Why was Monday night's win so important for the Nationals? Because it allowed them to take early control of this three-game series with the Braves, who are now the ones facing some pressure to bounce back and not let their lead in the division dwindle to 3 1/2 games. The Nationals still have plenty of work to do to take this series, and they face a stiff challenge tonight with Erick Fedde - not Max Scherzer - getting the start. Fedde hasn't faced Atlanta yet this season, but he's quietly put...

The roster moves keep coming from the Orioles, adding another layer of intrigue as the trade deadline approaches. Infielder José Rondón has been claimed off waivers from the White Sox. He's expected to join the team Thursday at Camden Yards following the return trip from San Diego and off-day. Rondón, 25, is a career .202/.260/.337 hitter in a combined 105 games with the Padres and White Sox. He was slashing .197/.265/.282 this season in 156 plate appearances. Versatility is the...

Chris Davis makes it back into the Orioles lineup this afternoon as they close out their road trip against the Padres and try for a split of the two-game series. Davis struck out last night as a pinch-hitter and stranded three runners. He's 0-for-13 with 11 strikeouts since July 21. Anthony Santander is in center field and Renato Núñez is playing third base. Jace Peterson is in left field after Dwight Smith Jr. reinjured his left calf muscle last night. The Orioles haven't announced a...

The Orioles are prepared to make another roster move later today after pitcher Chandler Shepherd joined them in San Diego last night while they were losing to the Padres 8-1. The corresponding move could involve David Hess, who started last night. Or they could hold onto Hess and keep him in the rotation. Another pitcher could be optioned or the move could involve outfielder Dwight Smith Jr., who aggravated his calf injury last night. Getting a position player to the West Coast for a day game...

Prior to tomorrow's trade deadline, Nationals manager Davey Martinez's vision of how to hold a late lead is a seventh, eighth and ninth inning that falls to Wander Suero, Fernando Rodney and Sean Doolittle. To begin a very important series against the Atlanta Braves, Martinez had the strengths of his 'pen well rested. Rodney and Doolittle both had not pitched for four days. Doolittle had been off since last week's doubleheader Wednesday against the Rockies. So in a game in which the...

SAN DIEGO - Can the Orioles find a way to slow the San Diego Padres batters? Right-hander Tom Eshelman (0-2, 5.79 ERA), who grew up near here, will get a chance this afternoon. San Diego has gone 3-0 versus the Orioles this year and hit four, five and five homers in those games. They've won 8-3, 10-5 and 8-1 over the Orioles. When the O's got here yesterday, San Diego was not playing well with a record of 4-11 since the All-Star break and 1-9 in their past 10 home games. But they bashed five...

SAN DIEGO - Orioles right-hander David Hess had a pretty good slider going, striking out an impressive seven batters in 4 2/3 innings. But it sure doesn't offset the four homers and five runs he allowed last night. The Orioles' momentum that they started in Anaheim didn't translate to San Diego last night. They got blasted 8-1 as San Diego hit five home runs. Four of them went 400 feet or more. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Franmil Reyes homered on Hess' first two pitches of the game, both 94 mph...

SAN DIEGO - When the San Diego Padres swept a two-game series in Baltimore late last month, they hit nine homers in those games. Tonight, they hit two on the first two pitches. That is how the night started for right-hander David Hess, recalled today from Triple-A to make this start. Hess allowed four homers in all as the Padres beat the Orioles 8-1. It was the opener of a two-game series at Petco Park. The Orioles (35-71) fall to 4-4 with one game to go on this road three-city trip. They have...

The ball went flying off Adam Duvall's bat and all eyes immediately turned toward Juan Soto in deep left field to gauge just how well Duvall had hit it. The way he calmly backtracked to the wall, Soto certainly seemed to have a bead on it. But when he ran out of real estate and had to leap, the crowd at Nationals Park held its collective breath, waiting to see which side of said wall it would come down on. Only Soto knew for sure he was going to haul it in. "I never thought it's going to be...

Patrick Corbin had his slider on target again Monday night, and when it mattered most against a very good opponent, he delivered big time strikeouts. The Nationals southpaw struck out eight batters and allowed only five hits and two runs over six innings, derailing what could have been a huge fourth frame in dropping the first-place Atlanta Braves 6-3. "I felt really good," Corbin said. "I thought we mixed up well to a very good-hitting team, minimized mistakes. I thought we stayed out of...