Manager: Mike Scioscia (19th season) Record: 16-12 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: CF Mike Trout (10 HR, 18 RBIs, 5 steals), 1B Albert Pujols (5 HR, 14 RBIs), SS Andrelton Simmons (15 RBIs), DH Shohei Ohtani (4 HR, .341 average), RHP Garrett Richards (3-1, 4.88 ERA), RHP Kenyan Middleton (six saves, 2.40 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (4-2 in 2017) Pitching probables: May 1: RHP Alex Cobb (0-3) vs. RHP Nick Tropeano (1-2), 10:07 p.m., MASN2May 2: RHP Dylan Bundy (1-3) vs. LHP...

While Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman had to be thrilled with his outing last night, he was firm in saying this doesn't yet mean he is back or that he has turned a corner or turned around his poor pitching of the last two seasons. "No. Absolutely not," Tillman said. "Every start is a challenge. The next team could care less what the heck I did tonight. You have to keep working. Just a piece of the puzzle and you have to keep on going." But seeing Tillman throw seven scoreless innings in...

Does a team's record in one-run games reveal anything about it? Is a good record in those tight games evidence of a team that just finds ways to win or a sign of good fortune? Is a bad record evidence of an unlucky team or one that has a fundamental flaw? We don't know yet which explanation applies to the 2018 Nationals. But we do know this: They've been terrible in one-run games so far. Friday night's 5-4 setback to the Diamondbacks left the Nats with a 1-7 record in one-run games, worst...

The Nationals left 10 men on base in Friday's series opening loss to the Diamondbacks, 5-4. They had 11 hits in the game and scored only four runs. Arizona had only six hits, left only two men on base, and were just 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position, but managed to push one more run across for the win. The Nats were just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The team is 11-15 overall and 3-8 at home. Is it time for Nationals manager Davey Martinez to get frustrated? "I don't get...

Four runs, with Stephen Strasburg on the mound, probably should have been enough for the Nationals tonight. It would've been enough in any of his final 10 starts last season. This season, it's been a slightly different story. Three times in six starts, Strasburg has allowed four or more runs, including the five he surrendered to the Diamondbacks in 6 1/3 innings tonight. So you could pin the Nationals' 5-4 loss on the right-hander, who twice was handed a lead by his teammates and twice gave...

The Diamondbacks took advantage of opportunities they were afforded and connected on a couple of big hits off Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg to win the series opener 5-4. A.J. Pollock had the big night against Strasburg, going 3-for-3 with a single, a triple and a homer, with two RBIs. His solo shot in the second got the D-backs on the board with a 1-0 lead. Pollock's RBI triple in the sixth tied the game at 4-4. The D-backs center fielder finished 3-for-4. Daniel Descalso also...

At game time tonight, Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman had an ERA of 9.87, a WHIP of 2.365 and opposing batters were hitting .395 against him this year through four starts. He seemed an unlikely candidate to deliver seven shutout innings of one-hit ball. But he did exactly that, using improved mechanics and strong secondary pitches to end his 22-start winless streak. "I think it is definitely mechanical with me," Tillman said after pitching the Orioles to a 6-0 win in the series opener....

If the Orioles are going to undergo any serious changes while enduring the second-worst start in franchise history, they aren't expected to happen in the coming days or weeks. The sign for the proverbial fire sale won't be posted outside the warehouse. Executive vice president Dan Duquette noted the areas of concern yesterday, but also suggested that more time should be spent evaluating the club and determining whether it can bust out of its early doldrums. Fans screaming for the front office...

The depleted Nationals know they have little margin for error right now if they want to eke out victories in close ballgames. Once again tonight, they did just enough to put themselves in position to win, and then just enough to end up on the wrong side of the final tally. Despite several opportunities to bust the game open at the plate, and despite multiple opportunities for one of their aces to protect a slim lead, the Nationals found a way to lose 5-4 to a very good Diamondbacks club and...

In the latest edition of you never know in baseball, a pitcher with an ERA of 9.87 tonight ended a 22-start winless streak with seven shutout innings. The until-now struggling Chris Tillman stunned more than a few people tonight by pitching a gem as the Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers 6-0 on a combined two-hitter to start a three-game weekend series at Camden Yards. Pedro Álvarez backed Tillman with a two-homer night and Manny Machado hit his ninth home run and drove in two runs to provide...