ATLANTA - Right-hander A.J. Cole wants to be just like his buddies. The first four starters for the Nationals were 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA and the offense has provided their pitching staff with a league-leading 29 runs. The Nats pitching staff has allowed only 13 runs and other than the them, the Pirates are the only undefeated teams remaining at 4-0. Cole's major league debut came here in Atlanta back in 2015. The Nats made a miraculous comeback on April 28, 2015 to win 13-12 but Cole struggled...

ATLANTA - It was only his 36th game in the major leagues, but Nationals catcher Pedro Severino looked like the veteran catching Tanner Roark's first start and win of 2018, and going 2-for-2 at the plate in an 8-1 dispatch of the Braves to open their series at SunTrust Park. Roark spun seven masterful innings, keeping pace with the Nats' amazing starting pitching to begin the season. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Roark have combined to pitch 25 1/3 innings and have allowed...

HOUSTON - Unfortunately for the Orioles, a three-game losing streak has truly been a team effort. Has the offense or the starting pitching been worse? They have both been pretty bad and that is why they've been outscored 19-3 in losing the last three games. The O's offense has produced one run the last two games and three runs on 12 hits the past three. During the same span, O's starting pitchers have allowed 15 runs (14 earned) on 20 hits, with seven homers allowed over 13 innings. On top...

ATLANTA - Just ask Shawn Kelley about his pitching last season: He knew it wasn't close to what he was capable of delivering. Kelley struggled through injury and rough outings, stumbling to a career-worst 7.27 ERA. This followed back-to-back seasons of 2.45 and 2.67 ERAs. The right-hander landed on the disabled list several times last season with a strained lower back, strained right trapezius muscle and, finally, bone chips in his right elbow. Fast forward to 2018. Kelley watched as the Nats...

ATLANTA - Three players who had yet to appear in a Nationals game in 2018 came up big in an 8-1 series-opening victory over the Braves at SunTrust Park. Tanner Roark, Pedro Severino and Shawn Kelley made significant contributions, coupled with a mammoth three-run homer by Bryce Harper, lifting the Nats to their fourth straight win to begin the season. The Nationals are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history. Roark (1-0) tossed seven innings, allowing only one run. Kelley fired a shutout...

HOUSTON - Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman remains convinced he will be a much better pitcher in 2018 than he was last year. While his results tonight looked too much like 2017, he doesn't feel his season will ultimately go poorly again. Tonight, Tillman allowed back-to-back doubles to start his night and he gave up four runs over four innings plus one batter as Houston beat the Orioles 6-1 to start the club's seven-game road trip. Tillman felt like he might be settling in tonight. Down 1-0...

HOUSTON - The Orioles came here looking to jump start their offense. Chris Tillman took the mound looking to reclaim his pre-2017 form. Neither happened however as the Orioles lost the series opener to the defending World Series champion Astros. Tillman allowed a run two batters into his night and gave up four runs on the evening as Houston beat the Orioles 6-1 at Minute Maid Park. The Orioles fall to 1-3 and they've been outscored 19-3 with just 12 hits in the last three games. A sellout...

ATLANTA - A struggle early for Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb. His defense did not help him. In the first, Trea Turner reached on a fielding error by Freddie Freeman. Turner went to third on Newcomb's throwing error. Anthony Rendon's groundout to shortstop scored Turner. Unable to find the strike zone in the first, Newcomb then walked Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Howie Kendrick followed with a run-scoring double off the right field wall. Harper slid under the tag and bobble of Braves...

ATLANTA - Daniel Murphy moved from the treadmill to running on the field today, another positive update as the veteran recovers from offseason microfracture right knee surgery that has placed him on the disabled list to begin the season. "I thought it went well," Murphy said of running on the field. "Well, the grass doesn't really move. But obviously it's more realistic. As far as being limited in my pace I would say no. Yeah, same pace." Murphy said his rehab focus continues to be about...

Breaking camp as the fifth starter in a rotation already creates a layer of uncertainty. When does he debut? How does the rainout day following the opener potentially influence him? How often is he going to be pushed back or skipped? Try walking in Mike Wright Jr.'s shoes while Alex Cobb is throwing down in Sarasota and preparing to join Double-A Bowie's roster. . Wright steps on the mound tonight at Minute Maid Park, in those shoes, focused only on his current assignment against the World...