Manager: Joe Girardi, eighth year Record: 46-45 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Mark Teixeira (.241/.339/.466, 17 HR, 47 RBIs); LF Brett Gardner (.285/.359/.426, 25 XBH, 36 RBIs, 54 R, 15 SB); CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.284/.348/.403, 27 XBH, 41 RBIs, 24 SB); RHP Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 4.20 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 2-4, 19 runs scored, 38 runs allowed Pitching probables July 11: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN HD July 12: Shane Greene vs. Chris Tillman, 4 p.m., MASN...

The first half of the Nationals' season will end in Philadelphia, with three games against the Phillies serving as the only separation between the Nats and the All-Star break. As of now, Jordan Zimmermann is still the only Nats player heading to Minneapolis nearly next week for the Midsummer Classic. Anthony Rendon came in fourth place in the National League Final Vote competition, the league announced yesterday, with Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs taking the final spot on the NL roster. It's...

When Bud Norris went just four innings on Wednesday night it meant the Orioles' bullpen would have to pitch five innings in that game. Brad Brach and Brian Matusz combined to go five in a game the Orioles would lose 6-2. Why was that important? Because when you combine Tuesday's rainout with the job Brach and Matusz did in a loss, it meant the O's late inning bullpen guys got two days of rest. That helped the threesome of Tommy Hunter, Darren O'Day and Zach Britton be effective last...

While wondering what type of reception Brian Roberts will receive tonight in his return to Camden Yards ... Back on June 23, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told a small group of reporters that the club wasn't in the market for a catcher despite Matt Wieters' season-ending elbow surgery. It went a little something like this: "It's always a challenge to change catchers during the season because the catcher is involved in so many facets of the game," Duquette said....

When Nats shortstop Ian Desmond threw wildly past third base in the bottom of the third inning tonight, two key runs scored for the Orioles. It looked like a very poor choice by Desmond to throw that way and it was certainly very poor execution. But Adam Jones, who scored from second on Nelson Cruz's grounder up the middle, did not see it as a bad play at all as Desmond threw behind him. "Great play by Desmond," Jones said. "If the throw was on the money I'm a sitting duck. But it...

BALTIMORE -- Nationals manager Matt Williams confirmed that shortstop Ian Desmond's hand is not broken, at least from the X-rays taken at Camden Yards after the game. The X-Ray's were negative. Desmond on how his hand felt after the game: "It's good." How much pain was he in? "It doesn't feel good, but it's not broken," he said. "I think I'm good hands. You just hope for the best and pray." How did Desmond describe the pain? "Kind of like you got hit in the funny bone where it's...

No matter what happens over the next three games, the Orioles are assured of at least being tied for first place in the American League East at the All-Star break. The Orioles have taken two of three from the Nationals following tonight's 4-3 victory at Camden Yards. Wei-Yin Chen will have a career-high nine wins at the break in 12 decisions. He allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings tonight, and the bullpen covered the rest. Here's manger Buck Showalter: On Jayson Werth...

BALTIMORE - It appears the Nationals dodged a bullet in regard to Ian Desmond's health. Desmond needed to leave tonight's game in the eighth inning shortly after taking a Darren O'Day fastball off the right hand, but Nats manager Matt Williams said after the game that X-rays on Desmond's hand came back negative. That's the good news. The bad is that the Nats dropped tonight's ballgame to the Orioles 4-3, and had two players dealing with various bumps and bruises suffered in the loss. In...

The Orioles built an early four-run lead and they needed every run tonight. Steve Pearce hit an early homer and the bullpen came up big late as the Orioles held off the Nationals 4-3 at Camden Yards. The Orioles won two of three this week from the Nationals to improve to 50-41 on the season and to 28-21 in the all-time series with Washington. Leading by one in the top of the eighth, Darren O'Day pitched out of a two-out, bases loaded jam. He got Wilson Ramos to fly out as the Nats left the...

I wrote earlier today that it was time for Steve Pearce to heat up again. He had one hit in his last 10 at-bats and three hits in his last 19. The time is now. Pearce homered off Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez with one out in the bottom of the first inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Pearce launched a 91 mph fastball into the left field seats on a 2-0 count, ending Gonzalez's streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings. He's 3-for-7 lifetime against Gonzalez. The Orioles are 41-22...