Manager: Joe Girardi (10th season) Record: 79-66 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: RF Aaron Judge (.273 with 41 HR, 90 RBIs), SS Didi Gregorius (.290 with 73 RBIs, 138 hits), LF Brett Gardner (.260 with 20 HR, 141 hits), LHP CC Sabathia (11-5, 3.85 ERA), LHP Aroldis Chapman (4-3, 18 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 9-6 Pitching probables: Sep. 14: LHP Wade Miley vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka, 7:05 p.m., MASNSep. 15: RHP Jeremy Hellickson vs. RHP Luis Severino, 7:05 p.m., MASNSep. 16: RHP Ubaldo...

Right-hander Max Scherzer walked Ozzie Albies to start the game, but Matt Wieters was able to catch Albies stealing during the Dansby Swanson at-bat. Swanson fouled out to Trea Turner. Freddie Freeman struck out on a 95 mph fastball from Scherzer to end the inning. The Nationals got on the board thanks to a single from Turner in the first inning. He stole second base with one out, and then Anthony Rendon doubled off of Braves starter Luiz Gohara, scoring Turner, and the Nats led 1-0. Scherzer...

TORONTO - It is a question being asked a lot around Birdland: If the Orioles took the leap to bring up outfielder Austin Hays and add him to their 40-man roster, why is he not playing more? Especially at a time when the Orioles are not getting a lot of offense out of the right field spot. In September, Mark Trumbo is batting .238 (10-for-42), Joey Rickard is hitting .118 (2-for-17) and Seth Smith is batting .100 (2-for-20). Has Showalter considered putting the kid out there? "Oh, sure. Have I...

Bryce Harper has taken a few more small but important steps in his return from a significant knee and calf injury, offering a more encouraging outlook for his chances to return to the Nationals in time for the postseason. Harper has begun light hitting and running drills, according to manager Dusty Baker, adding to his earlier throwing sessions as his first attempts at baseball activities since he injured himself Aug. 12 trying to beat out a groundball to first base. "He's hit some off the...

The Nationals make their way towards the National League Division Series with some decisions to make in the bullpen and specifically how many left-handers they will carry in the post season. Left-handed closer Sean Doolittle leads the list as the lock. He is 1-0 with 20 saves, a 2.78 ERA and nine holds in 47 games. He is 17-for-17 in save opportunities with the Nats. Left-handed batters are hitting .158 (6-for-58) against his pitches. The other southpaws under consideration for the post season...

TORONTO - He made a start for the Orioles last Saturday at Cleveland and right-hander Gabriel Ynoa will get another chance in the rotation this weekend in New York. He is listed by the Orioles to start on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Through six games and one start, the 24-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA for the Orioles. In 4 2/3 innings at Cleveland, he gave up seven hits and three runs on 77 pitches. Now he gets the start in Yankee Stadium. "I'm very...

"Far and Away" by Andrew Solomon is a travelogue covering some 83 countries from every corner of the globe. It is not a travel guide. Each stop is its own story. Each stop is a moment to ponder. Solomon, an art historian and psychologist, seeks to find the world in the place where he currently stands. Trying to understand that place on this small planet may help explain a bigger world. Or the spot may just define that place. The book was written in 2016 of travels that covered two or three...

Left-hander Andrew Faulkner cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Faulkner joins Logan Verrett, Tyler Wilson and Jayson Aquino as pitchers who were outrighted since Sept. 5 after the Orioles designated them for assignment. Faulkner, 24, was 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 34 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He allowed only one home run in 38 2/3 innings and opponents were batting .216. Left-handers posted a .208 average. The Orioles acquired Faulkner from the Rangers on April 6 for...

Last night was a stinker, plain and simple, for the Nationals. They looked pretty lifeless during an 8-0 loss to the Braves. Afterward, they all insisted there was nothing to read into it, it was just a bad game and not a reflection of a team suffering from a letdown after Sunday's clincher. We'll find out tonight if that's true, or if it really is tough to get yourself hyped up again when you've already clinched and still have three weeks of the regular season to go. It doesn't hurt to...

TORONTO - The Orioles are still looking for their first win on this 10-game road trip after Tuesday's walk-off loss at Toronto. The Orioles went 0-3 at Cleveland and have lost back-to-back games at Rogers Centre by one run heading into tonight's series finale. At 71-74, the Orioles have lost six in a row, seven of eight and nine of 12 games. A seven-game win streak preceded this stretch and had the Orioles at three games over the .500 mark. They begin play tonight 4 1/2 games back for the...