Hanser Alberto has been cleared to play tonight and is starting at third base in D.C. Alberto left Sunday's game with a head contusion and cervical neck strain. Renato Núñez was removed from the same game with discomfort behind his left knee. In the hamstring "area." But he's starting at first base tonight. The off-day worked wonders. Anthony Santander is left field and Stevie Wilkerson is in center. Jonathan Villar, who just joined the 20/20 club, is playing second base. Aaron Brooks...

WASHINGTON - The Orioles split two lopsided games with the Washington Nationals last month in Baltimore, and tonight the clubs begin a two-game series at Nationals Park. On July 16, the Nationals scored six runs their last four at-bats and got homers from Juan Soto and Matt Adams in an 8-1 win over the Orioles. The next night, Trey Mancini homered twice, driving in three runs as the Orioles won 9-2 behind a 15-hit attack. The Orioles and Nationals have been meeting since 2006 and the Orioles...

The Nationals' weekend series in Chicago was big. Big because of the opponent. Big because of the result. Big because of the impact on the standings (at least, the National League wild card race). And there are plenty more big series still to come before this season is complete. But not this week. Seven of the Nationals' 10 remaining regular season series come against fellow contenders: two with the Braves, one with the Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, Twins and Indians. The other three series come...

There is no doubt about the importance of pitching. The Orioles are 42-88 and a lack of quality pitching has been a big reason for that. But there are a few stats that show us that even a team with a record like the Orioles' won-loss mark can do well when it gets some solid pitching. First, the overall numbers. With a team ERA of 5.84 through Sunday's games, the Orioles ranked 15th and last in the American League and 30th in Major League Baseball. Their rotation ERA of 5.72 ranks 15th in the...

Following a week in which he hit .483 (14-for-29) with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI, five walks, one stolen base and six runs scored, Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was named National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Rendon led the National League in batting average (.483), on-base percentage (.543), slugging percentage (.793) and OPS (1.336) during the week. He hit safely in all seven games, including...

Anthony Rendon has been named National League Player of the Week, honored for his impressive performance during the Nationals' 6-1 road trip. Rendon hit .483 (14-for-29) with three doubles, two homers, seven RBIs, five walks, one stolen base and six runs. He capped off the week with a dominant showing in Sunday's 11-inning win over the Cubs, going 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and a walk. Rendon, who led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS for the...

Now that the Orioles have completed their first winning homestand of the season, going 4-3 against the Royals and Rays, they're rewarded with a trip to D.C. to play a red-hot team with two aces showing. The Nationals have won five in a row, coming off a sweep of the Cubs, but that doesn't put a dent in their story. They've gone 54-26 since hitting bottom with a 19-31 record, the best 80-game stretch in club history. They're sending Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer to the mound against the...

Right-hander Mason Denaburg has a shoulder strain, according to a Nationals source, and is not throwing at this time. His last game for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Nationals was Aug. 3. The 2018 first-round Nats selection will continue his rehab for the time being and the organization says it will continue to assess his recovery. The GCL Nats only have four more games remaining on their schedule. Denaburg will likely continue his rehab workouts at the facility in West Palm Beach,...

The high Single-A Potomac Nationals beat the Winston-Salem Dash 4-0 on Sunday afternoon. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman drove an RBI double to left-center, one of his two hits. He also had a walk. Zimmerman has played four games for the P-Nats and two games with Double-A Harrisburg as he rehabs the right foot planta fasciitis that landed him on the injured list. He has hit .375, going 6-for-16 with three RBIs and five walks. The P-Nats continue their homestand tonight, beginning a four-game...

CHICAGO - If you're among those who remain skeptical about the 2019 Nationals, if you believe this bullpen is going to ruin the season, if you believe the manager still isn't making the right moves to win ballgames, perhaps it's time to listen to what others are now saying about this team. Others, as in the team that just got swept this weekend by these Nationals. "They're hot," Cole Hamels told reporters inside the Cubs clubhouse after Sunday's game. "Probably as hot as any team we'll...