Josh Michael: Undefeated Shorebirds are worth the price of admission

Josh Michael: Undefeated Shorebirds are worth the price of admission
The 2018 minor league season is in full swing now for the Orioles' four full-season affiliates, and while there is plenty of talent throughout the affiliates' rosters, the low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds are the standouts thus far. I knew the Shorebirds were going to have a good pitching staff thanks in large part to having seven pitchers currently in the Top 30 Orioles' prospects list per MLBPipeline.com. Their offense was anticipated to be solid, but had some unknowns in it, as well. Thus...
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Marty Niland: It didn't take long for inaugural Nats to win fans' hearts

Marty Niland: It didn't take long for inaugural Nats to win fans' hearts
I will always love the Nationals, but I'm still waiting for something that will make me fall in love with this year's team - something momentous to convince me that this year's edition of the Nats is capable of doing great things. In 2005, their first year in Washington, it took just two games for a star to emerge and prove this team was doing more than just taking up residence, but was capable of winning our hearts. Washington was hungry for baseball after going without since Senators owner...
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Andrew Stetka: Machado's move to short still puzzles

Andrew Stetka: Machado's move to short still puzzles
When Buck Showalter announced at Orioles FanFest in late January that Manny Machado would be moving to shortstop full-time, pushing Tim Beckham to third base, I didn't really blink at the move. It seemed inevitable, really, despite my own personal apprehensions. Machado is, as everyone knows, in his walk year. The move to short was conceivably to increase his value to potential trade suitors. From a personal standpoint for Machado, it would also increase his value as a free agent. Despite the...
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Ryan Sullivan: Grace is best-kept secret in Nationals 'pen

Ryan Sullivan: Grace is best-kept secret in Nationals 'pen
Recently, an entertainer in World Wrestling Entertainment named Buddy Murphy began calling himself "professional wrestling's best-kept secret." With all due respect to his creative catchphrase, I believe we should start calling Nationals reliever Matt Grace "D.C. baseball's best-kept secret." Last season, Grace was quietly effective for the Nationals, producing a 4.32 ERA, 1.360 WHIP and 31 strikeouts against 18 walks over 50 innings pitched. An eighth-round pick by Washington in the 2010...
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Zach Wilt: O's patient approach starting to pay dividends

Zach Wilt: O's patient approach starting to pay dividends
It was hard to stay positive after a 1-5 start to the season. Our outlook after opening day was so promising, with Adam Jones walking it off in the 11th inning in front of a sold-out crowd at Camden Yards. But after the Gatorade shower and celebration at home plate, the Orioles went the next week without another win and came to the Bronx looking for their second victory of the 2018 season. Despite their their struggles entering the series against the Yankees, there were some encouraging signs...
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Opposite dugout: Healthy roster key to success for Mets

Opposite dugout: Healthy roster key to success for Mets
Manager: Mickey Callaway (1st season) Record: 4-1 Last 10 games: 4-1 Who to watch: LF Yoenis Céspedes (.278 average with 2 HR, 6 RBIs); SS Amed Rosario (.333 average with 5 RBIs); 1B Adrián González (.308 average with .471 OBP); RHP Jacob deGrom (1-0, 1.59 ERA); RHP Matt Harvey (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (6-13 in 2017) Pitching probables: April 5: RHP Jacob deGrom (1-0) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-0); 1:05 p.m., MASNApril 7: LHP Steven Matz (0-1) vs....
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Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The Cocktail Waitress"

Hitting the Books with Gary Thorne: "The Cocktail Waitress"
We return now to noir. That genre of writing also referred to as "hardboiled," "tabloid murder" and "lose/lose fiction." James Cain is considered by many to be the writer who most influenced these noir works in the U.S. along with Raymond Chandler ("The Big Sleep") and Dashiell Hammett ("The Maltese Falcon"). His seminal works include "Double Indemnity" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice." These are considered classic writings not only in the noir field, but in fiction...
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Liz Barr: Formidable foursome gets Nats off to fast start

Liz Barr: Formidable foursome gets Nats off to fast start
Welcome back to baseball. You hear that sound in the air? The sound of home runs leaving the park, bags being swiped and an umpire ringing up a strike three call? That means the Nationals are at it again. They've been hitting, running and, most importantly, pitching. The Nationals arguably have the best four-man starting rotation in the National League, and after the first turn through the rotation, the starting pitching was on display. The group of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio...
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Josh Michael: Breaking down a pair of promising pitching prospects

Josh Michael: Breaking down a pair of promising pitching prospects
The 2018 minor league season will kick off Thursday, and I for one am extremely excited because the state of the Orioles' farm system has vastly improved over the past few years. Today, I want to highlight two pitchers that most O's fans are not very familiar with, but are prospects that I am very excited about. First up is a lefty who almost wasn't even an Oriole. Cameron Bishop, 22, was selected by the Orioles in the 26th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal-Irvine. His...
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Washington Nationals to face New York Mets in 2018 home opener on Thursday

Washington Nationals to face New York Mets in 2018 home opener on Thursday
The Washington Nationals will celebrate Opening Day and their first home game of the 2018 season on Thursday, April 5 at 1:05 p.m. when the team hosts the New York Mets. The Nationals want all fans to enjoy the entirety of the Opening Day experience, and are encouraging fans to plan ahead and come to the ballpark early. Fans are encouraged to enter the ballpark through the gate closest to their seating area to avoid congestion at the Center Field Gate. ALL GATES will open at 11:00...
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Adam Eaton named National League Player of the Week

