The Marlins jumped on Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann in the first. Dee Gordon legged out an infield single to start the game. After Ichiro Suzuki grounded into a force out, Christian Yelich laced an RBI double to the gap in left-center. Justin Bour followed with a line drive base hit to center, scoring Yelich. Update: The Nats managed only two hits against Marlins left-hander Brad Hand through the first four innings. But in the fifth, Tyler Moore drilled a solo homer to deep...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - J.J. Hardy walked to his locker today at Tropicana Field, noticed a small group of reporters following him and joked that collecting one hit last night wasn't worth an interview. Well, it was a home run, his first since July 29, and it accounted for three runs. And it's a slow news day, so ... Hardy, who remains in the lineup tonight against the Rays, was batting .192/.224/.269 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 43 games since the All-Star break before connecting off...

Yunel Escobar enters today's matinee against the Marlins with the fourth-best batting average in the National League. If he finishes the year with his current .317 mark, it would end up being second only to his rookie year when he hit .326 in 94 games. But Escobar isn't a career .300 hitter. In his previous eight seasons before joining the Nationals, Escobar was a .276 hitter. Certainly respectable, but not the Top 10-type numbers that the 32-year-old has posted this season. "His stroke is...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Gerardo Parra is leading off and playing right field today for the Orioles. Steve Pearce is in left field and Steve Clevenger is serving as the designated hitter. Jonathan Schoop is batting .333 (15-for-45) with three home runs and five RBIs during his 11-game hitting streak. Mikie Mahtook is out of the Rays lineup against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen after recording five hits last night. For the Orioles Gerardo Parra RF Manny Machado 3B Chris Davis 1B Adam Jones CF Steve...

BOWIE, Md. - After playing 150 games between the regular season and postseason, the Double-A Bowie Baysox have one more left to play tonight. It's being billed as the biggest game in the 23-year history of the franchise. Tonight at 6:05 p.m., Bowie hosts Reading in the fifth and deciding game of the Eastern League Championship Series. The Baysox crushed the Fightin Phils 9-1 on Friday night to force the final game, where the winner claims the league title. Bowie, which had never even won a...

After coming from three runs behind late in the game Thursday night to win, the Orioles let an early three-run lead get away last night and lost. Tonight, they play the third game of their four-game series at Tampa Bay. On the mound, it's left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (9-7, 3.44 ERA) making his 29th start of the season and facing right-hander Erasmo Ramirez (10-5, 3.75 ERA). Both have faced their opponent tonight several times in 2015. In five starts versus the Rays, Chen is 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA. In...

The Nationals showed some fire and emotion Friday night in a 5-4, 10-inning comeback win over the Marlins. Jose Lobaton had a sac fly to score Jayson Werth, who had a bloodied forehead and bloody right knee as he met with the media after the game. Washington looks to go up 2-1 in the series with right-hander Jordan Zimmermann getting the nod today. Wilson Ramos is back at the catching spot, and Tyler Moore gets the call at first base. Michael A. Taylor is back playing center field. "They enjoy...

Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound this afternoon looking to rebound from his six-run outing in Monday's 8-7 win over the Phillies. The right-hander was tagged for two homers in the game, including a game-tying three-run shot in the sixth. Zimmermann has now surrendered 21 homers on the season, the most in his seven-year career. Zimmermann is 7-3 with a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts at Nationals Park this year. Zimmermann, who becomes a free agent after the season, could be making one of his final...

Jayson Werth sat in front of his locker late last night. As the camera lights popped on, the grizzled veteran flung his long hair back, revealing a bloody dirt burn on the right side of forehead. The war wound was evidence of Werth scoring the game-winning run for the Nationals' thrilling 5-4 win. "I don't even know what happened," Werth admitted. "I hit my head too hard or something. I need to look at the replay." Werth blistered a tailing line drive to right-center, gashing the...

In the 2015 Eastern League playoffs, it seems you can get the Double-A Bowie Baysox down, but not out. In the first game of Bowie's EL semifinal series with Altoona, the Baysox blew a 7-0 lead and lost 8-7. They then won the next three games by a combined score of 21-3 to reach the EL Championship Series. They then again lost the series opener 3-1 before winning Game 2, 10-3. But Reading won Game 3 big by a 9-3 score and Bowie faced a must-win situation last night. The Baysox won a 9-1 blowout...