Right-hander Max Scherzer was fairly satisfied with his start against the Giants except for not being able to win the individual battles with one hitter in particular. Yes, you guessed it, that would be Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford singled, doubled and his two-run homer was all the offense needed in a 2-0 Giants series-clinching win Sunday over the Nationals. "I threw good pitches to him," Scherzer said. "He put great swings on them. He wins. I lose. It's as simple as that....

Brilliant as he is usually is, Max Scherzer isn't perfect. He's allotted one or two mistakes per game. The hope is that the rest of the Nationals can simply do their part to make Scherzer's human moments inconsequential. They were not able to do that today. And as a result, Scherzer's one mistake proved the difference in the game. Brandon Crawford's two-run homer in the top of the fourth gave the Giants a 2-0 lead. That's all they needed to beat Scherzer and send the Nationals to a...

Right-hander Max Scherzer allowed a walk and a single in the first inning. But then settled in to a Scherzer-like start with an amazing six strikeouts in a row. The Nats connected with a pair of hits to begin the second against Giants starter Derek Holland courtesy of Mark Reynolds and Juan Soto. But a Michael A. Taylor 5-3 double play and a Wilmer Difo strikeout ended that chance. Trea Turner was caught off of first base in the third to end another possibility. He felt Holland had balked....

Manager: Alex Cora (1st season) Record: 44-22 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: DH J.D. Martinez (.316 with 21 HR, 54 RBIs); LF Andrew Benintendi (.293 with 71 hits, 10 SB); 1B Mitch Moreland (.296 with 10 HR, 13 2B); SS Xander Bogaerts (.277 with 9 HR, 54 hits); LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-1, 3.68 ERA); LHP Chris Sale (5-4, 2.83 ERA); RHP Craig Kimbrel (2.00 ERA, 20 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 6-1 Pitching probables: June 11: RHP Steven Wright (2-0) vs. RHP Dylan Bundy (4-7); 7:05 p.m.,...

TORONTO - A series that began with the Orioles blowing a three-run ninth-inning lead Thursday night ended today with no late leads to worry about. The Orioles trailed 9-1 after the fourth and lost 13-3 to Toronto at Rogers Centre. It was an awful ending to a four-game sweep by a Toronto team that began this series losers of seven of their last eight games and 10 of their last 11 home games. Today they completed their first four-game home sweep of the Orioles since June 26-28, 1978. The Orioles...

The Nationals placed right-hander Brandon Kintzler on the 10-day disabled list with a right forearm flexor strain. Kintzler said he has been dealing with this issue off and on for a nearly a month, and it turned into bigger problem this week. The reliever struggled Friday, recording only one out, allowing three runs on three hits with no walks, two strikeouts and a hit by pitch. Saturday, he hit another batter and allowed a double to Buster Posey. "(It) just got to the point where I really...

Daniel Murphy was back at Nationals Park this morning. He'll accompany the Nationals tonight on their train ride to New York. The only remaining question: Will he be on the active roster Tuesday night when they face the Yankees? The Nationals haven't made that decision yet, but they appear to be preparing for the possibility, assuming Murphy's surgically repaired right knee feels fine over the next few days and he decides he's ready to test it out in a major league game for the first time...

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitchers Trevor Gott and Wander Suero from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. Additionally, the Nationals placed right-handed pitchers Brandon Kintzler (right forearm flexor strain) and Stephen Strasburg (right shoulder inflammation) on the 10-day disabled list. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Gott, 25, returns to the Nationals for his third stint of the 2018 season. He has appeared in...

TORONTO - After two days off, first baseman Chris Davis is back in the Orioles lineup today, batting sixth and playing first base. He's batting .152/.232/.232 with just four homers and 15 RBIs for the season. His skipper hopes some time to reset and clear his head may finally help get the slugger get back to producing. "I hope so. We'll see," manager Buck Showalter said. Davis was not available to comment today on whether he was part of the decision to not start yesterday. Yesterday,...

Last night at the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation highlighted its year-round community contributions at the 13th annual Dream Gala. As the primary fundraiser for the Dream Foundation, the 2018 Dream Gala raised nearly one million dollars for the Foundation's initiatives focused on academics, the arts, nutrition and sports for children and teens in the Washington, D.C. region. The Dream Gala, emceed by Lindsay Czarniak, featured a cocktail reception,...