Heading into opening day, which Orioles starter was your choice to be the first 10-game winner of the season? I'm trusting you to be honest. Miguel Gonzalez is 9-6 going into tonight's start against the Tigers that begins a four-game series at Camden Yards. They're not his ideal opponent, considering how he's 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA in five career games (four starts) against them. Gonzalez allowed two runs and six hits in five innings in a 9-3 win on July 19 at Comerica Park. The current Tigers...

MIAMI - Doug Fister was arguably the Nationals' best starting pitcher last season, leading the rotation with 16 wins and a 2.41 ERA. However, the tall right-hander has not been the same force this year. He entered Wednesday's start against the Marlins winless in over a month and with a 4.50 ERA, the highest in his seven-year career in the majors. The Marlins weren't able to manage much against Fister, who surrendered just two runs on four hits with one walk, two hit batters and four...

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg tossed four innings in his rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse in an 8-5 loss to the Buffalo Bisons. Strasburg took the loss and allowed four hits, three earned runs and one walk, striking out five batters. He threw 64 pitches, 44 for strikes. With the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, Strasburg was called for a balk that scored a run. Jonathan Diaz's two-run single made it 3-0 Buffalo. In addition to the balk, Strasburg also threw a wild pitch. Matt...

MIAMI - With July winding down, Bryce Harper was experiencing a bit of a power outage. The 22-year-old had just three homers in the month and none in the past 10 days. But tonight, the slugger broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with a colossal three-run homer and then followed with a breathtaking solo shot in the eighth to propel the Nationals to a 7-2 victory over the Marlins. Harper mashed three homers off Marlins starter Tom Koehler back on May 6 at Nationals Park. Tonight, Koehler won the first...

Chris Tillman was one out from a complete-game shutout, but when manager Buck Showalter called for Zach Britton to get the last out tonight, Tillman left the mound to a standing ovation. "It's awesome," he said. "Our fans have always done that for us. They're consistently good. Any player would appreciate that." The fans appreciated what Tillman did tonight, pitching 8 2/3 scoreless innings on four hits as the Orioles beat Atlanta 2-0. Tillman, who needed just 95 pitches tonight, improved...

As the Orioles were being swept in New York last week, manager Buck Showalter reminded anyone who would listen that the sky wasn't falling. "It sounded like the right thing to say at the time," he said tonight. "Maybe it was." The Orioles have strung together five consecutive wins, finishing off their sweep of the Braves tonight with a 2-0 victory before 29,320 at Camden Yards. They're two games above .500 for the first time since July 10 and only one game behind the Twins for the second...

Does each Chris Tillman outing get better than the previous one? Hard to do, as well as he's been pitching, but tonight he pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings as the Orioles blanked Atlanta 2-0 at Camden Yards. Seeking a complete-game shutout, Tillman allowed a two-out double in the ninth to Cameron Maybin and Buck Showalter called for Zach Britton from the bullpen. Britton got Freddie Freeman to ground out to end it and record his 26th save. With the win, the Orioles sweep the three-game series,...

MIAMI - The Nationals had a decent scoring chance in the first after Anthony Rendon led off with a walk and then Jayson Werth reached on an error. But Marlins starter Tom Koehler whiffed Bryce Harper and Dee Gordon robbed Ryan Zimmerman with a driving grab to end the inning. Nationals right-hander Doug Fister retired the first five hitters of the game before hitting Derek Dietrich. Fister paid for the mistake when Dietrich scored all the way from first on Ichiro Suzuki's two-out RBI double...

We're a few minutes away from first pitch at Camden Yards. The rain has stopped, the tarp is off the field, the infield has been raked, players are getting loose in the outfield and the humidity is cranked up. Just another summer night in Baltimore. Buck Showalter had no idea that today marked his five-year anniversary as Orioles manager until a reporter told him this afternoon. He didn't have time to get nostalgic or reflect on his tenure. Showalter was hired as the 19th manager in franchise...

MIAMI - The Nationals look for their first win in Miami this season after dropping all four games to the Marlins thus far. Right-hander Tom Koehler brings an 8-6 record with a 3.16 ERA into tonight's start for the Fish. Bryce Harper's first career three-homer game came against Koehler back on May 6 at Nationals Park in a 7-5 win. Harper hasn't left the yard in his last 10 games with only three homers this month. Harper has reached base safely in a career-best 24 straight games dating to June...