FLUSHING, N.Y. - Anthony Rendon wasted no time giving the Nationals offense a much-needed early spark. Rendon drilled a 98-mph heater from Mets starter Noah Syndergaard to straightaway center for a solo homer with one-out in the first. The umpires initially ruled that the ball stayed in the park, but after a brief crew chief review, the call was overturned and Rendon was awarded his first home run of the season. Update: Jordan Zimmermann breezed through the first two innings before issuing a...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - With 60 games left in the season, the Nationals hold a slim one-game lead over the Mets in the National League East heading into tonight's series finale. Washington has been on the wrong side of two narrowly contested one-run ballgames the last two days in playoff-type atmospheres. "I think it's great," said Jayson Werth after the second-largest crowd in Citi Field history showed up Saturday night. "It's been a long time since we've come to play the Mets and they've had...

Ubaldo Jimenez has suddenly lost the form that allowed him to pitch to an ERA of 2.81 before the All-Star break. He took the loss today against Detroit, allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings as the Tigers won 6-1 at Camden Yards. He gave up just one run in 20 innings in his last three first-half starts. Now, in four games since the All-Star break, Jimenez has given up 22 runs and 25 hits in 18 2/3 innings. In each game since the break, he has allowed first-inning runs. He gave up two at Detroit,...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals send Jordan Zimmermann to the mound looking to hold off the Mets in the National League East. Washington will need more offense to avoid the sweep after plating a combined three runs in the first two losses of the series. The Nats have scored two or fewer runs in five of their last six games. The Nationals have won six of Zimmermann's last seven starts dating back to June 24 with the right-hander pitching to a 2.62 ERA over the stretch. He has faced the Mets more...

The Orioles today announced that they have optioned right-hander Jorge Rondon to Triple-A Norfolk. Rondon, 26, was recalled from the Tides on August 1 and made his Orioles debut this afternoon against the Detroit Tigers, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out one.

Tyler Wilson is the confirmed starter for Monday night's series opener in Oakland. Jorge Rondon, who tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings today in his Orioles debut, has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room on the 25-man roster. Manager Buck Showalter summed up the reasons why the Orioles had to settle for a split of their four-game series with the Tigers, why they kept falling behind early and making it more difficult to compete. "They're a good offensive team," he said, "and we...

The 2015 season has taken a bad turn for Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. After ending the first half with an ERA of 0.45 over his last three starts, he has struggled in three of his four second-half starts. Today, Jimenez allowed six runs or more for the third time in four games as the Detroit Tigers beat the Orioles 6-1 at Camden Yards. The teams split the four-game series. For the Orioles, it was their second loss in nine games, and they fall to 53-51. They went 5-2 on this homestand and...

Manager: Bob Melvin (5th season) Record: 47-59 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: RF Josh Reddick (.283/.334/.459 with 13 HR, 58 RBIs), C Stephen Vogt (.262/.343/.443 with 14 HR, 58 RBIs), CF Billy Burns (.298/.336/.385 with 19 RBIs), 3B Brett Lawrie (.275 with 42 RBIs), RHP Jesse Chavez (3.53 ERA in 114 2/3 IP) Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (4-2 in 2014) Pitching probables: Aug. 3: RHP Tyler Wilson vs. RHP Jesse Chavez, 10:05 p.m., MASN2 Aug. 4: RHP Miguel Gonzalez vs. RHP Chris...

Last night was the exception. The Orioles are off to another slow start today against the Tigers. Once again, the Orioles are behind in the first inning. The saving grace is the Tigers' bullpen. No lead is really safe. J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer off Ubaldo Jimenez after Jose Iglesias singled and Ian Kinsler walked with one out. Jimenez grooved a 1-2 pitch down the middle of the plate, and the ball landed in the Orioles bullpen. Martinez exited last night's game after fouling a ball...

As the Orioles host Detroit this afternoon in the final game of this series and homestand, their bats have finally started to heat up. In this three-game series against the Tigers, the Orioles have scored 22 runs on 31 hits with a .298 average. They have hit six homers in the series and have hit two in a game the last five games. The Orioles have now scored 43 runs over their last eight games, scoring five or more in a game six times in that span. Some O's hitters recently: * Matt Wieters...