Stephen Strasburg will never say it publicly, but it's tough to imagine the right-hander doesn't see Max Scherzer dominate one night and not want to try to at least duplicate it 24 hours later. Whether he says it or not, Strasburg let his performance speak for itself tonight. On the heels of Scherzer's two-hit shutout Monday, the Nationals' second staff ace tossed eight scoreless innings of three-hit ball tonight, leading his team to a 4-1 victory over the Braves that was every bit as...

The Orioles avoided being no-hit and shut out tonight, but they could not avoid another loss. Curtis Granderson's solo homer in the ninth off Darren O'Day broke a 1-1 tie as the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 2-1. They've taken the first two games of this series to leave the Orioles at 4-8. After the momentum of the series win in New York, now the O's must win tomorrow to avoid being swept three straight at home, where they are 1-4 this season. Granderson hit a 1-2 O'Day fastball onto the flag...

Ryan Zimmerman has had a tough start to the season at the plate. Coming into Tuesday's matchup with Atlanta, Zimmerman was hitting just .097 (3-for-31) with one homer and three RBIs. In the first inning, Brian Goodwin walked and Bryce Harper singled in front of Zimmerman against Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz. Pushed to the No. 5 spot in the batting order, Zimmerman tripled on a sharp line drive to Braves left fielder Preston Tucker. Goodwin and Harper scored. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg...

Orioles right-hander Andrew Cashner (1-1, 4.09 ERA) makes his third start for his new team tonight at chilly Camden Yards. He will try to pitch the Orioles even in this three-game series following Toronto's 7-1 win last night. Cashner allowed three homers and five runs in his first O's start against Minnesota. And then on Thursday night he got his first win with Baltimore in a 5-2 victory at New York. Over six innings he allowed two hits and one run on 100 pitches. So far lefty batters are...

Nobody in the National League owns a better on-base percentage right now than Bryce Harper, whose .553 mark has put him in position to score a ton of runs through the season's first 11 games. Nobody in the NL owns a worse OPS right now, though, than Ryan Zimmerman, whose .370 mark has contributed mightily to a bunch of wasted scoring opportunities for the Nationals ... not to mention even more reason for opposing teams to pitch around the guy hitting in front of him: Harper. So with that in...

The Orioles extended their streak of transactions to four consecutive days by designating Rule 5 left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. for assignment this afternoon and recalling pitcher Yefry Ramirez from Triple-A Norfolk. Cortes was called into manager Buck Showalter's office shortly before batting practice. Pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis was recalled on Saturday while the Orioles placed outfielder Colby Rasmus on the 10-day disabled list. They optioned Yacabonis the following day and recalled left-hander...

The Nationals announced about 75 minutes before first pitch that left fielder Adam Eaton has been scratched due to a left ankle bone bruise. Brian Goodwin has been placed in the lineup as the leadoff man and will play left field. Catcher Jhonatan Solano was placed on the 10-day disabled list with bone chips in his right elbow. The move was retroactive to April 7. Catcher Miguel Montero was reinstated from paternity leave. Manager Davey Martinez had limited details as to how Solano got hurt. "I...

He has only pitched in five major league games so far, but 24-year-old Dominican-born Pedro Araujo is impressing Orioles fans and is also gaining fans inside the clubhouse as well. Araujo was charged with four runs in 2/3 of an inning in a game at Houston. Then the right-hander bounced back to pitch 4 1/3 scoreless when he pitched in both extra innings games over the weekend in New York. Friday night he got his first major league win. Sunday he fanned five batters over 2 1/3 innings, his most...

The Orioles are down to one Rule 5 pick and one left-hander in their bullpen. Nestor Cortes Jr. was designated for assignment this afternoon following another rough outing last night, and the Orioles recalled right-hander Yefry Ramirez from Triple-A Norfolk. Ramirez will be in the bullpen tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Cortes, chosen from the Yankees organization on the final day of the Winter Meetings, surrendered his second grand slam last...

It's a beautiful spring afternoon here in the nation's capital, the kind of day you'd much rather be sitting inside a ballpark watching a game than, oh I don't know, sitting in the Senate Judiciary hearing room, to name just one alternative. ... The real news in town is taking place 1 1/2 miles down South Capitol Street, where the Nationals are looking to make it two in a row against the Braves. And they'll do so with a new lineup wrinkle. Seeking to create some more protection for Bryce...