Asked last night how he views his team at this point in the season, with 121 games in the books and a six-game lead over the Braves in the National League East, Nationals manager Matt Williams used the word "tenacious." That word choice seems apt given the comeback that the Nats put together last night. Down 3-0 after seven innings, facing a tough Pirates bullpen, the Nats got on the board in the eighth when Kevin Frandsen drove in Michael Taylor with a bloop to right. An Anthony Rendon...

Ignore the earlier Orioles lineup from baseballpress.com that I passed along this morning. It was a duplicate of last night's batting order. The Orioles posted today's lineup and it's quite different. Steve Pearce is batting second and playing first base. Chris Davis is batting seventh and starting at third base. Delmon Young is in left field and Nick Hundley is behind the plate. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Steve Pearce 1B Adam Jones CF Nelson Cruz DH Delmon Young LF J.J. Hardy...

The Orioles need a win today to avoid being swept in a three-game series in Cleveland for the first time since April 15-17, 2011. The Orioles are 7-1 after being shut out this season, their only loss coming on May 18 in Kansas City. David Lough is batting second again today. Chris Davis is fifth. Caleb Joseph is catching a day game following a night game, with manager Buck Showalter continuing to pair him with Kevin Gausman. The Indians recalled Danny Salazar from Triple-A Columbus to make...

Held to no runs over the first seven frames and down 3-0, the Nationals were faced with the tough task of trying to mount a comeback against the Pirates. They delivered. In the eighth inning, the Nats pushed across three runs thanks to Kevin Frandsen's RBI single and Adam LaRoche's two-run homer. But the real fun came in the form of a walk-off victory an inning later when Wilson Ramos roped a ground-rule double that plated Bryce Harper and gave the Nats a 4-3 win. "The most important...

If the Orioles had to set their playoff roster today, should they get there of course, it would be hard for Ubaldo Jimenez to make it. Right now, he is not one of their five best starters and you probably only need three or four in the playoffs anyway. He could be moved to a long relief role in the bullpen, but at this point, it might be hard for him to even make it in that role. In October, you must go with your very best and he just has not earned the right to be considered that. Being...

There were no shortage of contributors in tonight's thrilling Nationals comeback. Craig Stammen worked three scoreless innings, keeping the Nats' deficit at three. Kevin Frandsen notched three hits in a rare start. Michael A. Taylor drew a pinch-hit, leadoff walk in the eighth, then scored the Nats' first run to make it a 3-1 game. Adam LaRoche turned a smooth 3-6-3 double play on a line shot to end the top of the eighth, then knotted the game in the bottom-half with a bolt into the home...

Last season, when he pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Ubaldo Jimenez went 5-2 with an ERA of 1.66 in his last 11 starts at Progressive Field. This outing didn't go quite that well. Jimenez struggled again and allowed two home runs and six runs as Cleveland blanked the Orioles 6-0 tonight to take the first two games in the series. The Orioles fall to 69-52 and have lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 28-29 against Tampa Bay. Also, the Orioles' eight-series win streak...

What happens next with the Orioles rotation? It's one of the more fascinating story lines as the Orioles approach their 122nd game today while closing out the series in Cleveland. The Orioles haven't listed a starter for Wednesday night in Chicago. Manager Buck Showalter suggested during the last homestand that Miguel Gonzalez could start Tuesday, but that assignment goes to Chris Tillman. Gonzalez could take the mound Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Field. If he goes to the bullpen, how in...

The Orioles haven't lost back-to-back games since June 28-29 against the Rays, a streak that's in serious jeopardy tonight. Ubaldo Jimenez, in his second start since coming off the disabled list, lasted only 4 1/3 innings tonight and departed with the Indians leading 6-0. Jimenez had retired 11 of 12 batters until former Oriole Chris Dickerson doubled to left-center field leading off the bottom of the fifth. He advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Jose Ramirez's...

The Nationals and Pirates starters were cruising though the first few innings before the Bucs opened things up in the third. Gio Gonzalez allowed two hits in the first two frames, but struggled in the third. After retiring pitcher Jeff Locke on strikes, Gonzalez allowed a single to Josh Harrison, and after retiring Gregory Polanco, a walk to Russell Martin. Starling Marte then doubled to plate the first run, and Gaby Sanchez followed with a two-run single. Pirates 3, Nats 0 Through three,...