The Nationals tonight are trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Braves, not to mention falling to 7-9 overall against them this season. All of that would be a surprise, given the respective state of clubs, but it does show you that Atlanta is making some strides in its rebuild and the Nats (for whatever reason) haven't enjoyed as much success against these guys as other division foes. It'll be Tanner Roark's job to pitch well enough to help change that downward trend. Roark has been...

Here is an exclusive look at the Nationals' fall instructional league roster for 2017. The report date in Sunday in West Palm Beach, Fla., and their first workout is Monday, Sept. 18. The last day is Oct. 7. Schedule: Sept. 25 - at Astros Sept. 26 - Camp day Sept. 27 - Camp day Sept. 28 - Astros Sept. 29 - Camp day Sept. 30 - at Astros Oct. 1 - Off-day Oct. 2 - Astros Oct. 3 - Camp day Oct. 4 - Camp day Oct. 5 - Camp day Oct. 6 - Camp day The Nationals do not have to leave the facility because...

Max Scherzer and Dusty Baker have offered up their explanation for what happened in the seventh inning Wednesday night at Nationals Park. Whether you want to accept their explanation for pushing Scherzer to 116 pitches, even though it might have cost the Nationals the game and may have extended their ace too far, is up to you. We're not going to debate that again here this morning. The purpose of this post is to examine how that decision may impact Scherzer's chances of winning his second...

TORONTO - The month of September gives some players in the Orioles clubhouse a chance to show what they can do at the major league level. And perhaps give themselves a jump on making the team next year. That is true for Orioles right-handed reliever Jimmy Yacabonis, the club's 13th-round pick in 2013 out of St. Joseph's University. The 25-year-old Yacabonis had brief stints with the team earlier this year from June 11-15 and July 2-4. But he has pitched four times this month, throwing 5 2/3...

It's easy to look at the final three weeks of the regular season, with a division title already wrapped up and a heavy emphasis on ensuring everyone's healthy for the postseason, as a meaningless string of games for the Nationals. Max Scherzer vehemently disagrees with that notion. And tonight's game, which ended as an ugly 8-2 loss to the Braves, provided evidence of his point of view. Not in spite of the fact he threw 116 pitches, the last 19 of them after he easily could have been pulled...

Nationals shortstop Trea Turner stole his 40th base of the season Wednesday night in an 8-2 loss to the Braves. That would be impressive for an everyday player who had logged 130 or so games by this time of the season. But Turner missed a combined 61 games due to a broken wrist and a hamstring strain. He has stolen 40 bases in just 379 plate appearances this season. 130 games? Umm, no. Turner has played in 83 total games. Oh, the possibilities! "Oh, yeah, he was on pace to lead this league in...

Manager: Dave Roberts (2nd season) Record: 94-52 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 3B Justin Turner (.326/.419/.536 with 19 HR, 67 RBIs), SS Corey Seager (.305/.385/.489 with 19 HR, 68 RBIs), 2B Chris Taylor (.296 with 19 HR, 67 RBIs), LF Cody Bellinger (37 HR, 86 RBIs), LHP Alex Wood (14-3, 2.81 ERA), LHP Rich Hill (9-8, 3.67 ERA), RHP Kenley Jansen (5-0, 1.29 ERA, 37 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-2 Pitching probables: Sept. 15: LHP Alex Wood vs. RHP Edwin Jackson, 7:05 p.m., MASN Sept....

Dusty Baker has left Max Scherzer on the mound deep into games more than once this season, justifying his decisions based on the fact the league's reigning Cy Young Award winner is better than anyone he could summon from his bullpen. Earlier this year, given the state of the Nationals' relief corps, it was a defensible decision. And during a pennant race, there's logic to the move. But with the Nats having already wrapped up a division title and now just trying to keep everyone healthy...

No longer bogged down by a lengthy losing streak, the Orioles close out their road trip at Yankee Stadium, where they've lost five of six games. Their only win came on April 30 and it required 11 innings, the last two covered by Logan Verrett, who has since been designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles were swept in a three-game series June 9-11, losing by a combined score of 38-8. Dylan Bundy, Chris Tillman and Kevin Gausman totaled 10 2/3 innings and allowed...

TORONTO - In an effort to stop a losing streak tonight, the Orioles took an early lead and then held on to see if their pitching staff could hold a narrow advantage. They did. After losing three straight games by one run and six straight overall, the Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 tonight in front of 31,714 at Rogers Centre. They improved to 72-74 and avoided getting swept three straight. Right-hander Kevin Gausman, pitching on five days' rest, went seven innings, allowing six hits and...