It was expected that the Nationals and Mets could go down to the wire battling for the National League East crown. After six matchups so far this season, nothing has changed. The Mets shut out the Nationals 2-0 in the Wednesday matinee before a sellout crowd of 37,800 at Nationals Park. The season series is now even at 3-3. The teams have 13 meetings remaining, with the next series in D.C. beginning June 27. "It makes us about even," manager Dusty Baker said after the loss. "We were half a...

Manager: Mike Matheny (5th season) Record: 24-23 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: SS Aledmys Diaz (.331, 24 RBIs), 3B Matt Carpenter (9 HR, 32 RBIs), RF Stephen Piscotty (.328, 5 HR, 26 RBI), RHP Trevor Rosenthal (8 saves, 2.25 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 0-3 Pitching probables: May 26: RHP Mike Leake vs. RHP Joe Ross, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 27: LHP Jaime Garcia vs. RHP Max Scherzer, 7:05 p.m., MASNMay 28: RHP Adam Wainwright vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez, 7:15 p.m., FOXMay 28: RHP Michael Wacha...

When the Orioles began the season 7-0, they set fans' expectations high for 2016 right out of the gate. Then a month later, they matched that seven-game winning streak with another as the team surged to a 23-12 record on May 14. A division title or playoff berth would be the only thing to satisfy Charm City this season. As with any team playing 162 games, the Birds have cooled. They've matched their season-high losing streak, three games, are 2-3 on their current road trip and have lost six...

In late July 2015, the Washington Nationals held a three-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. A couple of weeks later, they were eight games back. It was a depressing and shocking turn of events for Nats fans. Injuries played a role in the Nationals' struggles as several stars returned to the lineup and performed worse than those they replaced. But it wasn't just that the Nationals struggled. The Mets took advantage of the Nationals' struggles and it was partly due...

HOUSTON - The Orioles' road trip has hit a road block. It began Friday night in Anaheim with back-to-back homers to start that game leading to a 9-4 win. The next night Matt Wieters hit a three-run blast in the ninth to win it. Would that provide momentum for the O's to have a great road trip? Nope. Over the last four games, the Orioles have scored 10 runs and struck out 58 times. Going back the last six games, O's batters have struck out 75 times. They have fanned 19 and 18 times at Minute...

HOUSTON - The Orioles only lost by one run tonight. They were in the game from the first pitch to the last. But how they lost could not have sit well with them. A night after striking out 19 times over 13 innings, tonight they struck out 18 times in the regulation nine innings. They made four errors. They went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring positon and left 12 men on base. The good news: It only counts as one loss. The better news: They can start a winning streak here Thursday night. But...

There must be something in the Houston water. Nineteen strikeouts in one game. Four errors in four innings in the next. My guess is tonight's series finale will include cotton uniforms that shrink. Orioles manager Buck Showalter shook up the lineup last night, the force causing it to foam at the top. But there isn't much that can be done about Manny Machado and Tyler Wilson each committing two errors. Fans are pushing for Showalter to put Machado back at third base and play Paul Janish at...

HOUSTON - Buck Showalter's decision to move second baseman Jonathan Schoop up to second in the batting order paid immediate dividends tonight. His RBI double in the first inning scored Manny Machado, who had also doubled. The Schoop RBI was his 14th in his last 12 games and made it 1-0. Machado had gone 5-for-22 (.227) when batting leadoff this year before his ringing double to right-center off Collin McHugh started this game. Then it got strange in the last of the first when Machado made two...

HOUSTON - After their 19-strikeout game last night, the Orioles look to get their offense back on track tonight in the second game of the series at Minute Maid Park. The usual two through five hitters in the lineup have all hit a slump at the same time. Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo have a combined six hits over their past 78 at-bats for an average of .077. That certainly can't and won't last, and as Matt Wieters said last night, a breakout is only a swing away. They...

HOUSTON - A few quick notes from manager Buck Showalter's pregame media session today: * Showalter's reasoning for batting Jonathan Schoop second tonight: "When I hit Jon down there (lower in the lineup), the challenges he has had with left-handed pitching. When I put him down there between (Pedro) Alvarez and sometimes (Ryan) Flaherty, it creates really three advantages for a left-handed pitcher. So this way, at least I know, in that spot in the order, he is going to face a right-handed...