I've got some good news if you were a fan of the makeup of the 2012 Washington Nationals: There's a very good chance that the 2013 Nationals won't look a heck of a lot different than they did this season when the Nats went on a run to their first National League East title. The Nats enter the offseason with only two players who were on their National League Division Series roster definitely bound for free agency: right-handed starter Edwin Jackson and left-handed reliever Michael Gonzalez....

You may have heard the joke going around baseball. Now that some postseason calls have gone against the Yankees, Major League Baseball will finally get around to expanding its replay system. Some joked it could be changed before the end of the current American League Championship Series. Can't have the Bronx Bombers getting hosed. After Sunday night's game, umpire Jeff Nelson admitted he incorrectly called Detroit's Omar Infante safe on a tag play at second base where the replays clearly...

I have had a few requests for news about the Arizona Fall League and some of the Nationals' prospects and how they are doing. The Rafters beat Phoenix 4-2 in 10 innings thanks to a two-run single by Matt Skole. Brian Goodwin went 2-for-5 with two runs and two doubles - one of the doubles would have scored a run had the runner not been thrown out at the plate. Goodwin is batting .353, leading off and playing left field. Skole went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Skole is batting .583 and was the...

One of the primary reasons why the Orioles snapped their streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons was their ability to win on the road. The Orioles recorded 46 road victories, 16 more than their total in 2011 and their most since 1997 (52). The 46 road wins were the most in the America League. It also helps when a team goes 29-9 (.763) in one-run games for the best winning percentage in major league history. There was no way to predict it back in March. The record was previously held by the...

The following rules and requirements (the "Official Rules") govern the MASN'S Mobile opt-out survey Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes"): NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED. OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL U.S. RESIDENTS PHYISCALLY...

The following rules and requirements (the "Official Rules") govern the MASN'S Mobile opt-out survey Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes"): NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED. OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL U.S. RESIDENTS PHYISCALLY...

The Baseball Writers' Association of America will begin announcing its 2012 award winners Nov. 12 with the American and National Leagues Rookies of the Year. The Angels' Mike Trout will run away with the honor, followed by the Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes and the Rangers' Yu Darvish. Not much drama attached to this one. The AL and NL Managers of the Year will be revealed Nov. 13, followed by the Cy Young Award winners on Nov. 14 and Most Valuable Players on Nov. 15. Ballots were submitted...

Has any of the sting worn off yet? Have the past two days done anything to help alleviate the pit in the bottom of your stomach, or will that still be there for a little while? I'll admit, it was a little strange watching Game 1 of the National League Championship Series from my couch yesterday instead of being in a cramped press box covering the action. You wouldn't have heard any complaints from Nationals beat writers if we ended up having to make a trip to San Francisco to cover the...

Get ready for this because it is surely coming. A theme for columns and stories about the 2013 Orioles is going to be how they can't possibly duplicate the 2012 squad in wins in close games. So how will the 2013 Birds overcome that? The Orioles went 29-9 in one-run games in the regular season. Their .763 win percentage is the highest in major league history. In the AL this year, Cleveland was second at .667 (24-12). Every other AL East team played under .500 ball in one-run games: .468 -...

I wasn't at M&T Bank Stadium yesterday, but I heard that Orioles manager Buck Showalter received a huge ovation while walking to midfield as the Ravens' honorary captain. He stood on their sideline for the anthem, though the FOX announcers didn't seem to notice. Showalter was positioned in plain view beside coach John Harbaugh. You couldn't miss him. Ravens and Orioles. It's always nice when birds collide. One of the unfortunate developments in the American League Division Series...