The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated catcher Wilson Ramos from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned catcher Jhonatan Solano to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Ramos, who missed the last 14 games with a left hamstring strain, is batting .300 with two homers, three RBI, three walks and three runs scored in six games this season with the...
With the advent of the internet, we're, in theory, no longer bound to listen to only local radio as most stations stream their programming online. So being interested in some local perspective on the NBA playoffs, I tuned into WEEI-Boston's midday "Mut and Merloni" show last week. At that moment, they were talking about the American League East and specifically about the Toronto Blue Jays.
While they did agree that on paper they were a good team, they also said they felt that the culture...
Of all the red-letter days in Washington's baseball history, Nationals fans may well look back on April 28, 2012 as the most important date of all.
It was on that date that a 19-year-old rookie named Bryce Aron Max Harper made his major league debut, amid the media spotlight of Los Angeles. He singled and drove in a run for a Nats team that was struggling offensively, and while Washington would fall to the Dodgers, both Harper and the Nats would soon heat up and not look back.
Harper...
The Orioles today announced that they have recalled catcher Luis Exposito from Triple-A Norfolk and placed catcher Taylor Teagarden on the 15-day disabled list with a dislocated left thumb.
Exposito, 26, has played in 16 games for the Tides this season, batting .218/.254/.273 in 59 plate appearances. He made his major league debut last season for the Orioles and picked up his first major league hit on May 10.
Teagarden, 29, has appeared in four games for the Orioles this season, going...
From the start of spring training, Nationals manager Davey Johnson preached patience. Henry Rodriguez, who led the league in wild pitches in 2011 and managed to throw 10 in 29 1/3 innings of work in 2012, continued his wild ways this spring, but the Nats' 70-year-old skipper said it was just a matter of time before the right-handed reliever figured things out.
Rodriguez's 2012 campaign saw him temporarily assume the closer's role and save nine games before flaming out rather quickly and...
The Orioles' streak of 17 consecutive extra-inning victories ended with Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Toronto. The Orioles matched the 1949 Cleveland Indians for most consecutive extra-inning victories in major league history. I reviewed the box scores from all 17 games and came away with the following facts and figures:
* The average number of innings played per game during the streak fell just shy of 12 (11.82352941176471, to be exact). The longest game of the streak by innings played was 18...
On Sunday, Jake Arrieta started on the mound for the Orioles. One would have thought after a successful spring training, he would finally figure it out after several seasons in the majors.
From the looks of things, he still may not have. After his performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arrieta was again optioned to Triple-A Norfolk for seemingly the umpteenth time in the last couple of seasons.
Sitting in the stands Sunday, I wondered how a guy who looks like your prototypical power...
Three weeks into the 2013 season and the Nationals are struggling to get their 2012 groove back. Fact is, though, it's only April and there are months of baseball still to be played. The biggest factor haunting the Nats in present day is high expectations associated with coming off a successful run last year.
"We've been pressing," outfielder Jayson Werth told MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko. "We've been trying to do too much. That's a common side effect. It's just one of those things....
The Orioles announced after today's game that they have optioned right-hander Josh Stinson to Triple-A Norfolk.
Stinson made his Orioles debut this afternoon and did not receive a decision in the start against Toronto. He allowed five earned runs in 5.2 innings.
A corresponding roster move will be announced tomorrow.
Online voting for the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game will begin today at 3:00 p.m., and the Orioles are urging fans to vote early, vote often, and Vote Orange.
Fans can cast their votes for Orioles players up to 35 times per email address online at www.orioles.com/voteorange using the 2013 All-Star Game Ballot.
Each fan who votes 25 times and selects the Orioles as their "favorite" or "other favorite" club will receive an online promo code valid for $10 off a box seat or $5...
The Danny Espinosa/Steve Lombardozzi debate highlights many fascinating aspects of baseball fandom. It is tools vs. grit, slash line vs. batting average, and strikeouts vs. productive outs. The main issue is that in every meaningful category for their careers, Espinosa is a better player.
