Losing is never easy. Blowing a 6-0 lead is up there as most upsetting. But falling 7-6 at Miami Monday is actually a good thing for a team that has seen a lot go well in the month of July. It seemed like Rafael Soriano was due. Recently, a few of his best pitches have been up in the zone. He actually lives on the edge in that regard, getting guys to chase at some of those tantalizing offers. Leading 6-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, he had not allowed a run in 11 straight innings...

MIAMI - Jayson Werth wasn't out on the field or in the dugout for the end of the Nationals' 7-6 loss to the Marlins. A sprained right ankle suffered in the top of the seventh inning when Werth tried to stretch a single into a double knocked Werth from the game, but the Nats' right fielder doesn't expect the injury to be anything serious. He will, however, have to see how he feels Tuesday morning before knowing whether he'll be able to get back into the lineup for the second game of this...

MIAMI - Their 6-0 lead turned into a four-run advantage after the Marlins got two in the seventh. The four-run edge was cut to three when Miami plated one more on an RBI groundout in the eighth. Still, a three-run lead with Rafael Soriano on the mound seemed secure, given that Soriano had been 25 of 28 in save chances entering today and had notched his 200th career save yesterday. Then the Marlins exploded for four runs in the bottom of the ninth, with Jeff Baker's single to left off Jerry...

Well, no one said it would be easy. Toronto blew out Boston last night and moved to within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Orioles, even though they are four games out in the loss column. Tampa Bay beat Milwaukee 2-1 and is 28-12 since falling 18 games under the .500 mark on June 10. Texas beat the New York Yankees 4-2 and New York is 4 1/2 games out. So I thought the American League East was down this year? AL East teams are now 23-7 in non-division games since the second half started....

Don't be alarmed by the bright lights and the noise emanating tonight from Camden Yards. There's a baseball game scheduled between the Orioles and Angels. Continue to breathe normally. It's been a while - July 13, to be exact. The Orioles are 26-23 in Baltimore this season, compared to 32-23 on the road. Time to reclaim the home-field advantage, especially with the Blue Jays climbing within 2 1/2 games of first place in the American League East. The Angels provide the opposition again,...

The Nationals did not waste any time getting on the board against Marlins right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. In the first, following a Denard Span pop out, Anthony Rendon singled and went to second on a Jayson Werth walk. After a wild pitch, runners were on second and third base. Adam LaRoche followed with a line drive out to deep center, which scored Rendon from third, and the Nationals led 1-0. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was able to get the Marlins down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first. He...

Since losing third baseman/outfielder Ryan Zimmerman last Tuesday to a hamstring injury, Nationals manager Matt Williams has started Danny Espinosa, Zach Walters and Kevin Frandsen at second base. Espinosa has started three of the five games despite sporting a .214 average this season. He will also start tonight's series opener in Miami after picking up one hit in Sunday's win over the Reds. "I just like the way Danny played yesterday," Williams told reporters in Miami. "He hit three...

The Orioles are in the process of arranging a private workout for Rusney Castillo following Saturday's showcase at the University of Miami, another sign of their growing interest in the Cuban outfielder. Castillo reportedly worked out for 28 major league teams over the weekend and made a solid impression. He's been compared to the Yankees' Brett Gardner with power. The Orioles first scouted Castillo five months ago in the Dominican Republic following his defection from Cuba. According to...

MIAMI - Danny Espinosa went 1-for-4 yesterday in Cincinnati and struck the ball well three times. He's 4-for-14 over the past five games and finally looking like he's pulling out of his offensive funk even though his average remains at .214. He's back at second base tonight as the Nationals open a three-game series against the Marlins. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (6-5, 3.20 ERA) opposes Miami righty Nathan Eovaldi (5-6, 4.30 ERA). For the Nationals: CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF...

A look at a few notes from around the Orioles minor leagues as the big league club takes a day off before the start of tomorrow's homestand. Single-A Delmarva currently features two of the top four hitters in the South Atlantic League. Catcher Chance Sisco leads the league batting .347 and third baseman Drew Dosch is fourth at .334. The Orioles second-round draft pick last June, the 19-year-old Sisco is batting .393 in 35 games since the All-Star Game. He hit .404 in June and is batting...