The Nationals are struggling to end a six-game losing streak, and while they are 10-20 since the All-Star break, all is not lost. Not when you consider that the Mets, who have a 4 1/2 game lead in the National League East, have their own questions, likely more serious than those in Washington. The Mets got a reprieve. They were swept at home over the weekend by Pittsburgh, but given the Giants' sweep of the Nationals in San Francisco, they didn't lose any ground. The Mets have 44 games left...

Orioles fans have been bracing for the moment when Chris Davis possibly walks out of town, but if his recent play is any indication, the slugging first baseman will be surfing on a wave of cash if he departs Baltimore instead. The 29-year-old pending free agent has put up monster numbers this season, more than bouncing back from what many saw as a disappointing 2014 campaign. Davis has clubbed 15 of his 34 homers this season since July 22 and has his OPS hovering near the .900 mark. He likely...

Nationals fans across the internet seem to be in full panic mode after a four-game sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. The team fell below .500 for the first time since May, and failed to gain ground on the National League East-leading New York Mets, who were swept at home by Pittsburgh. Among fans who are already calling for manager Matt Williams to be fired, there's a heated Twitter conversation about which ex-National, if any, should be named to replace him. A Facebook...

No question Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner was lights out yesterday, just as Dodgers aces Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw were in their blanking of the Nationals earlier in the week. But how monotonous has that cop out become for the Nats scuffling offense? The season has reached the point where simply "tipping your cap" to the guy on the mound is unacceptable. "We gotta grind ... we gotta grind at-bats," Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters after yesterday's 5-0 shutout loss....

Remember when the Orioles were alternating wins and losses while losing ground in the wild card chase? And being no-hit by Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma and remaining calm while everyone around them melted down? No one yelled or punched a wall or mugged the bat boy. No one lost control. And they're no longer losing ground after winning the first three games of the homestand. If the season ended today, the Orioles would hold the second wild card. Welcome to the pennant race. I've read comments...

Before they root for the Orioles to complete a four-game sweep of the Athletics, fans attending at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Aug. 17 are in for a very "special" treat when they watch guest Hailey Dawson throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Hailey, a young girl from Las Vegas, was born with a rare disease called Poland Syndrome, which affects one to three newborns per 100,000. It is a disorder in which affected individuals are born with missing or abnormal muscles on one side of the...

On Friday I posted this story on the Orioles' Triple-A Norfolk Tides affiliate. The Tides are in first place in the International League's South division by 5 ½ games with a record of 70-51. In that story, we talked about the team overall and some of its strengths this year. But in a recent interview with Tides manager Ron Johnson, we also discussed several key players on the Norfolk team. One is outfielder Henry Urrutia, who has since joined the Orioles. Urrutia was hitting .292 with 10...

The Nationals were shut out for the third time on their disastrous road trip, this time at the hands of Madison Bumgarner, who surrendered just two hits in the Giants' 5-0 win. The four-game sweep in San Francisco extends the Nats' losing streak to six games, matching their worst run from April 22-April 27. If you're looking for a silver lining, the Pirates also swept the Mets this weekend, leaving the Washington Nationals 4 1/2 games behind the in the race for first place in the National...

Just four days after being no-hit, the Orioles today tied their club record for hits in a game. They had 26 in an 18-2 romp over the Oakland A's. Since that no-hitter on Wednesday at Seattle, the Orioles have scored 30 runs the last three games on 48 hits with 10 homers and a team average of .375. "A lot of guys were (ticked) off at what happened," catcher Caleb Joseph said. "This club is capable of games like this. We have a lot of talent. After two walk-off wins, it might have been easy...

An 18-2 win is in the books and Orioles manager Buck Showalter is celebrating by leaning against a brick wall beside the home plate field entrance and talking to the players' kids before the Family Day game. What else were you expecting? The Orioles are four games above .500 for the first time since July 5. They've scored 30 runs in three games since being no-hit in Seattle. They're tied with the Angels, who play later tonight, for the second wild card. What's it mean to Showalter? "We'll...