right-hander Justin Verlander, who has been brilliant since the Astros acquired him in a deal with Detroit last Aug. 31. Verlander made his season debut and got the win Thursday at Texas when he allowed four hits over six scoreless in a 4-1 victory. That night Verlander became the 18th pitcher in major league history to make 10 career opening day starts. That lists includes...

HOUSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter has had to make several important decisions already, despite the fact that the 2018 season is just four games old. He had to decide whether to bat Chris Davis first and now he has to weigh when and/or if to make any lineup changes for a slumbering offense. But he made an interesting decision involving opening day starter Dylan Bundy. Bundy pitched seven scoreless on Thursday in Baltimore in the opening win over Minnesota. His fifth day to pitch would be...

ATLANTA - Right-hander A.J. Cole wants to be just like his buddies. The first four starters for the Nationals were 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA and the offense has provided their pitching staff with a league-leading 29 runs. The Nats pitching staff has allowed only 13 runs and other than the them, the Pirates are the only undefeated teams remaining at 4-0. Cole's major league debut came here in Atlanta back in 2015. The Nats made a miraculous comeback on April 28, 2015 to win 13-12 but Cole struggled...

ATLANTA - It was only his 36th game in the major leagues, but Nationals catcher Pedro Severino looked like the veteran catching Tanner Roark's first start and win of 2018, and going 2-for-2 at the plate in an 8-1 dispatch of the Braves to open their series at SunTrust Park. Roark spun seven masterful innings, keeping pace with the Nats' amazing starting pitching to begin the season. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Roark have combined to pitch 25 1/3 innings and have allowed...

HOUSTON - Unfortunately for the Orioles, a three-game losing streak has truly been a team effort. Has the offense or the starting pitching been worse? They have both been pretty bad and that is why they've been outscored 19-3 in losing the last three games. The O's offense has produced one run the last two games and three runs on 12 hits the past three. During the same span, O's starting pitchers have allowed 15 runs (14 earned) on 20 hits, with seven homers allowed over 13 innings. On top...

ATLANTA - Just ask Shawn Kelley about his pitching last season: He knew it wasn't close to what he was capable of delivering. Kelley struggled through injury and rough outings, stumbling to a career-worst 7.27 ERA. This followed back-to-back seasons of 2.45 and 2.67 ERAs. The right-hander landed on the disabled list several times last season with a strained lower back, strained right trapezius muscle and, finally, bone chips in his right elbow. Fast forward to 2018. Kelley watched as the Nats...