The battleground now is the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, known as MASN. Owned by both the Orioles and Nationals, this partnership was created when the Expos moved to Washington after the 2004 season. 1994 REVISITED: What might have happened to Expos if strike had been averted When the Nationals arrived, the Orioles’ regional television network included an area from Harrisburg, Pa., to Charlotte, N.C., and included Washington. Peter Angelos, who has owned the Orioles since 1993, didn’t welcome baseball back to Washington....

While most seem to embrace the idea, they acknowledge it's uncharted territory and yet another strategic tool to employ during games. The issue was a consistent line of questioning when managers and general managers of the 15 teams that hold spring training in Arizona gathered for MLB media day on Tuesday. All clubs will get a chance to test the new system in a handful of spring training games, although details of that schedule had not been determined....

Baltimore Orioles -107 (@ Minnesota Twins)Phil Hughes vs Wei-Yin Chen Each team has had its ups and downs, but both are on the high as of now. Baltimore has a tad more quality and power at bat, and Chen will provide solid pitching for most of the game. It is expected to be a close game, with odds hovering around -100 for both teams. In AccuScore simulations, though, the Orioles are bigger favorites than the odds would indicate and -145 would still be playable....

Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current baseball lines from Las Vegas. Los Angeles Angels -118 (vs Cleveland Indians)Hector Santiago (7-5, 2.70 ERA) vs Danny Salazar (9-6, 3.47 ERA) After being shut out by Carrasco & o. last night and losing after three extra innings, the Angels have now dropped eight of their last 10 games as they try to hold on to a wild-card spot. The Angels need to improve, especially when playing teams with losing records....

The Tigers made that happen Tuesday with a nailbiting 4-2 victory over the Royals at Comerica Park. It was Detroit’s second win in as many days in the series. Both teams have a .552 winning percentage, although KC has played two fewer games. MORE: Scoreboard | AL MVP Watch | NL MVP Watch | Worst AL September collapses Detroit’s on-again, off-again closer, Joe Nathan, worked out of a ninth-inning jam by striking out Salvador Perez, the potential tying run, to end the game....

MLB has released the schedule for the World Series, League Championship Series and Division Series, with the Fall Classic set to begin Oct. 27 in the American League park. If the series goes the distance, Game 7 would be Nov. 4 in the AL city, thanks to the league’s win in the All-Star game. PENNANT RACE PANIC: Why your team’s fan base is freaking out this week But it will all start with the AL wild-card game on Oct....

Rich Harden vs. Kenny Rogers: 17 years, 20 days (6,229 days) On Oct. 13, 2006, the Athletics, trailing 2-0 in the American League Championship Series, sent Rich Harden (24 years, 317 days old) to the bump in Game 3 against the Tigers’ Kenny Rogers (41 years, 337 days old). Harden allowed three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings and was no match for his senior counterpart. Rogers went 7 1/3 scoreless, leading the Tigers to a 3-0 victory....

Floyd, 30, missed most of 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in May. He opens to be back in action by this May. He was 0-4 with a 5.18 ERA before his season ended last year. If healthy, the veteran Floyd could compete with Alex Wood and David Hale for the fifth spot in Atlanta's rotation. More likely he will end up in the Braves' bullpen....

Teams just don’t seem to want to give up their first-round picks (in some cases, later picks) to be able to sign these players, even though each is capable of helping a team win now, while a draft pick out of the top 10 offers no assurance of panning out. So, the wait goes on. Here’s the latest on each of the Frozen Five… Nelson Cruz On Saturday, following up on reporting by Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, Jeff Sullivan wrote a piece for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer titled “Nelson Cruz Might Happen While I Write This....

The Chicago White Sox made the only signing of significance at this point, signing lefty Zach Duke to a three-year, $15 million deal. Duke, of course, picked the right time to have a career season. He started his big-league career as a starter but moved to the bullpen and bounced around a bit as he adjusted to the new role. This year, Duke was pretty great for the Milwaukee Brewers, after a bit of a mechanical adjustment....

