When Jonathan Papelbon landed on the disabled list for the first time in his career 10 days ago, it was viewed in some corners as a potential addition by subtraction, given the veteran closer's oft-shaky outings that seemed to feature more hard-hit balls than swings and misses. Dusty Baker knew better. Whatever heart palpitations Papelbon may cause his manager at times, he more than makes up for with experience and the domino effect he has on the rest of the Nationals bullpen. "I think the...

Infielder Paul Janish will meet up with Triple-A Norfolk Saturday in Columbus as he tries to work his way back to the Orioles. He's currently in Houston with his family. Janish cleared waivers and was outrighted to Norfolk on Tuesday. He accepted the assignment, though he had the right to refuse and become a free agent. There were a couple of factors at work, including his contract and his desire to remain in an organization that worked hard to re-sign him to a minor league deal over the...

So last night's end to the Nationals-Dodgers series was less than ideal ... Plain and simple: Michael A. Taylor had a bad night at Dodger Stadium (0-for-5, five strikeouts and a three-base error in the ninth inning). But those days happen, and he's not the only one to struggle over this five-game losing streak on the West Coast. Alas, the Nationals must press on ... Meanwhile, Byron Kerr and I get to look back at last night's crazy and unfortunate finish for this week's episode of District...

On April 30, Jonathan Schoop was hitting a lowly .218 after a week-long stretch in which he went 4-for-23. The first month of the season wasn't kind to the Orioles second baseman, as he had just eight extra-base hits in 82 plate appearances, a .679 OPS, and a .256 on-base percentage, the lowest of any qualified Orioles starter in April. Schoop has been a career .234/.269/.446 hitter in the first month of the season and his .220 batting average on balls in play this April was enough to know...

They are riding a five-game losing streak and in need of bullpen help. That is the current state of your Washington Nationals. A five-game losing streak is nothing to worry about. It happens. The fact that the Nationals have avoided a prolonged losing streak for this long is a miracle. It's the way the Nationals have been losing. Jonathan Papelbon wasn't the best closer, but the bullpen was built to have him as the closer. Shawn Kelley surpassed all expectations, but he works much better as...

LOS ANGELES - Michael A. Taylor's game-ending error late last night would have been tough enough for the Nationals to cope with had it come during a long winning streak. That it instead extended their current losing streak to a season-long five games only added to the disconsolation that was felt throughout the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium at the end of a brutal West Coast trip. "Every loss on this road trip has been devastating," manager Dusty Baker said. "We had the lead in...

LOS ANGELES - For a split-second when the ball came off the bat, there was a fleeting thought it could be a double-play ball, one that would wrap up a much-needed victory for the Nationals. But then Yasiel Puig's hard grounder up the middle got past a diving Danny Espinosa, and so everyone inside Dodger Stadium immediately assumed it would be a simple single to center field, extending the bottom of the ninth. But then as he came charging in, Michael A. Taylor's eyes gazed slightly upward,...

It was a much-needed win and a much-needed solid outing by Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. He gave up two runs over six innings last night as the Orioles beat the Padres 7-2 to split a two-game series. The win improved the Birds to 41-30 and, with Boston's loss to the White Sox, the Orioles opened a two-game lead atop the American League East over Boston. For the first time since June 5-6, O's starting pitchers have recorded back-to-back quality starts. Tyler Wilson and Jimenez allowed...

Remember when the Orioles were clinging to that one-game lead over the Red Sox in the American League East? Well, now they're clinging to a two-game lead. Buckle up. It's a long season. The Orioles lost their off day on Monday when they were forced into a one-game makeup series in Texas. No wonder they want to dance all over the open date on today's schedule. Just take very small steps. "We're moving toward this off-day like it's the All-Star break," said manager Buck Showalter. "It's...

LOS ANGELES - After a frustrating few nights trying (and mostly failing) to come up with clutch hits, the Nationals managed to record a couple of them in succession in the top of the second tonight, giving themselves an early lead over the Dodgers. Danny Espinosa and Joe Ross hit back-to-back RBI doubles off 19-year-old phenom Julio Urias, a pair of desperately needed two-out hits with men in scoring position for a Nationals lineup that has struggled mightily to deliver in those situations. The...