Eleven wins. That is what it will take for the Nationals to win the World Series. Sounds doable, right? All they need to do is go 11-8 in the month of October and they are not just the champions of the National League East, but the champions of the world. Winning 11 games in a month, playing three games over .500 - neither sounds too difficult for a team like the Nationals. Then you start looking at stats. The Nationals are second in the National League in runs scored with the only team in...

I've spent most of the last 24 hours wondering if Tuesday night actually happened and have been quietly humming "We Won't Stop" to myself over and over. It's a catchy tune. After watching highlights on MLB.com and listening to the interviews here on MASNsports.com, I can confirm that it really wasn't a dream, Baltimore. The Orioles are American League East champions. Yes, that crazy night actually occurred. While my attention was focused solely on the festivities at Camden Yards on...

Manager: Mike Redmond, second year Record: 74-77 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: CF Marcell Ozuna (.270/.318/.456, 25 doubles, 23 HR, 85 RBIs); 3B Casey McGehee (.292/.362/.365, 28 doubles, 4 HR, 70 RBIs); RHP Jarred Cosart (4-2, 2.05 ERA, 1.01 WHIP); RHP Tom Koehler (9-9, 3.71 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 5-6, 48 runs scored, 56 runs allowed Pitching probables Sept. 18: Brad Hand vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD Sept. 19: Tom Koehler vs. Doug Fister, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD Sept. 20:...

It did not result in a victory, but it was certainly intriguing to watch what amounted to the Nationals' 1A team stay with the Braves, and even lead 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Braves ended up winning 3-1, but the Nationals' starters Wednesday displayed why they belong. Tyler Moore and Steven Souza Jr., both former minor league Players of the Year in the organization, were starters. Moore was at first base hit cleanup and when 1-for-4, while Souza played left field. Souza...

With just 10 games remaining, the Orioles' pursuit of the best record in the American League and top seed in the playoffs may not be very realistic. Sure, they'd like to catch and/or pass the Los Angeles Angels for the top record, but they are three games behind with just 10 to play. To me, the bigger goal now in these final games is setting up the team to make a run at 11 postseason wins and a World Series title rather than pushing to gain one additional home playoff game. Buck Showalter...

After he hit two homers tonight, Steve Pearce almost got hit. Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez threw a pitch high and tight toward Pearce in the seventh inning. It hit his bat and not him, but it was curious to say the least. Pearce was asked if he thought Sanchez threw at him. "I don't know. You have to ask him that. No idea," he said. Was it somewhat scary considering the Orioles are now just 10 games away from the postseason? "It's baseball," Pearce said. "It's scary as a hitter....

The Orioles have reached their last scheduled off-day of the regular season, which means there's only a 50-50 chance that one of them gets drilled by a Blue Jays pitcher. What's next includes "Fan Appreciation Weekend," with the announcement of the Most Valuable Oriole, and a road trip to New York and Toronto. Nelson Cruz will be the MVO. I'm not going out on a limb here. The guy's hit 39 home runs and driven in 103. He's also batting a respectable .266. The drama comes with the second-...

The Orioles are 32 games above .500 and they lead the American League East by 14 1/2 games. Who saw it coming in March? Who thought back in December that they might end up 32 games below .500? The Orioles completed their sweep of the Blue Jays tonight with a 6-1 win before 37,537 at Camden Yards. They're now 31-19 in series finales. The Orioles swept the Jays for the first time since taking two games on Aug. 24-25, 2012 in Baltimore, and they completed the first three-game sweep here since...

The Nationals fell short in their quest to sweep the Braves, but they do leave Atlanta with a National League East title in their hands. Washington finished the season series against Atlanta with an 8-11 record. Tonight, rookie pitcher Blake Treinen pitched five scoreless innings, but the Nats fell to the Braves 3-1. The lone Nats run came on Steven Souza Jr.'s first major league home run. Here's clubhouse reaction from manager Matt Williams, Treinen and Souza. Williams: On Treinen's...

In their first game as official American League East champions, the Orioles did what they've been doing a lot of lately - they won. Steve Pearce hit a pair of homers and Bud Norris pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings as the Orioles beat Toronto 6-1 in front of 37,537 at Camden Yards. The Orioles improved to 92-60 and swept the three-game series. They are a season-high 32 games over .500, the most they've been over that mark since the 1997 Orioles finished the year 98-64. The Orioles are 6-1 on...