Liz Barr: Formidable foursome gets Nats off to fast start

Liz Barr: Formidable foursome gets Nats off to fast start
Welcome back to baseball. You hear that sound in the air? The sound of home runs leaving the park, bags being swiped and an umpire ringing up a strike three call? That means the Nationals are at it again. They've been hitting, running and, most importantly, pitching. The Nationals arguably have the best four-man starting rotation in the National League, and after the first turn through the rotation, the starting pitching was on display. The group of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio...

Marty Niland: Nats fans demand more than, "Wait'll next year and hope"

Marty Niland: Nats fans demand more than, "Wait'll next year and hope"
Baseball is said to be a timeless game. The rhythm of the game and the season bring generations together, and phrases like "Bang! Zoom!" and "See you later!" have a special meaning around here in the spring, summer and fall. Year after year, we pack the ballpark, gather around the television, tune in to broadcasts, even shuttle the kids to Little League practice and games, united by traditions and the history behind them. But as enduring as the national pastime is supposed to be, it has...

Andrew Stetka: How Orioles could extend recent positivity

Andrew Stetka: How Orioles could extend recent positivity
There's no question it's been a positive few weeks for the Orioles. After an offseason that looked bleak and disconcerting, the team made a few moves on and off the field that helped spring things to life. There was the announcement of the "Kids Cheer Free" program, which allows adults to bring children 9 and under to a game for free. Then the team backed up its signing of pitcher Andrew Cashner by bringing in another free agent starter, Alex Cobb. The O's also announced new pricing...

Ryan Sullivan: Three bold Nationals predictions on opening day

Ryan Sullivan: Three bold Nationals predictions on opening day
Happy opening day, baseball friends! After many months of battling cold temperatures and evenings without the soothing voices of Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo, Nationals baseball returns today. One of the many great things about opening day is the sense of optimism it brings with it - spring in Washington can be truly beautiful and the beginning of a baseball season leads one to think of the endless possibilities over 162 games. Naturally, this leads fans to start making predictions for...

Zach Wilt: Arms will dictate Orioles' success in 2018

Zach Wilt: Arms will dictate Orioles' success in 2018
In 2018, the Orioles will go as far as their starting pitching will take them. I think I've been writing that same sentence for the last seven years. It's basic, but it's true. The O's offense is strong and should be even better this season. Last year, the team fell out of contention because its starting pitching struggled. The Birds' rotation ranked last in ERA (5.70), 27th in walks per nine innings (3.74) and gave up more hard contact (35 percent) than 26 of the 30 teams in baseball. The...

Zach Wilt: Looking at the Orioles' window to win

Zach Wilt: Looking at the Orioles' window to win
I used to be a firm believer in the "window to win" methodology in baseball. Not familiar with the "window to win?" I can explain. The Orioles are a small market team that will never have the payroll to compete in the free agent market with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs or Yankees. That means that they have to acquire quality young talent with a mid-to-low payroll. In order to do that, they have to build through the draft or add high-upside and controllable players. As a result, they find...

Luke Erickson: Looking ahead to 2018

Luke Erickson: Looking ahead to 2018
While the parent Nationals have a little more than a month to go - six or seven weeks if they can advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time in franchise history - the season in the minors ends tomorrow. On a won-loss basis, 2017 was a disaster, nestled somewhere on the spectrum between "Ishtar" and Dan Snyder's tenure as an owner. Just two of the seven affiliates finished above .500, the rest finished (or will finish) in last place, lowlighted by the Syracuse...

Dillon Atkinson: A lot of questions need answering before next spring

Dillon Atkinson: A lot of questions need answering before next spring
The Baltimore Orioles are currently 75-83, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for last place in the American League East division. This is the club's first losing season since 2011, and first under executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. The Birds gave the fans something to cheer and hope for heading into September, but the last month has been a pure disappointment. If there's anything good about getting officially eliminated from playoff contention early, it's that there...

Marty Niland : Three reasons the Nats will prosper in the playoffs

Marty Niland : Three reasons the Nats will prosper in the playoffs
It's fun to be a Nationals fan right now. The team is winning on its final road trip of a record-setting offensive season. It has locked up home-field advantage in the National League Division Series and Bryce Harper is most likely headed back into action for the final week of the regular season. That's all great news for fans that feel like their luck runs out in late September and early October, even in the best of years. In the final weeks of the 2016 season, pitcher Stephen Strasburg and...

Andrew Stetka: Hardy left an impression on Orioles

Andrew Stetka: Hardy left an impression on Orioles
In my consumption of Orioles news and commentary over the last week, I heard something that caught me off-guard. The Orioles Hall of Fame conversation came up and it surrounded shortstop J.J. Hardy. My immediate reaction was puzzled. Why would Hardy be a shoe-in for the team's Hall of Fame? He's never even been the best player on his own team, let alone a standout during his tenure in Baltimore. After a moment of thinking about it, I realized that none of that mattered. That's not what the...

