So I'm flying home from Phoenix today, and what better way to pass the time than by chatting with all of you! (Who needs Netflix?) There's plenty to discuss at the end of an eventful road trip that included a 6-1 record, a bunch of injures, dominant pitching performances, surprising offensive performances and six trips by Nationals relievers on the Chase Field bullpen cart. My flight is scheduled to depart Sky Harbor International Airport at 11:15 a.m. EDT and land at Dulles International...

PHOENIX - As he sat around his house in Charlotte, N.C., all winter - and well into the spring, for that matter - Mark Reynolds battled conflicting emotions. There certainly was a relaxing element to all this, with an opportunity to coach his kids, play golf and enjoy an actual spring break for the first time "since I probably was, like, 8," he said. And yet there was an obvious void for the 34-year-old, who had missed all those previous spring breaks because he was in Arizona or Florida...

PHOENIX - For a month and a half now, the Nationals have overcome a host of injuries to regulars thanks to some unlikely performances from guys who they've been forced to add to their big league roster along the way. Mark Reynolds just joined that club tonight with a most impressive debut in a most familiar setting. Reynolds, the veteran slugger who played the first four seasons of his career with the Diamondbacks before embarking on a meandering journey that on Saturday featured a promotion...

The Orioles won't play a game today, but they've got a lot of roster maneuvering to consider before the Phillies come to town. Joey Rickard was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before Sunday's game to give the Orioles another right-handed bat against Rays southpaw Blake Snell, who's murder on left-handed hitters. And to finally let Anthony Santander, shed of his Rule 5 status, continue his development in the minors. Losing the switch-hitting Santander for Rickard causes the Orioles to tilt...

PHOENIX - Bryce Harper spent all weekend crushing pitches to every corner of Chase Field without having anything to show for it. Finally, tonight he launched one farther than the park or its newly installed humidor could contain. With a green light on a 3-0 pitch from Zack Godley in the top of the third, Harper sent a 448-foot home run soaring into the back of the right field bleachers, only a few rows shy of a bright red truck on display on the concourse. Harper's 13th home run of the season,...

PHOENIX - An unusual quirk in the schedule this week gave the Nationals the option to tweak their rotation, and they've decided to take advantage of it and move Max Scherzer up in the order so he can face the Yankees. With off-days scheduled for both Monday and Thursday around the two-day interleague series at Nationals Park, the team was afforded the chance to either give everybody extra rest or rearrange things so Scherzer could both stay on turn and face the most productive lineup in...

Dylan Bundy walked the leadoff hitter today and whatever thoughts had drifted away from his last start came rushing back to it. This afternoon's outing wouldn't be a duplicate. Bundy retired the next three batters on a ground ball and two strikeouts. He didn't surrendered a hit until two outs in the fourth. He wouldn't make history against the Rays. He'd simply go back to being Bundy. The Orioles would become the '27 Yankees, which was far more unpredictable. Danny Valencia, Joey Rickard...

On a day that the Orioles had 19 hits, including four homers, and beat Tampa Bay 17-1, the biggest development was right-hander Dylan Bundy returning to his previous form. After pitching to a 1.42 ERA through five starts, Bundy had allowed 22 runs and 23 hits with nine homers over his last three starts and nine innings. On Tuesday night he became the first pitcher to allow four homers and not get one out. But it was much different today as Bundy gave up just two hits - a pair doubles - while...

PHOENIX - What a weekend it's been for the Nationals. They learned Adam Eaton needed arthroscopic ankle surgery. They lost Matt Wieters to a hamstring strain (and possibly a knee injury as well). They lost Ryan Zimmerman to an oblique strain. Not good, any of that. Oh, and they also won the first three games of this series against the best team in the National League. Despite all their injury woes, the Nats are playing their best baseball of the season. They've won 12 of 14 overall, they've...

It was a day where right-hander Dylan Bundy got back on track. And, after scoring just three runs last night in the second of three games against the Tampa Bay Rays, so did the Orioles offense. Big time. That was an impressive combination on Mother's Day at the Yard that led the Orioles to a 17-1 romp over the Rays in front of a crowd of 25,257. They win three of four in this series and have back-to-back series wins for the first time in 2018. Bundy had pitched to a 19.00 ERA, allowing nine...