Top draft pick Stephen Strasburg has made his spring training debut for the Washington Nationals, pitching two scoreless innings against the Detroit Tigers.

Starting for Washington, Strasburg threw 15 of his 27 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits, successive two-out singles by Don Kelly and Alex Avila in the second. But the right-hander finished off Brent Dlugach with a bending, 81 mph breaking ball for an inning-ending strikeout.

Strasburg’s four-seam fastball was consistently measured in the 97-98 mph range and he struck out two Tuesday. But he had some problems with location and threw first-pitch strikes to only two of the eight batters he faced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Alberto Gonzalez drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the 15th inning and the Washington Nationals closed the season with a seven-game winning streak, beating the Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Sunday.


Playing the longest game since the franchise moved to Washington from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals became the first team in baseball history to close the season with seven straight wins after losing the first seven. Still, they finished 59-103 — the worst record in baseball.
Atlanta, which got within two games of the wild-card lead with six remaining, finished with a season-high six-game losing streak. Logan Kensing (1-2) earned the win with two scoreless innings, striking out Brooks Conrad on a checked swing for the final out with runners at second and third.

Elijah Dukes started the winning rally off Boone Logan (1-1) with a one-out walk. Mike Morse flied out, but Wil Nieves and Gonzalez came through with back-to-back singles to break a tie that had stood since the seventh.

Click here to read the full article – By PAUL NEWBERRY of timesunion.com

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The Orioles have spoken, and they’ve chosen Nick Markakis as their Most Valuable Player in an informal but comprehensive polling of the clubhouse. More than 20 players and the team’s manager responded to a recent survey regarding the team’s MVP, and Markakis edged Brian Roberts by a single vote.

And if that wasn’t close enough, a closer inspection of the ballot makes the point even clearer. Six players opted to split their choice between Markakis and Roberts, and one even divvied his choice between those two and Adam Jones. Jones and Brad Bergesen were the only other players to receive a single vote.

Jeremy Guthrie, who opted to cut his ballot into thirds, explained why the polling was so close.

“Each of them have done so much for the team, and all of them are so important that losing them would have a dramatic effect,” he said. “We see that now with Jones sidelined. And they all play key positions for us. Start to finish, Nick’s had a very solid season defensively and offensively. Brian’s shown again why he’s so important to our team, setting the table for us all year and having a tremendous second half. Adam Jones has obviously had a breakout season and he’s showed a lot of the potential that everyone saw in him.”


Click here to read the full article – By Spencer Fordin of MLB.com

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Brian Roberts broke his own record in the Orioles’ 10-5 win over the Rays on Tuesday, and he’ll have his eyes on bigger game Wednesday and for the rest of the season. Baltimore’s second baseman set a new franchise record with his 52nd double of the year, and he’s just three away from tying the alltime mark for doubles by a switch-htter.


That record was set by Lance Berkman in 2001, and Roberts is also within striking distance of the all-time record for doubles by a second baseman. That one — 60 by Charlie Gehringer in 1936 — may be a little harder to reach. And for Roberts, it seems like everywhere he goes he finds people talking about the same topic.

Click here to read the full article – By Spencer Fordin of MLB.com

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Brian Roberts carved out a bit of history for himself Wednesday night alongside three Hall of Famers.


Roberts doubled in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, collecting his 50th double of the season and becoming just the fourth player in Major League history to record 50 doubles in three or more campaigns. He joins Hall of Famers Tris Speaker, who accomplished the feat in five seasons, Paul Waner (three seasons) and Stan Musial (three seasons).

Click here to read the full article – By Maureen Mullen of MLB.com

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Three more starts, then take a bow. The Orioles will phase out some of their most promising prospects down the September stretch, allowing them to take on a valedictory role for the rest of the year. Baltimore wants Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz to end their seasons early and reflect on their success in the Majors.


And in part, that’s caution at play. Andy MacPhail, the team’s president of baseball operations, has said several times that his prized arms have come along a lot quicker than he had expected before the season. Now, MacPhail feels the burden to protect them from themselves and to make sure they don’t take on too much too soon.


Click here to read the full article – By Spencer Fordin of MLB.com

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The Orioles saw one pre-existing injury cause a ripple effect in their lineup on Tuesday. Baltimore manager Dave Trembley had hoped to have Adam Jones back from a minor back injury in the middle act of the series, but he said that his center fielder will likely return to the lineup once the Orioles return home.

“Jones is not going to play today and I would doubt that he’ll play tomorrow,” said Trembley of his All-Star outfielder. “I think the muscle spasms in his back have subsided, but he’s got some definite back soreness.”

With Jones out and not even able to participate in batting practice, Trembley had to get creative with his lineup. That meant a change for Luke Scott, going from first base to left field. And it also meant a start for Michael Aubrey at first so that Trembley could help keep Nolan Reimold healthy and at designated hitter.


Click here to read the full article – By Spencer Fordin of MLB.com

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Berken performed the simplest kind of introduction on Sunday, as he pitched the Orioles to a 5-4 victory over Chicago to clinch Baltimore’s first winning series in August. By doing so, Berken, who had pitched against the White Sox once before, may have finally placed himself on the Chicago manager’s radar.

Guillen claimed not to know who Berken was after the game, but his hitters may have been fooled by a change in repertoire. Berken had thrown a four-seam fastball for most of the season, but he switched to a two-seamer on Sunday in order to keep the ball down and to try to minimize the impact of Chicago’s powerful lineup.

Click here to read the full article – By Spencer Fordin of MLB.com

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Nick Markakis snapped a 38-game streak of reaching base with an 0-for-4 night in the Orioles’ 3-1 loss to the Rays on Wednesday night.

It had been the longest active such streak in the Major Leagues and also a career high for Markakis, the club’s leader in batting average, hits and RBIs this season. The streak was 14 games shy of the Orioles club record, set by Kevin Millar in 2007.

Markakis’ previous career high was 35 straight games in which he reached base, which he achieved early this season. He has reached base in 104 of the 118 games he has started this year.

Markakis, who is in the top 10 in the American League in hits, RBI, total bases, doubles and extra-base hits, is batting .307 with 15 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .361 on-base percentage this season. The 0-for-4 on Wednesday also snapped an 11-game hit streak.

Click here to read the full article – By Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com

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A day after the Nationals signed their No. 1 Draft pick, Stephen Strasburg, to a record contract, it appears that acting general manager Mike Rizzo has not secured that role for the longer term.


According to YahooSports.com, the Nationals are expected to name Jerry DiPoto of Arizona as GM.

The move reportedly could happen within the next 24 hours. Rizzo was talking to local media on Tuesday about Strasburg and didn’t give any indication that the role he filled on a temporary basis had been earned by another candidate. Subsequent calls placed to Rizzo about his future were not immediately returned.

In March, the Nationals named Rizzo acting general manager, two days after Jim Bowden resigned from the GM position. Rizzo has handled responsibilities related to the Major League, Minor League and scouting operations of the organization. Day-to-day inquiries related to player personnel have been directed to Rizzo, with team president Stan Kasten having key hands-on involvement.


Click here to read the full article – By Bill Ladson of MLB.com

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