As if Bryce Harper had not already endeared himself to Washington baseball fans, his legend grew even further when he stepped into the batter's box at Nationals Park on the Fourth of July, wielding a star-spangled bat emblazoned with the D.C. skyline, and launched a two-run homer to spark a 3-for-4 day. Add that to Harper's other legendary shots: A reported 502-foot blast at Tropicana Field in 2009, when he was a kid from Las Vegas nicknamed Bam-Bam, playing in a high school showcase; his...

The Orioles got another solid starting pitching outing - and this time, they backed it with some runs. Caleb Joseph drove in three and Jonathan Schoop returned from the disabled list with a homer as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 9-1. The Orioles had been held to just six runs over the previous four games. The White Sox were trying for their first home three-game sweep of the Orioles since May 2003. But the Orioles got the win to improve to 43-39 and move within a game of the...

A red-hot Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound as the Nationals attempt to sweep the world champion Giants tonight. Zimmermann held the Braves scoreless over 15 2/3 innings in his past two starts, claiming a win and a no-decision. Zimmermann's command has been superb, walking just one while striking out 17 in his previous three outings. Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong brings a 6-6 record with a 4.19 ERA to the hill for San Francisco tonight. Vogelsong has been much better recently than his season...

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Taylor Jordan from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday and placed right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Jordan, 26, joins the Nationals for his third Major League assignment of the season. The right-hander was last recalled from Triple-A on May 24 and appeared in two games (one start) before returning to...

The Nationals have placed right-hander Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain, an injury that forced him out of yesterday's start after 3 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball. To take Strasburg's place on the 25-man roster, the Nats recalled right-hander Taylor Jordan from Triple-A Syracuse. Jordan is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA in two games (one start) for the Nationals this season and 2-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 11 starts for Syracuse. This is Strasburg's second...

The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated infielder Jonathan Schoop from the 60-Day Disabled List. Schoop, 23, was placed on the 15-day Disabled List on April 1 with a sprained right knee and was transferred to the 60-day Disabled List on June 16. He made nine rehabilitation appearances between Double-A Bowie and Class A-Advanced Frederick and hit .265/.286/.676 with two doubles, four home runs, and seven RBI. Schoop began the season with the Orioles, hitting...

The Nationals reached the halfway point of this year at 45-36 with a season-high 4 1/2- game lead in the National League East after yesterday's 9-3 win over the Giants. How does that compare to the Nats' previous years with division titles? In 2012, the Nats held an identical 4 1/2-game lead with a 48-33 record at this point, while last season, they found themselves tied atop the division and five games over .500 at 43-38. Not one other team in the NL East is currently floating above .500....

The Orioles have not been swept in a three-game series on the road by the Chicago White Sox since May 13-15, 2003. From 2011-14, the Orioles went 10-4 at U.S. Cellular Field. But they lost there this weekend by scores of 1-0 and 3-2, coming up with just nine hits. They went 26 consecutive innings without scoring until Manny Machado's two-run homer in eighth inning yesterday. They have scored in just one of their last 28 innings. They were four outs away from a third straight shutout when...

Jonathan Schoop is off the disabled list and in the Orioles lineup today for the first time since April 17 in Boston. His last hit came two days earlier. Schoop is starting at second base and batting eighth as the Orioles try to avoid being swept by the White Sox. They've lost five of their last six games. Schoop officially came off the 60-day disabled list this morning. No move is needed to create space on the 40-man roster because the Orioles designated outfielder Delmon Young for assignment...

Tyler Moore knew he had to try a different approach against Madison Bumgarner. In the second inning Saturday, Moore led off and struck out. Arriving to the plate in the fourth, with his team leading 3-0, Danny Espinosa at first base and one out, he had a shot at creating a rally. But Moore knew he had to change his approach because the first at-bat didn't work out. Coming into Saturday's game, Moore was just 1-for-12 (.083) in six games in his career against the Giants, with three walks and...