As time continues ticking away on the regular season, the Nationals can't afford to squander any opportunities. With the Braves knocking off the Mets tonight, the Nats had a prime chance to cut the division lead to 5 1/2 games. But left-hander Gio Gonzalez once again battled command issues early and the Nationals bats came out sluggish as the Orioles took the opener 4-1. Caleb Joseph and J.J. Hardy entered tonight's game batting .246 and .213, respectively. Gonzalez walked them both in the...

On the way to his 100th career win tonight, Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez walked five, struck out five, drove in a run and weathered an ugly defensive inning. So his night was eventful. Jimenez also allowed just one unearned run over six innings, becoming the 11th Dominican-born pitcher to record 100 wins as the Orioles beat Washington 4-1 at Nats Park. In winning for the ninth time in their last 13 games, the Orioles improved to 2-2 on the year versus the Nationals and to 74-76 for the...

Manager: Torey Lovullo, interim manager (1st season) Record: 72-80 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: DH Davis Ortiz (36 HR, 101 RBIs), SS Xander Bogaerts (.322 with 79 RBIs), 2B Dustin Pedroia (.297 with 12 HR), CF Mookie Betts (.293 with 15 HR, 71 RBIs, 20 SB), LHP Robbie Ross Jr. (4.06 ERA, 5 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 5-11 Pitching probables: Sept. 25: LHP Wei-Yin Chen vs. LHP Rich Hill, 7:10 p.m., MASN Sept. 26: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. TBA, 4:05 p.m., MASN Sept. 27: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez...

WASHINGTON - Who needs a designated hitter? The Orioles did OK without one in the second inning tonight, getting a two-out RBI single from starter Ubaldo Jimenez to break a scoreless tie with the Nationals. Nolan Reimold followed with a single into left field that scored J.J. Hardy to increase the lead to 2-0. Caleb Joseph and Hardy drew one-out walks against left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez threw 10 pitches in the first inning, when Chris Davis reached on a two-out error by shortstop Ian...

Both starters experienced early bouts with command problems in this game. The Orioles took advantage while the Nats did not. Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez issued consecutive free passes to Yunel Escobar and Bryce Harper with one out in the first. But Jayson Werth was caught looking at a third strike, and then Clint Robinson grounded out to end the frame. In the second, left-hander Gio Gonzalez walked Caleb Joseph and J.J. Hardy. Jimenez delivered a two-out line drive single to center,...

WASHINGTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Adam Jones' back has improved, though the All-Star center fielder remains out of the lineup. "He's better, he's better," Showalter said. "That's encouraging. Hopefully, it will continue down that path. He can do some things today that he couldn't do yesterday. That was good to see." Showalter can't commit to Jones being in the lineup Wednesday night. "No necessarily. We'll see what 24 hours brings," Showalter said. Showalter also...

With the O's in DC this week, we find ourselves watching National League games for the first time in a while. Some people like interleague play, and some don't - either view point is fine with me. But I'm a fan of it. People might ask how I can call myself a purist and like interleague play. The answer is because, as I said, I'm a purist - the pitcher is part of the team, so why shouldn't he have to swing a bat? But speaking for myself, the "Battle of the Beltways" is extra special....

Nationals manager Matt Williams has shuffled his pitching rotation a bit after last night's rainout. Right-hander Tanner Roark, who was scheduled to start in Game 2, now moves to the finale on Thursday afternoon. Williams will keep his ace Max Scherzer on normal rest, sending the righty to the mound tomorrow night. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is due to take the hill for Friday's opener against the Phillies in what could be his final start at Nationals Park. Zimmermann, 29, becomes a free...

If the Orioles were to finish .500 this year at 81-81, that would mean they would have won 15 fewer games this season compared to last year's 96-win division champions. There are a lot of reasons for the falloff and we discuss many of them here daily. But the dropoff in the O's performance on the road is one that is significant. A current 15-win difference can be found there, not that this is even close to the only reason for the lesser overall record. But the 2014 Orioles went 46-35 (.568)...

Both Nationals manager Matt Williams and Orioles manager Buck Showalter stayed with their starters from last night's rainout. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez takes the mound for Washington after going 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA over his last three starts. He matched his career high with 12 strikeouts in a 12-2 win over the Phillies last Wednesday. Gonzalez started the Nats' lone loss in Baltimore before the All-Star break, but left in the seventh with a one-run lead before the Orioles tied the game in the...