For the third straight night, a Nationals starter ran into trouble with the longball. This time it was the Diamondbacks shelling Doug Fister for three homers as the Nationals fell out of first place in the National League East for the first time since June 19 with a 6-4 loss. "(I'm) continuing to work through some of the trials that I've got," Fister said. "Just not executing every one of them. That's my biggest downfall right now is I've got to be more consistent. I started out OK and...

Is anyone still bothered by Chris Davis' strikeout total? Davis drilled a three-run homer in the first inning tonight in Oakland to stake rookie Tyler Wilson to an early lead. Adam Jones added an RBI double off Jesse Chavez in the third that scored Gerardo Parra, who showed a good eye at the plate while drawing a walk, and Caleb Joseph hit a two-run homer in the fourth for a 6-0 lead. (I'm more impressed with Parra handing his bat and shin guard to the bat boy instead of dropping them at the...

With the 6-4 loss Monday to the Diamondbacks and the Mets 12-1 shellacking of the Marlins, the Nationals fell to second place in the National League East for the first time since June 19. After the game, manager Matt Williams said his concern is about Tuesday's game. "It can all change tomorrow," Williams said. "It's about tomorrow's game. We can be back where we want to be tomorrow. We'll have to play well. We'll have to beat those guys in the other dugout. At this point, feels like...

As the Orioles begin a three-city, nine-game West Coast road trip tonight, they do so with a chance to tie for the second American League wild card spot with a win. Toronto beat Minnesota 5-1 this afternoon as David Price allowed three hits and one run over eight innings. The Twins are 54-51 and the Blue Jays are 55-52. The Orioles would be 54-51 with a win. The Orioles have won seven of their last nine games to improve to 53-51. But tonight they look to begin to improve on a 21-31 road record....

Doug Fister rolled through the first two innings facing the minimum batters. With one out in the third, Fister fell behind 3-1, and then left a sinker out over the plate and Nick Ahmed pummeled it deep over the wall in left-center field. The solo shot was Ahmed's seventh homer of the year and the tenth longball allowed by Fister. The Nationals are still looking for their first base runner against Diamondbacks rookie right-hander Zack Godley. Update: A.J. Pollock singled to center to start the...

Jimmy Paredes is making his first start and appearance in right field with the Orioles tonight as they begin a three-game series in Oakland. Paredes has played 54 games in right field in the majors (45 starts), most recently in 2013 with the Astros. Matt Wieters is serving as the designated hitter and Chris Davis is playing first base. Manny Machado continues to lead off, with Gerardo Parra batting second. Left-hander T.J. McFarland is joining the team in Oakland, as the Virginian-Pilot...

Game blog! Our first game blog at home this season. It's a special moment. Don't hesitate to ask me a question about the Nats as we cruise along tonight. The Nationals are looking to end a three-game losing streak, after getting swept in New York over the weekend by the Mets, as they play host to the Arizona Diamondbacks. One way to stop all the talk about the pitching and what they need to do is to generate some offense. The Nationals have managed six total runs in their last four...

The Nationals have been able to get pretty close to what they envisioned as their opening day lineup but are still waiting on center fielder Denard Span. Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth are the latest injured starters to return. But Span has now missed 20 games since back tightness forced him to the disabled list July 7. Manager Matt Williams updated Span's status during pregame for the opening matchup this week against the Diamondbacks. "He's feeling good," Williams said....

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Tyler Wilson from Triple-A Norfolk. Wilson, 25, has gone 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA (17 IP, 4 ER) in five games (one start) with the Orioles this season. He made his major league debut on May 20 vs. the Seattle Mariners and his first career major league start on May 28 in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. In 16 starts with Triple-A Norfolk this season, the 2014 Orioles Jim Palmer minor league Pitcher of the Year...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Tyler Wilson from Triple-A Norfolk. Wilson, 25, has gone 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA (17.0IP, 4ER) in five games (one start) with the Orioles this season. He made his Major League debut on May 20 vs. the Seattle Mariners and his first career Major League start on May 28 in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. In 16 starts with Triple-A Norfolk this season, the 2014 Orioles Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year...