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Terps Go 2-0 in an Up-Tempo Win at UConn
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Maryland Terrapins continued their strong start to the season, utilizing a high-flying up-tempo offense to pull away from Connecticut for a 38-14 victory at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. With the win, Maryland moves to 2-0 on the year, while UConn falls to 1-1. Early Push by the Huskies UConn struck first in front of a home crowd of 34,494. Late in the first quarter, Huskies quarterback Kalieb Osborne connected with JD Willoughby on a 36-yard post route for the opening touchdown. The early 7-0 advantage was short-lived, however, as Maryland’s offense responded on the very next drive. On third-and-8, Terps quarterback Malik Washington hit Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding in the flat, and the receiver turned it into a 60-yard touchdown sprint to level the score at 7-7. Washington and Gladding are quickly becoming a top offensive pairing. Maryland Controls the Middle Quarters After…
Game #1: At Philadelphia
Eagles’ Fullback Ted Dean shoots a large gap in the Green Bay line during the 1960 Championship Game, December 26, 1960 at Franklin Field. Philadelphia would grab their third NFL Championship that day winning a tight one at 17-13. The losing Head Coach was Vince Lombardi. Sonny Jurgensen, all of 26-years old was on that team. But, he did not play a down. Norm Van Brocklin was the Quarterback. He had a decent enough day: 9 of 20 passes completed for 204-Yards with 1-Touchdown and 1-Interception. He fumbled twice, but recovered both. For Washington fans it turned out that Sonny on the bench was a good thing. Confidence is high that Sonny would have had a better day. It may have made the trade to Washington impossible. Sonny would come to Washington in 1964. This season will be our first without him since. Finally real football is here. It’s not Reporters’ notes from “Offseason Training Activities” or Camp Practices. And, it is certainly not Pre-Season “Football.” (The product there is beyond bad.) It’s real football that really counts…but, odds are it won’t be great quality football. The approach to the lead up to the Regular Season is largely Installs and Rehearsals. Few to no teams are doing anything approximating a game with all the attendant demands. So September sees a lot of players hitting a wall of sorts part way through the game. It’s already manifested itself in the two pre-weekend games. Honest-to-goodness good football won’t start until a couple of weeks into October on a wide scale. Problem is that by then there are a few games on the ledger. This one today on the road against the Eagles is no exception. No Sense Waiting There’s not going to be any wait before the Burgundy and Gold get a…
Postgamer: The 69ᵗʰ win is as sweet as honey!
The script got flipped again in this game as the Washington Nationals got a walk-off win in an extra innings thriller. After the Nats suffered their 39ᵗʰ blown-save of the season, they turned the tables on the Angels again and put a blown-save on their closer. The Nats fell behind 5-4 going into the bottom of the 9ᵗʰ and the Nats put the pressure on the Angels for their second consecutive blown-save. The Nats were 1-70 this season when trailing in the 9ᵗʰ inning. With Andrew Alvarez as the starter, he had a no-hitter going into the 6ᵗʰ inning and gave up a single to break it up. The lefty remained in the game to go a full 7.0 innings of shutout baseball with 8 strikeouts on 97 pitches and his ERA improved to 3.35. Unfortunately Alvarez’s 4-0 lead evaporated quickly as Brad Lord pitched the 8ᵗʰ inning and gave up three runs. Will Dion would start the 9ᵗʰ inning and gave up the lead and left with a 5-4 deficit. Jack Sinclair would close-out that inning, and then pitch a scoreless 10ᵗʰ to earn him his first MLB win. “Winning should always feel good — but we have to find ways to protect 4-run leads late in the game. That starts with me. I have to do a better job of finding ways to make sure we win those games.” “Yeah, look, I spent some time trying to figure that out. At the end of the day, I felt…
Game #150 Nats will go for a series win today!
