Yunel Escobar left the game in the middle of his first at-bat to start the second inning. Escobar dropped to his knees, clutching his left hand or wrist after attempting to check his swing on a 96 mph heater from Mets starter Noah Syndergaard. It was unclear if the ball actually hit Escobar, though the Nationals' Twitter account reported that Syndergaard's pitch struck Escobar's hand. Nationals manager Matt Williams and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz tended to Escobar immediately. After...

The Nationals enter this afternoon's rubber match holding a slim two-game lead over the Mets in the National League East. Jordan Zimmermann should be well-rested for today's outing since his last start on Friday was interrupted after only four innings due to a power failure at Nationals Park. Zimmermann beat the Mets 2-1 back on April 8, allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks over six innings. Bryce Harper comes into today's game hitless in his last two, only the...

Here's the thing about Tuesday night's game at Nationals Park between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets - Washington starter Joe Ross threw a good game. He was able to keep up with 2015 All-Star pitcher Jacob deGrom in a head-to-had match-up, which should be viewed as an accomplishment for the young rookie pitcher. The unfortunate part is that the accomplishment dissolved amid a quiet offense and struggling relief pitchers. The onus isn't completely on the quiet offense. deGrom is a...

If you read my column on Birds Watcher, perhaps you've noticed that we've started looking toward the trade deadline. This year, the Orioles do in a way find themselves in a bit of a dilemma. I'm not one of those folks suggesting that the Orioles should consider selling off because "they aren't good enough" or something like that. But in my view the real dilemma is "buy or stand pat?" The Orioles are a contending team, so let's just dismiss the notion of selling right now. So that...

As the Nationals celebrate 10 seasons in Washington, D.C., we reflect on some of the best moments since the franchise moved to the nation's capital. Each Wednesday through mid-August, check out Nationals Pastime for a remembrance of one of the watershed moments in Nationals history. A new chapter of for the Washington Nationals began on September 20, 2012 when Drew Storen whiffed Hanley Ramirez on a filthy slider to beat the Dodgers 4-1 and secure the franchise's first-ever playoff berth...

We have sized up some statistics in recent days and weeks that have been an issue for the Orioles at times this year, such as their starting rotation's ERA and recent batting with runners in scoring position numbers. Here is one not discussed much, but one that has been an issue for the Orioles in 2015: their losing record in series-opening games. Let's compare it to last year: * In 2014, the Orioles went 32-21 (.604) in the first game of a series, and they went 30-15-8 in series for the...

A night after playing one of their tighter games of the year, the Nationals seemed to unravel in a 7-2 loss to the Mets, mostly due to poor relief pitching and shoddy fielding. Rookie Joe Ross was impressive in his return to D.C. after a month at Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander took a 2-1 lead into the seventh when Wilmer Flores led off with a single. Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with a bouncing ball down the first base line. "Clint (Robinson) decided to come get it and couldn't get it,"...

NEW YORK - Another day has arrived when the Orioles must make a difficult roster decision. Do they designate a player for assignment, option a player or pull off a trade? The optioning part doesn't seem likely with so few players offering that type of flexibility. Ryan Flaherty can be sent down, but he's a backup at all four infield positions. The Orioles would rather not slide Manny Machado to shortstop if J.J. Hardy is hurt or needs a rest. Executive vice president Dan Duquette is working...

Right-hander Joe Ross did his best to keep the Nationals in the game Tuesday. And for six-plus innings he did just that. But the seventh inning did not turn out the way the Nationals and Ross would have hoped. The Mets scored two runs in the seventh on a pinch-hit two-run single from Eric Campbell off Aaron Barrett. A single and a costly error by Clint Robinson set up the inning. Ross was lifted right before Campbell stepped in. "(We) are going to get to (Barrett) there with guys on second and...

NEW YORK - The Orioles lost the first game of their series against the Yankees tonight despite their opponent going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10. They lost despite a quality start by definition from left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. They lost after the Yankees pushed across the tiebreaking run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a single by No. 8 hitter Didi Gregorius and a double by No. 9 hitter Brendan Ryan on a ground ball down the left field line. Being...