It's the day after a clinch, and that always makes for some, uh, interesting lineup decisions. Like Brian Dozier leading off. Or Asdrúbal Cabrera playing third base. Or Wilmer Difo starting at shortstop. All of those are true of the Nationals lineup tonight, and understandably so. Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner can definitely benefit from at least one (if not more) days off. Truth be told, this lineup has more regulars in it than you might expect under the circumstances. Including all three...

The Washington Nationals selected the following players as their 2019 Minor League Players of the Year: * Player of the Year - Outfielder Yadiel Hernandez * Pitcher of the Year - Left-handed pitcher Tim Cate * Defensive Player of the Year - Infielder Luis García * Baserunner of the Year - Infielder/Outfielder Cole Freeman * Seventh annual Bob Boone Award Winner - Catcher Jakson Reetz These players will be honored in a ceremony during 2020 Spring Training. Hernandez, 31, paced Washington's...

TORONTO - After losing 11-10 in 15 innings Monday, the Orioles beat Toronto 11-4 last night at Rogers Centre. So the third and deciding game of this series is set for tonight. The Orioles took two of three from Seattle over the weekend, winning a series for the first time since they won two of three versus Kansas City from Aug. 19-21. Tonight, in this series finale, they have a shot to win back-to-back series. That has not happened since the Orioles began this season going 4-2 at Yankee Stadium...

With less than a week remaining in the regular season and a potential postseason game looming, the Nationals needed to see closer Sean Doolittle return to form. The anchor of their bullpen had dealt with right knee tendinitis for most of August. He had not been himself for a while. Whether because of overuse or general fatigue, the left-hander was not getting the velocity and swing-and-miss results he had demonstrated all season, the backbone of his effectiveness. But finishing Tuesday's first...

TORONTO - When O's right-hander Dylan Bundy took the ball last night against the Blue Jays he made his 30th start of the 2019 season, a number that leads the team. He led the team last year with 31. While there are certainly more important stats than that, Bundy said taking the ball almost every start and being available to his team was very important to him. This is something that started with the Orioles when center fielder Adam Jones was here. It was important to, as the players say, "post...

The ultimate optimist to the end, Davey Martinez insisted Tuesday night that he never doubted his 2019 Nationals would make it to the postseason, even after their infamous 19-31 start that had some questioning whether the second-year manager should lose his job. "You know what? I imagined it in spring training. I really did," Martinez said. "And I said it, May 24, I said this team is going to bounce back and turn it around. I thought we hit the bottom then. But this team, we get everybody...

The celebration for all of the veterans rolled along in the Nationals clubhouse for quite some time after their 6-5 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg had a chance to step back and soak it all in. This will be his third postseason to pitch in. He was shut down famously in 2012, but pitched in the 2014 and 2017 postseasons. "It's so special. It's just a testament to the guys that we have in this clubhouse," Strasburg said. "We never stopped believing. It...

If Austin Hays stays healthy - and it's been a challenge over the past few seasons - he's going to be the Orioles' opening day starter in 2020. Period. End of discussion. OK, there's more. Manager Brandon Hyde isn't prepared to make that declaration. He's just trying to navigate his team through the last road trip. He's busy conducting exit interviews with players and figuring out how to manipulate the bullpen in the middle and late innings. The rotation no longer requires his attention....

TORONTO - A night after the Orioles allowed 11 runs, 13 hits and five homers, some pitching order was restored as they handily beat the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Right-hander Dylan Bundy was dealin' Dylan, pitching the Orioles to a win in Game 2 of this series. Bundy went seven strong innings, the Orioles hit three homers and Trey Mancini went 5-for-5 in an 11-4 win over Toronto. Mancini doubled in the first and third and added three singles in setting a new career high for hits and...

The path was different this time, very different. There was no division title, no early September clinch, no chance to turn on the cruise control and enjoy the nice, smooth ride to the postseason. No, this time the Nationals had to earn it. They had to come all the way back from a 19-31 start that left more than a few observers wondering if major changes were about to take place. They had to go on a remarkable run that saw them play at a .645 clip for four full months that still wasn't enough...