New skipper Dusty Baker brings impressive pedigree to Nationals

New skipper Dusty Baker brings impressive pedigree to Nationals
Bud Black is out. Dusty Baker, who was in the on-deck circle for the Braves the night Henry Aaron his 715th home run in April 1974, is in as the Nationals' new manager. It was a bizarre twist given that Black, the former Padres manager, reportedly was going to be the one that replaced Matt Williams. But on Tuesday morning, the Nationals made it official that Baker is their manager. Here's the question: Would Baker been available to the Nationals if the Reds had beaten the Giants in the...

Royals are comeback kings who have earned their World Series crown

Royals are comeback kings who have earned their World Series crown
This week, the news converges: The Kansas City Royals celebrate their first World Series title in three decades and the Nationals will announce that Bud Black will be their new manager. Black, a left-handed pitcher, was the Royals' No. 4 starter in 1985, the year the Royals beat St. Louis in seven games in the World Series. Black started Game 4 in Busch Stadium, getting beaten by John Tudor 3-0. Black pitched five innings and gave up home runs to Willie McGee and Tito Landrum. Black is known...

With Nationals, Black will have to learn to adjust to higher expectations

With Nationals, Black will have to learn to adjust to higher expectations
Back when Buddy Black, the Nationals' new manager, was a left-handed pitcher in the American League, he once stood below the Metrodome roof in Minnesota and counted the squares - and the holes in the squares - in the light-colored plastic roof. "Sometimes, you just have to find things to do," Black says. "I've been coming here for years and wondered how many holes there were in the roof. So I counted them.'' Black has the quirkiness you'd expect in a left-handed pitcher. But, he's also...

Meet the Mets, who are playing in their first World Series since 2000

Meet the Mets, who are playing in their first World Series since 2000
The Mets are heading to the World Series, a big accomplishment considering they were two games over .500 in the National League East on July 30. But, they reinvented their roster and finished 31-11 to buzz by the favored Nationals to win the division without drama. The Mets continued to knock off favorites in the postseason. They beat Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers in the NL Division Series and swept the red-hot Cubs in the NL Championship Series. The Mets have been off since...

Royals return to Fall Classic with more power added to speed, defense, pitching

Royals return to Fall Classic with more power added to speed, defense, pitching
The Kansas City Royals, a team that had nine consecutive losing seasons (including four seasons of at least 100 losses) from 2004 to 2012, are making a repeat visit to the World Series. The Royals are the first team to win consecutive American League pennants since Texas in 2010-2011, but the Rangers lost both World Series. Toronto won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-1993. Not long ago, the Royals were a young and talented team going nowhere. Their turnaround started in the second half...

Previewing the NLCS between the Cubs and Mets

Previewing the NLCS between the Cubs and Mets
The Mets and the Cubs are playing in the National League Championship Series, and if the Cubs win, they'll put an end to a longtime drought of not appearing in the World Series. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since back-to-back titles in 1907 and 1908 and haven't been to a World Series since 1945, the year they lost to Detroit. The Cubs haven't ever won an NLCS. They are 0-3 when playing for the NL pennant. They lost to the Marlins in 2003, the Giants in 1989 and the Padres in...

Breaking down the Blue Jays-Royals battle in the ALCS

Breaking down the Blue Jays-Royals battle in the ALCS
The Kansas City Royals will take aim at their second consecutive American League pennant when they play the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. The last time the Royals were in the World Series was in 1985, the year they beat the Blue Jays in the ALCS. That series was the first of baseball's expanded series format, going from the five- to the seven-game format. Under the old rules, used from 1969 through 1984, the Blue Jays would have won the title. They won three of...

Checking out the four teams competing in the National League Division Series

Checking out the four teams competing in the National League Division Series
The Dodgers, Mets, Cardinals and Cubs are playing in the National League Division Series for a chance to play for the NL pennant. Here's a primer: * The Dodgers last won the World Series when they beat Oakland in 1988 after winning the National League Championship Series against the Mets. The Dodgers won in seven games with Orel Hershiser the pitching star. He threw eight innings in Game 1, six in Game 3, recorded a save in Game 4 and pitched a 6-0 shutout in Game 7. Ironically, Mets manager...

Weighing the American League Division Series contenders

Weighing the American League Division Series contenders
The Kansas City Royals will begin the defense of their American League pennant when they play the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series. Whoever wins takes on the Texas Rangers or Toronto Blue Jays for the right to play in the World Series. OK, but did you know ... ? * The Astros and Royals came close to playing in the 1980 World Series, back when the Astros were in the National League. The Astros' home ballpark was the Astrodome and they lost the National League Championship...

Handicapping the NL postseason teams

Handicapping the NL postseason teams
Baseball's postseason starts with a historic twist in the National League Central: For the first time since the three-division format became reality in 1994, the three best records have come from the same division. The division-winning Cardinals won 100 games, the Pirates 98 and the Cubs 97. The only other season that teams from the same division finished with the two best records was in 2001, when Seattle won 116 and Oakland 102. Who is the scariest team in the NL postseason? We report. You...

