Adam Jones is out of the Orioles lineup tonight after returning to it yesterday. Jones missed five games with back spasms. Gerardo Parra is replacing him tonight in center field. Ryan Flaherty is starting in right field. The Orioles are attempting tonight to avoid setting the franchise record for most consecutive scoreless innings at 33 set in 1957. They've been shut out in three straight games and haven't scored in their last 28 innings. Chris Tillman will become the 16th Orioles starting...

The Nationals take on the Reds in a game that is on the schedule, but the focus is squarely on the altercation that took place late in Sunday's game against the Phillies. It appeared right-handed pitcher Jonathan Papelbon lunged and put his hand around Bryce Harper's neck in the dugout following a verbal disagreement. Papelbon was suspended for four games without pay by the team and, coupled with dropping his appeal of Major League Baseball's three-game suspension for throwing at Orioles...

The Washington Nationals announced pitcher Jonathan Papelbon has been suspended for four games without pay after his altercation with outfielder Bryce Harper in the dugout during Sunday's game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. In addition, Papelbon has accepted the three-game suspension issued by Major League Baseball for the incident which occurred during the Wednesday, September 23rd game vs the Baltimore Orioles. The league suspension will begin Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. The...

Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon has dropped his appeal of a three-game suspension for throwing at the head area of Orioles third baseman Manny Machado and was to begin serving the ban today. However, the Nationals announced a few minutes ago that they have suspended Papelbon for four games without pay for his altercation Sunday with teammate Bryce Harper. Added to the three-game ban from Major League Baseball, the Nationals' suspension means Papelbon is done for the season. "The behavior...

Manager: Fredi Gonzalez (5th year) Record: 62-94 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: RF Nick Markakis (.297 with 51 RBIs), 1B Freddie Freeman (18 HR, 66 RBIs), CF Cameron Maybin (10 HR, 22 SB), RHP Arodys Vizcaino (1.80 ERA, 7 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-13 Pitching probables: Sept. 29: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Matt Wisler, 7:10 p.m., MASN Sept. 30: RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Williams Perez, 7:10 p.m., MASN Oct. 1: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Ryan Weber, 7:10 p.m., MASN Inside the...

When right-hander Max Scherzer takes the mound for today's makeup game against the Reds at Nationals Park - as the Nats try to put yesterday's dugout altercation and its aftermath behind them - he'll have an unfamiliar cast behind him. With the Nats eliminated from postseason contention, a lot of bench guys are getting some playing time. Today's Nationals lineup is missing guys like right fielder Bryce Harper, left fielder Jayson Werth, shortstop Ian Desmond and third baseman Yunel...

After Sunday's embarrassing eighth-inning dugout fight between Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon, I questioned Nationals manager Matt Williams during his postgame press conference about his egregious decision to send Papelbon back to the mound to pitch the ninth inning. Here is the exchange: CJ: "What was behind your decision to send Papelbon back out for the ninth?" MW: "At the time, it's a tie game." CJ: "But given what had happened?" MW: "He's our closer." CJ: "It appeared that...

How did it come to this? Six months after after Bryce Harper essentially predicted a World Series championship in the preseason, the Nationals were eliminated from postseason contention with more than a week to play. Despite Harper's MVP-caliber season and Max Scherzer's Cy Young-caliber first half, the defending National League East champions haven't even clinched a winning record with seven games to play. After supposedly trading to shore up their bullpen weakness, the Nationals stood by...

The Orioles face a daunting task as they enter their final week of 2015. No longer in the running to repeat as American League East champions, and barely hanging on as wild card contenders, the O's are now simply trying to stack as many wins as possible heading into the offseason. A few weeks back, I looked at the team's struggles in the same negative light that many did. Even through that, I was able to search for and find positives. Now, as the team approaches the 81-loss mark, there's...

Well, it could be worse for the Orioles. At least they didn't have one teammate attack another in the dugout and choke him. Pitcher Jonathan Papelbon has not exactly been the addition the Washington Nationals had hoped for. After throwing at the head of one of the game's best young stars on Wednesday, he physically went after another yesterday in Bryce Harper. If Papelbon was irritated that Harper didn't run out a fly ball, it must be a new development. I never saw him go after David Ortiz...