With the second half of the season starting, today is the perfect time to reflect on some of the best plays from the Nationals' season so far Nate McLouth made a fantastic sliding grab before crashing into the wall in foul territory. Your browser does not support iframes. With the Nationals trailing 7-6 in the eighth, Jayson Werth blasted a grand slam to lead them to a win over the Marlins. Your browser does not support iframes. Danny Espinosa and Kevin Frandsen teamed up to hit the...

Jeff Samardzija is living, breathing, spitting, scratching proof that wins and losses don't provide an accurate measurement of a pitcher's effectiveness and worth. Samardzija, who starts tonight against the Orioles, is a combined 3-8 with the Cubs and Athletics, but he's also registered a 2.78 ERA in 19 starts. He's allowed 108 hits, walked 32 and struck out 113 in 123 innings. The Orioles have never faced Samardzija and I'm guessing that most of them would have to look up the spelling of...

There is a 5 p.m. Eastern time deadline today for major league teams to sign their 2014 draft picks. Heading into today, the Orioles had signed 30 of their 38 selections, including 19 pitchers. The Orioles are working to add one more player to that and will likely end today with 31 picks signed from this draft. One player they will not get is left-handed pitcher Brandon Bonilla. He was taken in the 25th round out of Grand Canyon (Ariz.) University. Bonilla is the son of former Orioles...

From walk-offs to diving plays and more, the Orioles have made their 52 first-half wins exciting to watch. Without further ado, let's relive some of our favorite plays from the Birds' first half of the season. Nick Markakis made a great diving catch, then threw to second to complete the double play. Your browser does not support iframes. Chris Davis smashed three home runs in the Orioles' 9-2 victory over the Pirates.Your browser does not support iframes. Nelson Cruz launched a...

Baseball is back! After a brief hiatus, the Nationals will kick off their second half of the season at home. While we're technically past the halfway point of the season, the All-Star break seems like a natural time to evaluate the first halves of teams' seasons. The Nats sit in a first-place tie with the Braves in the National League East with a 51-42 record. Before the Brewers-Nationals series kicks off tonight, let's take a look back at what national writers are saying about the Nats...

Although teams have technically played more than half of their games, the All-Star festivities serve as a clean break in the season, offering a time for players, managers, front offices, spectators and national writers to evaluate teams' seasons so far. And for the O's, all seems well when looking at their record. The Orioles, who in the offseason were projected to sit toward the bottom of the tough American League East, are in first place and have a four-game lead over the second-place Blue...

The Nationals were looking for a strong outing from Stephen Strasburg during the finale of the last series they played with the Milwaukee Brewers during Washington's trip to Miller Park in late June. The previous night's 16-inning marathon left the Nats bullpen depleted, but they'd outlasted the Brewers and set themselves up with an opportunity for a three-game sweep of the National League Central's first-place team. Strasburg was in the midst of a rough stretch of starts, however, in which...

Baseball's intermission is over. The second act of the 2014 season is about to get under way. Before we dim the house lights and take in the rest of the show, let's be clear about one thing: Orioles fans don't need to apologize for the team's success. The Orioles have their share of critics despite leading the American League East at the All-Star break for the first time since 1997. I was reminded of that reality by a fellow baseball fan this week when he commented of the O's first-place...

Boy, that break seemed to go quickly. Four days off in the middle of the season is always welcome. Heck, I know I needed it, and all I do is put on a suit and talk about baseball on television and do some writing for this here Web site. I can't imagine how needed the break was for the players who are going through all the physical rigors every day or the coaches who are putting in all the prep work and grinding it out with their guys in the clubhouse. But now we're all back at it, ready to...

Manager: Ron Roenicke, fourth year Record: 53-43 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: CF Carlos Gomez (.304/.370/.510, 24 doubles, 14 HR, 48 RBIs); C Jonathan Lucroy (.315/.385/.494, 32 doubles, 9 HR, 44 RBIs); RF Ryan Braun (.298/.348/.515, 19 doubles, 11 HR, 52 RBIs); RHP Kyle Lohse (9-4, 3.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 1-2, 11 runs scored, 9 runs allowed Pitching probables July 18: Kyle Lohse vs. Stephen Strasburg, 7 p.m., MASN HD July 19: Matt Garza vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN...