As the baseball world turned on the Nationals, called for the manager's head and called for the general manager to sell off every valuable part he had for future pieces, those inside the clubhouse who wear the uniform didn't understand why everybody was so eager to abandon ship. Yes, they had just been swept by a Mets team that looked like it was in disarray itself. They had fallen to 12 games under .500 and owned the second-worst record in the National League. But while they admittedly knew...

So the first half has come to an end for the Orioles and they stand with a record of 27-62. They had seven losing streaks of four games or more, with one that lasted seven games and one that was 10 games. They had just three winning streaks of two games, one of three games and one of four games. That longest streak came at the start of the year, when they went 4-1 in New York and Toronto after losing on opening day. The Orioles were playing better as the half came to an end, going 5-4 in the...

The Orioles close out the first half with an open spot on their 25-man roster that's going to be filled by new pitcher Aaron Brooks. David Hess was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk yesterday without appearing in a game. Sort of like Josh Lucas, except he was designated for assignment over the weekend to make room for Brooks on the 40-man roster. Brooks' role with the Orioles hasn't been defined. The rotation coming out of the break includes Dylan Bundy on Friday against the Rays at Camden Yards,...

If anyone could use this break, it's Sean Doolittle. The closer was the most consistent part of the Nationals bullpen for 80 games, but recently he has been hit more frequently. He racked up 19 saves in 22 opportunities in the first half for a 3.13 ERA. But since June 23, Doolittle has allowed nine hits in his last seven games, with two runs and three walks. And yet he still notched three saves. On Sunday, Doolittle (6-2) picked up the win when the Nats rallied for three runs in the bottom of...

TORONTO - The Orioles lost a game today, but won a series at Rogers Centre, and as they hit their All-Star break, they left Toronto encouraged by their recent performance and hopeful for the second half. After beating the Blue Jays 4-1 Friday and 8-1 Saturday, they lost 6-1 today to hit the break with a 27-62 record. They have gone 5-4 the last nine games, winning series against the Indians and Blue Jays. "I think we played well the first two games here, and you win a series on the road, you...

If there's anyone out there who somehow missed the entire first half of the season and is wondering how things went for the Nationals, just plop them down in front of a TV and have them watch a replay of this afternoon's contest. This was the Nats' first half, condensed down to 2 hours, 37 minutes. The starter absolutely dominated for seven innings. The lineup hit a couple of home runs but missed opportunities to add on. The bullpen couldn't get through the eighth inning without blowing the...

Max Scherzer will depart for Cleveland after today's first-half finale and participate in All-Star festivities, but he won't pitch in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic because of a stiff back he says has bothered him during each of his last two starts. Scherzer doesn't consider the injury serious, and he will make his second-half debut next Sunday in Philadelphia, but after he met with manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo on Saturday evening, the group decided the Nationals ace...

Right-hander Justin Miller was back in the Nats clubhouse fresh off multiple pitching sessions in West Palm Beach. Miller has been recovering from a right rotator cuff strain that has had him sidelined since May 18. He has missed 42 games. "I threw live BP (with) the hitters just tracking underneath the tunnels. The next day I had a day off, and the next day I threw a sim game, so live BP, basically. Then after that I had two days off and I threw the first (Gulf Coast League) game. Then I had...

TORONTO - Manager Brandon Hyde has set a portion of his starting rotation for the first few games after the All-Star break. After ending the pre-break portion of their schedule today in Toronto, the Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays starting Friday for four games in three days. They'll play Friday night with a split day-night doubleheader Saturday and a Sunday afternoon series finale with the Rays. Hyde confirmed again today that Dylan Bundy will start the first game back. Lefty John Means will...

The Orioles will close out the first half of the season by attempting to complete a three-game sweep in Toronto. Anthony Santander is in left field and Stevie Wilkerson is in center. Chance Sisco is batting cleanup again. Chris Davis moves up to sixth in the order. Asher Wojciechowski makes his second start with the Orioles. For the Orioles Jonathan Villar SS Anthony Santander LF Trey Mancini RF Chance Sisco C Renato Núñez DH Chris Davis 1B Hanser Alberto 2B Rio Ruiz 3B Stevie Wilkerson...