David Huzzard: Workmanlike Rendon deserves NL MVP honors

David Huzzard: Workmanlike Rendon deserves NL MVP honors
Years ago, I set in the cold, metal bleachers for a night game at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. I was there not only because I enjoy baseball, but to watch a Nationals prospect named Anthony Rendon. It is easy to tell the legit prospects from the organizational talent at that level and it has nothing to do with skill. Rendon was giant compared to the other minor leaguers. Looking at him now it would be hard to believe. He's not a large major league player but compared to the other...

Zach Wilt: What the Orioles can learn from this year's postseason clubs

Zach Wilt: What the Orioles can learn from this year's postseason clubs
September can be challenging if your team isn't one of the 10 still playing postseason baseball. With eight games remaining, the Orioles are five games back of a playoff spot and would have five teams to hurdle over to get there. They haven't been mathematically eliminated yet, but it's not looking good. In recent years, this part of the season has been exciting around Charm City. Lately, my Facebook memories have been filled with pictures of the O's winning the American League East or...

Dillon Atkinson: Who could return to next year's starting rotation?

Dillon Atkinson: Who could return to next year's starting rotation?
As the 2017 season is winding down, what looked to be a fun race for the postseason is now a disappointing finish that came up short. This team has flaws. The offense is inconsistent, at times the defense is shaky and the bullpen, while being good overall, has let us down here and there. But you know exactly what I left out because it's the most obvious: the Orioles need better starting pitching. I know I don't even need to bring up any league-wide statistics to prove my point here. It's...

Marty Niland: Let's keep Baker, the best Washington manager ever

Marty Niland: Let's keep Baker, the best Washington manager ever
As the Nationals close out the regular season and prepare for the National League Division Series, the focus of fans' attention turns away from the players on the field and into the dugout and manager Dusty Baker. The 68-year-old skipper has already taken an injury-riddled squad through the gauntlet of a major league regular season to an unprecedented second straight division title, and now must keep his players sharp, yet healthy, as he guides them through the next two weeks. But he accepts...

Andrew Stetka: O's gave it a run, but never had horses for postseason

Andrew Stetka: O's gave it a run, but never had horses for postseason
For all intents and purposes, the 2017 Orioles season is over. We're probably a week or two late on declaring this. Some would say we are a month or two late. Sure, there are still games left on the schedule and baseball will be played over the final few weeks, but the Orioles as a team for this year are done. They were "done" multiple times since early July, when fans and media alike started to proclaim that it wasn't in the cards. This time, they finally are done. And if by some miracle,...

Zach Wilt: A look at the Orioles' home and road splits

Zach Wilt: A look at the Orioles' home and road splits
It's almost time to put the 2017 major league regular season to rest. How does summer always go by so fast? Our Baltimore Orioles have just 15 games remaining and are sitting three games below .500 at 72-75 and 5 1/2 games back of a wild card spot. The O's have seen it all over the last six months. They dominated April with a 15-8 record and held on to first place in the American League East until May 20. They had losing months in May, June and July, then rejuvenated their playoff hopes by...

David Huzzard: Nats need not concern themselves with playoff matchups

David Huzzard: Nats need not concern themselves with playoff matchups
There is going to be a side story to the Dodgers-Nationals series this weekend, and like many side stories, it is flat and pointless, a time-filler to help get to the end of the season. Kind of like my run on sentences. This story is not a tale as old as time but it is one that is asked all the time of fans, players, media and front office staff: Who would you rather play in the first round? The Cubs have suffered a World Series hangover and limped through the season, but still have Anthony...

Dillon Atkinson: With 17 games left, it's time to look to the future

Dillon Atkinson: With 17 games left, it's time to look to the future
After losing their sixth consecutive game on Tuesday night, the Orioles are currently 71-74, in fourth place in the American League East and 4 1/2 games out of a wild card spot. If a 4 1/2-game deficit wasn't already enough to battle, it's worth noting the Orioles have six teams that they would have to hop over to get into the postseason. Playoff hopes are diminishing more and more each day. As we look ahead to the last 17 games of the 2017 season, it's time to start wondering when the...

Marty Niland: Nats and their fans get the celebration they deserve

Marty Niland: Nats and their fans get the celebration they deserve
We partied like it was 1933. For the first time in several generations, Washington baseball fans celebrated a championship the right way: on their home field after a win. It hadn't happened in Washington since Sept. 21, 1933, when the original Nats beat the St. Louis Browns 2-1 at Griffith Stadium. After Lefty Stewart tossed a complete game for his 15th win of the season, a team that included future Hall of Famers Joe Cronin, Goose Goslin, Heinie Manush and Sam Rice popped champagne to...

Andrew Stetka: A nod to ESPN, and national coverage for O's

Andrew Stetka: A nod to ESPN, and national coverage for O's
Many Orioles fans groan whenever the team plays a game on national television. It happens sparingly, but when the Birds get placed on a Saturday afternoon FOX telecast or ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" as they were this weekend, the performance isn't usually up to par. There's something about the bright lights of the national stage that seems to make the O's shrivel. This is, of course, just coincidence. There's not actually anything about the team's performance or lack thereof on...