Right-hander Stephen Strasburg was unable to get off to a good start Friday. He struggled in the first inning, allowing four runs on five hits as the Reds raced out to a 4-0 lead. The Nationals eventually came all the way back and stunned Cincinnati 6-5 in 10 innings. As Strasburg watched the comeback, he had a chance to reflect on the rough beginning. "Tough one. Obviously first inning was not great but I can try to go as long as I can and as hard as I can and they picked me up," Strasburg...

It takes a certain kind of mentality to bat second in the big leagues, where the job often is less about producing yourself and more about making sure the big boppers behind you get the best opportunities to produce with runners on base. That feeling is only magnified when the guy batting second is a rookie with 130 career plate appearances and the guys batting third, fourth and fifth are All-Stars and MVP candidates. Brian Goodwin has learned this in the last few weeks, a stretch during which...

When the Orioles announced two more draft pick signings on Thursday afternoon, that brought their total to 29 signed picks out of the 41 they selected in the recent First-Year Player Draft. That is an impressive total to have wrapped up this soon. This will definitely benefit the individual players. By signing fast, they can get their pro careers started sooner and begin learning the pro game and impressing their new organization faster. Signing quickly is almost always good for the player. So...

Brian Goodwin went 3-for-4 with two homers and two walks as the Nationals dropped the Reds 6-5 in 10 innings. His biggest hit might have been the single with two outs in the 10th that got Trea Turner to third base to continue what turned out to be the game-deciding inning. Bryce Harper followed with a RBI single to win it for the Nats, who notched their 19th comeback win of the season. Goodwin's two solo shots came in the first and seventh innings of his first multi-homer game in the majors....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles were fed a steady diet of opposing left-handed starters early in the season. As they draw closer to the break, there's been a pronounced shift to the right side, where each series seems to lack a southpaw. It doesn't really matter to Trey Mancini. He's going to be in the lineup no matter who's facing them. Mancini destroyed the notion, as if it were a belt-high fastball, that he'd work in a platoon role if he broke camp with the team. That there wouldn't...

The Nationals waited 10 innings to produce their first hit with a man in scoring position all night. The wait was worth it. Bryce Harper's laser of a single to the warning track in right field brought home Trea Turner from third base and gave the Nationals a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Reds to cap a night that included plenty of frustrating moments but ended in jubilation for the home team. The Nationals had been 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position throughout the game, squandering...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter was away from the team for one day for the birth of his grandson. The distance didn't quiet the buzz over his club's streak of allowing five runs or more in 19 consecutive games, one shy of the major league record. Showalter hasn't really been listening to it, and he stated this afternoon that he'd be happy with a 6-5 win. Just score more runs than the opposition. He can live with the totals. By the second inning, the Rays had five runs...

A hot and humid night and the Reds did not agree with Stephen Strasburg in the top of the first. Cincinnati had no trouble finding a way to connect on Strasburg's pitches, beginning with a solo homer by Scooter Gennett. His drive, No. 10 on the season, went over the right-center field fence to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Joey Votto then singled and Adam Duvall doubled. The Duvall double came when Wilmer Difo, starting in center field for the first time, and right fielder Bryce Harper converged....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter had another early wake-up call this morning to catch his flight from Dallas to Tampa following the birth of his first grandchild. Daughter Allie had a boy, Winston, who weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce. "I had to fight emotions a lot," Showalter said. "I remember holding my daughter like that. I was afraid I was going to drop it." Showalter wasn't going to drop his guard in front of the media. He wasn't going to get emotional as he sat in the...

After completing a 3-4 homestand that leaves them two games under .500 at 35-37, the Orioles begin a six-game road trip tonight in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Tampa Bay Rays. The trip also will take them to Toronto for three games beginning Tuesday. The Orioles have been a very poor road team with a 11-23 record away from Oriole Park. They have lost 12 of their last 13 and 20 of the past 25 road games. The Orioles will try to avoid tying a major league record tonight. They've allowed...