MIAMI - The Nationals welcome veterans Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman back from the disabled list tonight as they begin a three-game series with the Marlins. Werth hasn't seen action since May 15 when a fastball fractured his left wrist in San Diego. The 36-year-old had a slow start to the season before the setback, batting just .208 with two homers and 12 RBIs after recovery from left shoulder surgery delayed his 2015 debut. Werth was 11-30 (.366) over nine minor league rehab games at Single...

Manny Machado returns to the leadoff spot tonight as the Orioles attempt to run their winning streak to four games. Travis Snider is in left field and Chris Davis is in right, putting David Lough and Nolan Reimold on the bench. Chris Parmelee is playing first base. Ryan Flaherty has moved from first base to second. Jonathan Schoop is on the bench. Left-hander Brian Matusz has allowed one earned run in his last 14 outings, with 21 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. The Orioles are trying to move...

Leave it to the Toronto Blue Jays to make an unconventional, off-the-charts trade before Friday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trading deadline. The Blue Jays have acquired shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and 42-year-old relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins from the Colorado Rockies for shortstop Jose Reyes and pitching prospects. What's going on? The Blue Jays need pitching, especially in the rotation. Everyone knows about their high-octane offense. But this is a team that has a 50-50 record with a plus-95 run...

The debate at the start of the season in the National League East focused on one question: Which team - the Mets or the Marlins - would be the biggest challenger to the Nationals in the division? The Marlins had a strong case, but they wilted under expectations, and it is the Mets who have the best chance of making it a race. In the last five days, the Mets have added four players. They went into Tuesday night two games behind the Nationals. The two teams have nine games left, including six in...

From the time they arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season, the Nationals have been a mainstay in the Washington, D.C., sports scene. But the Nats are also very active in the community, working diligently over the past decade to touch the lives of many in the region and proving that baseball has a further reach than wins and losses, balls and strikes, batters and pitchers. Each Thursday through mid-August, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr will explore the Nationals' community outreach...

The talks about the Nationals looking to improve their bullpen heated up this morning as Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the team is "making progress" in their pursuit of Phillies' closer Jonathan Papelbon: Sources: #Nationals making progress on acquiring Papelbon from #Phillies. Papelbon has said he will only approve deal if he can close. -- Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2015 Papelbon has been outstanding again this season for a bad Phillies team. He is 2-1 with a 1.59...

The Orioles scored just two runs and Zach Britton allowed a home run. That doesn't seem like it would end in a win, but it did for the Orioles last night. As they somehow try to find consistent offense and wins, they found at least a win last night. In a small victory, they at least gained ground on Minnesota, which was idle. The Orioles are now three games behind the Twins for the second wild card and they are seven games behind the Yankees in the American League East. Kevin Gausman gave the...

The Orioles are facing a right-hander tonight, Atlanta's Julio Teheran, which brings more curiosity regarding their choice of leadoff hitter. Will it be David Lough, who batted first in the last two games at Tropicana Field? He hits from the left side. Will it be Nolan Reimold, who batted first last night against Braves southpaw Alex Wood in the series opener? He hadn't been atop the order since May 2013. Could Manny Machado move back up to first, where he's hit in 72 games? I don't expect...

When Orioles catcher Matt Wieters singled in the seventh inning tonight, he snapped an 0-for-14 stretch. Two innings later, he singled again. Two innings later, he ended the game. Wieters hit his fourth career walk-off homer as the Orioles beat Atlanta 2-1 in 11 innings. His last walk-off homer was May 1, 2014 in Game 2 of a doubleheader with Pittsburgh. "It's a great feeling," Wieters said. "To put a good swing on the ball at a time that you need it. You'll never get tired of hitting...

Whether or not the Orioles end up making a major acquisition before the trade deadline, one of the most frustrating parts of this season has been the lack of production from position players who have previously demonstrated the ability to play well. Steve Pearce, Travis Snider, Delmon Young, and Alejandro De Aza are far from stars, but when used correctly, they have been able to contribute. Perhaps the expectations were too high for many of the O's role players. Despite his timely walk-off...