Marty Niland: Taking a trip back to the 2012 playoff clincher

Marty Niland: Taking a trip back to the 2012 playoff clincher
As the Nationals begin the second leg of their final road trip this season, fans are still wondering when they will clinch the National League East title. Barring an extended losing streak against teams playing less than .500 ball at the moment, the Nats are likely to celebrate their third division title in five years in a visitors clubhouse in front of another team's fans. That might be bittersweet for many Nats fans, but they can still remember some celebrations that came at home. In fact,...
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Andrew Stetka: Finishing with non-losing record still an underrated sight

Andrew Stetka: Finishing with non-losing record still an underrated sight
It hit me like a ton of bricks the other day. I suppose I was caught up in the aftermath of a thrilling win that took a perfect relay throw to seal it: Michael Bourn to Manny Machado to Matt Wieters for the tag and win. It preserved Zach Britton's 44th save of the season and capped a comeback from four runs down. It also ensured that the Orioles, for a fifth straight season, won't be losers. Last year, of course, it took winning the final five games of the season to accomplish this feat....
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Patrick Reddington: Long season taking a toll on Wilson Ramos

Patrick Reddington: Long season taking a toll on Wilson Ramos
Dusty Baker spent quite a bit of time before and after the first two games of the now-completed three-game set with the visiting Mets talking about the offensive struggles of Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos. Ramos, 29, was 4-for-28 (.143/.200/.179) over the first eight games in September, with a double, two runs batted in, two walks and nine strikeouts in 30 plate appearances. The rough stretch left the soon-to-be-free agent with a .259/.299/.414 line, six doubles, seven home runs, 25 RBIs, 10...
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Matthew Taylor: On the tortuous nature of September baseball

Matthew Taylor: On the tortuous nature of September baseball
My wife and I discussed pennant races Thursday night shortly after the Orioles dropped a disappointing 7-6 decision to the Rays. She concluded our brief conversation with this simple truth: "So they're fun when you're winning, but they stink when you're losing." Truer words were never spoken. Moments later, the Red Sox completed a ninth-inning comeback versus the Yankees with a three-run walk-off home run, and I commenced an unmitigated assault on our defenseless bedroom pillows. Grown men...
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Zach Wilt: As weather cools, O's starting pitching heats up

Zach Wilt: As weather cools, O's starting pitching heats up
Like most people across the country, I updated my phone's firmware to its fancy new version yesterday evening. I've gotta have those updated emojis and goofy message effects that all my friends are talking about. After it completed, I was sure that something went wrong because the calendar app read "September 14," but according to the Orioles' matchup against the Red Sox that I was watching, it was surely October. The road crowd at Fenway Park was raucous and every pitch seemed to have...
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David Huzzard: Zimmerman aging, but deserves a championship finish

David Huzzard: Zimmerman aging, but deserves a championship finish
When I think of the Nationals - not the current squad, but the franchise as a whole - the two players I view as the heart and soul of the team are Livan Hernandez and Ryan Zimmerman. The part that is sad to me is Zimmerman had the best years of his career before the Nationals were good. Shoulder injuries and age have caught up to Zimmerman much too quickly and the twilight of his career is upon him. He is a shell of his former self and the Nationals should make finding a new first baseman a...
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Dillon Atkinson: Could O's use four-man rotation in playoffs?

Dillon Atkinson: Could O's use four-man rotation in playoffs?
Following Tuesday night's 6-3 win over the Red Sox, the Orioles are tied for the first wild card spot and second place in the American League East - being just two games back - with the Blue Jays. The Birds, 79-66, face the Red Sox again tonight in the rubber match of a three-game set at Fenway. O's young right-hander Kevin Gausman will counter Boston's Cy Young candidate Rick Porcello. With the Orioles winning the series in Detroit and winning last night's ball game, a win in Boston...
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Charlie Fliegel: Against Dodgers, Gonzalez should get nod over Ross

Charlie Fliegel: Against Dodgers, Gonzalez should get nod over Ross
The latest news on the Nationals pitching staff hopefully heralds the return of Joe Ross. It remains to be seen whether Ross will start in the playoffs, and whether he can. If Ross does indeed come back healthy and his endurance is there, it seems like a no-brainer to start him after Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark (and, if Stephen Strasburg can make it back, after him as well). And his overall numbers do suggest putting him ahead of Gio Gonzalez. In 16 games started this season, Ross has a 3.49...
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Steve Mears: Is it time for the Nationals to tweak their lineup?

Steve Mears: Is it time for the Nationals to tweak their lineup?
Is it time to rearrange the lineup to thwart the competition? The Nationals have been stacking left-handed hitters Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper for months. Both players hit left-handed pitchers well. Harper actually has a higher slugging percentage (eight points) against left-handed pitchers versus the right-handed pitchers, but his on-base-percentage is 53 points lower against left-handers. Would the lineup do better putting Anthony Rendon between Murphy and Harper to take advantage of the...
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Ryan Romano: What's missing in Britton's dominating campaign?

