The Orioles were supposed to be off today. So why am I driving to D.C. again and parking in a sketchy lot? Blame it on the rain. The Orioles and Nationals are playing a makeup game caused by a July 8 postponement. It's not a fair trade-off, since everyone drove to D.C. that night and waited out a delay that lasted approximately 72 hours. Felt like work. Anyway, Kevin Gausman is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA in four road starts this season. His only career start against the Nationals ended poorly....

Last night, the Nationals pounded out 11 runs and cruised to a shutout win over the Phillies. Today, the shutout victory came a little tougher. Stephen Strasburg and Cole Hamels battled it out in the finale of this four-game set, each going seven strong innings and combining to allow just one run (which was unearned). Luckily for the Nats, that run was theirs, and they added three more in the bottom of the eighth to turn a tight ballgame into a fairly comfortable 4-0 win. With the win, the...

With the Blue Jays losing today in Houston, the Orioles now lead the American League East by 3 1/2 games. The Orioles improved to 43-10 when they score first, their .811 winning percentage leading the majors. Today marked the first time in club history that the Orioles won 1-0 on a leadoff home run. Nick Markakis reached the flag court in right field on the sixth pitch from Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma. Manager Buck Showalter can't recall winning a game after his first batter...

Given just one run to work with today, Chris Tillman made it stand up, once again beating the team that drafted him in the second round in 2006. Tillman pitched seven scoreless innings as the Orioles edged Seattle 1-0 this afternoon on a Nick Markakis leadoff homer in the first inning. It is the first time in club history that the Orioles won 1-0 on a leadoff home run. In winning for the seventh time in 10 games and the 20th time in 29 games, the Orioles concluded a 4-2 homestand and...

Had Chris Tillman been removed from today's game in the middle of an inning, he would have received a standing ovation on his walk to the dugout. Instead, Tillman will have to settle for the high praise coming from his manager and teammates following the game. Tillman shut out the Mariners on four hits over seven innings, with no walks and six strikeouts. He was removed after 101 pitches, 65 for strikes. Tillman retired 14 in a row before Kendrys Morales led off the seventh with a single....

The two San Diego County natives square off again Sunday in D.C. as left-hander Cole Hamels faces right-hander Stephen Strasburg. It is their fourth meeting. Strasburg holds a 1.37 ERA in games against Hamels, and is 1-0 with two no decisions. Strasburg was rolling in the first two innings, recording four strikeouts. The Phillies' lone hit in three frames was a Cody Asche single. The Nationals went 1-2-3 in the first and second innings against Hamels. But Jose Lobaton reached on a fielding...

The Orioles have officially optioned reliever Ryan Webb to Triple-A Norfolk. Webb was designated off the 25-man roster on Friday to make room for left-hander Andrew Miller. Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis needs one more hit to reach 1,500 for his career. His latest should have counted as two. Markakis almost deposited a Hisashi Iwakuma pitch onto Eutaw Street today, the ball landing on the back of the flag court in right field to give the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead over the...

In the series and homestand finale today at Camden Yards, the Orioles host Seattle with Chris Tillman (7-5, 3.97 ERA) facing right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (9-5, 3.06 ERA). Tillman is 5-0 with an ERA of 2.45 in five career starts against Seattle. Four of his five starts have been quality starts. He last faced the Mariners on Aug. 2, 2013 and got the win at Camden Yards. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and six earned runs. Tillman has now gone six straight starts without a win,...

Nelson Cruz is out of the Orioles lineup today for only the second time this season. Cruz's average is down to .262. He batted .215/.282/.364 in June and .211/.292/.379 in July, and he's 1-for-8 with four strikeouts this month. "They're not getting him out. He's getting himself out mostly," said manager Buck Showalter. "It's so tough. You get down 1-2, you just miss a pitch, you hook a ball foul you might normally have kept fair because you're a little quick with your front hip....

Bryce Harper is not in the starting lineup for today's series finale against the Phillies as the Nationals seek a four-game split. Harper had started the Nats' last 11 games and has appeared in all 27 contests since coming back from the disabled list on June 30. Instead, Scott Hairston is starting in left against Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels. Hairston has had tremendous career success versus the Philadelphia southpaw, batting .390/.432/.878 with five homers, five doubles and nine RBIs...