Look at the two slash lines. Espinosa, for his career, is at .236/.311/.407 and Lombardozzi is at .273/.314/.352. While the increase in contact rate is aesthetically pleasing, it is close to meaningless...
There was something eerie watching Drew Storen work a perfect eighth inning against the Cardinals last night. More uncanny is the similarity of Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL on both April 20, 2012 and April 21, 2013. Zimmerman was hitting a lusty .224 with a single home run and seven RBIs last year and fast forward to Sunday, and Zimmerman is hitting .226 with a single homer.
Last year, Bryce Harper was summoned just a week later. He was well ahead of schedule and started slow. But he caught...
Yesterday, the Orioles sent Jake Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk after his disappointing start against the Dodgers. Personally, I'm optimistic about Arrieta, as he's a hard-throwing righty who has movement on his pitches and has shown dominance at times when he commands his pitches. The Orioles believe he has the stuff to help them down the road and think his emotions are what affects his mechanics.
For now, the O's will replace Arrieta with relief pitcher Alex Burnett. They'll need to add...
Today, on Earth Day, the Orioles have announced a series of "Go Green" initiatives for 2013. In partnership with the Maryland Stadium Authority, Delaware North Sportservice and the Maryland Transit Administration, the Orioles are working to make Oriole Park even more environmentally friendly.
Below are some of the Orioles' green initiatives that have been activated for this season:
Ballpark Operations:
* Recycling: Oriole Park recycles over 600,000 pounds of materials each year.
*...
The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Alex Burnett from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-hander Jake Arrieta to the Tides.
Burnett, 25, was claimed off waivers from Toronto on April 12. He went 4-4 with a 3.52 ERA (71.2IP, 28ER) in 67 appearances for Minnesota in 2012. Burnett is 1-0 in three scoreless appearances for the Tides this season. He will wear uniform #68.
Arrieta, 27, is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA (19.0IP, 14ER) in four starts for the Orioles this season.
Welcome to the big leagues, Anthony Rendon.
Making his major league debut Sunday against the New York Mets, the Nationals' 2011 first-round draft pick went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, including one to end a 2-0 loss. He made a nice foul catch in the first inning, but like the rest of the Washington offense, never got comfortable at the plate against Mets starter Dillon Gee.
That might seem disappointing, but it's probably typical for a rookie who has fewer than 60 games of minor...
Through the first couple weeks of the regular season, we've consistently heard about how Orioles starters need to go deeper into games. Obviously, it goes without saying that it's not quite as simple in practice as it is to talk about. The first question that should be asked is: Why aren't the starters going deeper? If you look at the anatomy of the games, one thing that stands out at me is that the starters aren't attacking the strike zone as early and as often. They're trying to nibble...
Tonight's game between the Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers has been postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a split-admission doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, at 1:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. Separate admission is required for each game. Tickets for the April 19 game will be honored for the April 20 1:05 p.m. game. Gates for the 1:05 p.m. game will open at 11:00 a.m. and gates for the 7:05 p.m. game will be announced at the conclusion of the 1:05 p.m. game.
Fans may also...
Then-27-year-old 2001 first-round pick Gavin Floyd downplayed the significance of facing a then-21-year-old Stephen Strasburg when the two first-round picks met for the first time during the Nats' 2009 No. 1 overall selection's rookie campaign in 2010. "It's the last thing you need to worry about, is the opposing pitcher," Floyd told MLB.com before the game in the nation's capital, "You're facing their lineup, not the opposing pitcher."
The match-up brought the best out of the White...
As a fan of Orioles history, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Camden Yards on Saturday night to hear Hall of Famers Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, and others celebrate the baseball life of the late Earl of Baltimore. At some point during the evening, I'll amble out beyond the bullpens and pay my respects at Earl Weaver's statue. I imagine it will be a popular stop for O's fans that evening.
I have a second, less popular ballpark locale in mind to visit...