PHILADELPHIA - With all the positive steps forward Bryce Harper had made these last few weeks as he recovered from knee and calf injuries, it appeared that the 2015 National League MVP would return to the lineup Monday night as the Nats took on the Phillies in their first game of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. But Harper was not in the lineup and was also not listed on the active roster when the club posted lineups three hours before the game. Nationals manager Dusty Baker confirmed...

Manager: Clint Hurdle (7th season) Record: 71-85 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: CF Andrew McCutchen (.273/.358/.470 with 26 HR, 79 RBIs), 1B Josh Bell (24 HR, 83 RBIs), RHP Chad Kuhl (7-11, 4.31 ERA), LHP Felipe Rivero (1.72 ERA, 19 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 0-2 Pitching probables: Sept. 26: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. RHP Trevor Williams, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Sept. 27: RHP Gabriel Ynoa vs. RHP Chad Kuhl, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Inside the Pirates: Like the Orioles, the Pirates are nearing the end of...

In an effort to liven up the final road trip of the regular season to Philadelphia, the Nationals went all out dressing up as characters from the HBO show "Game of Thrones." Even if you have not seen the show and don't quite understand the references, you can't deny this is one of the best themed road trips, proving the Nats squad is ready to battle it out in October during the National League Division Series: The best full-team dress-up I've ever seen. Jayson as Jon Snow; Bryce as...

PHILADELPHIA - Welcome to Bryce Harper Day! The Nationals are hoping this will be the night they get their star right fielder back into a game after missing close to a month and a half with a hyperextended knee and strained calf. To date, he hasn't been activated, and he's not in the starting lineup for tonight's game at Citizens Bank Park. The Nats are in town for their final regular season road series of the year with three against the last-place Phillies, coming off a series victory in...

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals have officially reinstated right fielder Bryce Harper from the disabled list. He is expected to start tonight as the Nats and Phillies meet again in Philadelphia. Harper had missed 42 games after injuring his knee and calf running to first base on Aug. 12. He has worked extensively since to get back healthy. Recently, he has participated in simulated games and batting practice several times a week. The Nats begin the postseason Oct. 6 in the National League Division...

It's fun to be a Nationals fan right now. The team is winning on its final road trip of a record-setting offensive season. It has locked up home-field advantage in the National League Division Series and Bryce Harper is most likely headed back into action for the final week of the regular season. That's all great news for fans that feel like their luck runs out in late September and early October, even in the best of years. In the final weeks of the 2016 season, pitcher Stephen Strasburg and...

In my consumption of Orioles news and commentary over the last week, I heard something that caught me off-guard. The Orioles Hall of Fame conversation came up and it surrounded shortstop J.J. Hardy. My immediate reaction was puzzled. Why would Hardy be a shoe-in for the team's Hall of Fame? He's never even been the best player on his own team, let alone a standout during his tenure in Baltimore. After a moment of thinking about it, I realized that none of that mattered. That's not what the...

It is not often when a player gets a standing ovation that players in the dugouts join in. But that happened for Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy yesterday when he came to bat in the bottom of the first inning. It was a pretty special moment at Camden Yards. "I did notice that," Hardy said. "It was special. Those are guys that I played against for the last seven years. I have all the respect for all of them, and it was pretty cool to see them also clapping." The Orioles fans were very aware...

NEW YORK - When he slipped on first base, felt his left knee buckle and tumbled awkwardly to the ground in the bottom of the first inning Aug. 12 at Nationals Park, Bryce Harper didn't know if he'd play again this season. By the next morning, once an MRI confirmed he had not suffered any ligament damage, only a significant bone bruise and calf strain, Harper's outlook was a whole lot rosier. Even so, Harper and the Nationals knew they had a tight window to get healed, get back in baseball...

A season that's never allowed the Orioles to straighten out their problems offers another weird twist this week. They get two off-days before heading home for the winter. The Orioles are idle today, play two games in Pittsburgh and are idle again before a weekend series at Tropicana Field. Tim Beckham will receive treatment today on his injured hamstring and the Orioles will determine whether he's day-to-day or needs to be shut down. As the offseason moves along, they will decide whether...