The Nationals have played their best baseball of the season since the All-Star break, and especially since Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline, yet they're still looking up at Atlanta and first-place Philadelphia in the National League East standings. What they really need right now is a winning streak, one like the amazing 10-game run they put together four years ago this month that secured their place at the top of the division. Like this season, the Nats were under the guidance of a...

The 2018 season for the Nationals can best be summarized thus far with the words frustrating and disappointing. There have been lengthy injuries to players like Adam Eaton, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman, and mediocre on-field performances from others. Just this week, Washington traded a player due to reported clubhouse issues and designated another for assignment for bizarrely slamming his glove in anger during a 25-4 victory. A team that was supposed to coast to the National League East...

The next era of Orioles baseball has officially begun. In the last couple of weeks, the front office has indicated that a full rebuild is officially underway. Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Kevin Gausman, Darren O'Day, Brad Brach and Jonathan Schoop were all dealt before the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31. It was one of the craziest days I can remember in Orioles history. In return, the Birds have stockpiled minor league prospects and international signing bonus slot money to build up the...

Manager: Jeff Banister (4th season) Record: 46-63 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Joey Gallo (26 HR, 59 RBI), DH Shin-soo Choo (20 HR, 51 RBI), CF Delino DeShields (18 SB), C Robinson Chirinos (14 HR, 45 RBI), 3B Adrián Beltré (.287), LHP Mike Minor (7-6, 4.73 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: 1-2 Pitching probables: August 2: RHP Andrew Cashner (3-9) vs. RHP Yovani Gallardo (5-1); 8:05 p.m., MASN2August 3: RHP David Hess (2-5) vs. RHP Ariel Jurado (1-1); 8:05 p.m., MASN2August 4: RHP...

Manager: Jim Riggleman (1st season) Record: 48-60 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 3B Eugenio Suárez (.300 with 24 HR, 81 RBIs); 1B Joey Votto (.289 with 109 hits, 22 2B); 2B Scooter Gennett (.313 with 17 HR, 67 RBIs); SS José Peraza (.284 with 118 hits, 17 SB); RHP Matt Harvey (5-4, 4.44 ERA); RHP Tyler Mahle (7-8, 4.53 ERA); RHP Raisel Iglesias (2.11 ERA, 21 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-3 Pitching probables: Aug. 2: RHP Tyler Mahle (7-8) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (14-5); 7:05 p.m.,...

The Orioles are in the midst of a rebuild, and have done a pretty good job restocking their farm system already, but their work is far from done. This year's draft was also a great step forward, and today I am going to highlight three top 10 arms that are performing well since being selected. Before I highlight those three, it needs to be mentioned that first-round pick Grayson Rodriguez is not in this piece only because I wrote about him last week here on MASNsports.com. To update you, he has...

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Nationals are still finding out who they are. The road has been a little bit rocky, but of late, the starting pitching seems to have found its footing, and over the last week, the pitchers have been dynamite and have been doing their best to lead the Nationals to success. It all started with Tanner Roark turning it around and having one of the best games of his life. After working with the now-traded Brandon Kintzler on his pitches, Roark faced the...

As the final hours tick down toward the non-waiver trade deadline, the Orioles are in a position they've been unfamiliar with in recent years. It's a full rebuild in Baltimore. From the top on down, the "r-word" has been thrown out frequently in recent weeks. It started with the trade of Manny Machado to the Dodgers. It continued when Zach Britton was dealt to the Yankees. It's been kept afloat as recently as yesterday when Brad Brach was sent to the Braves. The "r-word" these days...

Sunday's Hall of Fame inductions made it a great day for anyone who was a baseball from the 1980s through the 2000s. Seeing the enshrinement of Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammel brings back decades of memories. And while a few recent inductees, such as former Nationals catcher Iván Rodríguez and former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, have Washington connections, it's been quite a few years since anyone who has worn a Washington uniform...

There are unlikely stories, and "Color Blind" by Tom Dunkel is one of them. During the Great Depression, in of all places, Bismarck, N.D., a car dealership owner named Neil Churchill decided to put together the best baseball team he could with players from everywhere and nowhere. This was an age of town teams and Sunday doubleheaders that were taken very seriously. Churchill wanted to expand this concept to the nth degree by making his town team a nationally recognized outfit. This was...

The 2018 season has been a constant struggle for the Nationals due to injuries to key performers and subpar performance from others. Presently, the Nationals have a record of 51-51 and are seven games behind Philadelphia in the National League East and 4 1/2 games back for a wild card berth. With the news of Stephen Strasburg returning to the disabled list, Washington's playoff chances are dwindling by the day. The stark reality is general manager Mike Rizzo and the Nationals should probably...

