LOS ANGELES - The division lead is back to seven games. Only 26 games remain on the Nationals' schedule. You can do the math. The Nats' magic number is now down to 19. When is it appropriate to start talking about what a division leader's magic number is? I asked a fellow reporter that question last night. He said when the magic number dips below 20. I say when the calendar has reached September. Both of those qualifications have now been met. Any combination of 19 Nats wins or Braves...

LOS ANGELES - The longball barrage continues. The Nationals pounded out four more homers tonight - this after hitting 40 home runs in August - and hung on to a shrinking lead late, taking the opener of a three-game series agains the Dodgers by a 6-4 final. Denard Span ripped two homers, giving him three in his last five games, and Jayson Werth and Asdrubal Cabrera also went yard, giving Gio Gonzalez a solid lead to work with. Gonzalez went six-plus innings, allowing three runs on three hits,...

Even with a loss on Monday afternoon, the Orioles are having a pretty good homestand. They have gone 3-1 in both series and are 6-2 with three games left on the homestand. The Orioles have outscored their opponents 47-27 during these last eight games, with a team batting average of .279, scoring 5.9 runs per game and with a team ERA of 3.00. Monday's loss was just the 11th by the Orioles this year when they hit two or more homers. They are now 41-11 with a multi-homer game. Kevin Gausman had...

The clubhouse is getting more crowded today with the arrivals of reliever Ryan Webb, outfielder Quintin Berry and catcher Steve Clevenger. Left-hander T.J. McFarland returned yesterday, but he won't be recalled until this afternoon. Berry is the only real newcomer. The trade for Alejandro De Aza, another left-handed hitting, plus defensive outfielder with speed didn't impact Berry as the Orioles expanded their roster. You've seen the list of call-ups and players on the taxi squad in...

If every batter could work the pitcher and force them to throw the pitch he wants like Jayson Werth does, the Nationals would average 10 runs a game. Facing a very feisty Roberto Hernandez in the series opener against the Dodgers, Werth worked him to seven pitches with two outs in the first inning. On Hernandez's 2-2 offering, Werth crushed the 92 mph sinker over the left-center field wall, his 16th homer of the season, and the Nationals led 1-0. But left-hander Gio Gonzalez could not hold...

While the Nationals get set to take on the Dodgers for a three-game series in Los Angeles, Matt Williams will get used to a more crowded clubhouse. September is here, allowing for expanded rosters. To kick off the month, the Nats added six players: right-hander Aaron Barrett, left-hander Xavier Cedeno, catcher Sandy Leon, first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore, outfielder Steven Souza Jr., and right-hander Blake Treinen. "That's the beauty of having all these guys in September," Williams...

Kevin Gausman had pitched a total of nine innings, allowing 12 hits and six runs in his previous two starts. But he took a step forward today. He took a shutout into the sixth and gave up four earned runs over a career-high 7 1/3 innings against Minnesota as the Twins won 6-4. "Thought I threw the ball where I wanted to," Gausman said. "A lot of their hitters are down hitters, so I think fastball up was a big pitch for me today. It (stinks) that I walked the leadoff guy in the eighth...

LOS ANGELES - September is here, meaning that rosters have expanded. The Nationals have taken advantage of the expansion already, calling up six players to join them here for the series opener vs. the Dodgers. The Nats are probably sad to see August go. They went 19-10 last month, outscoring opponents 135-95. Gio Gonzalez is on the mound tonight. In August, he pitched to a 2-3 record with a 3.77 ERA. For the Nats: CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed that outfielder Quintin Berry will have his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. Relievers Ryan Webb and T.J. McFarland and catcher Steve Clevenger will be recalled. Infielder Alexi Casilla is expected to join the taxi squad in Sarasota. The Orioles were checking on reliever Andrew Miller, who had a slight limp walking off the mound following the top of the eighth inning. "Richie (Bancells) was talking to him up the runway there,"...

The Orioles rallied once from three runs down, but they could not do it twice. Taking advantage of a Jimmy Paredes error, the Twins scored three in the eighth today to snap a 3-3 tie and beat the Orioles 6-4 at Camden Yards. Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer, his 36th, in the ninth to bring the Orioles to within two runs, but that was as close as they got in the final inning. The Orioles come up a win short in their bid for a four-game sweep and fall to 79-57. Kevin Gausman took the mound in the...