The Nationals have hit a heavy skid the past two weeks, losing 11 of their last 14 games. One reason is the amount of starters that have been placed on the disabled list. Offensive starters like Denard Span, Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon have spent a good amount of time unable to play in regular season games due to various injuries and setbacks. The pitching staff has been hit significantly as well with starters Doug Fister and Stephen Strasburg on the disabled list. Craig...

The Nationals are desperately searching for production behind Bryce Harper in the lineup as they continue to struggle to score runs. Harper factored in three of the Nats' four runs last night - mashing a solo homer, delivering an RBI single and scoring after drawing his major league-leading 51st walk. Teams continue to pitch around Harper with no consistent threat lurking in the order. Even the home run Harper launched off Brewers starter Mike Fiers last night was meant to be high and out of...

Having dropped 11 of their last 14, including the first two in a four-game set in Milwaukee, the Nationals pitching staff can't be in optimal condition. Jordan Zimmermann hung around for only 3 1/3 innings last night, once again leaving heavy work for the taxed Nats bullpen. Right-hander Taylor Jordan was the first to follow Zimmermann to the mound in the fourth. He promptly served up two singles before Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez belted a two-run double to break the game...

While wondering why ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte went on the disabled list after injuring only one arm ... Matt Wieters will catch for the Orioles tonight as their series resumes against the Yankees. He's been behind the plate in four games since coming off the disabled list, never going back-to-back. Asked yesterday if it's tough to provide these off days to Wieters, manager Buck Showalter replied, "It's not tough, because the alternative is he doesn't play at all." "I'd take him...

With Matt Wieters back on the active roster as of June 5, and catching every other day, both Orioles catchers will now get some extra rest and perhaps their productivity on offense will increase. By having a two-headed catcher situation, the Orioles may see kind of an unintended result here: that both catchers stay fresher as the long season goes on. It could benefit their offense. Caleb Joseph's bat certainly looked like it had some extra life last night as he had a double, solo homer and...

Not much is going right for the Nationals these days. Even the normally reliable Jordan Zimmermann scuffled through his second rough start in a row as the Brewers doubled up the Nats 8-4 on Friday night. It started off poorly for Zimmermann, who walked Brewers center fielder Gerardo Parra on four pitches with one out in the first. It seemed as if Zimmermann might escape, with an inning-ending double play ball off the bat of right fielder Ryan Braun, but a brief moment of hesitation from Ian...

On a night they scored 11 runs on 16 hits and won by eight runs, two Orioles players tonight pointed to the top of the first inning as a key to their 11-3 win over the Yankees. Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez faced a bases-loaded, no out situation and got out of that without allowing a single run. The O's could have come to bat trailing by three or four runs or worse. "That was huge, especially to start the game off like that and to hang in and battle," Chris Davis said of Jimenez. "You would...

The Orioles returned to the .500 mark tonight for the first time since May 5 and ran their winning streak to five games with an 11-3 rout of the Yankees before 33,203 at Camden Yards. What does it mean to be back at .500? "We'll see what tomorrow brings," said manager Buck Showalter. Showalter tied Hank Bauer for third place on the club's all-time managerial wins list with 407. What does that mean? "It means I've been here a long time," Showalter replied. "Obviously, the cliché-est...

They did not strike out 16 times against Michael Pineda. But they did knock him out the game in the fifth tonight, handing the Yankees right-hander his earliest exit of the season. Pineda allowed nine hits and six runs (five earned) over 4 1/3 innings as the Orioles hammered the Yankees 11-3 at Camden Yards to open a three-game series. Pineda has fanned 27 Orioles and walked just two this year in three starts versus Baltimore, but he has also has an ERA of 5.60 in those games. He has given up...

Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann was forced to battle through a 31-pitch first inning that resulted in two unnecessary Brewers runs. Indecisiveness between Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon on a poorly played ground ball left the Brewers with right fielder Ryan Braun on first base instead of the inning ending on a double play. First baseman Adam Lind followed with a single and then third baseman Aramis Ramirez ripped a two-run double that rolled to the wall in left to give the Brewers the early...