It's been a weird couple of days to be a Nationals fan. I am used to being excited after a walk-off win, or sad after a big loss. But the past couple of days I have felt a feeling that I have never felt before as a Nationals fan - embarrassment. I was embarrassed by the way Jonathan Papelbon bullied the best player on the team and best player in baseball, Bryce Harper. I was embarrassed that the Nationals coaching staff let Papelbon play after the attack. I was embarrassed all around that no...

Going into next year and beyond, there's a lot to be worried about when it comes to the Orioles. There are plenty of question marks: Which players will return? Who will leave for other teams? Will the farm system improve? Will the Orioles rectify their player development issues? How long do Dan Duquette and/or Buck Showalter stick around? At the same time, though, the Orioles also have the luxury of a young superstar to build around: Manny Machado. Somehow still only 23, Machado is approaching...

For the Orioles, what was inevitable became final and official at 1:07 a.m. today. Their playoff hopes for 2015 officially ended when Houston won 3-2 at Seattle. They began Monday with an elimination number of two that was reduced to one with their loss and to zero with Houston's victory. The unofficial end is in the eye of the beholder. Some may go back to late July. The Orioles headed to Yankee Stadium trailing the first-place Yankees by four games. They were swept three straight and fell...

If the Orioles are going to offer contracts to their entire coaching staff, they shouldn't wait too long on pitching coach Dave Wallace. Wallace could be one of the more attractive free agents on the market this winter. A few teams already are checking on his availability. Executive vice president Dan Duquette told me in Boston that the club was still in "the process" of working on new deals. He hoped to have everyone back for 2016. Manager Buck Showalter said earlier this month that he...

For the Orioles, it was frustrating to lose another game. For reliever Brad Brach, it was tough to make a good pitch in the ninth inning, but see the end result be that Toronto took the lead on that pitch. Brach came in with the score tied 3-3 in the top of the ninth. He gave up two straight singles to Dioner Navarro and Kevin Pillar to get in immediate trouble. After a sac bunt, he got Justin Smoak to hit a slow roller to first base. Chris Davis probably didn't have time to get a runner out...

With tonight's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Camden Yards, the Orioles must win their six remaining games to finish above .500. They must run the table while still hurting for runs. The scoreless innings streak ended at 29 tonight, but the three runs came on one swing from Ryan Flaherty in the second. Three of the four hits came in that inning. The last baserunner was Matt Wieters, who singled for the second time tonight in the fourth inning. Blue Jays pitchers retired the last 17...

Nationals manager Matt Williams poor handling of Sunday's dugout fight between Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper paved the way for deeper questions about the skipper's future when general manager Mike Rizzo addressed the media on Monday afternoon. Following the melee in the eighth inning in which Papelbon lunged at Harper and then placed his hands on the superstar's throat, Williams sent Papelbon back out for the ninth inning of a 4-4 game against the Phillies because he's the Nats closer....

The Orioles ended their scoreless streak, but not their losing streak. Toronto rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Orioles 4-3 tonight in the series opener and opening game of a seven-game homestand to conclude the 2015 regular season. With the loss, the Orioles fall to 76-80 with four straight defeats. Their elimination number is one and a Houston win later would eliminate them from playoff consideration. After Toronto tied the score 3-3 in the eighth, the Blue Jays moved ahead against Brad...

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper didn't play in today's 5-1 win over the Reds. The National League Most Valuable Player frontrunner was held out of the lineup for disciplinary reasons resulting from yesterday's dugout fight with closer Jonathan Papelbon. Following the 5-1 win over the Reds in the home finale, Harper spoke for the first time since receiving the punishment. "I don't want to be out of the lineup, of course," Harper said. "It's something where I just want to play the game...

The Orioles no longer are stringing together scoreless innings, the streak finally ending tonight at 29, four short of the franchise record. Ryan Flaherty hit an opposite-field three-run homer off Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada in the bottom of the second inning to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead at Camden Yards. Matt Wieters and Jonathan Schoop singled with one out before Flaherty belted his ninth home run and his third this month. The Orioles were shut out in all three games against the Red Sox...