The Nationals today added outfielder Michael A. Taylor and infielder Wilmer Difo to the expanded September roster. Taylor was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg and Difo was recalled from Triple-A Fresno. Double-A Harrisburg tweeted out that reliever Aaron Barrett was returning to the Nationals. He was not in the clubhouse before today's game. Here is the emotional video when Barrett was told he was going back to D.C. by Senators manager Matt LeCroy: The moment Aaron Barrett found out he was...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tommy Pham saw five pitches today from Ty Blach in the bottom of the first inning. None of them clocked higher than 91.3 mph. None of them buzzing the tower. Pham drew a walk and was erased on a double play. There was no takeout slide at second base or chirping from an Orioles dugout that tends to set the volume at library level. Both teams decided to turn the page. With tempers held and accusations muted, Game 1 of a rare doubleheader at Tropicana Field relied strictly...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Mason Williams signed a minor league deal with the Orioles on March 28 because he saw an opportunity to play for them. It just took a while. Williams had his contract selected today from Triple-A Norfolk and got the start in center field in Game 1 of the doubleheader. He's the 57th player used by the Orioles to break last year's club record. "He was a guy I saw a couple years ago in Cincinnati and he's had a really nice year in Norfolk for us," said manager Brandon...

The Nationals promised more September call-ups, and they have delivered with two more additions today: Michael A. Taylor and Wilmer Difo. Taylor's promotion from Double-A Harrisburg isn't surprising, given Adam Eaton's lingering knee injury (we will hopefully know more about that soon). Taylor hit only .248 with a .324 on-base percentage and 69 strikeouts in 57 minor league games, but he did get hot down the stretch, hitting .383 with six doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs in his last 12 games...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde denied this afternoon that rookie pitcher Dillon Tate intended to throw near Tommy Pham's head yesterday in the 10th inning and noted how players in his dugout weren't "chirping." Or making any sounds. "I was surprised," Hyde said when asked about Pham's postgame comments. "I'm sitting in the dugout. I've never heard one of our guys all year. This is one of the quietest groups in the world and we're in a place that's kind of like...

The Washington Nationals recalled infielder Wilmer Difo from Triple-A Fresno and outfielder Michael A. Taylor from Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Difo, 27, returns to the Nationals after going 19-for-45 (.422) with five doubles, two triples, one homer, 12 RBI, seven walks and 10 runs scored in his last 10 games with Triple-A Fresno. In 61 games with the Grizzlies in 2019, Difo hit .300 with a .369...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The venom and confrontational accusations that flowed out of the Rays' Tommy Pham following yesterday's game have left the Orioles a bit confused. Pham apparently thought Tanner Scott hit him intentionally in the eighth inning and Dillon Tate buzzed him in the decisive 10th, right before a walk-off single in Tampa Bay's 5-4 win. He also told the media that the Orioles dugout was "chirping" as if to encourage the rookie to keep coming inside. "First pitch, he threw...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles designated infielder Jace Peterson for assignment today to make room for outfielder Mason Williams on the 40-man roster. Williams had his contract selected today from Triple-A Norfolk. Pitchers Ty Blach, David Hess, Evan Phillips and Chandler Shepherd and catcher Austin Wynns were recalled today. Peterson batted .220/.269/.330 in 29 games. Williams is wearing No. 40. Shepherd was named the International League's Player of the Month for August after going 3-1...

Nationals right-hander Joe Ross had trouble with his control and the Mets hit him well in a 7-3 loss on Monday afternoon. The Mets tallied two runs in the second and five runs in the fourth off Ross. Joe Panik smacked an RBI double off a Ross sinker and René Rivera dropped in a run-scoring single on his slider to make it 2-0 Mets. In the fourth, Jeff McNeil jumped on a first-pitch sinker for a two-run shot. J.D. Davis delivered the biggest punch on an 87 mph slider, driving a two-run double...

The Nationals have made no secret about it all along. They know if they are ultimately going to achieve what they want to achieve this season, Max Scherzer is going to have to help lead the way. Not the diminished version of Scherzer we've seen so far in his two starts since returning from the injured list. The full version of Scherzer. The three-time Cy Young Award winning version. The obsessed competitor version. The "I'm much better than you are" version. But they also acknowledge they...