If you're looking for reasons to remain optimistic about the Nationals' chances of climbing out of last place and back into the thick of the National League East race, look no further than the club's longstanding biggest strength: the rotation. Despite some notable April blowups, Nats starters have found their way again and are now leading the way, as they were expected to all along. Overall, the Nationals rotation owns a 4.27 ERA, which ranks only 17th in the majors, and 1.215 WHIP, which...

The Orioles are a season-high five games below .500 as they prepare again to host the Yankees. They don't need to change the sheets and towels. They'd like to change their rankings in several offensive categories, including the 138 runs and .662 OPS that were sixth-lowest in the majors after Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Mets. The .216 average with runners in scoring position that also put them sixth. No team had a lower OPS with RISP than the Orioles' .598. There's still a lot of season...

When a pitcher is 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA and a WHIP of 0.712, he is certainly doing a lot to help his team win. But for Orioles ace John Means, the contributions he makes extend well beyond the nights he is pitching. Means recently talked about his willingness to mentor O's young pitchers and teach them about the importance of having a daily routine to follow among other things. Means has thrown 15 scoreless innings in his last two starts and has produced five straight quality starts. But the...

The Orioles have kept busy making roster moves during the first two months of the season, whether due to injury or the need for a fresh bullpen arm and resetting of a starting pitcher, and they're nearing another transaction. Anthony Santander is beginning an injury rehab assignment Friday night at Double-A Bowie, which continues its series against Reading at Prince George's Stadium. Santander is going to play the outfield and also be used as the designated hitter during his stint with the...

The Nationals aren't going to amount to much this season if Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber and Patrick Corbin aren't consistently contributing to the process. They all know that, and it's why manager Davey Martinez isn't going to give up on any of them anytime soon. The roster general manager Mike Rizzo built this winter included Bell, Schwarber and Corbin in prominent positions, the first two in the heart of his lineup and the latter in the heart of his rotation. So the early-season struggles...

Stephen Strasburg is close to rejoining the Nationals rotation, but first the club needs their rehabbing right-hander to build up his innings and pitch count one more time. They just need to figure out where and when that final tune-up will take place. Strasburg, who has already pitched in two simulated games at Nationals Park, was scheduled to throw a bullpen session this morning before the team's series finale against the Phillies. His next turn to start would come Sunday, but it hasn't...

To say the Nationals need to find a way to win today's series finale against the Phillies is a gross understatement. No, the season isn't over if they lose again, but if they get swept by Philadelphia after losing two of three to the Yankees after getting swept by the Braves ... well, that's not a position you want to be in. So the pressure's on this afternoon on South Capitol Street, which is probably the last thing Davey Martinez wants. He held a team meeting after Wednesday night's loss...

If you're in need of a little pick-me-up following Wednesday night's extra-inning loss to the Phillies, here's one that might do the trick: Cade Cavalli's professional career is off to a fantastic start. The Nationals' 2020 first-round pick authored another impressive outing Wednesday for high Single-A Wilmington, tossing five scoreless innings while striking out eight during an eventual 1-0 win over Jersey Shore. Cavalli surrendered only one hit, a third-inning single by Jonathan Guzman,...

They had played far from a perfect ballgame, and certainly they didn't tear the cover off the ball, but the Nationals nonetheless put themselves in position to beat the Phillies this evening, thanks to an effective start by Jon Lester, some timely hits in the sixth, a massive blunder in the outfield by Bryce Harper and strong setup work from Sam Clay and Daniel Hudson. Victory, however, could not be secured until Brad Hand pitched a scoreless ninth, something that only a week ago felt like as...

A caller to my postgame radio show on Tuesday night expressed a take that the Orioles could trade left-hander John Means, and that they could get a big package of prospects for their ace pitcher. Other fans have expressed concerns that the club would even consider such a move. While none of us know exactly how executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias feels on this topic, we do know that he would only be doing his job to field offers for any player at any time. That doesn't mean...