District On Deck
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Washington Nationals: Beltway battle with grounded birds

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 10: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals turns a double play over J.J. Hardy #2 of the Baltimore Orioles for the first two outs of the sixth inning at Nationals Park on May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 10: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals turns a double play over J.J. Hardy #2 of the Baltimore Orioles for the first two outs of the sixth inning at Nationals Park on May 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /
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The beltway battle resumes, with two teams going in opposite direction. The Washington Nationals are flying high, and the Baltimore Orioles are grounded.

It’s that time of year again, the beltway series returns for the 2018 season as the Washington Nationals square off with the Baltimore Orioles. Joining us on the DoDCast to look ahead to the series from MASN All-Access is, Bobby Blanco.

In this episode, they look at:

  • Which players stood out in Miami
  • Any clarity on how the roster crunch gonna plays out?
  • Which players not named Machado do we need to look out for?
  • Who might be traded, and how soon from the Orioles
  • Preview/predict each pitching matchup individually

More from District on Deck

After years off having one of the best offenses in baseball, the Orioles bats have gone quiet this year. They’re the third worst at scoring runs in baseball, but it still has it’s bright spots so far. The headliner, Manny Machado, is having a career year in his free agent season. Hitting to the tune of .327 with 15 homers, 44 RBI and a 1.017 OPS.

Nats fans may want to keep an eye on some players who could be trade candidates too. Current closer, Brad Brach, would certainly help sure up the bullpen and Danny Valencia is also out of contract. But don’t count on any movement given the friction between the Nats and Orioles.

Although their pitchers have hit well this season, with a league leading 8 RBIs, they’ll be glad to have the DH this series. They have been getting performances from some of their bench players lately, like Mark Reynolds. And with players close to returning from injury, they will be glad to temporarily have the extra hitter in the lineup while they evaluate playing time moving forward.

Want to hear more about the Washington Nationals on our DoDCast? You can subscribe to us on iTunes or Google Play and have episodes automatically downloaded for you. You can also listen to us on our brand new home, Spreaker, here:

Next: Interview: Potomac Nationals' Wil Crowe

After the beltway series, the Washington Nationals then head back to Atlanta to face the Braves in a big top of the NL East clash. Our DoDCast will be with you on Wednesday to look ahead to it.

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