Nationals fans have heard a lot about the window of opportunity lately, how it is only open for a limited amount of time and how they need to take advantage of the opportunity while they have it. The main focus of this window is on the core of the team, and who that core is or how many players it consists of could be up for some debate, but there is evidence that the window of opportunity is a lie. That evidence exists in the form of tonight's opponent, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals'...

Last season, the Orioles' opening day starting rotation made 112 of the team's 162 starts. That means 30 percent of the Orioles starts came from pitchers not originally in the O's rotation. In fact, 14 pitchers made starts for the Orioles in 2013. Five pitchers made 10 starts or less, four made just one start. Scott Feldman, who was acquired at the trade deadline, made 10 more starts with the Orioles than Jake Arrieta, the team's No. 4 starter at the beginning of the season. All these...

Baseball is a small world. With apologies to Kevin Bacon, call it six degrees of separation on the diamond. Nationals pinch-hitter Zach Walters crushed a slider off of Marlins reliever Mike Dunn to give the Nats their first lead of Wednesday's game. The Nationals end up winning 6-3 after trailing 3-0. Dunn and Walters attended the same high school, Cimarron Memorial High School in Las Vegas. "All I got to say is I won't be invited to the Christmas party this year," Walters told MASN's Dan...

There's one aspect of the major league schedule that you don't really think about until you're a part of it: the travel. The Nationals faced Jose Fernandez, one of the toughest pitchers in the majors, Wednesday night in Miami. They managed to come back from a three-run deficit and pick up a win, then headed out for the Miami airport after the game. The team plane landed in D.C. at 2 a.m., and buses didn't get back to the stadium until right around 3 a.m. By the time most players got settled...

Manager: Mike Matheny, third year Record: 9-6 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: C Yadier Molina (.352/.386/.574, 3 HR, 9 RBIs); 1B Matt Adams (.362/.393/.517, 7 XBH, 2 RBIs); RHP Michael Wacha (2-0, 1.89 ERA, 0.95 WHIP); RHP Adam Wainwright (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 6-0, 19 runs scored, 8 runs allowed Pitching probables April 17: Adam Wainwright vs. Taylor Jordan, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 18: Michael Wacha vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD April 19: Lance Lynn vs....

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado ran the bases earlier today in Sarasota and did fine, according to a team official. Machado will be cutting the bases again on Thursday. Assuming there are no setbacks, he will be cleared to begin playing extended spring training games. Manager Buck Showalter estimated that Machado would play two or three games before going on an injury rehab assignment, which can last up to 20 days for position players. The Orioles would have to determine which...

Jayson Werth and Zach Walters had as big a hand as anyone in the Nats' 6-3 come-from-behind win over the Marlins on Wednesday. Werth tied it with a three-run homer in the sixth and Walters gave the Nats a 4-3 lead with a homer in the eighth. Right-hander Tanner Roark also contributed, giving up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. All three talked about the win in the visiting clubhouse at Marlins Park. Walters on his approach to the at-bat where he homered: "Trying to get on base, first of...

Miguel Gonzalez was credited with the win yesterday and Tommy Hunter recorded the save, but Zach Britton garnered lots of attention following the Orioles' 3-0 win over the Rays. His three scoreless innings raised his total to 11 1/3, with only four hits allowed in six outings. His sinker and renewed confidence are the talk of the clubhouse. "He's been phenomenal," Gonzalez said. "I'm happy for him. He's got what he had in (2011) now. He worked hard this offseason and it's paid...

The Nationals are now up to five comeback wins in 15 games, meaning more than half of their victories have come when the opponent scores first. The jury's out on whether that's the best way to build a winning record, but so far, it has the Nats coming home from a six-game road trip with a 9-6 mark. What exactly does it say about the Nats that they keep getting up after being knocked down? "Just that they fight. It's good that they fight," manager Matt Williams said after his team's 6-3...

SALISBURY, Md. - The pitching matchup tonight between Hunter Harvey and Lucas Giolito at Perdue Stadium did not disappoint as the two 19-year-old pitching prospects combined to throw 11 scoreless innings, allowing just three singles. For Harvey, the Orioles' No. 4 prospect according to Baseball America, it was another solid start for Single-A Delmarva. He went six innings, allowing just one single. He walked one, hit two batters and fanned seven. Harvey threw 89 pitches in lowering his season...