A big chunk of the early offseason work being done by the Orioles involves the construction of the minor league coaching staffs. A task that already was in motion long before the Red Sox's walk-off win on Sunday. Making outside hires and reassigning individuals to a higher or lower affiliate. Changing a few roles in order to keep people in the organization while also making room for others or eliminating the job as it previously had been defined. Sean Berry is expected to come back to the...

The Orioles have wasted little time in beginning their work on the 40-man roster. Less than 24 hours after losing their final game in Boston, the Orioles have outrighted pitcher Chandler Shepherd to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers, per multiple industry sources. That's one move. Shepherd started yesterday's game and lasted five-plus innings in a 5-4 loss to the Red Sox. He was charged with two earned runs and three total, the last scoring after Shawn Armstrong replaced him. Manager...

The Brewers won a playoff spot without the injured Christian Yelich, a 44-home run guy that was a candidate to repeat as the National League MVP. Now, they'll come to D.C. on Tuesday night to take on the Nationals in the wild card game with a former NL MVP, left fielder Ryan Braun, battling a strained left calf. It could be that the Brewers will be without center fielder Lorenzo Cain, slowed by a sprained left ankle. Cain hit .306 in September. The Brewers could go from a power-hitting team to...

The Brewers arrive in D.C. not at 100 percent. They're already missing their best hitter, Christian Yelich, who is out for the season. Now outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun are hurting from their series in Denver against the Rockies. But even with a sweep at the hands of the Rockies yesterday, the Brewers still finished September on an incredible run, going 20-7. On Sept. 5 they were 7 1/2 games in back of the Cardinals in the National League Central, but then came within one game of...

For the last month, the Nationals have been playing with an expanded roster, 36 players in total, which has allowed Davey Martinez to never run out of bats off his bench or arms in his bullpen. It's the luxury of September baseball - at least until next fall, when rosters will be reduced to 28 - but it's not allowed come October. Which means Martinez and the Nationals now must pare those 36 active players into a 25-man roster for Tuesday's National League wild card game. It's not as simple...

The 2019 Orioles scored 729 runs, which was 107 more than the 622 by the 2018 Orioles. So that was a nice improvement from a very low run total in 2018. The Orioles offense got better in the second half and was about league average after the All-Star break. Perhaps that is a nice start for the club on the way to producing an above-average offense down the road. First a look at some of the numbers - American League team average for 2019: .253/.323/.439 with 4.9 runs per game, 1.4 home runs per...

BOSTON - With the Orioles unable to secure the last out yesterday in the ninth inning, a walk-off loss done in a bizarre manner being an appropriate parting shot in a summer filled with oddities, we're left to wonder what the heck is coming next. The offseason won't be stagnant. The 40-man roster will undergo a major reconstruction. It should be surrounded by yellow caution tape. Pitchers Alex Cobb and Josh Rogers need to come off the 60-day injured list, with the assumption that the latter...

There were a lot of special moments for the Nats during the regular season that ended with today's 8-2 win over the Indians, but one of biggest to tug at the heart strings was the return of reliever Aaron Barrett. The right-hander came back to the big leagues after multiple setbacks, surgeries and rehabs in early September to pitch for the Nationals for the first time since 2015. Barrett tossed one shutout inning in relief Sept. 7 at Atlanta. Afterward, he cried uncontrollably in the dugout...

BOSTON - As the visiting dugout emptied this afternoon at Fenway Park, the 162nd game completed and players in a rush to eat, shower and catch their flights, there was no evidence of the grim atmosphere that carried so many of them out the door last year. The Orioles felt good about the effort and energy in 2019. They'd like to cut back on the losses, of course, but seem confident that it's only a matter of time. They understand the process and the patience that it requires. There's more...

A Nationals regular season that began with endless promise, bottomed out in late May but then kicked into high gear for a long time came to an end this afternoon with an 8-2 victory over the Indians and a most impressive 93-69 record few could've predicted four months ago. Next up: One game Tuesday night against the Brewers to decide whether they'll get a chance to make amends for past October failures. The Nationals will host Milwaukee in the National League wild card game, an 8 p.m....