The Washington Nationals today acquired outfielder Scott Hairston and a player to be named later from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor-league right-handed pitcher Ivan Pineyro and a player to be named later. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The acquisition of Hairston adds a veteran right-handed power threat to Washington's roster. Hairston has posted a double-digit home run total five times in the last six...

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First things first: Greetings to all MASN viewers and MASNsports.com readers from sunny Italy! Like most people from the mid-Atlantic region, Orioles baseball goes hand-in-hand for me with vacation. Two weeks ago, I was out at the Delaware shore for the weekend and I could very easily pick up the Ocean City station that carries the O's, so I sat on the beach and listened to the games all weekend. However, coming back to my parents' house in the Italian region of Sicily (where my roots are)...

If you've seen the news that the Nationals have acquired outfielder Scott Hairston from the Cubs and find yourself unimpressed by Hairston's .172/.232/.434 slash line this season, well, you're probably not alone. As a team, Nats pinch-hitters are batting .174/.208/.313 this season, so why do they need another guy who is hitting well below the Mendoza line and isn't reaching base at a solid clip? Well, if you fall into that line of thinking, I've got two stats for you. * As a team, the...

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper made history last season when he became the youngest position player selected to the All-Star Game at the age of 19, and he's doing it again with his second appearance at 20. Not only will Harper be the youngest position player ever to start for the National League, he is also the first National to be selected to the team twice. Ian Desmond, who was named last year but missed the game with an oblique strain, can join him in that distinction if he wins the...

Scott Feldman makes his Orioles home debut tonight and it just happens to come against the Texas Rangers, his team for the first eight seasons of his major league career. Feldman is familiar with Camden Yards, having gone 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA in seven appearances over 21 2/3 innings. In three starts, he's 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA and two quality starts in 17 2/3 innings. Feldman faced the Rangers on May 6 and shut them out on two hits over seven innings. Now he gets them again in...

The Nationals have been looking around for a right-handed bench player, someone who can provide some pop and depth in the outfield. They reportedly got such a guy tonight. According to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, the Nats have acquired outfielder Scott Hairston from the Cubs for a minor league pitcher. I don't expect to be able to confirm details at this late hour, but we'll know more tomorrow. The 33-year-old Hairston hit 20 home runs with the Mets last season, and after homering...

With one swing in the ninth inning Sunday, Adam Jones silenced what would have been an avalanche of fan criticism toward the Orioles on social media. He beat Mariano Rivera and the message board, blog and Twitter critics. They'll be back, but for one day, the O's and those that read social media forums get a respite. It seems every Orioles loss this year brings out some fan hand-wringing and angst. I've never quite seen it to this degree. I imagine that when some commenters calm down, they...

At close of business today, the Nationals look up and find themselves four games over .500 for the first time since May 17. They also find themselves four games back of the Braves in the National League East, the lowest deficit in the division since May 20. Today's 11-7 win over the Padres - a win that finished off a three-game sweep - combined with Atlanta's loss to the Phillies got the Nats to this point. They've talked for months about wanting to start playing better baseball. That...

NEW YORK - Adam Jones delivered his seventh career go-ahead home run today in the ninth inning or later, and his first since Sept. 19, 2012 at Seattle. This one came against Mariano Rivera and gave the Orioles a 2-1 victory over the Yankees. Considering the circumstances, how big was it? "It's off the greatest closer in the history of the game. I'll always remember it," he said. "You've got to win, and we haven't been playing that well. We need to tighten up. We need to clean it up...