PHOENIX - Two more Nationals players added pieces of hardware to their growing shelves today when Daniel Murphy was named National League Player of the Month and Stephen Strasburg was named NL Pitcher of the Month for July. Murphy, who previously won NL Player of the Month honors in May, hit .372 with 12 doubles, six homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.144 OPS in July, compiling those numbers despite playing in only 24 games (he was out of the lineup for five games due to a lingering hamstring injury...

Steve Pearce makes his 2016 Orioles debut tonight, starting in right field and batting sixth against Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels. Pearce is 1-for-6 with a double and three strikeouts lifetime against Hamels. Nolan Reimold is in right field and Mark Trumbo is the designated hitter. Trumbo, batting cleanup tonight, is 3-for-34 in his last nine games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Dylan Bundy is only the second Orioles rookie to go at least seven innings and allow no more than one hit...

PHOENIX - The Nationals have already secured a winning road trip. Now they'll try to sweep the Diamondbacks and head home with a 6-3 record after their long and eventful swing through Cleveland, San Francisco and Arizona. Max Scherzer takes the mound against the club that drafted him way back in 2006. He's been on quite a run lately: 3-1 with a 1.09 ERA in his last six starts. He may need to be in top form again today, because the Nationals are fielding a lineup that is lacking Ryan...

The triple play pulled off last Friday by the Nationals against the Giants was the first that involved the first baseman making the first two outs and then throwing to the third baseman to complete the inning (3-3-5). Ryan Zimmerman catching a line drive, tapping first, and then throwing to Anthony Rendon marked the first triple play in Nationals history. It was also the first triple play by a D.C.-based team since the 1968 Senators. The Expos last pulled off a triple play on September 3, 2002,...

Dylan Bundy's masterful seven innings last night may have helped you forget that the Orioles acquired two players via trade prior to this past Monday's non-waiver trade deadline. In case you missed it, the Birds added left-handed starter Wade Miley and utility man Steve Pearce. While you may be disappointed because you wanted someone like Jeremy Hellickson instead, I think we can all agree that the Orioles' current roster is better than the roster from last week. These moves aren't flashy...

At the beginning of this season, there were doubts that Jayson Werth could be an effective hitter anymore. He looked lost for much of the previous year, he was entering his age 37 season, and a repeat of his .685 OPS could've easily sunk the Nationals' playoff chances. As this season began, he seemed to fulfill those expectations. He appeared pretty lost at the plate in April and May - he hit a few home runs, but he wasn't getting on base much at all. He only managed to post a .225/.280/.410...

PHOENIX - When the Nationals took the field for batting practice Tuesday afternoon, Trea Turner was expecting to take grounders at second base, where he was scheduled to start. Wilmer Difo was already preparing mentally to come off the bench, perhaps in a key pinch-hitting situation or a double-switch. Then manager Dusty Baker passed along word that Bryce Harper was sick, battling a stomach virus that required IV fluids. So Turner was going to need to play center field, with Difo getting the...

PHOENIX - Turns out Monday night's offensive explosion wasn't a complete aberration for the Nationals, because they nearly duplicated the feat tonight against the Diamondbacks. Wilson Ramos, Chris Heisey and Jayson Werth all clubbed home runs to lead another potent offensive attack, carrying the Nats to a 10-4 victory at Chase Field. Combined with their lopsided win in Monday's series opener, the Nationals have now outscored Arizona 24-5 over the last two nights, putting their offensive...

With each outing, it might be hard for Orioles fans to contain their enthusiasm over rookie right-hander Dylan Bundy. After taking a no-hitter through 5 1/3 innings in his start last week against Colorado, last night he took one through 5 2/3 innings against Texas. While Bundy gave up two homers that spoiled his outing against the Rockies, he held the Rangers scoreless on one single over seven innings. It was a special outing, as he recorded 21 outs on 88 pitches. He was pitch efficient and he...

In case you missed the update late last night, the Orioles will start Wade Miley in Thursday's series finale against the Rangers. It's more than just expected now. He's taking the ball in his debut. Yovani Gallardo figures to be pushed back to Friday night in Chicago, but it's not official. In the Orioles' perfect baseball world, major league rosters would hold 26 players and allow for a 13-man pitching staff and four-man bench. They take another look at the schedule and wish for an extra...