Rizzo: After low point this year, improvement expected in 2022
Rizzo: After low point this year, improvement expected in 2022
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Mike Rizzo wasn't about to put a timetable on the Nationals' rebuilding project to become a contender again, but the longtime general manager seemed to make it clear today in an end-of-season session with reporters that he views this year as the low point in the process, with significant improvement expected in 2022. "Our goal is to win," Rizzo said during a 25-minute session in the home dugout prior to the Nationals' season finale. "It's to win the division. It's to win the World...
Hyde "excited about some of the young talent" on team
Hyde "excited about some of the young talent" on team
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
As the Orioles wait for Game 162 to begin in Toronto, manager Brandon Hyde reflected on the season today and marveled at how briskly it passed. "We're talking about it in the clubhouse, it seems like a lifetime ago we were in Boston and got rained out of opening day and the next day in Fenway we're still being tested, still having masks, no fans," he said. "It seems like we've come a long way since then and we got back to somewhat as normal a season as could possibly happen. "There's...
Orioles and Blue Jays lineups in Game 162
Orioles and Blue Jays lineups in Game 162
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles end the 2021 season today in Toronto with the opportunity to play spoilers, keeping the Blue Jays out of the playoffs with a victory. It's that simple. Rookie Bruce Zimmermann is making his 13th major league start and 14th appearance, and his second since coming off the 60-day injured list. He held the Red Sox to one run and two hits over four innings on Tuesday. Zimmermann has never faced the Blue Jays. The Baltimore native hasn't allowed a hit in 36 consecutive two-strike...
Nationals recall Joan Adon
Nationals recall Joan Adon
Pete Kerzel
Nationals
The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Joan Adon from Triple-A Rochester and placed infielder Luis García on the 10-day Injured List with a strained oblique muscle on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Adon, 23, went 7-6 with a 4.97 ERA in 21 starts between High-A Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester in 2021. He struck out 122 batters against 40 walks in 105.0 innings pitched. He ranked...
Game 162 lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox
Game 162 lineups: Nats vs. Red Sox
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
Well, here we are. It's Game 162, the end of a long and winding and eventful but ultimately disappointing baseball season in the nation's capital. If someone told you on opening day everything that would transpire over the ensuing six months, would you have believed it? Probably not. There is, however, meaningful baseball to be played today on South Capitol Street. Perhaps not so meaningful for the Nationals, but critical to the Red Sox, who enter the day tied with the Yankees atop the...
O's game blog: O's play Game No. 162
O's game blog: O's play Game No. 162
Steve Melewski
Orioles
For the Orioles, the final day and game of the 2021 season has arrived. They play the Blue Jays this afternoon at Rogers Centre to conclude the year and then head into the offseason and the winter. They have lost the first two games of this series, by 6-4 and 10-1 scores. Toronto opened a 6-0 lead Friday night before a late O's rally. The Blue Jays hit five homers in the first five innings yesterday, opened a big early lead and won by nine runs. The O's have gone 3-2 in their last five...
Martinez says Hickey will return, less definitive on other coaches
Martinez says Hickey will return, less definitive on other coaches
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The Nationals pitching staff enters today's season finale sporting a 4.79 ERA, seventh-worst in the majors. And that number has only gotten worse as the season has played out. Since the All-Star break, the Nats' ERA is a gaudy 5.60, third-worst in the majors. So as they prepare to evaluate what went wrong this year, and what changes could be necessary to try to prevent it from happening again, the Nationals would be expected to at least consider whether pitching coach Jim Hickey deserves any...
Nats drop wild game, Red Sox move closer to wild card (updated)
Nats drop wild game, Red Sox move closer to wild card (updated)
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
The closest the Nationals are going to get to meaningful October baseball occurred around 7 p.m. tonight on South Capitol Street, as the sun set behind the first base stands, the temperature inched down toward the 60s, and a sellout crowd of 41,465 watched in nervous anticipation as the most feared hitter in the sport stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth and the home team trailing by a run. "I love that feeling," Juan Soto said in his Zoom session with...
Notes on Means and Hays, plus Hyde's push for Mountcastle
Notes on Means and Hays, plus Hyde's push for Mountcastle
Steve Melewski
Orioles
He may have given up seven runs in three innings on Saturday afternoon - and that tied his career high for runs allowed - but Orioles lefty John Means closed out another strong year. In 2019, he emerged as the top starter on the team. In 2021, he confirmed for all of us that he remains that and was not a one-year fluke. Or that the earlier season was going to be an outlier in a longer career. He missed a few starts with injuries, but Means showed again that he is the ace of this staff. Until he...
Final game gives Zimmermann last chance to impress
Final game gives Zimmermann last chance to impress
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The final game of the 2021 season is sneaking up on the Orioles today and tapping them on the shoulder, perhaps leery of a harsh reaction. Tip-toeing around this team probably is a wise strategy. Whispered apologies. Keeping its guard up, just in case. The Orioles went 54-108 in 2019, the most recent full season. They're 52-109 heading into today's finale in Toronto. They're also 20-55 against the American League East. The 55 losses are their second-most in a season in franchise history...