Many athletes live on adrenaline, thrive off of the energy of the crowd and appreciate the pressure of the moment. And then there is Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister, whose whole game lives in the 60 feet, six inches from the mound to the plate. After dominating the Braves over seven scoreless innings in a 7-0 shutout win 12 days ago, Fister revealed he was so focused in his start that he wasn't aware his offense had delivered six early runs for him. "I do not know the exact score and...

Warning: Buffalo Crossing Nationals Park felt like Yellowstone Park on Sunday with Wilson Ramos - nicknamed "The Buffalo" - leading the Nationals past the Giants 3-1. Ramos belted a solo shot and RBI single, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the win. Ramos said the homer was good for the Nationals, but also special for him on a personal level. "Soon as I hit the ball, I felt in my bat that ball is gone," Ramos said. "I see the replay it was just behind the wall. Next...

As the Orioles hike their way through July, the end of the month looms as one of the more crucial periods in the franchise's recent history. The July 31 non-waiver trade deadline could provide a good sense of where the team is going the rest of the season, and perhaps over the next few seasons. The Orioles have eight pending free agents on the roster. Many have questioned the team's ability to re-sign certain players like Matt Wieters, Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen. Those are what I would...

The Orioles are one game past the season's halfway point with a 43-39 record 82 games into the 2015 season. Time to take a look back and pass out some grades on the team. Some statistics are through Saturday's games. Starting pitching: C This is one area that needs to get better over the second half of the season. On their way to 96 wins, the 2014 O's starting rotation had an ERA of 3.61 to rank fifth in the American League. Right now, that number is 4.18 and the Orioles are ninth in AL...

Manager: Bryan Price (2nd season) Record: 36-44 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: 3B Todd Frazier (.285/.344/.602 with 25 HR, 54 RBIs), 1B Joey Votto (.274/.387/.478 with 14 HR, 39 RBIs), 2B Brandon Phillips (.279 with 31 RBIs), RF Jay Bruce (12 HR, 40 RBIs), RHP Johnny Cueto (5-5, with 100 strikeouts, 2.984 ERA), LHP Aroldis Chapman (16 saves, 1.83 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-0 Pitching probables: July 6: RHP Anthony DeSclafani vs. RHP Doug Fister, 7:05 p.m., MASN July 7: RHP Johnny...

It might not have been revenge for the Nationals, but this weekend's sweep of the Giants at least helped to heal up any remaining wounds from last October's stinging postseason loss. Jordan Zimmermann frustrated San Francisco so much that Giants manager Bruce Bochy and starter Ryan Vogelsong didn't stick around for the 3-1 outcome. Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi tossed Bochy and Vogelsong in the bottom of the fifth after both argued a questionable strike zone. Meanwhile, Zimmermann proceeded...

Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper was selected to his third All-Star Game as the leading vote-getter in the National League. Harper garnered well over 13.9 million votes to get the opportunity to start in the 86th All-Star Game on July 14 in Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park. The 13,964,950 votes were the third most of any player in Major League Baseball. This will be his second career start. After Sunday's 3-1 win over the Giants, Harper said he was thrilled to get voted to start this...

The Orioles continue their road trip with three games in Minnesota and at least one more roster move. Outfielder Nolan Reimold will go on paternity leave today for the birth of his daughter, and the Orioles are expected to recall infielder Ryan Flaherty to take his place. The Orioles would like to get T.J. McFarland in the bullpen as a left-handed long man, but that move will have to wait. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters yesterday in Chicago that Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia is beginning his...

Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong started the second inning by issuing back-to-back walks to Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa. Two batters later, Michael A. Taylor made Vogelsong pay with a line drive single to left, scoring Ramos for the game's first run. Fresh off his All-Star selection, Bryce Harper is 1-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base. Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann has yielded two hits with three strikeouts through three scoreless innings. Update: After recording the first two outs of...

Bryce Harper leads the National League team into the All-Star game on July 14 in Cincinnati. The 22-year-old received an NL-record 13,864,950 votes, nearly four million votes more than the Giants' Buster Posey, the next highest vote-getter. This will be Harper's second start and third overall All-Star appearance in his first four seasons. After a solid first month of the season, Harper exploded in May. He was recognized as the NL's Player of the Month after hitting .360 with 13 homers and 28...