Ryan Romano: What's missing in Britton's dominating campaign?
Even though Orioles fans get to watch him take the hill constantly, sometimes I think we still don't truly appreciate how great Zach Britton is. The organization developed him as a starting pitcher, but after flopping in that role, he looked like another bust. Nowadays, he never starts anything - he just finishes things. Since his move to the bullpen in 2014, he's put up an ERA of 1.45, which trails only Wade Davis among qualified relievers. Now that he leads the majors in 2016 ERA at 0.63,...
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Marty Niland: Nats fans can celebrate some recent milestones

Marty Niland: Nats fans can celebrate some recent milestones
This past week produced a couple of milestones for the Nationals in the 2016 season, as they continued their hopeful march toward the National League East title. Their sweep of the Atlanta Braves guaranteed the Nats their fifth consecutive winning season. Does that seem pretty ho-hum for a team that's seems bound for a third postseason in that span? Ask the most experienced baseball fan you know if they can recall the last time that happened in this town. They won't be able to, because it...
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Andrew Stetka: O's giving fans something to cheer about in September

Andrew Stetka: O's giving fans something to cheer about in September
It's the middle of September and you are still watching and enjoying baseball. OK, so maybe you didn't watch much baseball yesterday with the return of the NFL to your television set. But in general, you are still watching baseball in mid-September, and you're doing it with a purpose. That's something that Orioles fans have taken for granted over the last half decade or so. It's hard to believe, but this is the fifth straight season the O's are giving fans really meaningful baseball down...
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Matthew Taylor: Revolving rotation usually doesn't end well

Matthew Taylor: Revolving rotation usually doesn't end well
How many starting pitchers did the Baltimore Orioles use during the 2012 season? That's the question that came to mind for me this week when I learned that the Los Angeles Dodgers are on course to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season while using 15 or more starters. This year's Dodgers would join last year's Dodgers and the 1989 San Francisco Giants as the only teams ever to use that many different starters and still qualify for the postseason. The Orioles have come to know a...
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Patrick Reddington: Strasburg's latest injury not the worst-case scenario

Patrick Reddington: Strasburg's latest injury not the worst-case scenario
Considering what the worst-case scenarios could have been, the diagnosis of a strained flexor mass for Stephen Strasburg was relatively "good" bad news. It's still a significant blow for the Washington Nationals and their 28-year-old starter, of course. "It's very good to know," Dusty Baker told reporters after the official announcement of the results of the MRI on Strasburg's elbow. "I met with our trainer Paul Lessard and we discussed it extensively and everybody was pretty satisfied...
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Zach Wilt: Bundy's been solid, but it's time for a breather

Zach Wilt: Bundy's been solid, but it's time for a breather
Despite his recent struggles, Dylan Bundy is telling Orioles fans everything they want to hear. He feels fine, his arm isn't an issue and he's comfortable pitching every fifth day. Unfortunately, the results just haven't been there for Bundy of late. He's pitched to a 6.46 ERA over his last five starts and his fastball velocity has dipped from 95-96 miles per hour to 92-93. Whatever numbers Bundy finishes with in 2016, he's been a terrific story this season for the Orioles. The guy hadn't...
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David Huzzard: With Strasburg in doubt, young arms must step up

David Huzzard: With Strasburg in doubt, young arms must step up
Some time last season, the Washington Nationals became just another D.C. sports team to me. This doesn't mean I'm no longer a huge Nationals fan or that I'm not going to buy a 2016 division champs t-shirt, because I am and I will. It means that I watch Nationals games in much the same way as I do Wizards or Capitals games; with mild disinterest and a bonus when the team wins. Most of the time I just fall asleep before the game is over. For most of their existence the Nationals were the one...
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Dillon Atkinson: O's power bats are surging at the right time

Dillon Atkinson: O's power bats are surging at the right time
In the month of June, the Orioles had one of the hottest, if not the hottest, offense in the big leagues. However, when the calendar flipped to July, the bats went cold and the club's top three sluggers weren't anywhere to be found. For a team that is so reliant on its offense since it has a thin pitching staff, many rightfully assumed success wouldn't be likely. And it wasn't. In July and August combined, the O's had a 25-30 record. With an inconsistent rotation and a slumping offense,...
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Charlie Fliegel: Is this the most talented Nationals team ever?

Charlie Fliegel: Is this the most talented Nationals team ever?
As the Nationals sit atop the National League East with the second best record in all of baseball, I got to thinking about how this team might compare to other Nats teams. So, I took a look at the best seasons (by WAR, averaging the Fangraphs and Baseball Reference numbers) to see where the guys on this team stack up. Now, there isn't a ton of history here, so being the best at a position ever for the Nats really means being the best in a decade, but that's still something. Let's start with...
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Steve Mears: Lack of pitching depth has put Nats in a tough spot

Steve Mears: Lack of pitching depth has put Nats in a tough spot
The Nationals' formula to success begins with great starting pitching. "You can never have enough starting pitching," general manager Mike Rizzo said in spring training. The Nationals had signed Bronson Arroyo in the offseason, and it was looking like Arroyo could make the 2016 team, allowing Rizzo to stash Joe Ross in Triple-A. The best-laid plans don't always work out, as Arroyo was injured in spring, and the Nationals' depth looked like a pick 'em from Taylor Jordan, Taylor Hill and...
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Ryan Romano: Digging into Kevin Gausman's clutch season

Ryan Romano: Digging into Kevin Gausman's clutch season
For a few years now, Chris Tillman has carried the title of Orioles ace, but someone else might have taken his throne. After his third straight shutout start, Kevin Gausman has lowered his season ERA to 3.58, the best mark among Baltimore starters. He has the peripherals to back that up, too - his FIP and xFIP both lead the team, as well. Although it took him some time to arrive at this point, the 25-year-old righty has finally broken out, and his ability to perform under pressure has...
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