Baltimore Orioles: 7 Signs Of a Big Rivalry With the Nationals Down the Road

When one thinks of the Orioles and Nationals, losing is the first thing that comes to mind. Baltimore has seen 14 consecutive losing seasons now and the former-Expos have struggled to push their way out of the cellar of the National League East.

These two franchises building and as they improve, their rivalry will go from just a little hometown fun to a nationally recognized. Both major league rosters are filled with young, developing talent that will one day blossom into the league's next stars.

Here are the 7 reasons why the Battle of the Beltway will one day rival the Yankees-Mets and Cubs-White Sox battles.

1. Mark Reynolds vs. Ryan Zimmerman

Mark Reynolds and Ryan Zimmerman both hail from Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Now, they are the third basemen for the two closest major league franchises to where they grew up.

When they were in high school, Reynolds and Zimmerman were on an AAU team, now called the Tidewater Orioles, with B.J. Upton and David Wright.

Reynolds later went to the University of Virginia to play shortstop and was joined one year later by Ryan Zimmerman, who was told that he would have to move to the hot corner, as he could not overtake Reynolds.

The former teammates are now big parts of the rivalry in DC and the battle between the Orioles and the Nationals will have some focus on them in the future.

Zimmerman missed half of the games against the Orioles this season, but both players should be the focus in the future.

2. Very Evenly Matched

The Orioles currently hold the lead in the history of this growing match-up at 19-17, but most years, it ends at a 3-3 between the teams.

People can talk about the AL advantage, but when these teams become competitive, these games will count and it will be very important for the teams to take these games seriously.

3. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado

Bryce Harper is the most talented, most hyped prospect in the minors and he deserves all of it.

But it's easy to forget that there was another very talented high-schooler taken just two picks later in Manny Machado.

Machado and Harper are future stars in the Beltway rivalry. Harper is a powerful young outfielder and Machado is a five tool shortstop and each brings great potential to the rivalry.

Harper and Machado have played a lot together in the past. Both were South Atlantic League All-Stars and then Futures Game starters.

One day, they will be playing against each other on the largest stage.

4. MASN Battle

I'll admit that I'm a little biased, but I think the Orioles have one of the best broadcasting teams in sports.

Gary Thorne is the play-by-play man to everything from NHL and MLB video games to celebrity softball games, but he takes it to another level alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer.

One of the greatest parts of interleague play is the combined MASN booth, where the teams combine for a three man booth, with two color commentators and the play-by-play guys splitting each game.

Nothing compares to Hall of Fame pitchers Jim Palmer and Don Sutton swapping stories, like they did six games a year in 2007 and 2008.

The other part to the MASN saga is the ownership. The Orioles own 90 percent of the company, only ceding 10 percent to the Nationals as part of the agreement to allow them to move from Montreal.

This puts the Orioles at a serious competitive advantage.

5. Hometown Heroes

The Orioles and Nationals made offers to Mark Teixeira to try to bring him back home.

While neither of them was able to persuade the superstar to come, both teams showed that the rivalry may not stop at the end of interleague play.

I would expect the rivalry to continue as the Orioles and Nationals attempt to attack the draft.

I'm curious what would have happened to Danny Hultzen if he dropped to the Orioles this year, as he is a Bethesda, MD native and would provide some hometown flair.

Imagine if the Nationals were around to compete for the young Baltimore shortstop named Cal Ripken Jr. in 1981 who changed the position of shortstop forever.

6. Making History

The Nationals have been around since 2005, so the rivalry has only been around for seven years, but the rivalry will grow with time alone.

As the teams create more of a rivalry through continued competition, the history will grow and the rivalry will heat up.

The Redskins and Cowboys started off as just competitive games, but it's much more now.

7. My Stadium Is Better Than Your Stadium

I'm a big fan of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, as are many fans in baseball.

The stadium was the first of the modern stadiums and is now the model for almost every new stadium in the game.

The only disadvantage is that the park is as old as I am, opening in April 1992.

I wasn't a fan of Nationals Park when I first went. I had grown up going to a stadium that had brought me so much joy and I just thought that Nationals Park lacked character, but it has seriously grown on me since I've been there a lot more.

I spent three days a week for three months at Nationals Park this summer and I found a new reason to enjoy the stadium every day. The large screen, visibility on every floor, and addition of Shake Shack to go with Ben's Chili Bowl are just a few of the great parts of the park.

It's personal preference, but rivalries extend beyond the game and when people care more, fans will likely have stronger opinions on the two beautiful parks.