Last Friday night, I found myself surrounded by native Chicagoans and fellow D.C. transplants at a bar near Union Station when a group of Braves fans walked in. I hadn't been able to watch the Nats-Braves game that night and didn't check my iPhone for any scores, so I decided to do the easy thing and ask those Braves fans, "Who won the game?" They cheerfully obliged my question by saying, "The Braves," with a smile on their faces.
My group grabbed a table by a few folks donning Nationals...
Through 14 games last season, the Nationals were 10-4 coming off an 11-4 loss to the Houston Astros in their 14th game of the season. It was a hot start - and an important one, as the Phillies were missing key pieces, the Marlins weren't playing up to expectations and the Braves were missing Tim Hudson. The Nats' hot start catapulted them into a division lead they would only relinquish once during the rest of the season.
It was an impressive start, but it came against the eventual 101-loss...
Last Friday night, Adam Jones dropped an easy fly ball. He dropped that fly ball and it basically cost the Orioles a game against the hated Yankees. How did you feel when it happened?
Did you think, "So it goes. Errors are part of the game, even for a player as good as Jones." Or did you find a more sinister angle? Did you think, "Why did he have to blow a bubble? Doesn't he know we need every out we can get? We can't afford to make mistakes like that!"
It's not that these are the only...
Baseball has a way of evening out the numbers over time. For the past few seasons, Jordan Zimmermann has been known as a hard-luck pitcher, the kind who cannot buy a run when he needs it, whose run support every time he takes the mound seems to be wanting.
Or at least that is the way it used to be. In 2011, he was the best pitcher in the Washington rotation with an ERA of 3.18, but he had a losing record, only eight wins against 11 defeats.
His 2012 statistics suggest a pitcher who should...
After struggling as a starting pitcher last season, the Orioles moved Tommy Hunter to the bullpen where he proved to be a successful, power right-handed reliever. Hunter appeared in 13 games in relief in 2012, pitching 17 innings with a 3.71 ERA and impressive 4.00 K/BB ratio. He also showed the Orioles that, in small doses, he could crank up his velocity to triple digits.
Hunter is back in the bullpen this season and he brought his velocity with him. In four appearances in 2013, he's peaked...
It's hard to blame Nationals fans for feeling down after last weekend's three-game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. After a big buildup to a supposed early season showdown between the top teams in the National League East - if not the entire NL - the Nats fell flat.
Almost every aspect of the game was a disappointment at some point in the series, from Ryan Zimmerman's crucial throwing errors in Friday and Saturday's losses to the bullpen on Friday to the starting pitching and...
We all saw the three-run error committed by Adam Jones in Friday's game at Yankee Stadium. I hesitate to say that it cost the Orioles the game, given that there are so many other aspects to any game than just one play, but I digress. Afterward, Jones did something that should make people stand up and take notice: He took accountability. There were several comments that came out of Jones, however the gist of all of them were, "My bad."
It goes without saying that accepting accountability...
In an effort to allow more fans to honor Earl Weaver, the greatest manager in the history of the franchise, the Orioles have announced that "A Celebration of Earl" will now begin at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The memorial was previously scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.
"A Celebration of Earl" will include a video tribute and a collection of notable guest speakers, including Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Buck Showalter, National Baseball...
The signing of Rafael Soriano came as a surprise to most, including Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore explored the possibility before the two-year, $28 million deal with the veteran reliever was announced, but the baseball world at large was caught off guard by the defending NL East champions' decision to strengthen a strength and add another closer to an already strong bullpen that had helped them get within one strike of the National League Championship...
On April 5, with Chris Davis having hit four home runs in four games, MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons commented on Twitter about the Orioles' 2011 acquisition of the lefty slugger and remarked, "Now Davis is Boog."
Boog, of course, is Boog Powell. And Gammons, of course, was engaging in a bit of hyperbole.
Chris Davis is no Boog Powell. Nevertheless, a player like Davis, built the way he is and performing the way he has to start the season, invites historical comparisons, and Powell is...