Major League Baseball, like other sports leagues, has agreements with rightsholders to be the exclusive providers of content within live viewing windows. There also is MLB’s own website and social media presence, out in the world trying to make sure that the images and videos that gain traction online are coming from MLB-owned entities. WORLD SERIES 2015: Spector’s pick | Updated odds | Royals-Mets visual history Earlier this year, MLB cracked down on GIF and Vine makers, filing Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaints to have their accounts suspended....

The news comes just one week after Skaggs’ autopsy revealed he had the opioids fentanyl and oxycodone in his system when he died July 1. “For several reasons, including the tragic loss of a member of our fraternity and other developments happening in the country as a whole, it is appropriate and important to reexamine all of our drug protocols relating to education, treatment and prevention,” Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, said in a statement Friday....

Atlanta picked up righty Chris Martin from Texas for former top prospect Kolby Allard, the Braves announced Tuesday. Martin, 33, has been good this season for the Rangers (0-2, 3.08 ERA), but he has been especially solid of late, posting a 1.86 ERA in June and a 1.29 ERA in July. Allard, 21, is a former top 50 prospect in baseball and was the 14th pick in the 2015 draft by Atlanta....

The Mets reportedly took the righty off the trade block last night and now other names are starting to gain traction in the market. First, it was reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman that Zack Wheeler’s market is starting to heat up, and now, according to the New York Post, the Astros and Yankees are inquiring on Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray. This isn’t new news to be clear. It was reported by USA Today on Tuesday there were at least six teams interested in the Arizona lefty....

Houston has been engaged with the Giants on lefty Madison Bumgarner, according to Yahoo Sports. The report states it is unclear how far discussions have gone and there is no indication a deal is imminent. In recent weeks the Giants have started to turn their season around winning 17 out of 20 games at one point. That upturn has led many to believe San Francisco will be a buyer rather than a seller at the deadline....

Los Angeles has already been linked to several relievers, including San Francisco closer Will Smith and Pirates lefty Felipe Vazquez. But, according to one report, that’s only a small fraction of the Dodgers’ pursuits of a reliever in the trade market. According to NBC Los Angeles, the Dodgers have reached out about at least 10 relievers in search of help for their bullpen. The Dodgers have reportedly looked into Smith and Vazquez in addition to Brad Hand, Keone Kela, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, Scott Barlow, Sam Gaviglio, Seth Lugo, Nick Anderson and Hansel Robles....

“A run is only created through the process," Scioscia told reporters on Tuesday following a loss to the Astros. “The process is critical right now.” The Angels (31-41) are still waiting for “the process” to kick in, two days and a sweep at the hands of the Astros later. As of Wednesday, the Halos find themselves 10 games under .500 and 15.5 games behind the Rangers for first in the AL West....

Bautista, who had appealed the suspension, will serve his one-game ban Friday, when the Blue Jays play the Red Sox. MORE: Struggling aces worth the worry? | Bautista-Odor: Two wrongs, one big right The six-time All-Star earlier this month was on the receiving end of a punch from Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor after he slid into second base wildly. Odor’s ban was reduced from eight games to seven on Thursday....

Christian Yelich of the Brewers and Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers have stolen all of the headlines and rightfully so. They’re probably going to finish with more than 50 home runs apiece while playing good defense, as well. As good as those two have been, though, don’t forget about Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon. These two won’t hit 50 home runs apiece — they may not even get to 40 — but that does not take away from just how good they have been....

The Dodgers notched three home runs in the shutout but starter Walker Buehler stole the show. Buehler, 24, tallied 11 strikeouts in seven innings of work and is 9-1 this season. Miami catcher Jorge Alfaro went 2 for 4 and was the only Marlins batter to record multiple hits in the loss. Los Angeles has a commanding lead in the National League West with a 67-35 record while the Marlins are last in the National League East at 36-61 record....