Four of the Nationals' five representatives for next week's All-Star Game in Miami - everyone save for tonight's starting pitcher, Stephen Strasburg - met with the D.C. media this afternoon to discuss their selections. Near the end of the group interview, those chosen made sure to stump for a teammate they think is equally deserving of a trip to the Midsummer Classic. Third baseman Anthony Rendon is on the outside looking in right now, a victim of a position flush with talent in the National...

MILWAUKEE - The Orioles didn't need further proof that momentum is the next day's starting pitcher. They've lived and died with the inconsistencies. Kevin Gausman spins the rotation in a positive direction yesterday with seven scoreless innings against the Rays and Wade Miley throws 44 pitches in the first inning today while the Brewers bat around and tally four runs. Just because this happens doesn't mean that's going to happen. Manager Buck Showalter preaches it all the time. Someone...

After leading Major League Baseball with a miniscule 0.99 ERA across five starts in the month of June, Nationals right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer was named National League Pitcher of the Month - his third such honor as a member of the Washington Nationals. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Scherzer allowed just four earned runs in 36.1 innings pitched during the month. He posted an 8.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio (51 SO/6 BB) and struck out 12.63 batters per nine...

MILWAUKEE - Chris Davis showed up at Miller Park today with a "good face," as manager Buck Showalter called it. And he wasn't referring to Davis' mustache, the latest selection on the first baseman's facial hair playlist. Davis threw yesterday and woke up this morning without any discomfort in his right side. He was scheduled to take batting practice this afternoon, giving the Orioles another indication of how the oblique is healing. "So far, so good," Showalter said. "Usually, you can...

MILWAUKEE - No roster moves so far today for the Orioles as they begin their three-game series against the Brewers. Joey Rickard is in left field and Mark Trumbo is in right. Rubén Tejada continues to start at shortstop. Wade Miley is 12-5 with a 5.16 ERA in 28 career interleague games. He's 3-1 with a 5.17 ERA in five starts versus the Brewers and 1-1 with an 8.38 ERA in two starts at Miller Park, with nine runs and 13 hits in 9 2/3 innings. Ryan Braun is 2-for-9 with two home runs against...

When the Orioles begin a three-game series and seven-game road trip in Milwaukee this afternoon, they will be a facing a team that is in first place. While the Orioles (40-41) are in fourth place and 6 1/2 games out in the American League East, the Brewers (44-40) lead the National League Central by two games over the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee, which saw a three-game win streak snapped Sunday, has spent 43 days in first place. The Brewers are 23-23 at home and 4-3...

We begin today with sad news: Longtime Washington, D.C.-based Major League Baseball official scorer David W. Vincent died Sunday evening after a long bout with stomach cancer. The Centreville, Va., resident was 67. Vincent was a member of the Society of American Baseball Research and a founding secretary of Retrosheet, which works to collect and archive box scores and play-by-play accounts of every major league game. He had scored Nationals games since the team's arrival from Montreal for the...

For the first time since 2011, the Orioles will have just one representative at the All-Star Game. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop can always refer to himself as an All-Star now, and rightfully so. While some may have wanted to see Trey Mancini or Welington Castillo get the nod as the O's representative, Schoop is the right man for the job. It's also hard not to feel great for Schoop. He's been stuck in a very deep pool of second basemen in the American League for the first few years of his...

ST. LOUIS - More thoughts on Sunday night's 7-2 Nationals victory at Busch Stadium before heading home ... * Does any major league hitter enjoy playing on the big stage more than Bryce Harper? We've seen Harper go bonkers on opening day. We've seen him come through on Independence Day. We've seen him launch towering home runs in the postseason. And we saw him show off in front of a national television audience Sunday night. Harper homered in each of his first two at-bats, twice connecting...

The Orioles may have a losing record at the season's halfway point, but for now, they are not considered sellers with the July 31 trade deadline approaching. It is all subject to change, but Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette has made that clear in a few interviews now. The latest was Sunday when he was my guest on "Orioles Baseball Tonight" 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore. I asked Duquette to size up the first half. "I think everybody has seen the same thing," he said. "We were in...