Fans know the bottom line is that the Nationals need to win baseball games. Everything outside of that is distraction. They have 25 games left. "I mean, it's games we got to win," outfielder Bryce Harper said. "I think it's games that we have to come in here and try to just win ballgames. That's the biggest thing but stay within ourselves, do what we can do as a team, as an organization, and just know it's just the game of baseball. "We've been doing it our whole life. We got a great...

The Orioles will host the Red Land Little League team from Lewisberry, Pa. at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, September 12, prior to the 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Kansas City Royals. Representing the Mid-Atlantic Region in the Little League World Series, Red Land defeated the Southwest Region to win the U.S. title game on August 29, in Williamsport, Pa. The team went 4-1 in the tournament, losing only to Japan in the World Series Championship game on August 30. During a special...

NEW YORK - The Orioles will open the 2016 season with home series against the Twins and Rays before hitting the road for the first time on April 11 against the Red Sox. Opening day is set for April 4 against the Twins at Camden Yards. The Orioles are off the following day before playing the next two nights. They host the Rays on April 8-10. As I wrote earlier today, the Orioles are matched against the National League West in interleague play. They host the Padres on June 21-22 and travel to San...

NEW YORK - Major League Baseball will release the 2016 schedules later this week - possibly as early as this afternoon - and the Orioles will avoid another season opener at Tropicana Field. The Rays will have to wait. Update: The schedule will be released today at 1 p.m. The Orioles will begin their season at home against the Twins, just as they did in 2012. Opening day is slated for April 4. The Orioles swept the Twins in 2012, with Jake Arrieta earning the win in the opener. Tommy Hunter and...

This has been an unexpected year for the Washington Nationals. They started the year well below expectations until the Braves game on April 28 when Dan Uggla hit a three-run go-ahead home run in extras. Max Scherzer chocolate sauced him, and the Nats flew. In late May, the Nationals were the favorites to win the division, with a 90 percent chance to make the postseason. After mediocre summer and horrible August, their chances have plummeted down to a measly 14 percent. However, that number...

After the Nats dropped a pivotal series opener to the Mets yesterday afternoon, it seemed like more of the attention was focused on Bryce Harper's brief comments on the Labor Day crowd checking out a bit prematurely at Nationals Park. "I mean, they left in the seventh," Harper said. "That's pretty brutal." For what it's worth, Harper has also praised the fans all season, later saying on Monday that playoff atmospheres have been pretty insane on South Capitol Street. But we also know that...

When the Orioles traded with Milwaukee for outfielder Gerardo Parra, they got a player who was having a great season to plug a hole at a corner outfield position. In 100 games this year with Milwaukee, Parra was outstanding. He came to the Orioles ranked fourth in batting in the National League, and ninth in slugging and OPS. He came to Baltimore batting .328 with 24 doubles, five triples, nine homers and 31 RBIs. He was hitting .435 in July and .460 during an active 14-game hitting streak at...

NEW YORK - If MASNsports.com decided to make my life easier by hiring a School of Roch assistant, I'd immediately want him or her to do the following: 1. Look up Salma Hayek's address and phone number. 2. Lie about my age to anyone who asks for it. 3. Research how many hits and runs the Orioles have allowed on 0-2 pitches. I'd also want my assistant to find out whether I could eat ice cream and bother manager Buck Showalter during a game or if that's only done by Adam Jones when he isn't...

The Nationals couldn't hold a two-run lead, wasting an opportunity as they fell back to five games behind the Mets with an 8-5 loss. Max Scherzer gave up solo homers to Michael Conforto and Kelly Johnson in the second and another to Yoenis Cespedes in the fourth. It was the third time in his last eight starts that Scherzer has surrendered three longballs in a game. "I just gotta execute better," Scherzer said. "I gotta find a way to execute pitches keep the ball out of the middle of the...

NEW YORK - The Orioles announced that they optioned reliever Oliver Drake and outfielder Junior Lake to Triple-A Norfolk following today's 8-6 loss to the Yankees. They can assist the Tides in their push toward the International League championship. Norfolk faces Columbus on Wednesday in the first round of the playoffs. Center fielder Adam Jones said he expects to be in Tuesday night's lineup against the Yankees after leaving today's game in the eighth inning with soreness in his right...