Manager: John Gibbons (6th season) Record: 55-69 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: 1B Justin Smoak (.257), LF Teoscar Hernández (18 HR), CF Kevin Pillar (13 SB), SS Aledmys Díaz (15 HR, 37 RBIs) RF Randal Grichuk (17 HR, 74 RBIs), RHP Ken Giles (15 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 9-1 Pitching probables: Aug. 20: RHP Andrew Cashner (4-10) vs. RHP Marco Estrada (6-9), 7:07 p.m., MASNAug. 21: RHP Dylan Bundy (7-11) vs. RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-5), 7:07 p.m., MASNAug. 22: RHP David Hess (1-4) vs....

When Nationals Park is filled with hometown fans, there's no love lost crowd for opposing players, especially on a division rival like Philadelphia. However, when the Phillies play in Washington this week, even the most diehard Nationals partisans should give a hearty cheer and a "horns up" for the newest Phillie, catcher Wilson Ramos. Nats fans remember watching Ramos mature from a promising rookie into the game's top-hitting catcher from 2011-2016 as he helped the team blossom from an...

The Orioles have an offensive identity that they've worn like a heavy backpack for a few years now. Because it's a heavy one, it slows them down. It makes them less versatile and only allows them to do so much. They've been an offense that relied on free swingers and the three-run homer, or the "Earl Weaver special," if you will. In recent memory, it has served them fairly well. From 2012-2017, the Orioles ranked second, first, first, third, first and fifth in home runs in the major...

On a recent visit to the Little Bighorn site, a good friend asked the tour guides what was in their opinion the best historical book regarding the battle. "A Terrible Glory" by James Donovan is that book. There is more here than the history of the actual battle. We are taken in short form through the life of George Armstrong Custer. The "boy general" of the Civil War sought fame through the wearing of the uniform and he certainly found it. The June 25-26, 1876, event was also known by the...

Somewhat lost amid this difficult road trip for the Nationals, the team announced via press release Thursday that they will debut the WGL Energy bullpen cart during Friday's game against Miami. This bullpen cart will be at all remaining 2018 home games, with both home and visiting pitchers able to use the cart to drive them from the bullpen to their dugout. Originally introduced in 1950 by the Indians, bullpen carts were popular attractions at baseball games throughout the 1960s and 1970s....

Throughout winter, I was hoping that the Orioles would be the winners of the Alex Cobb sweepstakes. It's no secret that the Birds needed to improve upon their starting rotation. Orioles starters had the highest ERA in 2017 (5.70), pitched the fewest innings of any American League team (846.0) and had the AL's second-highest walks per nine (3.74). I felt that adding Cobb, a proven starter who had faced the challenges of the AL East and was able to have a 3.50 ERA over six seasons with the...

Manager: Don Mattingly (3rd season) Record: 48-75 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: C J.T. Realmuto (.293), 2B Starlin Castro (.281), RF Brian Anderson (54 RBIs), SS Miguel Rojas (9 HR, 44 RBIs), RHP Drew Steckenrider (1 save) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-8 Pitching probables: Aug. 17: RHP Dan Straily (4-5) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (15-5), 7:05 p.m., MASN2Aug. 18: LHP Wei-Yin Chen (4-9) vs. LHP Tommy Milone (1-1), 7:05 p.m., MASN2Aug. 19: LHP Pablo López (2-3) vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-9), 1:35...

So my broadcast partner, Mike Bordick, shows up one day with a tome of a book easily useable for weightlifting and says he really likes this work. That was all I needed to hear to start egging him on to join me on Hitting the Books and tell us all why he liked "The Silk Roads: A New History of the World" by Peter Frankopan, a monumental work that bends the weight of the world's development to Asia and China. Only thing was, I hadn't read the book yet. So after lugging this on planes, trains...

I have written about a lot of different prospects here this season, with pitching prospects being more frequent. Today, I want to talk about another pitching prospect that has not gotten a whole lot of attention this season due to several factors, but right-hander Brenan Hanifee is very impressive and deserves some recognition. Hanifee, 20, was the Orioles' fourth-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Va. At 6-foot-5, 180 lbs., Hanifee...

Ryan Zimmerman has been the face of the Nationals since their inaugural year in 2005. You can't say the name without thinking about Zimmerman in some way, shape or form. Whether it be as a fresh-faced young third baseman, a Rookie of the Year runner-up, a Silver Slugger and Gold Glover, the humanitarian, the seasoned vet or the king of walk-offs, Zimmerman's fingerprints are all over this team. And his greatness on the field isn't just contained to Washington history, but it stretches over...

