FLUSHING, N.Y. - Denard Span joined the Nationals this afternoon as his rehab progresses. The veteran center fielder picked up a bat for the first time since back spasms forced him to the 15-day disabled list on July 7. Span took around 30 swings off the tee in the indoor cage at Citi Field before going outside to throw. "I've been doing a lot of physical therapy," Span said. "A lot of, seems like elementary, tedious type exercises trying to strengthen up my core and my back muscles. I'll...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals were all over Mets ace Jacob deGrom out of the gates. Back-to-back one-out singles from Yunel Escobar and Bryce Harper gave the Nats runners at the corners. After Ryan Zimmerman drilled a ball right at Curtis Granderson, Jayson Werth worked a walk to load the bases. Ian Desmond then delivered a clutch two-out broken bat liner up the middle, which just squirted past Ruben Tejada. Escobar and Harper scored easily on the base knock. Wilson Ramos grounded out to end...

Orioles starter Kevin Gausman delivered his first pitch tonight at 7:07 p.m., a ball to Tigers leadoff hitter Anthony Gose, and left fielder Gerardo Parra officially became the 1,000th player to appear in a game in team history. He celebrated by extending his hitting streak to 15 games with a double to right field. The guy really knows how to rise up to the occasion. A capacity crowd gave Parra a standing ovation as he stepped into the box following Manny Machado's leadoff single. The double...

Upon starting tonight's game in left field against the Detroit Tigers, outfielder Gerardo Parra became the 1,000th player to appear in a game for the Orioles in franchise history. The infographic below provides several facts and figures about the 1,000 players that have worn an Orioles uniform since the club moved to Baltimore in 1954.

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Nationals manager Matt Williams said he had a talk with Bryce Harper after last night's 11th-inning ejection. Williams chose not to expand on the conversation. Following the 2-1 loss, Williams repeatedly said of Harper, "he needs to stay in the baseball game." Williams moved Harper up to third in the lineup to maximize his opportunities against Mets starter Jacob deGrom. Harper is 3-for-10 with a double and a walk in his career against the right-handed ace. After a slow...

After splitting a pair of high-scoring, one-run games in this series, the Orioles host Detroit again tonight at Camden Yards. The Tigers won 9-8 Friday and the O's posted an 8-7 win last night. They came from 6-0 behind in their largest comeback win of 2015. The Orioles (52-50) will try to go three games over .500 tonight for the first time since they were 43-40 on July 6. The Orioles are 6-1 in their past seven games. Buck Showalter now has 1,311 career managerial wins. He needs two more to...

Outfielder Steve Pearce and pitcher Mike Wright will fly down to Sarasota on Sunday to rehab their respective injuries. Pearce is on the disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle, and Wright went on the DL today with a strained left calf. Manager Buck Showalter said he's hopeful that Wright can "make the DL period." Pearce is eligible to return on Monday, which isn't realistic. Showalter said he probably needs a starter for Monday while Chris Tillman recovers from a sprained left...

Last night, when the Orioles rallied from six runs down to win and scored eight runs, one of the biggest plays may have been one they made on defense. The Orioles seem to out-execute their opponents on defense just about every night, and it has been big for this team. In the seventh inning Friday night, Ian Kinsler of the Tigers doubled to right-center and Jose Iglegias tried to score from first. Adam Jones made a slide to stop the ball from going to the wall. He then fired a strike to Jonathan...

Chris Tillman isn't expected to make Monday night's start in Oakland as he recovers from a sprained left ankle. Tillman said the ankle felt better today, but he hasn't thrown a bullpen session and manager Buck Showalter wants to push him back. Tillman isn't considered a candidate for the disabled list. Showalter said he won't start Miguel Gonzalez on short rest. Gonzalez will pitch Tuesday night. Tyler Wilson could be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and named Monday night's starter. It...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - After totaling two runs over 21 innings the last two days, it won't get any easier for the scuffling Nationals offense facing Mets ace Jacob deGrom this evening. The Nats went 15 innings between Ryan Zimmerman's solo homer early Thursday and Yunel Escobar's RBI single late Friday without scoring a run. In last night's 2-1 loss, the Nats struck out 16 times in the 12 frames. Looking for a boost to the lineup, Nationals manager Matt Williams has moved Bryce Harper up to third...