Adam Eaton named National League Player of the Week
Following a weekend in which he hit .615 (8-for-13) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, one walk and seven runs scored, Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Eaton, 29, returned to the Nationals lineup on Opening Day after an 11-month recovery and rehabilitation following left-knee surgery on May 9, 2017. He singled to center field to lead off Friday's contest and went...
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Orioles baseball continues in Sarasota with extended spring training

Orioles baseball continues in Sarasota with extended spring training
Home games are open to the public, free of charge With the Major League Baseball season now underway, the Orioles' year-round baseball operations continue in Sarasota with Extended Spring Training. The public is invited to watch Orioles minor league players in action at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in April, May, and June. There is no charge to attend the games, which will be held on Field 4. Gates open 30 minutes before game time. Free parking is available in the East Lot. Please note that...
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Marty Niland: Nats fans demand more than, "Wait'll next year and hope"

Marty Niland: Nats fans demand more than, "Wait'll next year and hope"
Baseball is said to be a timeless game. The rhythm of the game and the season bring generations together, and phrases like "Bang! Zoom!" and "See you later!" have a special meaning around here in the spring, summer and fall. Year after year, we pack the ballpark, gather around the television, tune in to broadcasts, even shuttle the kids to Little League practice and games, united by traditions and the history behind them. But as enduring as the national pastime is supposed to be, it has...
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Andrew Stetka: How Orioles could extend recent positivity

Andrew Stetka: How Orioles could extend recent positivity
There's no question it's been a positive few weeks for the Orioles. After an offseason that looked bleak and disconcerting, the team made a few moves on and off the field that helped spring things to life. There was the announcement of the "Kids Cheer Free" program, which allows adults to bring children 9 and under to a game for free. Then the team backed up its signing of pitcher Andrew Cashner by bringing in another free agent starter, Alex Cobb. The O's also announced new pricing...
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Ryan Sullivan: Three bold Nationals predictions on opening day

Ryan Sullivan: Three bold Nationals predictions on opening day
Happy opening day, baseball friends! After many months of battling cold temperatures and evenings without the soothing voices of Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo, Nationals baseball returns today. One of the many great things about opening day is the sense of optimism it brings with it - spring in Washington can be truly beautiful and the beginning of a baseball season leads one to think of the endless possibilities over 162 games. Naturally, this leads fans to start making predictions for...
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Zach Wilt: Arms will dictate Orioles' success in 2018

Zach Wilt: Arms will dictate Orioles' success in 2018
In 2018, the Orioles will go as far as their starting pitching will take them. I think I've been writing that same sentence for the last seven years. It's basic, but it's true. The O's offense is strong and should be even better this season. Last year, the team fell out of contention because its starting pitching struggled. The Birds' rotation ranked last in ERA (5.70), 27th in walks per nine innings (3.74) and gave up more hard contact (35 percent) than 26 of the 30 teams in baseball. The...
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Opposite dugout: Twins out to prove 2017 wasn't an anomaly

Opposite dugout: Twins out to prove 2017 wasn't an anomaly
Manager: Paul Molitor (4th season) Record: 85-77 (2nd in AL Central in 2017; captured 2nd AL wild card) Last 10 games: Season opener Who to watch: 2B Brian Dozier (.271 average, 34 HR, 93 RBIs); 3B Miguel Sanó (.264 average, 28 HR, 77 RBIs); CF Byron Buxton (.253 average, 29 SB); RHP José Berríos (14-8, 3.89 ERA); RHP Lance Lynn (11-8, 3.43 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (5-2 in 2017) Pitching probables: March 29: RHP Jake Odorizzi (10-8, 4.14 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy...
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Orioles pledge $300,000 to local charities as part of Birdland Community Heroes Program

Orioles pledge $300,000 to local charities as part of Birdland Community Heroes Program
The Orioles continue their charitable endeavors with the announcement of a $300,000 pledge to local charities in support of their Birdland Community Heroes program. This pledge will include a combined donation of $100,000 from the Orioles Charitable Foundation to the 2018 season's Birdland Community Heroes' related charities and another $200,000 to the charities of those Heroes honored in previous seasons. Since the program's launch during the 2016 regular season, the Orioles have honored 80...
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MASN revealing exclusive new T-shirts, other prizes on opening day

MASN revealing exclusive new T-shirts, other prizes on opening day
Baseball is almost back! Opening day is coming up in just two short days, and MASN is giving you the chance to celebrate the return of baseball with new prizes and swag! Visit the MASN tent on Eutaw Street and try your hand at our prize wheel! Select fans will be taking home exclusive new T-shirts with Gary Thorne's signature home run call. In addition to tons of prizes - including koozies, tumblers and schedule posters - MASN will also be hooking you up with "social snapshots." Round up...
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Orioles pledge $300,000 to local charities as part of Birdland Community Heroes Program

Orioles pledge $300,000 to local charities as part of Birdland Community Heroes Program
The Orioles today announced a $300,000 pledge to local charities in support of the club's Birdland Community Heroes program. The donation total includes a combined pledge of $100,000 from the Orioles Charitable Foundation to the 2018 season's Birdland Community Heroes' related charities, as well as $200,000 to the charities of those Heroes honored in prior seasons. On Opening Day, Thursday, March 29, the Orioles are welcoming back all previous Birdland Community Heroes to take part in a...
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