ST. LOUIS - Every manager has to enter every game with a plan in mind for bullpen usage. He considers that night's starting pitcher. He takes into account who pitched the previous night, who warmed up and who's available tonight. He sets contingencies for an abrupt exit by the starter and/or extra innings in which someone is needed to provide length. He might even consider who's scheduled to start the next night, in case a reliever needs to be held back for that possibility. Davey Martinez...

You get very few rewards for losing, but a reward of sorts for the 2018 Orioles with all their losing would be a high draft pick in 2019. Perhaps, for just the second time in team history, the Orioles will secure the No. 1 pick in the June 2019 First-Year Player Draft, for losing more than any other this year. But for that distinction, they have a challenger. As bad as the Orioles have been, the Kansas City Royals are just about right there with them. Currently, the Orioles have the worst...

ST. LOUIS - The 2018 Nationals don't lose baseball games. They lose Greek tragedies. There's no such thing as a simple ballgame for this team right now. The wins, few and far between as they seem, are still excruciating affairs. The losses? Well, they fall into a category all their own, suitable only to be written about by men named Thespis or Euripides. And so even when there were glimmers of hope tonight at Busch Stadium, in the form of seventh- and ninth-inning rallies by the visiting...

ST. LOUIS - For a guy who not long ago was laboring through the worst season of his career, Bryce Harper can still launch a baseball with the best of them. And he sure is starting to look like his peak self again. Harper hit his 29th homer of the season tonight, a solo blast that came on the 10th pitch of a fourth-inning at-bat against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. This being game No. 119 for the Nationals, Harper is on pace for a 40-homer season despite all his struggles earlier this...

While Adam Jones continues his transition to playing right field for the Orioles, executive vice president Dan Duquette denies that the organization carries a feeling of animosity toward the five-time All-Star over his refusal to approve a trade. Jones stated in a podcast earlier this month, co-hosted by Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, that he sensed it based on Duquette's remarks following a July 29 trade of reliever Brad Brach to the Braves for $250,000 in international signing bonus slot...

ST. LOUIS - As Ryan Madson was struggling on the mound in the bottom of the ninth Sunday night at Wrigley Field, Davey Martinez was unaware his fill-in closer was battling anything other than a loss of command. By the time Justin Miller had begun throwing off the bullpen mound behind the ivy in right field, the bases already were loaded and David Bote was stepping to the plate. Had Martinez known Madson was dealing with back pain that shot down his right leg and, according to the veteran...

Manager: Mickey Calloway (1st season) Record: 49-66 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Wilmer Flores (.273 with 10 HR, 39 RBIs), CF Brandon Nimmo (15 HR, 36 RBIs), LF Michael Conforto (16 HR, 42 RBIs), 3B Todd Frazier (11 HR, 37 RBIs), RHP Zack Wheeler (7-6, 3.82 ERA) RHP Robert Gsellman (7 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 0-2 Pitching probables: Aug. 14: LHP Jason Vargas (2-8) vs. RHP Andrew Cashner (3-10), 7:05 p.m., MASN Aug. 15: RHP Zack Wheeler (7-6) vs. TBD, 7:05 p.m., MASN Inside the...

ST. LOUIS - It's a new day, in a new town and there's a new ballgame for the Nationals to play tonight. Whether last night's events have any carryover effect in their series opener at Busch Stadium remains to be seen. Your guess is as good as anyone's when it comes to this. The Nats will need Tommy Milone to give them a chance, though. The lefty very much did that in his first two starts in place of Stephen Strasburg, against the Marlins and Mets. He very much did not do it in his last...

ST. LOUIS - It will come as very small consolation after a crushing weekend at Wrigley Field for the Nationals, but Ryan Zimmerman's individual performance was nonetheless recognized. Zimmerman was named National League Player of the Week this afternoon after going on a tear that culminated with some big-time games against the Cubs. Zimmerman hit .476 (10-for-21) with three doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs and four walks in seven games. He led the NL in slugging percentage (1.048), OPS (1.586)...

Following a week in which he hit .476 (10-for-21) with three doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, four walks and four runs scored in seven games, Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Zimmerman led the National League in slugging percentage (1.048), OPS (1.586), RBI (12) and tied for the lead with six extra-base hits last week. He hit safely in five of the seven games and reached...