We are now less than a week from the First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have the No. 11 pick in round one and they have two other selections in the top 100, with picks at No. 37 and No. 87. Major League Baseball has set the Orioles' allotted total pool for signing their picks in the first 10 rounds at $8,754,400, the 13th highest amount of any club. The allotted amount to sign the No. 11 overall pick is $4,375,100. This will be Gary Rajsich's seventh draft as Orioles director of scouting....

BALTIMORE - Anthony Rendon knows a thing or two about trying to thrive in the major leagues after getting rushed through the minor leagues. The Nationals third baseman accrued only 326 plate appearances over 79 minor league games in 2012 and early 2013 before getting his first promotion to Washington. It was a fast track, to be sure, but Rendon also had three seasons at Rice (an elite Division I program) on his resume and was nearly 23 when he made his debut for the Nationals. Which is why...

I'm never going to obsess over a pitcher's won-loss record due to all the factors that are out of his control. The lack or abundance of run support. Exceptional or poor play in the field. Blown holds and saves. Whether the manager is giving a long or short leash. However, I'll bring it up here because three Orioles were found yesterday in the cluster of starters tied for second in defeats behind the Marlins' José Ureña (0-7). Alex Cobb was 1-6 with a 7.32 ERA and 1.93 WHIP in eight...

BALTIMORE - For all his big-picture success in seven seasons with the Nationals, Gio Gonzalez is never going to earn praise for his consistency. The left-hander's erratic performance from start to start - sometimes even from inning to inning - can drive anyone mad. Here's a dirty little secret for anyone who still feels that way about Gonzalez, though: He has become one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball over the last two seasons. Consistently good. Today's outing during the...

When a pitcher on a roll met struggling hitters today, maybe we should have known what to expect. Not much changed as Washington lefty Gio Gonzalez continued his strong season and pitched his team to a 6-0 victory over the Orioles this afternoon in front of 36,139 at Camden Yards. The Orioles have scored just six runs their last four games and 21 in the last nine. They have scored three or fewer runs in nine of their past 10 games. Today they were shut out for the second time in nine...

BALTIMORE - The Nationals lineup, which has been hit-or-miss throughout an injury-plagued season, showed up in full force today at Camden Yards. Gio Gonzalez, who has been outstanding from the get-go, also showed up. Together, they overwhelmed the Orioles during a 6-0 victory to kick off this year's version of the Battle of the Beltways. Gonzalez was brilliant in yet another impressive performance, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings and pitching his way out of the few jams he encountered along...

BALTIMORE - The Nationals had never faced Alex Cobb before today, and the first time through the lineup it looked that way. But once they had a chance to see the veteran right-hander up close and personal, the Nats turned things around in a hurry. Shut down by Cobb through the first two innings of today's game at Camden Yards, the Nationals came to life in the top of the third, with Anthony Rendon's three-run homer capping a big rally and giving the visitors a 3-0 lead in the opener of this...

Manager Buck Showalter spent some of his pregame press conference this morning talking about his team's stats when hitting with runners in scoring position. The 2018 Orioles are lagging behind the 2017 Orioles. After going 4-for-17 with RISP over the weekend at Tropicana Field, the Orioles are batting .241 with RISP to rank 11th in the American League. Last year, the Orioles were second batting .287, trailing only Houston at .294. "It kind of reflects bad on all us," Showalter said. "It is...

BALTIMORE - After two months of waiting and waiting for positive injury news, the Nationals may be on the verge of getting one of their most important injured players back at long last. Daniel Murphy spent the last two days rehabbing for Double-A Harrisburg and emerged from it with his surgically repaired right knee in good shape. The Nationals aren't offering up any firm timetable for Murphy to make his long-awaited season debut, but manager Davey Martinez did suggest it won't be much longer...

Manager Buck Showalter has dropped Trey Mancini from first to sixth in the batting order for today's series opener with the Washington Nationals. Mancini went 1-for-13 in the Tampa Bay series and his average has dropped to .240, which is its lowest point since April 8. "Give him a little blow up there," Showalter said. "He's going through an uncharacteristic period. Trey's one of those guys that always seems like if he doesn't swing the bat well on a given night, it doesn't carry over...