Change is inevitable, but knowing that fact doesn't make dealing with change any easier. Over the last week, Orioles fans have witnessed two cornerstone players get moved to different contenders, while prospects come to Baltimore in hopes of building the franchise's next successful team. Manny Machado and Zach Britton contributed a lot to the success and turnaround of the club and played an integral part of the team's run to the postseason in three of five years from 2012 to 2016. On his way...

Manager: Kevin Cash (4th season) Record: 52-50 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 1B C.J. Cron (20 HR, 51 RBIs), 2B Daniel Robertson (9 HR, 31 RBIs), RF Carlos Gomez (8 HR, 23 RBsI), Mallex Smith (.284, 17 SB), Matt Duffy (.305), RHP Sergio Romo (12 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 5-4 Pitching probables: July 26: RHP Alex Cobb (2-13) vs. RHP Hunter Wood (0-0); 7:05 p.m., MASN2July 27: RHP Andrew Cashner (2-9) vs. RHP Chris Archer (3-4); 7:05 p.m., MASN2July 28: RHP Kevin Gausman (4-8)...

Manager: Don Mattingly (3rd season) Record: 44-59 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 2B Starlin Castro (.287 with 116 hits, 60 runs); 1B Justin Bour (16 HR, 47 RBIs); RF Brian Anderson (.285 with 113 hits, 23 2B); C J.T. Realmuto (.304 with 49 RBIs); RHP Dan Straily (4-4, 4.02 ERA); CL Kyle Barraclough (2.45 ERA, 10 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-6 Pitching probables: July 26: RHP Stephen Strasburg (6-7) vs. RHP Dan Straily (4-4); 7:10 p.m., MASNJuly 27: RHP Max Scherzer (13-5) vs. RHP...

I will be the first to admit, my time as an Orioles fan has made me pretty pessimistic when it comes to first-round picks being high school pitchers. Do not get me wrong, I like this year's first-round selection of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, and thus far he has been incredibly impressive. Rodriguez, 18, was the O's first round-pick (11th overall) this year out of Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. It came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, and not because Rodriguez...

Are the Nationals doing well? To put it simply, no. But if we keep focusing on the negatives, we will all drive ourselves crazy. So instead, we're going to focus on a few bright spots, and today we're going to look in an unorthodox place at a few guys who have had some under-the-radar good years: in the bullpen at Shawn Kelley and Matt Grace. Kelley has gotten a little bit of a bad rep in town, especially coming off his poor 2017 season. Fans feared that 2018 would be more of the same, and it...

Many Nationals fans were dismayed by Sunday's news that closer Sean Doolittle will remain on the disabled list for a few more weeks after a setback in his recovery from a left foot injury. Although Doolittle has excelled as a closer since coming in trade from Oakland last season, he still has a way to go to catch the most dominant closer Washington has ever seen, Chad Cordero. The 36-year-old former Nat was one of the most popular former players at the autograph tables during All-Star FanFest...

With Manny Machado now off to Los Angeles, the Orioles are in an official rebuild. It's a word that's been touchy for some, but now it's being used by executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. Wheels are spinning and plans are being made, whether Duquette is around to see it through beyond this season or not. In a conference call following the Machado trade, Duquette laid out the blueprint for the Orioles to get back to competitiveness by increasing the use of analytics,...

Why would a middle school student become interested in Dag Hammarskjöld? I have no idea, but I was, and have through this life held this man and his work in the highest esteem. Hammarskjöld was the second United Nations secretary-general, appointed in 1953. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961, shortly after his death in a plane crash while he was on his way to negotiate peace in the Congo. That death has been the subject of debate ever since. "Over the years, multiple claims...

Manager: Brian Snitker (3rd season) Record: 52-42 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: 2B Ozzie Albies (.281 with 20 HR, 55 RBIs); RF Nick Markakis (.323 with 61 RBIs, 120 hits); 1B Freddie Freeman (.315 with 61 RBIs, 114 hits); CF Ender Inciarte (88 hits, 23 SB); RHP Aníbal Sánchez (4-2, 2.60 ERA); LHP A.J. Minter (3.20 ERA, 4 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 6-4 Pitching probables: July 20: RHP Aníbal Sánchez (4-2) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (6-6); 7:05 p.m., MASN2July 21: LHP Sean...