The best news of the day for the Nationals is June is finally over. The Nats went 9-16 in June this season. After getting used to an offense based on power, the Nats offense slowed down to crawl in the year's sixth month. The Nats finished with 20 homers in June, and that was after hitting seven in one game on Friday in 17-7 win over the Phillies. Even with that late push, the Nats home run total was good for only 12th place in the National League. By contrast the Dodgers hit 55 homers in...

Zach Britton's professional life can be tracked by the tiniest advancements since undergoing Achilles surgery in December. Shedding the protective boot, walking on an underwater treadmill, throwing off flat ground, getting back on a mound, participating in fielding drills without worrying about another blowout, starting an injury rehab assignment, leaving the disabled list. Pitching on consecutive days in Atlanta was another noteworthy achievement, earning his first save after being charged...

Manager: Alex Cora (1st season) Record: 56-29 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: RF Mookie Betts (.339 with 20 HR, 41 RBIs); DH J.D. Martinez (.324 with 25 HR, 100 hits); 3B Rafael Devers (78 hits, 47 RBIs); LF Andrew Benintendi (.284 with 20 2B, 53 RBIs); LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3, 4.11 ERA); RHP Rick Porcello (9-3, 3.60 ERA); RHP Craig Kimbrel (2.16 ERA, 24 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (2-1 in 2015) Pitching probables: July 2: RHP Rick Porcello (9-3) vs. RHP Max Scherzer...

PHILADELPHIA - The temperature was approaching triple digits, the heat index had long since surpassed it, and what remained of a crowd of 22,051 at Citizens Bank Park was saving its last ounce of energy for the moment when either the Nationals or Phillies would break their longstanding deadlock and score the run that would win this game. That moment finally came in the bottom of the 13th, with both teams having exhausted their pitching staffs and something needing to give. It gave when Andrew...

The Orioles hitting four home runs and scoring eight times - that was new and different today. But right-hander Kevin Gausman throwing well was really not. He pitched the Orioles past the Los Angeles Angels 8-2, delivering his fifth straight solid start and his 10th quality start in 17 games. On a day when he allowed six hits and two runs over eight innings on 104 pitches, Gausman saved some of his best velocity for his last inning. Entering the eighth with a 2-1 lead, he got his first...

It feels like a yearly rite of passage for me at this point. Writing something about my admiration for Adam Jones has become commonplace. I guess in a way, I'm making fun of myself a bit for being so obsessed with the captain of the Orioles. But who can blame me at this point? He's been a transcendental figure on and off the field for the team in an important era. In fact, he has kind of defined an entire era of this franchise. Since signing a six-year extension with the Orioles as a...

On a day where the Orioles posted their first win against an American League team since May 25, there were co-stars in an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at steamy Oriole Park. There was pitcher Kevin Gausman and there was power. The Orioles hit four home runs. The Orioles went 0-15 versus AL opponents during a 6-20 June and had lost 17 in a row since that late May win versus Tampa Bay. The Orioles (24-59) today snapped a seven-game losing streak and avoided going winless during a...

A simple popup can leave the biggest mark on a game. Especially when it slams into the infield dirt instead of a glove. Who knew that Adam Jones would reach to lead off the fourth inning on a ball arcing above the area between first and second base? Certainly not Jones, who spiked his bat in disgust and headed up the line, expecting to take a hard right to the dugout. Jones blew a bubble, the Angels blew a one-run lead, and the Orioles ended their losing streak at seven games and beat an...

Manager: Gabe Kapler (1st season) Record: 45-37 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: CF Odúbel Herrera (.283 with 14 HR, 47 RBIs), LF Rhys Hoskins (14 HR, 51 RBIs), 1B Carlos Santana (14 HR, 48 RBIs), 3B Maikel Franco (10 HR, 38 RBIs), RHP Zach Eflin (6-2, 3.02 ERA), RHP Aaron Nola (10-2, 2.48 ERA), RHP Seranthony Dominguez (7 saves, 1.98 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: 0-1 Pitching probables: July 3: RHP Alex Cobb (2-9 ) vs. RHP Zach Eflin (6-2), 7:05p.m., MASN2 July 4: TBA vs. RHP Aaron Nola...

PHILADELPHIA - Matt Adams, Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Wieters will all move a step closer to returning to the Nationals' active roster Monday when they face live pitching in a simulated game before their teammates face the Red Sox in Washington. Adams, Zimmerman and Wieters will face a couple of minor league pitchers the Nationals are flying into town for the occasion. It's the first time each will have batted against a live pitcher since going on the disabled list, but that doesn't mean all...