The Nationals acquired left-hander Matthew Spann from the Rays today, completing the trade that sent outfielder David DeJesus to Tampa Bay for a player to be named. Spann, 22, went 4-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 19 games (four starts) for Bowling Green of the Single-A Midwest League this season. After working primarily as a starter the last two seasons, Spann was moved to the bullpen most of this year, and posted a 2.50 ERA in 15 relief appearances. The lefty had just 35 strikeouts and 21 walks in...

The Washington Nationals today acquired left-handed pitcher Matthew Spann as the player to be named to complete the August 23 trade that sent outfielder David DeJesus to the Tampa Bay Rays. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Spann joins the Nationals organization after going 4-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 19 games/four starts for Bowling Green of the Single-A Midwest League this season. After pitching primarily as a starter the previous two...

For just a few minutes (or at least while you read this blog post) let's try and forget that the openly-hyped 2013 Nationals are 5 1/2 games behind the Reds for the second National League wild card. Instead, I'd like to give my two cents on September baseball. It's the end of summer and the start of the school year come September. Fall is here, even in D.C., and the conversation I had with my buddy Tom on Tuesday helped cement in my mind something that I've already felt to be true for...

Over the last month, the Nationals have done well to right the ship and start running off wins. They've gotten their record back above .500 and slowly chipped away at the massive deficit they had built up behind the wild card leaders. Unfortunately, as we all know, when you build up such a massive deficit, you need to be close to perfect to overcome your previous struggles. You also need a lot of help. The Nats have been playing at an incredibly high level for the last five weeks or so, but...

Even though the 2013 regular season is still a little over a week away from its conclusion, it's not too early to start looking forward to the 2014 campaign and what lies ahead. There's always lots of speculation about the construction of a team's 25-man roster and the Orioles will be no different. The difference for the Birds going into next season is that most of their roster will likely be set. Starting position players are mostly under contract aside from second base and left field....

BOSTON - After registering their 81st win last night, the Orioles are assured of their second consecutive non-losing season. I'm fairly certain that they're not aiming for .500, though. Dropping their last 11 games would probably be considered a huge disappointment. It's impossible to overstate the importance of the defense in the Orioles' transformation from punchline to playoff contender. They've played 114 errorless games this season, the most in baseball since 1900. The Orioles were...

So anyone have any nails left after the last two nights? This playoff race got serious in a hurry. After last night's game, I found myself remembering a quote from Nate McLouth. It came in the extreme quiet of the Orioles clubhouse after they had lost for the third night in a row to the Yankees last week. It felt like the lowest point of the O's season and McLouth's comments then didn't seem so significant. "We still have the full schedule to play out and a lot can change in two or three...

BOSTON - Eighteen of the Orioles' last 24 games have been decided by two runs or fewer, including tonight's 5-3, 12-inning victory over the Red Sox. The bullpen really comes into play in these situations, and it shined tonight under the lights at Fenway Park. Darren O'Day wasn't available after rejoining the team earlier today, but he should be ready for Thursday night's series finale. Manager Buck Showalter wanted to give him one more day to rest after Tuesday's bullpen session in...

BOSTON - The Orioles trail the Rangers by one game in the wild card race following tonight's 5-3, 12-inning win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Show of hands if you counted them out before this series. Don't be shy. "I think we obviously know what's going on with the race, and the fact there's another wild card team out there, it makes things more interesting," said first baseman Chris Davis. "I think this is what they wanted when they threw in another wild card. But we've just got...

Manager Davey Johnson announced after Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Braves that Stephen Strasburg would be scratched from Thursday's start. Gio Gonzalez will start the opener against the Marlins while Jordan Zimmermann will get the call Friday. Johnson said Strasburg would now be scheduled to pitch next on Saturday. Strasburg last pitched September 8. If Strasburg does pitch Saturday, that would mark 13 days between starts. Strasburg said today's throwing session went well, but he is having...