After attacking Bryce Harper in the Nationals dugout during the eighth inning of Sunday's 12-5 loss to the Phillies, veteran closer Jonathan Papelbon attempted to explain his actions. "First of all, I'll say I'm in the wrong there," Papelbon said. "I'm going to leave that up to our manager. You know, there's a lot of competition and a lot of ... it's a long season and it's a grind. I think we're going to handle it in-house and stuff like that. I've talked to Bryce and told him how...

Can the Orioles score within the first five innings tonight and avoid tying their record for the longest streak without a run at 33? That would be the first step toward regaining their winning touch and perhaps finishing at .500 or above. The Orioles can't talk about repeating as division champions. They can talk about the second wild card based only on math. They're 5 1/2 games behind the Astros with seven remaining and three teams are ahead of them. Sweep the Nationals and get swept by the...

A day after his team was officially eliminated from postseason play, Nationals manager Matt Williams was forced to deal with two of his most high-profile players fighting in the dugout. With the game tied 4-4, Bryce Harper - the favorite to win the National League Most Valuable Player award - lifted an easy fly ball to left. As Jeff Francoeur eased underneath the ball, Harper jogged down the line reaching the bag before heading for the first base dugout. Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon was...

Shortstop Ian Desmond went 3-for-3 and slammed his 19th homer of the season in what may very well have been his final home start for the Nationals in their 12-5 loss to the Phillies. Desmond scored twice and has now hit safely in five of his last six games. He received a nice ovation from the 28,661 fans at Nats Park after he was replaced by shortstop Trea Turner in the ninth inning. "That was pretty special," Desmond said. "Bittersweet. Spent a lot of time here and have a lot of special...

BOSTON - Rather than check the wild card standings, consider that the Orioles must go 6-1 this week to finish with their fourth consecutive winning record. The goals have been whittled down. The Orioles have been shut out in three straight games for the first time since July 29-31,1957 following today's 2-0 loss to the Red Sox. They haven't scored in 28 innings, five short of the club record set in '57. "Guys are realistic in there, but at the same time, we're not thinking that we're...

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo made a questionable trade at the deadline, acquiring controversial closer Jonathan Papelbon from the Phillies. In the eighth inning of today's 12-5 loss to the Phillies, Papelbon attacked National League Most Valuable Player candidate Bryce Harper in the Nationals dugout. The two fought for seconds as Nationals players and coaches battled to separate them. Harper had just led off the eighth with a fly out to left field. As he retreated back to the dugout,...

The Orioles went scoreless in Boston. They were shut out for the third consecutive game today as they lost 2-0 to the Red Sox and got swept in the series. It is the first time they've been held scoreless three straight games since 1957. Boston left-hander Henry Owens blanked the Orioles for 7 2/3 innings as the Red Sox completed the sweep at Fenway Park. The Orioles were held to 12 hits in the series, with just two extra-base hits, both doubles. Owens gave up six hits with one walk and five...

Manager: John Gibbons (8th season) Record: 90-65 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: 3B Josh Donaldson (.299/.373/.578 with 41 HR, 122 RBIs), RF Jose Bautista (.259/.374/.539 with 39 HR, 110 RBIs), 1B Edwin Encarnacion (35 HR and 105 RBIs), LHP David Price (18-5, 2.45 ERA), RHP Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13 ERA) Season series vs. Orioles: 9-6 Pitching probables: Sept. 28: RHP Marco Estrada vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2 Sept. 29: RHP Marcus Stroman vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN2...

BOSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter won't commit to a five- or a six-man rotation for the final week of the season. It's a work in progress. Chris Tillman is the confirmed starter for Monday night's series opener against the Blue Jays that begins the last homestand of the season. He's 0-4 with a 15.50 ERA in five starts against Toronto this season, but he's getting another shot. Miguel Gonzalez starts Tuesday in his first outing since Aug. 30 in Texas. He's 2-5 with a 6.04 ERA and...

Playing in possibly his second-to-last home game at Nationals Park, Ian Desmond pulverized a hanging slider from right-hander Aaron Harang, sending the ball smacking off the second deck facade in right-center field for a solo homer with two outs in the second. It was Desmond's 19th longball of the season. Moments later, Matt den Dekker drilled Harang's first-pitch heater deep over the center field wall for back-to-back homers. Statcast estimated Desmond's blast at 430 feet and den Dekker's...