And we're back for the nightcap of today's doubleheader. The Nationals did what they needed to in the opener, riding five strong innings from Jefry Rodriguez and a pair of four-run rallies to an 8-3 victory that moved them to within five games of the Phillies and 3 1/2 games of the Braves. There's still an opportunity to either gain or lose ground the rest of the evening, with Philadelphia playing late at Arizona. The Nats have to like the fact they've got Max Scherzer on the mound tonight,...

Manager: Alex Cora (1st season) Record: 81-35 Last 10 games: 8-2 Who to watch: DH J.D. Martinez (34 HR, .332/.399/.654), RF Mookie Betts (26 HR, .340/.428/.649, 22 SB), LF Andrew Benintendi (.305/.388/.512, 20 SB), SS Xander Bogaerts (32 2B), LHP David Price (3.93 ERA), RHP Craig Kimbrel (33 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 10-2 Pitching probables: Aug. 10: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-4) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (7-10), 7:05 p.m., MASN2Aug. 11: LHP David Price (11-6) vs. RHP Yefry Ramírez (1-4), 1:05...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An Orioles' trip to The Trop enables rehabbing players to make the drive from the Ed Smith Stadium complex, rejoin the club and be evaluated by the medical staff. Infielder Steve Wilkerson, on the disabled list with a left oblique strain, is feeling much better and could begin an injury rehab assignment on Thursday. Meanwhile, Rule 5 pick Pedro Araujo is shut down again after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow last week. He's been on the DL...

Davey Martinez didn't want his players looking at this week's critical series as a whole, believing there was no good to be had worrying about all four games with the Braves until they'd played the first one. Well, Martinez's Nationals did exactly what they needed to do it today's matinee opener. And now they get to go for a doubleheader sweep with their ace on the mound. Behind five strong innings from fill-in starter Jefry Rodriguez, a pair of four-run rallies in the middle innings and...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jonathan Villar is leading off tonight for the Orioles, who open a three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field, and Chris Davis returns to the lineup after sitting out the last two games in Texas. Jace Peterson is in right field. Mark Trumbo is batting fourth as the designated hitter. Caleb Joseph is catching. The Orioles are leading the American League in hitting with a .300 average (160-for-533) and slugging percentage (.499) since the All-Star break. They've...

As a new member of the Atlanta Braves, one of pitcher Brad Brach's first meetings was with the analytics staff. They showed him a string of statistics. "They showed me a lot stuff, things like my swing-and-miss rate, how I was falling behind left-handed batters,'' Brach said Tuesday before their series with the Nationals began in D.C. "It's helpful information, but you still have to execute pitches.'' When the Orioles traded Brach, a reliever, and starter Kevin Gausman to the contending...

Greg Holland last pitched on July 21, for the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. He gave up three runs to the Cubs, took a blown save and watched his ERA rise to 7.92. The Cardinals would go on to designate the veteran reliever for assignment, then released him after he cleared waivers. Today, Holland is in a No. 56 Nationals jersey, active and almost certain to pitch at some point during their key doubleheader against the Braves, hoping he can turn around a season that hasn't gone anything close to...

Who's ready for a long - and important - day and night of baseball? The Nationals better hope they are. They enter the day 5 1/2 games behind the Phillies, four games behind the Braves. By night's end, they could be anywhere from four to seven games behind Philadelphia, two to six games behind Atlanta. So, yeah, it's a big day. It all gets started with the opener of this day-night doubleheader, with Jefry Rodriguez taking the mound for the Nats. It'll be the right-hander's sixth career...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Greg Holland and optioned right-handed pitcher Jimmy Cordero to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. Additionally, right-handed pitcher Jefry Rodriguez was added as the 26th man for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Holland, 32, is 21-20 with 186 saves and a 2.93 ERA across parts of eight seasons with the Kansas City Royals...

Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer gets the nod for game two tonight against the Atlanta Braves as he puts his 15-5 and 2.33 ERA on the line in a crucial divisional matchup. He also puts his .292 batting average and .333 on-base percentage on the line as well. His .283 average as a pitcher is second only to Colorado's German Marquez (.350) in the National League. His 14 overall base hits are second most in his career. He had 15 base hits in 2015 and that was 69 at-bats. Nationals manager...