The Washington Nationals needed a win last night — and they got it. One of the best comeback wins of the season by this Nats team. Today, the Nats will go for a series win. In today’s afternoon game, the Nats will have LHP Andrew Alvarez on the mound. He has been one of the most pleasant surprises of this season with his +2.1 WAR in just about a half-season of production. The Nationals made some more roster moves in a surprise they sent Clayton Beeter to Triple-A. He had one of his best relief appearances of his season last night with a 1-2-3 eighth inning that was highlighted by a strikeout of Mike Trout. Sending Beeter to the minors now will save the Nats from using a minor league option as he will be there less than 20 days. Up in Beeter’s place is LHP Richard Lovelady who returns from the 60-day IL. There was an injury concern with Harry Ford who hurt his wrist/hand on a swing. He was not put on the IL today. We will see where this goes. The Nationals claimed right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton off outright waivers from the New York Yankees and optioned him to Double-A Harrisburg. To make room for Hampton on the 40-man roster, the Nats transferred right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron to the 60-day Injured List. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number…
The MLB Draft Lottery Odds
In the last CBA, one of the major changes was an anti-tanking provision that would change the old drafting order for the mid-summer annual draft that used to be based solely on worst record to best record. The new system is a lottery ball system based on pre-determined odds. The worst 3-teams all have the same odds of picking first. Based on the 2022 standings, the Washington Nationals lost 107 games and under the old system would have picked first and taken Paul Skenes. But based on the lottery system, the Pirates went from the fourth worst record to getting the first pick — and the Nats picked second and drafted Dylan Crews. In 2025, the lottery ball bounced in the Nats favor and they got the No. 1 pick and chose Eli Willits. Last year, the Nats had the third worst record in baseball, but were ineligible for the draft lottery and picked 11ᵗʰ and chose Chris Hacopian in the 2026 draft. The same happened to the Nationals in the 2024 draft when they picked 10ᵗʰ and drafted Seaver King. You will see the odds are so small in difference at less than 3 percent from the fourth worst team to rest of the draft picks. Also note that teams based on market size can be ineligible for the draft lottery. This year the Giants are ineligible based on market size because they were in the draft lottery last year. The Pirates are ineligible because they picked in the…
Postgamer: Nats turned the tables on the opposing bullpen!
The Washington Nationals had only one come-from-behind win going into the 8th or 9th inning this year, and just got their second win tonight. This time — it was the Nats who pinned a blown-save-loss on an opposing bullpen to win this one by a final score of 4-3. The 7-game losing streak is officially over. This game was played in the backdrop of the emotions of the 25th year after the 9/11 tragedy. The Nationals honored the 184 individuals who were killed in the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon with 184 seats in Section 107 that were roped-off and draped in bunting in their remembrance. The Nats got a great start by Cade Cavalli who pitched 6.0+ innings of 2-run baseball and was bailed out by Will Dion and Harry Ford in the 7th inning. With no outs, and two runners on-base, Ford picked off the base runner at second base for the first out in the inning. The rest was Dion getting the final two outs. In a 2-1 deficit, the Nats started the 8th inning with an LoW (lead-off walk) from Brady House, a bloop hit from CJ Abrams, and a Dylan Crews bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Andrew Pinckney entered as a pinch-hitter and got a long sac fly to tie the game. Then it was Jorbit Vivas with the hit of the game with a lefty-on-lefty long double in the right field corner to make it a 4-2 game. Watching some…
Game #149 Cavalli has to be the stopper!
The Washington Nationals are back home and hoping it is home sweet home. After a disappointing road trip out west, the Nats have their ace, Cade Cavalli, on the mound to be the stopper on this long losing streak. Today is also a somber day as we are 25 years removed from the tragedy of 9/11 in 2021. The Nationals will honor first responders and service members that will include a memorial stair run inside Nationals Park by the Marine Barracks Washington, and as part of the Patriotic Series, today is Heroes Day with the annual Fallen Heroes Tribute. Additionally, 184 seats in Section 107 will remain reserved and draped in bunting in remembrance of the 184 individuals who were killed in the 9/11 attack at the Pentagon. About 10 minutes before first pitch, the Nationals will have a tribute for both Kurt Suzuki and Adam Eaton who return as manager and coach respectively with the Los Angeles Angels. The Nationals recalled outfielder Andrew Pinckney from Triple-A Rochester and placed infielder Nasim Nuñez on the Bereavement List on Thursday. Pinckney, 25, hit.273 with a triple, homer, two RBI, one walk, one stolen base and six runs scored in 13 games during his first stint with Washington from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 14 games remaining…
Game #2 Terps Put Longest Non-Conference Streak on the Line at UConn
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Fresh off a flawless, dominant season opener, the Maryland Terrapins (1-0) hit the road for the first time in 2026 to face the UConn Huskies (1-0). While the atmosphere at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field will be a far cry from the friendly confines of College Park, Coach Michael Locksley’s squad has a clear objective: handle business, dominate the trenches, and extend the longest active non-conference winning streak in college football to 20 games. Two years ago, the Terps absolutely blitzed UConn in a 50-7 shellacking. While the Huskies have completely revamped their identity under new head coach Jason Candle, Maryland possesses the depth, physicality, and blueprint required to quiet “The Rent” and return home with a 2-0 record. Of course, now you have to play the game, and Maryland has to get this one in the W column. This is a Saturday afternoon…
The try-out month and a look to the future!
