Nationals to offer complimentary tickets to service members on Wednesday, April 27 to celebrate Military Appreciation Day The Washington Nationals will mark the return of the Patriotic Series presented by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) when the team hosts Military Appreciation Day on Wednesday, April 27. To pay tribute to the men and women who serve in the U.S. military, the Nationals will offer complimentary tickets to military service members and their families for...

Through the first two-odd weeks of the 2016 season, no team has hit better than the Baltimore Orioles. Manny Machado has spearheaded the onslaught, slugging a .383/.431/.723 slash line over 51 plate appearances. If Machado maintains this production, it'll mark the second straight year of improvement with the bat. This time, however, he's done things quite differently, and it's worth wondering if he should take another path. We'll first look at Machado's 2015 breakout, which happened...

MIAMI - Dusty Baker wasn't worried the game had changed at all during his two-year hiatus between managerial gigs. Well, except for one new wrinkle: expanded instant replay. Baker acknowledged that baseball's new challenge system (instituted in 2014 shortly after he was fired by the Reds) would take some getting used to, especially for a man who spent nearly five decades as a big league player, coach or manager without ever having to consider such a tact. Well, 12 games into his first season...

MIAMI - There was no one singular moment that defined the Nationals' 6-1 loss in the opener of a four-game series at Marlins Park. But compile a list of small moments throughout the 2 hour, 43 minute affair, and you'll wind up with a detailed account of a ballgame that might have looked far different than it did. Like Christian Yelich's hard grounder that squirted through the Nationals' drawn-in infield to bring home the night's first run. Or the risky double play first baseman Ryan...

The Orioles should be able to play tonight's game without any delays, without the sky opening and the tarp unrolling. The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 70s during the day and dipping to 47 in the evening. No chance of precipitation. Rain doesn't return until Friday when the Orioles are in Kansas City. The Blue Jays arrive at Camden Yards with a 7-7 record that puts them 2 1/2 games behind the Orioles in the American League East. They're 3-3 at home and 4-4 on the road. The...

When interviewing Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman on Friday night at Single-A Frederick, he made an interesting comment about the 2015 O's pitching staff. When asked about his outing that night, where he recorded eight strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings, as part of his answer, he talked about last year's pitching staff. "I threw pitches out of the zone when I wanted to and I was happy about that," he said. "I think last season as a whole, we gave up way too many two-strike hits. That has...

MIAMI - The Nationals' plan of attack going into tonight's game against Jose Fernandez was to try to build up the young ace's pitch count and force the Marlins to turn to their bullpen. In that regard, the Nationals did exactly as they hoped. They worked the count against Fernandez and ultimately knocked him out of the game after only six innings thanks to an elevated pitch count of 103. Problem is, they didn't make Fernandez actually suffer much at all for his excess work. And so they...

Bryce Harper just hit his 100th home run, and like any milestone home run, you have to wonder if Zack Hample (Google search "Zack Hample ARod 3000 hit") ended up with the baseball or someone else who might want to keep it. Well, we contacted the Boras Corporation and confirmed Harper now has that home run No. 100 baseball. But you might not know that the young girl who caught the ball in Section 140 got the ball and returned it to Harper. Mystery easily solved. Where is Babe Ruth's 600th...

MIAMI - Something about the sight of Marlins batters in the first inning doesn't seem to agree with Tanner Roark, who for the second time in this brief season dug the Nationals into an early hole against Miami. The Marlins scored three runs in the first off Roark, then added another in the second to take a 4-0 lead for ace Jose Fernandez in tonight's opener of a four-game series at Marlins Park. This wasn't the first time Roark has dealt with first-inning struggles against the Marlins. This...

The Orioles began today with six outfielders on the roster of their Triple-A affiliate at Norfolk. They have now reduced that by one by trading Alfredo Marte to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a player to be named. With the open roster spot, the Tides activated right-handed pitcher Scott McGough. The O's acquired him Friday off waivers from the Miami Marlins. The 27-year-old Marte, a right-handed hitter from the Dominican Republic, had some good moments for the Orioles in spring...