A seven-game lead (eight in the loss column) with 21 games remaining in the regular season is pretty safe. The Nationals are certainly aware of this, despite their day-at-a-time focus. Baseball Prospectus is giving the Nats a 98.6 percent chance to win the National League East. FanGraphs puts it at a 99.6 percent chance. It would take a miracle for the Braves to overtake the Nats in the division. But this is baseball. Anything can happen, and miracles have been known to occur. These next...

Have you noticed how the Nationals offense has been more all or nothing this season? That is one reason why their record when scoring more than four runs jumps out at you. The Nationals are 66-9 when scoring four or more runs in a game this season. They are 14-52 when scoring three or fewer. Ironically, the Phillies series had two games that were against that average - the 11-inning 9-8 loss on Friday and the 3-2 win on Sunday. But it just seems that the Nationals score zero to three runs...

Manager: John Farrell, second year Record: 63-80 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: DH David Ortiz (.263/.359/.515, 25 doubles, 32 HR, 98 RBIs); LF Yoenis Cespedes (.263/.303/.464, 34 doubles, 21 HR, 94 RBIs, 82 R); CF Mookie Betts (.287/.354/.470, 33 G, 7 doubles, 4 HR, 11 RBIs, 20 R, 5 SB); RHP Joe Kelly (3-3, 4.13 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 6-7, 45 runs scored, 55 runs allowed Pitching probables Sept. 8: Joe Kelly vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD Sept. 9: Anthony Ranaudo vs....

We've all heard the saying "chicks dig the longball," and if that's the case, the Orioles must have a ton of female fans. Frankly, I think guys dig the longball just as much. It's exciting, and we men enjoy excitement, too. The Orioles have finished in baseball's top five in home runs every year since 2011. They led MLB last season with 212 bombs and are out in front this year with 188. There's another saying that says you live and die by the home run. When things are going well and...

It didn't take long for Nationals manager Matt Williams to reveal his next closer. Two days after Rafael Soriano blew his seventh save of the season and fifth since the All-Star break, Drew Storen emerged from the Nats bullpen in the ninth inning of Sunday's 3-2 win over Philadelphia and set the Phillies down in order. For fans weary of watching Soriano's ineffectiveness in recent weeks, a scoreless inning, let alone a clean one, was a welcome sight. Now it will be up to the Nats'...

With his next home run, Nelson Cruz will become the sixth player in Orioles history to hit 40 or more homers in one season. Cruz hit his 38th and 39th yesterday during his seven-RBI game in the win over Tampa Bay. Chris Davis tops the list with 53 (2013) and is followed by Brady Anderson with 50 (1996), Frank Robinson with 49 (1966), Jim Gentile with 46 (1961) and Rafael Palmeiro with 43 (1998). Cruz is tied with Palmeiro (1995-96) and Boog Powell (1964) for sixth on the club's single-season...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have left Tropicana Field. No '80s hair band promotions, no dogs barking in the upper deck, no Wiggles concerts, no kids introducing batters over the PA system, no rap-artist felines spinning records. The series against the Rays will be remembered for some costly mistakes by the Orioles and its overall weirdness. And if there's one thing The Trop can deliver, it's a healthy dose of weird. Ryan Flaherty is on the team because he's regarded as a good...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles' magic number is down to 12. Their lead in the American League East is 9 1/2 games, exactly where it stood before they arrived at Tropicana Field. Was it pretty? Absolutely not. Is it a requirement? Absolutely not. Nelson Cruz drove in all seven runs for the Orioles in their 7-5, 11-inning win over the Rays. Cruz became the first player with at least seven RBIs to account for all of his team's scoring since Colorado's Jason Giambi on May 19, 2011 in...

The Nationals salvaged their series against the Phillies with a 3-2 win on Sunday. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez outdueled fellow southpaw Cole Hamels for the win. The offense was powered by two solo home runs from Adam LaRoche and a sacrifice fly from Scott Hairston. Drew Storen also earned his second save of the season after working a perfect ninth inning. The win could not have come at a better time as the Nats begin a three-game series with the Braves tomorrow night. Here's what the...

Nelson Cruz would not let them lose. The Orioles' slugger drove in seven runs today with two homers and a triple as the Orioles beat Tampa Bay 7-5 in 11 innings to avoid a sweep at Tropicana Field. Just when it looked like Tampa Bay would beat the Orioles at their own game, by hitting home runs, Cruz flipped the script. The Orioles went to the ninth down 4-2, but Cruz's three-run triple gave the Orioles the 5-4 lead. But Ryan Flaherty's error at shortstop led to an unearned run for the...