Whether Branden Kline becomes an integral part of the Orioles bullpen, or even an extra piece that can be tossed on the Triple-A shuttle, is going to be determined much later. No one can make a declaration in October. Don't even attempt it. There's no way to construct the unit on such an early date in the offseason. Not that it ever stops us from trying. We don't know whether Mychal Givens, Richard Bleier and Miguel Castro, all of them eligible for arbitration and due raises, are going to...

The Cardinals had to get off to a good start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. The Nationals, leading three games to none in the best-of-seven series, were due for a letdown. Right? Nope. Left-hander Patrick Corbin struck out the side using all fastballs in the top of the first to get the game rolling. The Nationals then went after Cards starter Dakota Hudson in the bottom of the first, scoring seven runs on six hits. Trea Turner singled and Adam Eaton doubled to begin the...

Today let's take a look at five young Orioles position players. Then give us your take on how much promise and potential they hold for future Orioles teams. Rate these five - listed here alphabetically - on future potential and upside: Hanser Alberto, Austin Hays, Rio Ruiz, Anthony Santander, Dwight Smith Jr. Alberto hit .305 in 139 games and finished eighth in the American League in batting average. It was the 44th time an Orioles player finished at .300 or better, and the first since Nick...

During those dark days of late May, when the Nationals owned the second-worst record in the National League and calls for change were growing from outside the organization, Mark Lerner did exactly what the clubhouse did. He stuck with his guys, especially manager Davey Martinez. "It never crossed my mind to dismiss Davey, no matter all the pressure that was put on us," Lerner, the Nationals' managing principal owner, said this evening before Game 4 of the National League Championship Series....

Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin defeated the Cardinals on Sept. 17 at Busch Stadium by throwing six strong innings and allowing only two unearned runs. He struck out 11 and walked four in a 6-2 Nationals victory. The former DIamondback gets his second start of the postseason tonight in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. "Yeah, we just played them a month or so ago," Corbin said. "I'll just try to go over film and go over what I did do well and what I didn't do well. At...

The Nationals have played 2,456 games during their 15 years of existence. Many of those games carried little to no meaning. A decent number of them were significant but not historic. Twenty-eight of them have come in the postseason. None have featured the stakes that are on the table tonight. For the first time in their history, the Nats are playing for a pennant. One more win over the Cardinals and they'll win the National League Championship Series and reach the World Series. And if they do...

Having starters Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin pitch postseason bullpen innings isn't new to Washington baseball. In fact, the strategy is decades old. In 1924, the only season Washington has won the World Series, the Senators' future Hall of Famer, starter Walter "Big Train'' Johnson, pitched four shutout innings in a 4-3 Game 7 victory against the New York Giants at Griffith Stadium, currently the site of Howard University Hospital. The Senators, then in the American...

Everybody keeps talking about the Nationals' No. 3 and No. 4 hitters as the pair that is the most difficult to stop in the lineup. It's true. Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto have come up with game-changing hits in this postseason. But the Nats' No. 5 and No. 6 hitters are not too shabby, either. Howie Kendrick and Ryan Zimmerman combined to go 5-for-8 (.625) with four doubles, two runs and five RBIs in the Nats' 8-1 win over the Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series...

Yes, Patrick Corbin signed with the Nationals last winter because they offered him more years and more dollars than any of the other contenders for the free agent's services. But he also came to Washington because of what he knew he could be a part of: A rotation that would rival any other in baseball, and a team that expected to play in October. All of that stood out to Corbin, who after coming through the Angels' farm system and then pitching six years in the majors for a Diamondbacks team...

Stephen Strasburg is in a zone at just the right time for the Nationals. He again demonstrated his elite ability with seven strong innings Monday night, striking out 12 and allowing just one unearned run in an 8-1 victory over the Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The Nats lead the series three games to none and can clinch the first trip to the World Series in franchise history on Tuesday night in Game 4. What zone is Strasburg in? Try 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA in four...