Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer has allowed more home runs since the beginning of July than he did in the first three months of the season. Unfortunately, that trend continued against the Mets in a critical matchup on Monday as New York outlasted the Nationals 8-5. In six innings against the Mets, Scherzer allowed seven extra-base hits, three of those were solo homers. "I'm just making mistakes in the zone," Scherzer said. "I'm leaving the ball thigh high instead of getting the ball...

The Orioles today announced that they have optioned right-hander Oliver Drake and outfielder Junior Lake to Triple-A Norfolk. Drake, 28, posted a 4.22 ERA (10.2IP, 5ER) and 10 strikeouts in eight games with the Orioles this season. He pitched in three games with Baltimore after being recalled on September 1 and struck out a career-high three batters over an inning of work on September 4 at Toronto. Lake, 25, played in two games with the Orioles after being recalled on September 4, going...

We've seen it happen far too often lately: An Orioles pitcher allows a key hit when ahead in the count. It happened today at a crucial point in the game at New York. First baseman Greg Bird hit a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch from Brian Matusz. He got a hanging breaking ball and didn't miss it. That broke a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning as New York beat the Orioles 8-6 this afternoon. With their 15th loss in 18 games, the Orioles fall to 65-72. They have fallen to seven games under .500 for...

NEW YORK - The Orioles left the bases loaded in the eighth inning today and lost their center fielder. It keeps getting worse. Adam Jones was removed from the game with a sore right shoulder. Steve Pearce entered in right field, with Gerardo Parra moving to center. Jones grimaced while striking out to end the top of the seventh. Greg Bird hit a three-run homer off Brian Matusz in the bottom half to give the Yankees an 8-5 lead. Jones was sidelined in late June with a sore right shoulder,...

After battling his way out of a jam in the first, Max Scherzer wasn't so lucky in the second. Michael Conforto drilled a first-pitch fastball over the wall in left-center to start the inning. Two batters later, Kelly Johnson smacked a changeup into the stands in right-center. Scherzer has now surrendered 10 homers in his last seven starts. Update: Yoenis Cespedis launched a 1-1 heater just over the left field wall to lead off the fourth. Scherzer has allowed three home runs three times in his...

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter never wants to tip his hand regarding the availability of his players, but it's safe to assume that Matt Wieters will remain on the bench today for the series opener against the Yankees Wieters took some swings in the cage today and stopped by Showalter's office before the lineup was posted. Wieters' left wrist remains sore in one spot. "Matt's closer," Showalter said. "I'm not going to talk about his availability today just from a competitive...

The road trip has moved on to Yankee Stadium,where the Orioles and New York open a three-game series this afternoon. The Orioles (65-71) have lost 14 of 17 games and another loss today would put them a season-high seven games under .500. The Orioles are 14-18 in American League East road games. They are 5-8 versus New York and just 1-6 with four straight losses at Yankee Stadium. They are 0-4 at New York when the game is decided by one run. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (8-7, 3.36) gets the start...

The Nationals take on the Mets in Game 1 of a three-game set on a beautiful Labor Day afternoon affair in D.C. Mets manager Terry Collins called it the "first round of the playoffs." The Nationals are also looking for a different result than the last time the clubs met in New York. The Mets swept that three-game set, holding the Nationals to five total runs. Nationals manager Matt Williams was asked if he believes the club is in a better mood since those losses to the Mets or their rough West...

The amazing season that is Bryce Harper at the plate continued through the weekend series versus the Braves. In the four-game sweep of Atlanta, Harper displayed is acumen for recognizing pitches and calmly waiting for the one he wanted in the place he wanted it to be in the strike zone. Thursday, he didn't even swing at a pitch, walking four times and scoring four runs. Friday, he went 2-for-3 with two walks and a home run. Saturday, 3-for-4 with two doubles and a two-run shot. Sunday, Harper...

The Nationals are set to begin an enormous series against the Mets with ace Max Scherzer on the hill. Scherzer has experienced two hard-luck starts against New York this year, going 0-2 with a 0.61 ERA. Two costly errors from Ian Desmond led to Scherzer's first loss against the Mets on opening day. Desmond has cleaned up his fielding and since the All-Star break, his bat has been red hot. In his last 45 games, Desmond is slashing .299/.368/.543 with 10 homers, one triple, eight doubles, 18...