The Washington Nationals announced today that Plain White T's (June 5), Austin Mahone (July 19) and Martina McBride (August 16) will comprise the lineup for the 2014 NatsLive FREE Postgame Concert Series following select Nationals home games throughout this summer. "I'm so excited for the opportunity to play for Nats fans at beautiful Nationals Park!" said 14-time Grammy Award nominee Martina McBride, whose performance will wrap up the series in mid-August. "To be able to sing after a...

J.J. Hardy clearly knows how much Manny Machado means to the Orioles and what it means to have him back on the team. He is very aware he led the American League with 51 doubles last year and that he won both Gold and Platinum Gloves. He has a great view to watch Machado's amazing glove and arm at work at third base. But despite all that, Hardy said we should not expect Machado to play like the budding superstar that he is the minute he plays his first O's game in 2014 today against...

While it is a pleasant surprise that the Nationals have scored 126 runs and are tied with the Marlins for second in the National League in that category, it is a little alarming that they've allowed 108 and are tied for fourth-most with the Cubs. The Nationals are a team built around run prevention and the season totals show a team that hasn't done a good job of preventing many runs. The team ERA reached its zenith of 4.10 on April 17 after an 8-0 loss to the Cardinals. In those first 16...

Talk about April showers. The Orioles will kick off May with a doubleheader against the Pirates beginning at 4:05 p.m. after their Tuesday and Wednesday matchups were postponed. We haven't seen the O's play since Sunday, April 27. I'm almost beginning to forget what this team looks like. And oh yeah, Manny Machado makes his long-awaited 2014 debut this afternoon/evening in Charm City. As we say goodbye to April and welcome in May, it's time to look ahead to the Orioles' schedule for the...

Once the Nationals offense got going, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann had no trouble becoming the winningest pitcher in team history. Anthony Rendon had four hits, including a home run, and three RBIs, and Zimmermann combined with three relievers on a shutout as the Nats completed a two-game sweep with a 7-0 victory over the Astros on Wednesday night. Zimmermann posted his 45th victory for the Nats, breaking a tie with Livan Hernandez atop the team's all-time wins register. He scattered seven...

PHILADELPHIA - If you're reading this, that means that things are back up and running again. So that's a good thing. Apologies for the technical issues yesterday. Apparently the storms knocked out our server for a while, but those issues are behind us. Let's talk some baseball. The Nationals got the job done in Houston, sweeping their brief two-game set with Bo Porter's Astros, who are now 9-19 on the season. Yeesh. The Nats landed in Philadelphia around 3:30 a.m. and now will get their...

I had a feeling Anthony Rendon would feel comfortable back in his native Texas. And he did. Rendon contributed four hits for the second time in his last five games as the Nationals shut out the Astros 7-0. He also had two doubles and his forth home run of the season. Rendon has also displayed his glovework at third, making more than a few great plays on shots to the hot corner. Then there is Danny Espinosa. He went 3-for-8 in the series and also smacked a home run Wednesday. He is a well-known...

The Orioles no longer are attempting to play one game. Weather permitting, they're going for two. It's a daring maneuver, to say the least. The Orioles will play a straight doubleheader beginning at 4:05 p.m. Much preferred over the crooked ones. "I Like Our Guys" T-shirts for everyone! Make mine a smedium. Sleeves optional, of course. The Orioles will activate third baseman Manny Machado from the disabled list before Game 1 and make a corresponding move. He's been in the clubhouse and...

No truth to the rumor that the last time we saw the Orioles play, Brooks Robinson was at third and Boog Powell at first. It's been a while and finally, hopefully today the team gets back on the field. They'll host Pittsburgh at 4:05 p.m. in a single-admission doubleheader. The O's will have to make a roster move to activate Manny Machado and one of the infielders is likely to get optioned to the minors. Will it be Jemile Weeks? He just got here over the weekend and has done a nice job in...

As April winds to a close, Nationals right-hander Aaron Barrett has to be pretty pleased with his first month in the majors. There is still one game to go, but he has been able to post solid numbers. He allowed a run on two hits against the Angels on April 23 and two walks with the bases loaded against the Padres April 27. Overall, Barrett is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in nine games over 7 2/3 innings. He has given up four hits, one run and five walks in that span, and has struck out 11 batters. He...