MIAMI - Jonathan Papelbon was on the mound to save the deciding game for Boston in the 2007 World Series. In fact, the 34-year-old has seven postseason saves and a staggering 342 in the regular season coming into today's game - 12th best in Major League Baseball history - over his 11-year career. Yet, when Nationals manager Matt Williams called on Papelbon to finish off the Marlins in the ninth today, the veteran closer experienced emotions he said he hadn't felt in a long time. "Want me to...

After an off-the-charts trade that brought them shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the Toronto Blue Jays are at it again. This time, they've added lefty pitcher David Price, giving the Detroit Tigers three pitching prospects, including their best prospect, lefty Daniel Norris. Price, 29, will get 11 or 12 starts for the Blue Jays. He'll make their rotation better and with a lineup that has a 95-plus run differential, the Blue Jays are going to be a force. He will join Mark Buehrle, knuckleballer R.A....

Nolan Reimold is batting second and playing left field tonight as the Orioles try to match their longest winning streak of the season at six games. Jimmy Paredes moves down to fifth in the lineup against Tigers right-hander and former Oriole Alfredo Simon. Chris Parmelee is playing first base, with Chris Davis again in right field. Shortstop J.J. Hardy is batting .310 (13-for-42) with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak. The Orioles are 16-19 in the first...

ABERDEEN, Md. - Perhaps proving yet again how important Cal Ripken Jr. is to Major League Baseball, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was in Aberdeen today to spend time with the former Oriole and to attend the Cal Ripken World Series. The event brings together 10 elite teams from the United States and eight others from around the world. They are competing in the Babe Ruth League's 12-and-under Cal Ripken Division. The tournament began July 24 and will end with the championship game this Saturday...

MIAMI - The Nationals are quickly experiencing the benefits of their injured stars returning to the lineup the past week. In the second, it was Ryan Zimmerman leading off with a deep blast to the power alley in left-center field. The solo shot was Zimmerman's sixth of the season and first since coming off the disabled list on Tuesday after missing 40 games. Bryce Harper stayed hot, ripping a double down the right field line in his first at-bat. Nationals starter Max Scherzer has yielded one...

MIAMI - The Marlins send veteran right-hander Dan Haren to the mound this afternoon. The former National beat his old team back on April 26 at Marlins Park, allowing two runs on three hits over five innings. Bryce Harper tagged Haren for one of those runs on a solo homer. Harper has feasted on Marlins pitching this season, batting .385 (10-for-26) with six home runs and 12 RBIs in eight games. Michael A. Taylor has homered in three of his last four games after blasting an opposite field solo...

In the National Football League, the idea of parity is constantly preached. "Any given Sunday" is the mantra of the league that claims to be the most fair of any of the professional sports. A last place team a season ago can make the postseason 12 months later, and all it takes to win the Super Bowl is a hot stretch over a few games at the right time. That mentality is part of the reason that the game has become the most popular sport in our country. Maybe baseball should promote itself in...

Now that the Washington Nationals are almost fully healthy and have added Jonathan Paplebon, it is as good a time as any to discuss what to expect for the last couple of months of the season. The Nats may not be done adding players before the non-waiver trade deadline tomorrow or via the waiver trade market in August, but those moves are expected to be much smaller and no trade will make the Nats better than having Anthony Rendon back in the lineup. Whether it was from magic, voodoo or a...

MIAMI - The Nationals send ace Max Scherzer to the mound looking for a series win in the finale against the Marlins. Scherzer is coming off one of his rougher starts of the year, giving up five runs on seven hits over five innings in a 7-5 loss to the Pirates last Friday. This will be Scherzer's first career start at Marlins Park. He fanned 10 over seven innings in a 7-5 win over Miami on May 6 in D.C. Jayson Werth gets a day off with the quick turnaround so Clint Robinson will start in left...

As the trade deadline approaches on Friday afternoon, the Orioles are on their second-longest win streak of the season. They've won five in a row after last night's victory over the Atlanta Braves. The Orioles swept that series. Right now, the team may sending its own fans some mixed messages. There appear to be both reasons for hope and reasons to doubt this team. Reasons for hope: The Orioles' starting pitchers, led by Chris Tillman, may be poised for a strong second half. During the win...