The Nationals try to complete a four-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon, and are seeking their 10th straight victory. But they'll have to accomplish those feats without shortstop Ian Desmond in the starting lineup. Desmond, who has played in 123 of the team's 125 games this season, is getting a day off. He'll be replaced at shorstop by Danny Espinosa. Washington's Gio Gonzalez will face Arizona's Wade Miley in a battle of left-handers. For the DiamondbacksCF Ender...

CHICAGO - Orioles center fielder Adam Jones has been included among a group of major league players who will travel to Japan in November to participate in a five-game series. The MLB All-Stars will play Samurai Japan, the country's national team. The Rangers' Ron Washington will serve as manager. Jones will be joined by the Mariners' Robinson Cano, the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig and the Angels' Albert Pujols. I'm assuming that other names will be released later. Otherwise, it doesn't seem...

Bryce Harper scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth last night, coming in from third on Anthony Rendon's single down the left field line. He touched the plate with the Nationals' third run of the night, giving them their ninth straight win, fourth walk-off in five games and sixth one-run victory during this winning streak. All good stuff. But what Matt Williams liked most about what Harper did last night wasn't the leadoff single in the ninth to set up the game-winning run....

With their 3-2 defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks last evening, the Nationals became the second Nationals team to win nine games in a row. The 2009, 2011 and 2012 Nationals all won eight in a row, but only the 2005 team won as many as nine in a row when they won 10 in a row from June 2 to June 12. That Nationals team sat 2 1/2 games out of first place on June 2 and by the end of the streak had a 1 1/2-game lead in the division. The 2005 Nationals would hold onto first place all the way until...

Let's be honest, the Orioles are running away with the American League East. A few years ago, I never thought I would get to say those words, but here in 2014, it's totally true. The O's are 21 games over .500 and have a nine-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays. Their postseason odds have now soared as high at 97.1 percent, according to Baseball Prospectus, with a 96 percent chance of winning the division. Baseball in October is almost a certainty in Baltimore this year. There's even a...

CHICAGO - Regarded as the best left-handed reliever available at the non-waiver trade deadline, Andrew Miller had to feel some pressure upon entering the Orioles bullpen, upon cracking their inner circle. The team was in the thick of a pennant race and he jumped into the middle of it with expectations taller than his listed height. The guy is 6-foot-7. You get the point. Miller has responded beautifully, allowing one run and two hits in 7 1/3 innings, with three walks and 11 strikeouts. "I...

Jeff Manto is in his first season as the Orioles' coordinator of minor league hitting. He was hired Nov. 5 and brings a lot of experience to this job. That includes time as a big league player and also as the major league hitting coach with Pittsburgh from 2006-07 and with the Chicago White Sox from 2012-13. This week, I had the chance to talk at length with Manto about his first year in this job and also get his opinion on some of the hitters in the O's minors. We'll run several blogs in...

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was given the day off to rest. But he still managed to produce the biggest hit of the ballgame. Rendon's walk-off single down the left field line scored Bryce Harper from third base and the Nationals upended the Diamondbacks 3-2 for their ninth win in a row. It is their longest winning streak since 2005. Rendon admitted pinch-hitting was "different to say the least, but it was awesome." "I talked to a lot of the veteran guys, (Greg) Dobbs when he...

CHICAGO - Reliever Darren O'Day remains one of my favorite interviews inside the Orioles clubhouse, so let's start with him tonight. O'Day stranded two runners in the eighth by striking out Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia. Zach Britton retired the White Sox in order in the ninth and the Orioles completed their sweep with a 4-3 victory at U.S. Cellular Field. "Actually, I didn't feel that good tonight," O'Day said. "Sometimes that's when you pitch better. But it's late in the season....

This is starting to get ridiculous. The Nationals have won nine games in a row. They've had four walk-off wins in their last five games. They've had three blown saves in a four-game span, and it hasn't seemed to matter. They continue to come back, they continue to scratch out runs late in games, and they continue to roll off victories. If you're a Nats fan, it doesn't get much better than this. Tonight, the Nats took a 2-0 lead into the eighth, until Tyler Clippard surrendered a...