Sunday night's walk-off loss to the Cubs might have been a crushing moment for the Nationals and their fans, a potential gut punch to the season and possibly a way of baseball life that fans may have taken for granted. By surrendering a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, a team that's already on the fringe of the postseason race found another way to lose and is now just two games over .500 at 60-58. At risk over the rest of the season are not only back-to-back division...

In an historically awful season and in the so-called dog days of summer, the Orioles had an important moment this weekend. Their rookie center fielder dubbed it a "pass-the-torch situation" when he took the field for his debut Friday night. Then Cedric Mullins delivered at the plate, too, becoming the first player in Orioles history to collect three hits in his major league debut. It's easy to tamp down expectations for the 23-year-old, who was called up from Triple-A. It's also easy to not...

Manager: Mike Shildt (1st season) Record: 63-55 Last 10 games: 8-2 Who to watch: 3B Matt Carpenter (.277 \ with 32 HR, 65 RBIs); C Yadier Molina (.290 \ with 53 RBIs, 95 hits); 1B José Martínez (.299 with 114 hits); LF Marcell Ozuna (.272 with 122 hits, 62 RBIs); RHP Miles Mikolas (12-3, 2.74 ERA); RHP Jack Flaherty (6-6, 3.22 ERA); RHP Bud Norris (2.85 ERA, 22 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-3 in 2017) Pitching probables: Aug. 13: LHP Tommy Milone (1-1) vs. RHP...

On Wednesday evening, I was fortunate enough to spend my birthday attending the Nationals game and to sit with Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo in the MASN broadcast booth from the second through the fifth innings. You might assume my lofty position as a MASNsports.com guest blogger was my ticket to this invitation, but actually, several months back at the Nats Clubhouse Social event, I was the lucky winner of this opportunity as a raffle prize. As a diehard baseball fan that has spent a bit...

Tim Beckham took the Orioles by storm last season. The shortstop was acquired at the 2017 trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays for 18-year-old right hander Tobias Myers, who was pitching in Aberdeen at that time. In his first 20 games in Baltimore, Beckham slashed a ridiculous .424/.443/.741 with eight doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs. A change of scenery seemed to be exactly what Beckham needed. Quite possibly the best part about acquiring Beckham was that he wasn't just a rental for Dan...

Manager: Joe Maddon (4th season) Record: 66-48 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 2B Javier Báez (25 HR, 88 RBIs, 19 SB), LF Kyle Schwarber (20 HR, 48 RBIs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (17 HR, 74 RBI), 3B David Bote (.338), RHP Pedro Strop (2.74 ERA, 8 SV) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-0 Pitching probables: Aug. 10: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (5-2) vs. RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-9), 2:20 p.m., MASNAug. 11: RHP Tanner Roark (6-12) vs. LHP Jon Lester (12-4), 4:05 p.m., MASNAug. 12: RHP Max Scherzer (15-5) vs. LHP...

The Orioles are in the midst of a rebuild and gained an influx of prospects that drastically overhauled their top 30 prospects list per MLBPipeline.com. Despite the newcomers, left-handed pitcher DL Hall could still be the cream of the crop and his 2018 performance is proving it. Hall, 19, was the Orioles' first-round selection in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Valdosta High School (GA). Many felt it was a bit of a steal to fall to No. 21 in that draft, and after they signed him to a...

He stumbled, but he got back up again. Many lost faith in him, but he proved them wrong. Tanner Roark is back and better than ever, and it appears he's re-finding the form he had in 2016, the year in which he came in 10th place in National League Cy Young Award voting. Whether or not he's that good again has yet to be seen, but nevertheless, Roark has found brand-new second-half life. Throughout his career, Roark has always been a second-half pitcher. His career first-half ERA is 4.05, while...

Manager: Brian Snitker (3rd season) Record: 60-48 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Freddie Freeman (.316 average with 18 HR, 69 RBIs), RF Nick Markakis (.319 average with 68 RBIs, 135 hits), CF Ender Inciarte (.253 average with 105 hits, 23 stolen bases), 2B Ozzie Albies (.276 average with 20 HR, 123 hits), LHP Sean Newcomb (10-5, 3.23 ERA), RHP Mike Foltynewicz (8-7, 3.04 ERA), CL A.J. Minter (2.98 ERA, 8 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 7-5 Pitching probables: Aug. 7: LHP Max Fried...

The Orioles have gutted their bullpen over the past few weeks with trades of three prominent relievers. Closer Zach Britton went to the New York Yankees while setup men Darren O'Day and Brad Brach were traded to the Atlanta Braves in separate deals. Those three players led the Orioles in appearances in 2015, and were an integral part of the relief staff during this most recent stretch of positive baseball from the club. It's a bullpen that was able to withstand the departures of players...