The Nationals have an opportunity to win a series today against the defending world champion Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Joe Ross gets the call, stepping in at 4-3 with a 5.40 ERA. He opposes veteran left-hander Jon Lester (5-4, 3.83 ERA). After the game, the Nats head to St. Louis for a weekend series against the Cardinals. Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak. He hit a home run on Wednesday. Murphy is hitting .378 with 10 doubles, one triple, five...

TORONTO - The Orioles offense has been so inconsistent this year that when they fail to score like last night, you figure to put more blame on their hitters than pass on credit to the opposing pitcher. But last night tipping your hat to Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman was probably just fine. He threw a strong game at the Orioles and had them pounding the ball into the Rogers Centre turf. They were held to five hits and struck out 12 times in the 4-0 loss. They have been shut out five...

It was one of the calmest, smoothest-looking swings Bryce Harper has taken this season, the kind that you might normally expect to result in a simple, looping single over an infielder's head. Except this one left Harper's bat at 110 mph and was crushed to right-center field for a first-inning double in Wednesday night's game at Nationals Park. If you're looking for evidence of the state of Harper's swing right now, that was as good an example as any. He didn't let his shoulders fly open....

He may not have the ability to do it consistently every fifth day like Max Scherzer. But there are times, when he has everything working in sync, in which Stephen Strasburg can dominate an opposing lineup like nobody else. And there were times this evening in which that was the case. As Nationals manager Dusty Baker put it: "He had it going on tonight." Save for a mid-game blip in which back spasms may have affected him, Strasburg started and finished against the Cubs in absolute peak form....

A big part of the Nationals' quick-strike offense this season has been the ability to hit back-to-back homers. In their 8-4 victory over the Cubs on Wednesday night, the Nationals pulled off the feat for the seventh time this season. With the Nationals leading 1-0 in the second inning, the club attacked Cubs starter John Lackey with back-to-back homers by Anthony Rendon and Matt Wieters, extending their lead to 3-0. It was the start to a four-run rally that provided Stephen Strasburg with a...

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant stepped on third base awkwardly as he concentrated skyward in pursuit of a Matt Wieters' popup in the fifth inning. Bryant twisted his ankle on the base but still made the catch for the out. But after the play he limped off the field with help from the Cubs trainer and did not return. The Cubs reported Bryant was diagnosed with a mild-to-moderate ankle sprain. Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, Bryant's childhood friend and fellow Las Vegas native, said he...

The Orioles are sending Ubaldo Jiménez to the mound tonight to complete their series in Toronto and their six-game road trip. They're back home on Friday. Chris Tillman beat them to Baltimore. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday that he sent Tillman ahead of the team in preparation for Friday's scheduled start against the Rays, but it's tentative with the right-hander's wife, Christina, due with their first baby. Dylan Bundy, slated for Saturday afternoon's start, would...

TORONTO - Looking to get back over the .500 mark for the first time since they were 31-30, the Orioles were denied tonight. Mostly by the right arm of a pitcher looking to bounce back from his worst start of the season. Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman blanked them over 7 2/3 innings, as Toronto beat the Orioles 4-0 at Rogers Centre. The O's failed to produce their first four-game road win streak of the year and are 38-39. Stroman gave up seven runs in four innings his last time out against...

Manager: Mike Matheny (6th season) Record: 37-41 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 3B Jedd Gyorko (.298 with 12 HR, 39 RBIs), 1B Matt Carpenter (14 HR, 40 RBIs), CF Tommy Pham (.284 with 9 HR, 25 RBIs), C Yadier Molina (9 HR, 31 RIs), RHP Mike Leake (5-6, 3.12 ERA), RHP Carlos Martínez (6-6, 2.88 ERA), RHP Seung Hwan Oh (16 saves, 3.75 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-2 Pitching probables: June 30: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Mike Leake, 8:15 p.m., MASN2 July 1: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP...

On Tuesday the Nationals used the unlikely combination of contact and speed at the plate and a low strikeout total from Max Scherzer to beat the Cubs. Tonight, they reverted back to their more typical formula for success: Their lineup clobbered the ball, and Stephen Strasburg made Chicago's batters whiff over and over again. Behind Strasburg's 13-strikeout performance and home runs from Anthony Rendon, Matt Wieters and Daniel Murphy, the Nationals captured an 8-4 victory to ensure at least a...