"As long as the Nats are winning," is a phrase we're hearing quite often these days from everyone from fans to announcers. It is the age old sports cliché that winning cures all and that all flaws can be ignored as long as games are being won. It's not good logic and not logic that can be afforded. Think of it in the terms of personal health. You can wait until there's a problem and pay thousands of dollars in medical bills or you can get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat a healthy diet...

After losing the No. 76 overall selection when they traded pitcher Brian Matusz to Atlanta, the Orioles now have four of the first 91 picks in the First-Year Player Draft, which begins one week from tonight. The Orioles' first four picks will be selections Nos. 27, 54, 69 and 91. Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich was at Camden Yards yesterday in advance of final draft prep meetings that begin at the Warehouse tomorrow. What is the O's strategy for those top four picks? "We are going to...

There comes a point during a game like last night's when you begin to lose the grip on your sanity. Sort of like trying to snap off a curve with a wet baseball. Mookie Betts hits another leadoff home run and another second-inning home run. Both teams score in the first three innings, passing the lead like a bottle of Jack Daniels. Neither starter makes it out of the third. Vance Worley needs 35 pitches to record one out after replacing Mike Wright. I went back to check my tweets (@masnRoch)...

PHILADELPHIA - As each day passes and Wilson Ramos continues to produce at the plate like never before, the rest of the Nationals only find themselves more and more impressed with a catcher who has managed to elevate his game to lofty new heights this season. "Extremely impressive," right-hander Max Scherzer said. "Because those guys are back there grinding and taking balls off the forearm and legs, and they're getting beat up behind the plate." Ramos indeed takes a pounding while...

Tonight's game is the fourth time in Orioles history that they gave up at least five home runs yet won the game. The last time it happened was April 7, 2000 in a 14-10 win over Detroit. After losing the last two nights, the O's needed this one. Even if it took a season-high number of runs and 3 hours, 58 minutes to get the win 13-9 over Boston. "Big one. We grinded one out," said Matt Wieters, who drove in three runs. "A game where you didn't know what was going to happen. A lot of...

The Orioles scored a season-high 13 runs tonight without hitting a home run. They won despite their starter lasting only 2 2/3 innings. They played nine innings in 3 hours, 58 minutes. Otherwise, it was a fairly routine night at Camden Yards, where the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 13-9 to move within two games of first place. Being able to maintain focus was as challenging as facing the Red Sox lineup. "It's actually quite amazing that the concentration level is what it is," said manager...

PHILADELPHIA - On nights like this, when Max Scherzer is dealing and guys are producing up and down the lineup to complete a road series sweep, the Nationals have the look of an elite ballclub. Maybe the competition - the suddenly sliding Phillies - wasn't the stiffest, but the Nationals still have to play everyone on the schedule. And so this 7-2 victory at Citizens Bank Park, on the heels of victories each of the previous two nights, was exactly what the Nats needed: No drama. And so they...

Manager: Bryan Price (3rd season) Record: 19-35 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: SS Zack Cozart (.306/.333/.524 with 7 HR, 20 RBIs), RF Jay Bruce (.275 with 11 HR, 36 RBIs), LF Adam Duvall (.260 with 14 HR, 31 RBIs), RHP Dan Straily (3-2, 3.43 ERA), RHP Blake Wood (4-1, 3.76 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (5-1 in 2015) Pitching probables: June 3: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. LHP Brandon Finnegan, 7:10 p.m., MASN2 June 4: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Dan Straily, 4:10 p.m., MASN June...

The first three innings of tonight's game ended with the Orioles leading Boston 8-7 and produced a few questions. Just how many runs did these teams intend to score tonight? How many more homers would Mookie Betts hit? How many homers would Boston hit before the Orioles got their first in this series? Would this game end before breakfast? There were other, but those were some of the highlights. When it was finally over, after 3 hours, 58 minutes, the Orioles had picked up an important 13-9 win...

PHILADELPHIA - The weather's heating up, the Nationals are starting to drive the ball out of the park and Max Scherzer is striking out batters left and right. With homers from Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa, plus a string of extra-base hits, the Nationals gave Scherzer plenty of cushion with which to pitch. And the ace right-hander responded with a dominant performance during a 7-2 drubbing of the Phillies to complete a three-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals seemingly did...