PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals came back again Sunday afternoon, rallying from a deficit late, but this time it was the Phillies that had the final answer. Maikel Franco got a hold of the first pitch from reliever Matt Grace in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Phillies to a 4-3 win before a sellout 43,075 at Citizens Bank Park, preventing the Nats from their sixth sweep of the season. Franco grooved a 93.2 mph sinker from Grace well into the left field stands for his second career walk-off...

The pain that's inflicted on a rebuilding club threatened to run especially deep this afternoon at Camden Yards. The wins and losses aren't supposed to matter, but being on the wrong side of an historical moment does more than just sting. It embarrasses and again tests the resolve of players who wonder just how much worse it can get for them. The Rays retired 24 Orioles in succession, no one reaching base against them, before Hanser Alberto singled on the first pitch thrown to him in the...

PHILADELPHIA - Nationals manager Davey Martinez announced that right-hander Austin Voth will be called up for Tuesday's first game of the series against the Orioles. "I like what Austin's done when he was up here and then his last outing down there he pitched really, really well," Martinez said. "I like the fact that he goes out there and he has presence. he has poise. He's throwing the ball well. We're going to give him another opportunity to start." The 27-year-old has no record and a...

The Orioles have set their rotation for the two-game series against the Nationals at Camden Yards. Asher Wojciechowski starts Tuesday night, followed by Aaron Brooks in the finale. Manager Brandon Hyde is unable to project much further down the road. Off-days on Monday and Thursday factor into his decisions, but it's mostly about finding replacements for Andrew Cashner and Dylan Bundy - one of them traded to the Red Sox, the other placed on the 10-day injured list. Bundy received a cortisone...

PHILADELPHIA - Everyone knows how good right-hander Wander Suero's cutter can be. It is his signature pitch. But Suero's confidence in his changeup, which can also be a plus pitch, could be the key to taking his game to the next level. Helping the 27-year-old understand the importance of this pitch and how to use his cutter in different ways is 42-year-old Fernando Rodney. The 17-year veteran of 11 teams has guided Suero through the finer points of pitch usage and location, getting him to...

Dwight Smith Jr. is on the bench today as the Orioles close out their series against the Rays, with Anthony Santander getting the start in left field. Smith is hitless in his last 26 at-bats, a career-high streak and the longest in the American League. Trey Mancini sat out Game 2 last night while in an 0-for-20 slump, but he's starting in right field today. Chris Davis is playing first base and batting sixth ahead of third baseman Hanser Alberto. Alberto's home run last night in Game 2 was...

The Orioles have recalled right-hander Tom Eshelman from Triple-A Norfolk as the logical replacement for Andrew Cashner on the 25-man roster. Eshelman also is taking Cashner's turn in the rotation today. Someone has to start after the Orioles traded the veteran to the Red Sox yesterday afternoon. The pairing between Eshelman and the Rays is a familiar one. Eshelman made his major league debut against the Rays on July 1 at Tropicana Field and allowed two runs over five innings. The last four...

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have won six of their last seven series thanks to their 4-3 comeback win here Saturday night. They are 9-4 against the Phillies this season and have a 2 1/2 game lead over them in the National League wild card race. The Nats lead Milwaukee by two games for the top overall wild card. The Nationals have won a franchise-best 30 of their last 41 games to vault back into the postseason picture. Left-hander Patrick Corbin, who put together a quality start Saturday night...

On Friday, before the Orioles traded pitcher Andrew Cashner yesterday, I asked Trey Mancini about the possibility of trade rumors becoming a distraction for the Orioles before this month is out. He looked back to last season when the Orioles pulled the trigger on several July trades that sent Manny Machado and several of Mancini's teammates out of Baltimore. "It was a strange year last year for sure being around for that," said Mancini. "Especially that last day. We all knew that Manny...

The Orioles have lost just one of their past three series and they'll need a win this afternoon to split this series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have won two of three in this series which ends this afternoon at Oriole Park. The past four series has seen the Orioles go 2-1 versus Cleveland, 1-2 versus Tampa Bay, 2-1 against Toronto and 2-1 against the Rays. The Orioles (28-64) are 6-6 in the last 12 games and 12-33 at home. The Orioles won Game 1 of Saturday's twinbill 2-1 and lost 12-4...