There are just 14 games remaining in the Washington Nationals season for 2026. After the trade deadline, new opportunities arose for players, and the roster expansion on Sept. 1 along with the turnover in the bullpen, we have several new Nats’ players to evaluate for the future. The sample sizes will remain small. If we take a look at FanGraphs WAR, there is clarity at the top of the chart of the players who have contributed positively to the team as their sample sizes are large. The one surprise: Andrew Alvarez. He has quickly climbed to the top of the charts at No. 5 overall with only 95.0 innings of work and a +2.1 WAR. Coming into the season, there are a lot more surprise contributors at the top of the FanGraphs chart who weren’t expected to be there like Cade Cavalli at No. 2 and Jacob Young at No. 4. Those are both positives. Then you have the surges from both Dylan Crews and Brady House as positive contributors. The next tier is evaluating what you have in players like Jorbit Vivas, Andres Chaparro, and Yohandy Morales who are all in positive WAR. Conversely, there are a lot of question marks at the bottom of the chart. Most of them have been fired from their employment from the Washington Nationals. The ones that remain will be part of the debate as to what role they should have in the future like Nasim Nunez, Jose Tena, Yovanny Cruz, Luis Perales…
Accountability and Humility. How’s about an apology to the fans?
The difference a day makes. Put 60 days together and you have two months. The Washington Nationals were a team trying to shock the baseball world two months ago on July 10. The Nats were 48-46 that morning, and the debate that day would center on whether the team would be buyers at the trade deadline. The clear need was to fix that horrific bullpen. That night, blown save №26 happened with a loss as Matt Krook melted down like a flame on ice. Rewind back to nearly a year ago when President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, was hired by the Lerner ownership group. Toboni likes successory quotes that you see on those motivational posters. So why not quote Morgan Wootten, the goat of Dematha basketball. Stay local, buy local. ❝Late DeMatha High School coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Morgan Wootten often talked about a winning effort being the precursor to actual wins. The same is true in baseball. What players and coaches do –or– don’t do, shows up every [game] in the box score in black and white. That’s the kind of visible scoreboard I embrace. I talked about humility; I think you have to be open-minded and curious about learning new things. [Hall of Fame basketball coach] Gregg Popovich talks about ‘getting over yourself.’ We want people that have gotten over themselves and don’t take themselves too seriously. I intend to take accountability… ❞ — Toboni said in the offseason Now let’s get back to today…
Game #148 The finale in San Diego
The Washington Nationals are now in a long losing streak. Their last win was back on September 1. There were also three blown-save-losses in the past week. Today would be a key win for the Nats ahead of their flight back to Washington, D.C. after today’s game. There will be a lot of baggage brought on that plane — the mental type of baggage. Setting the MLB record for most blown saves will haunt players. It’s not just the pitching, it is the defense that has also contributed to losses. Everyone should share in this, and accountability should be front and center. Since the World Series season of 2019, the Nationals have not won more than 71 games in a season. Can these Nats surpass that number? That would take 5-wins to reach that mark. There are 15 games remaining in this 2026 season. To avoid a 90 loss season, the Nats need to get 6-games in the win column to get to 73 wins. ❝Failures in life, we can either look at and put our head down and accept it, or we can face it head on and take something from it and learn from it. That’s what I’m hoping we do.❞ — said manager Blake Butera after last night’s game On offense, the Nats have the second most runs scored in MLB this season at 754 runs, and that is an impressive 5.12 runs per game. With the Nats pitching giving up 4.72 earned runs per game, the…
Dylan Crews is a bright spot in a bad week!
When you have one of those bad stretches, sometimes it just helps to find some good in between the negativity. Slowly, Dylan Crews is starting to figure things out. This is what the Washington Nationals hoped for when they demoted him to Triple-A near the end of Spring Training. Coming back to the Nats on May 19 ᵗʰ, Crews didn’t look great after his first 25-games this season as he was batting.189 with a.567 OPS. But for those who understood the goal, this was always going to be a process to reach the better results. Obviously, not everyone outside of the team grasped that process. The team’s №2 draft pick in 2023 came with high expectations. There were some who were writing Crews off as a bust, and even some media people wanted him sent back to Triple-A and traded. From Crews’ 26 ᵗʰ game until now, he has a.708 OPS. And with his two doubles last night, six of Crews’ last seven hits have all gone for extra bases (5 doubles, 1 home run). The five doubles are the most in MLB over this span. That’s progress. In his past 69 games, Crews is figuring out how to get more consistent launch angle with a marked increase in the month of September. His issue has not been about hitting the ball hard — Crews does that well at 90.4 mph of average exit velo. That ranks him in the top-27 percent of baseball for his entire season. The adjustment…