The question would come up every now and again over the years, becoming more frequent the last few months as the potential finish line drew closer: Is there any chance the Nationals will re-sign Stephen Strasburg? And the answer, always, was a simple: Not likely. There were plenty of legitimate reasons to draw that conclusion. Strasburg seemed like a guy who wanted to return to the West Coast. The Nationals were reluctant to hand out nine-figure contracts to any pitcher, but particularly those...

It's very likely that getting walked almost every time he steps into the batter's box has started to take its toll on Nationals slugger Bryce Harper. Or maybe it was his batting average dipping to .260 or his team losing four straight games. But during the ninth inning Monday, in a 4-4 tie between the Nationals and the Tigers, Harper had finally had enough after watching teammate Danny Espinosa get called out on a third strike by home plate umpire Brian Knight. Harper was ejected while...

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg started his 139th career game with the Nationals on Monday night, taking a no-decision in an eventual 5-4 walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers. Clint Robinson cranked a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to complete the comeback for the Nationals, his first ever walk-off shot. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Nationals, who trailed 4-1 in the sixth. But the news most will remember from Monday was that Strasburg had reportedly signed a...

MINNEAPOLIS - The tarp stayed on the field last night, a game postponed without a drop of rain falling for hours. Maybe it's a new trend in baseball, a forecast fad where storms are anticipated and action is taken and off days are lost for no apparent reason. I sat in my hotel room in Arlington, Tx. on April 9, listening to birds chirp outside my window as the sun broke through the clouds. I should have been covering a game, but it was postponed before I got out of bed. Orioles manager Buck...

MINNEAPOLIS - We were in a rain delay without the rain until the Twins made the announcement a few minutes ago that tonight's game with the Orioles has been postponed due to pending storms. The game will be made up on July 28 before the Orioles head to Toronto for a three-game series. Another off day is lost. This is the Orioles' fourth postponement. They also have a one-game "series" in Texas on June 20. No makeup date has been announced for the April 9 game against the Rays at Camden...

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg has reportedly agreed to a long-term extension to remain with the Nationals, according to multiple published reports. The Washington Post was first to report the news of the deal. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported that the deal was for seven years and $175 million, and is expected to include opt-out clauses, performance bonuses and deferred money. Update: MASNsports.com's Mark Zuckerman has confirmed through a source familiar with the deal that Strasburg will...

The Orioles have a very good record at home this year. Tonight they try to work on improving their road record when they begin a three-game series at Minnesota. Having just concluded a 6-4 homestand, the Orioles are 13-5 at Oriole Park this year. But they are under .500 at 5-7 on the road. The Orioles have lost three of their four road series. They went 2-4 on their last road trip to Kansas City and Tampa Bay and scored just five runs in the last four games of that trip. But the Orioles hit a...

The Tigers jumped on top early against the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg. And they did it by doing something that only one hitter has been able to accomplish in Strasburg's first six starts of the season. Strasburg had allowed only a Brian Dozier eighth-inning three-run shot on April 24, the only homer in his 42 innings of work to begin 2016. But Nick Castellanos was able to turn on a Strasburg fastball and knock it over the left field wall to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the first. His...

MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles still don't have a starter named for Wednesday afternoon's game against the Twins at Target Field. Vance Worley figures to get the ball if he isn't used in relief tonight or Tuesday. He hasn't been told that he's starting and manager Buck Showalter can't make the commitment without knowing how far he'll dig into his bullpen during the first two games of the series. Worley went 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA and 1.993 WHIP in 10 starts with the Twins spanning 48 2/3 innings...

Right-hander Matt Belisle is making solid progress as he recovers from a right calf strain. He has been on the disabled list since April 27. "I'm doing really, really well," Belisle said. "I've been doing a ton of work. It was only about the first 24-hour period where we gave it completely off. We had (platelet-rich plasma therapy) after that, so like 36 hours let that settle in. Since then, it has responded extremely well and I've been hitting rehab really diligently and hard." The...