The Nationals will spend this much needed off-day on the mend before making the short drive up the Baltimore-Washington Parkway tomorrow afternoon for an interleague series with the Orioles. Both teams enter the weekend reeling. On July 1, Baltimore jumped into their first lead in the American League East since the season's opening week. Since then, the Orioles have dropped six of seven, scoring only 10 runs combined in the losses. The Twins completed a three-game sweep over Baltimore...

The Orioles are off today, which opens the door for plenty of quips. Go ahead and get them out of your system. This seems like a good time to dig through my mailbag and address the questions that have been presented to me on multiple occasions. The questions I've answered on multiple occasions. The questions that won't go away, which is why this sequel exists. It's a fun exercise. And if it makes you sweat, you need to visit your cardiologist. Could the Orioles play in Cuba this year? There...

If there ever was a good time for weather to postpone a baseball game, it was tonight. Stricken by injuries across his ballclub, Nationals manager Matt Williams was planning to field a lineup with Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond and six reserves in the series finale against the Reds. Shortly after heavy showers ended any chance of playing, Williams was asked if the rain dance worked. "Next," Williams said with a sly look while trying to hold back laughter. The recent wet weather over the past five...

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will participate in the Home Run Derby that precedes the 86th All-Star Game in Cincinnati. Machado, Josh Donaldson, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols will take their swings for the American League, while Kris Bryant, Todd Frazier, Joc Pederson and Anthony Rizzo represent the National League. Machado, the fourth seed, faces fifth-seeded Pederson in the opening round under the new format. Now that Machado has agreed to do it, there's no turning back, back,...

Manager: Buck Showalter (6th season) Record: 43-42 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 3B Manny Machado (.301/.360/.535 with 19 HR, 48 RBIs), DH Jimmy Paredes (.299, 10 HR), CF Adam Jones (.284/.430/.471 with 11 HR, 40 RBIs), 1B Chris Davis (19 HR, 52 RBIs), LHP Wei-Yin Chen (4-4, 2.82 EA), RHP Darren O'Day (5-0, 1.10 ERA, 0.80 WHIP), LHP Zach Britton (23 saves, 1.77 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-1 in 2014) Pitching probables: July 10: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP...

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...

It's probably about time, maybe well past time, that analysts start focusing more on what Orioles pitching prospect Zach Davies can do rather than what he cannot. Yes, he is a slender-built right-hander at 6-foot and 150 lbs., and no, he does not throw a mid-90s fastball. Yet he has made consistent progress since the day the Orioles drafted him, and that progress will lead him to the All-Star Futures Game this Sunday in Cincinnati. At least the analysts have noticed Davies' steady progress....

Nationals center fielder Denard Span is scheduled to see a back specialist on Thursday as the Nationals try to figure out why his back spasms continue to occur. "I haven't done much. I've been instructed to kind of take it easy," Span said Wednesday afternoon. "That's where we are." Span ruled himself out of the Orioles series. "No chance," Span answered when asked about playing in Baltimore over the weekend. Manager Matt Williams said the Nationals are in a holding pattern until the...

The Orioles today announced that they have optioned infielder Christian Walker to Triple-A Norfolk. Walker was recalled earlier today and started as the designated hitter in today's game against the Minnesota Twins, going 1-for-2 with a walk. In seven career Major League games, he has batted .200/.273/.400 (4-20) with a double, home run, and an RBI.

The Orioles optioned Christian Walker to Triple-A Norfolk following today's 5-3 loss to the Twins that completed a three-game sweep. The Orioles hadn't been swept in a three-game series in Minnesota since 2007. They hadn't been swept in a three-game series this season since April 21-23 in Toronto. Serving as the designated hitter today, Walker went 1-for-2 with a walk after the Orioles recalled him as the roster replacement for starter Kevin Gausman. They needed another opening for Thursday...