How important are home runs to the Orioles? Well, when they hit more homers than their opponent this year they are 45-6, and that is an .882 winning percentage. They are perfect, 14-0 in the second half, when out-homering the opposition. That stat is pretty amazing and it was brought to my attention when I first saw it on a graphic during a MASN telecast over the weekend. We already know the Orioles get a high percentage of their runs from the longball and are not a good team most nights at...

The Nationals have signed outfielder Nate Schierholtz to a minor league contract, adding some depth to the organization and positioning the veteran for a September call-up into a pennant race. The 30-year-old Schierholtz batted .192 with six homers and 33 RBIs in 99 games for the Cubs this season before being released on Aug. 13, but is only one year removed from his finest offensive season in an eight-year career. In 2013, Schierholtz batted .251 with 32 doubles, 21 homers and 68 RBIs....

The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with outfielder Nate Schierholtz on a minor league contract. Schierholtz will be assigned to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Schierholtz is a .254 career hitter (520-for-2050) with 117 doubles, 51 home runs and 224 RBI in 776 career games with the Cubs (2013 - '14), Phillies (2012) and Giants (2007 - '12). Earlier this season, he...

When I was earning my doctorate, a professor wished to explain the difference between us research-based toxicologists and the resident physicians who were sitting in on our lectures. She told us the difference between our groups is that physicians look for horses while researchers go on safari for zebras. What she meant was that for physicians to do the job they do, they need to diagnose based on what is most probable. For researchers, our own nature is to press the boundary and to find the...

Manager: Kirk Gibson, fifth year Record: 53-71 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: C Miguel Montero (.256/.339/.401, 20 doubles, 12 HR, 63 RBIs); 2B Aaron Hill (.245/.284/.376, 22 doubles, 10 HR, 55 RBIs); RHP Chase Anderson (7-4, 3.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP); LHP Vidal Nuno (0-3, 3.92 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 1-2, 9 runs scored, 12 runs allowed Pitching probables Aug. 18: Vidal Nuno vs. Jordan Zimmermann, 7 p.m., MASN HD Aug. 19: Chase Anderson vs. Stephen Strasburg, 7 p.m., MASN HD Aug....

If Washington baseball fans know the value of anything, it's patience. Fans who were abandoned by two big league franchises and endured 34 years without a team of their own, then witnessed and seven seasons of futility, must feel thrilled to have the Nationals making a run for their second division title in three years. If that's not enough, the leader of this year's pitching staff, Doug Fister, who came in a trade from Detroit, is helping D.C. baseball lovers feel a measure of revenge for...

At the end of each season, members of the media who cover the Orioles on a regular basis will reflect on the campaign and turn in votes for the Most Valuable Oriole of the year. It's typically a pretty clear-cut race, but can provide some good debate among the masses. What normally isn't discussed is the opposite end of the spectrum. I can't for the life of me remember more discussion or chatter about who the "Least Valuable Oriole" would be than I've seen this season, and that's for a...

Manager: Robin Ventura, third year Record: 59-65 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 1B Jose Abreu (.305/.362/.596, 29 doubles, 31 HR, 89 RBIs); 3B Conor Gillaspie (.311/.363/.456, 29 doubles, 5 HR, 46 RBIs); LHP Chris Sale (10-2, 2.01 ERA, 0.89 WHIP); LHP Jose Quintana (6-9, 3.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 1-2, 12 runs scored, 13 runs against Pitching probables Aug. 18: Chris Sale vs. Bud Norris, 8 p.m., MASN2 HD Aug. 19: Jose Quintana vs. Chris Tillman, 8 p.m., MASN2 HD Aug. 20:...

The Nationals have now won six games in a row, their longest winning streak of the season. Oh, and they're now 16 games over .500, also a season best. Oh, and they have the best record in the National League. Oh, and they now have four games against a Diamondbacks team that is currently 18 games under .500. Things are looking up in the nation's capital. There's plenty to talk about with this team right now, from another comeback win last night to Jayson Werth's attempts to get past a...

Pinch-hitter Scott Hairston came up in the eleventh and delivered the game-winning, walk-off winner. He drove a pitch to deep left field that scored Jayson Werth from third base on a sac fly, lifting the Nationals to an 11-inning thrilling 6-5 win over the Pirates. Hairston knew it was so late in the game that a lefty-righty matchup wasn't the only way he could pinch-hit. "I figured the pitching spot was up third," Hairston told reporters. "I don't think we had anybody else on the bench....