The Washington Nationals today announced the games that will comprise the 2013 Patriotic Series presented by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), during which the team will encourage fans to celebrate the American spirit while enjoying the national pastime at Nationals Park. In addition, the Nationals will launch a special series of games that will pay tribute to each of the five branches of our nation's military throughout the season.
To mark Military Appreciation Day, the...
On Jackie Robinson Day, Monday, April 15, OriolesREACH and center fielder Adam Jones will host over 100 Orioles RBI League players and coaches for a private screening of the new movie "42." The screening will be held at the Landmark Harbor East Cinema located at 645 South President Street in Baltimore. OriolesREACH will provide RBI players with complimentary tickets, popcorn and soda or water.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is a youth outreach program designed to promote interest in...
As we all know by now, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is enjoying a torrid - as well as historic - start to the 2013 season.
Over the past few seasons, he has become not only a star, but an endearing presence to the Orioles fan base - not only because of his freakish power and 6-foot-3physique, but his ever-improving ability at the plate.
The baseball world saw that during the first four games of the season and that brought Davis and the Orioles a lot of positive attention. It seemed that...
When I moved to D.C. in 2005, I learned all I needed to know about the Nationals (at the time) rather quickly. It was the middle of August, the team was decent and they were on the verge of a winning season. Truth be told, I only went to a couple games before August turned into September. Then Ryan Zimmerman made his major league debut on Sept. 1.
My memory's fading and I honestly can't recall whether or not I was physically at that game, but I do know I spent an awful lot of time at RFK...
The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Chris Dickerson from Triple-A Norfolk.
Dickerson, 31, is a career .266/.352/.407 hitter with 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 599 plate appearances in five seasons with Cincinnati, Milwaukee and the Yankees. He went 3-for-15 in six games with Norfolk this season. Dickerson will wear #60.
With this move, the Orioles 40-man roster is now full.
The Orioles today announced that they have traded RHP Luis Ayala to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league LHP Chris Jones, who has been assigned to Double-A Bowie.
Jones, 24, is 24-20 with a 3.58 ERA over seven minor league seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Braves. He posted a 3.90 ERA in 45 appearances in relief for Double-A Mississippi in 2012.
Ayala was 6-5 with a 2.81 ERA in 68 games for the Orioles over the past two seasons.
Quick show of hands: Who thought we'd be here?
The Orioles' unexpected, unlikely and sublimely satisfying run to the postseason last year changed a lot of things in Birdland. It changed the relationship between the team and the city. It changed the way we thought of the people involved. It made Peter Angelos into less of a villain (or should have) and it made Adam Jones into the star we always knew he'd be. It made Camden Yards once again into a showpiece.
And, yeah, it changed...
The National League East is going to come down to the Braves and Nationals, and it could be even closer than the four games that separated them in 2012. The Nats have the advantage in starting pitching, while the Braves have a slight advantage on offense and in the bullpen, with the defenses being fairly even.
The Braves are going to score a lot of runs, but with Paul Maholm, Mike Minor, and Julio Teheran at the back of their rotation, they are going to need all the runs they can get to win...
Get your finger off the panic button. The Orioles are only seven games into the 2013 season. You're not allowed to worry yet. The old cliche saying goes, "a baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint," and right now the Orioles just finished mile one of 26.2.
If this were a movie, we'd be halfway through the opening credits. If it were a football season, we'd be in the third quarter of week one. Sure, three-game losing streaks are nothing to be happy about and Orioles fans haven't seen...
The Nationals' home opener in 2012 was against the Cincinnati Reds. They won three of the first four at Nationals Park to set up a truly successful first month and got the season rolling toward 98 wins. The Reds didn't like that movie and let Washington know they will be playing a very different role this year.
The Reds had the second best record in the National League last year, winning 97 games. With Shin-Soo Choo at the top of their order, they are going to be even better. Choo's...