Examining candidates with big league experience who could become Nationals' next manager

Examining candidates with big league experience who could become Nationals' next manager
The Nationals fired manager Matt Williams and his coaching staff Monday. The team's general manager, Mike Rizzo, said that he'll keep an open mind in hiring Williams' replacement, but major league experience will likely be a necessity. Nationals coach Randy Knorr, Nationals players' choice two years ago when Rizzo hired Williams, may or may not be a candidate. Knorr has plenty of experience as a minor league manager and bench coach in the big leagues. If Rizzo is looking for a big league...

A look at each American League team heading to playoffs

A look at each American League team heading to playoffs
Who is the most feared team in the American League postseason? Kansas City is determined to return to a World Series for a second consecutive season, and this year, their run production is better but their rotation is less stable. The Yankees are a wild card team that hobbled to the finish line at the end of the regular season. The Astros, strong all season, stumbled in the first two weeks in September but played well in the final two weeks. The Blue Jays have unbelievable firepower, a deep...

Taking a look at top storylines around the major leagues

Taking a look at top storylines around the major leagues
As the Orioles and Nationals put the finishing touches on disappointing seasons, here is what else is going on around baseball: * The Orioles were shut out three times in Boston over the weekend, essentially ending their slim chance for a wild card. Even though the Orioles have dominated the Red Sox since the end of 2011, the takeaway is that Boston's building block players - Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rusney Castillo, Xander Bogaerts, Henry Owens and Blake Swihart - are going to be a...

Orioles and Nationals playing must-win games, hoping for outside help

Orioles and Nationals playing must-win games, hoping for outside help
As the interleague series between the Orioles and Nationals came to an end with a Bryce Harper grounder Thursday night, both under-achieving teams are left with an almost impossible predicament: Win every game and hope for help. The lifeless Nationals, swept by the Orioles after a 5-4 loss, have missed chances to pick up ground on the first-place Mets in the National League East. The Mets aren't the same dynamic team that swept the Nationals in D.C. earlier this month. They finished a 3-6...

With Mets' recent struggles and pitching questions, Nationals have chance to catch NL East leaders

With Mets' recent struggles and pitching questions, Nationals have chance to catch NL East leaders
The Nationals start the week six games behind the Mets in the National League East with 13 games to play. The Mets' magic number is eight, which means the race ends with any combination of Mets wins and Nationals losses totaling eight. Mathematically, the Nationals' chances are slim. But the Mets aren't the same team that swept the Nationals in D.C. earlier this month, so that helps the Nationals. "We're playing perfect right now,'' Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar said after going...

Bryce Harper NL MVP favorite, but 40 homers don't guarantee hardware

Bryce Harper NL MVP favorite, but 40 homers don't guarantee hardware
The Nationals' Bryce Harper, 22, is the sixth youngest in baseball history to hit 40 home runs in a season, joining Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews, Johnny Bench, Joe DiMaggio and Juan Gonzalez. The first four are in the Hall of Fame, and Gonzalez won two American League MVP awards with Texas. Harper is the favorite to be the National League's MVP, but hitting 40 home runs at a young age hasn't guaranteed MVP hardware in the past. Here's a look: - Mathews led the NL with 47 home runs in 1953 for the...

With three weeks left in regular season, exciting storylines developing around MLB

With three weeks left in regular season, exciting storylines developing around MLB
With three weeks left in the season, the Mets, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Royals have wrapped up division championships even though official the clinch is yet to come. Still, there are good storylines: - The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 5-0 to avoid a sweep Sunday, but they are still in a free-fall in the American League East, considering they had a seven-game lead on July 28. A title looks remote, and it could be that the wild card lead they have is shaky as well. Texas and Houston, leaders in the...

How will Nationals' fall affect Bryce Harper in the NL MVP race?

How will Nationals' fall affect Bryce Harper in the NL MVP race?
The Nationals go into the final days with at best a slim chance to make the postseason by overtaking the Mets in the National League East. But will the play of the underachieving Nationals be a factor in the NL Most Valuable Player voting and cost right fielder Bryce Harper votes - or even a chance at winning the award? As a rule, the voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America leans toward the MVP coming from a team that makes the playoffs - or at least contends. The last 16 AL and...

Harvey, Mets squabbling about innings limit with critical series vs. Nats on horizon

Harvey, Mets squabbling about innings limit with critical series vs. Nats on horizon
This is the sign of the times, pitching-wise across baseball: The Mets and the Nationals are battling for a division title and the big news is how much time Mets ace Matt Harvey has spent on the telephone talking to his elbow surgeon, Dr. James Andrews. The Mets are in Washington for a three-game series beginning Monday. Harvey, 26, the ace of the Mets staff, pitches Tuesday night, but how much will he pitch the rest of the season, and will he be available if the Mets make the...

Playoff hopes hanging by a thread for Orioles, Nationals

Playoff hopes hanging by a thread for Orioles, Nationals
September has arrived, and the Orioles' and Nationals' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. The Nationals are struggling to catch the Mets in the National League East. They play each other six times, including the final weekend of the season. The Mets have 22 games left against the Phillies, Marlins, Reds and Braves, which is bad news for Washington. The Orioles are battling to stay out of the basement in the American League East and they play the Blue Jays seven times, the Yankees six...