The unfortunate bout of luck that befell a hustling Ryan Zimmerman is sure to put a slight strain on the post-All-Star break Nationals. A strained right hamstring is Zimmerman's injury and the Nats will now press onward, hoping that this setback is nothing more than a minor one. There is good news, though: The Nats sit in first place among their National League East brethren and lead Atlanta by two games. Washington has won four straight games, which is a nice tone to set while the final...

DENVER - There were plenty of positives last night for the Nationals. The 7-4 win over the Rockies, of course. Adam LaRoche snapping a fairly lengthy slump with a massive three-run homer. The bullpen putting up four scoreless innings, giving them 7 1/3 scoreless frames at the hitter-friendly Coors Field this series. Bryce Harper continuing to come around. Jordan Zimmermann making it out of his outing feeling good physically. Ryan Zimmerman's hamstring injury seemed to put a damper on all of...

Well, that was two impressive back-to-back wins by the Orioles and three impressive wins on this road trip. Lose a ninth-inning lead on Friday and win 8-4 at Oakland on Saturday. Lose big by a 10-2 score Sunday and respond by taking two in a row in Anaheim against the Angels. The Angels began this series with a Major League-best 28-10 record since June 6 and are averaging 5.6 runs per game in that time. In two games against the Orioles, they have scored four runs on just 11 hits and have...

While the Orioles continue to scout potential upgrades for their rotation, they're sending a pitcher to the mound tonight at Angel Stadium who's registered seven quality starts in his last eight outings. A true No. 1 starter? Manager Buck Showalter will let others carry that debate. He sees a pitcher, Chris Tillman, whose ERA has dropped from 5.20 on June 5 to 4.03 heading into tonight's game. Tillman fell one-third of an inning short, on July 2 against the Rangers, of making it eight...

The Orioles have posted back-to-back wins against the team with the best home record in the majors and their pitching has led the way. Miguel Gonzalez pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing just two runs tonight as the Orioles beat the Angels 4-2. The Orioles have allowed four runs in two games to the highest scoring team in the majors. The Angels entered this series with wins in 20 of their last 23 and 25 of 30 home games. But by taking the first two games, the Orioles have ended the Angels'...

DENVER - The Nationals don't know how severe Ryan Zimmerman's right hamstring injury is just yet. But the early information isn't too encouraging. Zimmerman had to leave tonight's 7-4 Nationals win over the Rockies in the sixth inning after coming up lame just before first base on an RBI groundout. Zimmerman made it through the bag, but crumpled to the ground behind the base, and needed assistance getting off the field and down the dugout steps. The Nats are calling Zimmerman's injury a...

The Angels changed pitchers after the fifth inning tonight, and the Orioles waited until there were two outs to go about changing the score. J.J. Hardy doubled to bring home Chris Davis and give the Orioles a 1-0 lead, and Jonathan Schoop followed with a two-run homer to center field. Apparently, Schoop likes his jack on the rocks. Let's go back to Davis' at-bat against Angels reliever Mike Morin, which followed strikeouts by Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz. Davis fell behind 0-2, took a...

At times, it's very easy to forget that Manny Machado is just 22. The 2014 season has presented a number of significant challenges for the talented young third baseman, but despite the troubles, it appears that he has come through it for the better. Starting the season on the sidelines after a horrific knee injury last September, Machado's rehab took slightly longer than Orioles fans had originally hoped. When the 2013 Platinum Glove winner wasn't ready for opening day, it gave yet another...

Third baseman Manny Machado is a late scratch from the lineup tonight with lower-back tightness that cropped up during batting practice, according to the Orioles. Ryan Flaherty has replaced Machado at third base. Machado had his career-high 19-game on-base streak snapped last night. In his last 40 games since May 31, he's batting .307/.354/.523 to raise his season average from .210 to .267. Bud Norris gets hit on the foot by a comebacker last night. Zach Britton gets hit on the right arm....

Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann battled through the first inning against the Rockies, and despite allowing two hits, was able to come through it unscathed. Unfortunately, the Rockies were able to get a couple of more hits in the second inning to take their first lead of the series. Ben Paulsen doubled, and one batter later, DJ LeMahieu smacked a triple down the right field line to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. Ian Desmond has a base hit for the Nationals, but Bryce Harper was thrown...