Manager: Lloyd McClendon, first year Record: 53-48 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 2B Robinson Cano (.332/.389/.455, 23 doubles, 7 HR, 57 RBIs); 3B Kyle Seager (.277/.346/.486, 23 doubles, 16 HR, 66 RBIs); RHP Felix Hernandez (11-2, 2.02 ERA, 0.90 WHIP); RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (8-4, 2.95 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) Season series vs. O's (2013): 4-2, 35 runs scored, 29 runs allowed Pitching probables July 24: Hisashi Iwakuma vs. Wei-Yin Chen, 10 p.m., MASN HD July 25: Felix Hernandez vs. Kevin Gausman, 10...

The national anthem had been sung. Most of the players had left the field. Coors Field was ready for baseball to begin. Or was it? After pregame, two players remained on the field: Brandon Barnes of the Rockies and the Nats' Aaron Barrett. Stuck in a standoff, they both refused to move from their places on the field. Before Denard Span stepped in the box, the dueling players were helped out by their teammates and were brought sunscreen, water and more. Hilarity ensued, but more...

If Nationals fans were polled on which area of the team needed to improve during the stretch run, most of them would say the offense. It would come as a surprising fact to those fans that the Nationals are third in the National League in runs per game at 4.24, but their answer isn't the least bit surprising. With the strike in 1994, baseball lost a good many fans, and in 1998, the home run chase between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire brought in new fans. Those fans that watched baseball in the...

While Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz and even Steve Pearce have deservedly been credited with leading the Orioles' march to the top of the American League East, it's important to recognize the role that J.J. Hardy has played this season. If you glance quickly at the power numbers, Hardy's season may appear to be a disappointment. The Orioles shortstop has hit four home runs this year and is on pace to finish 2014 with seven. Hardy has averaged 25 homers a season since joining the O's in 2011,...

The 2010 season was just the third pro season for catcher Caleb Joseph. Coming off a solid 2009 year at Single-A Frederick, he was named the Orioles' No. 10 prospect by Baseball America before the year. He would begin 2010 playing at Double-A Bowie for the first time. He must have been excited to begin that year in the Eastern League. Little did he know, but he would play most of the next four seasons for the Baysox. For a while, it looked like he'd almost never get a shot at Triple-A, much...

While wondering whether umpire Hal Gibson III and the strike zone should wear name tags and get to know each other... We're exactly one week away from the non-waiver trade deadline, at which point Orioles manager Buck Showalter will remind us that it's not really a deadline. It just means players must pass through waivers before being dealt. It happens all the time. Showalter will be amused by the media frenzy that builds over the "deadline." I'd still rank it a notch or two below the...

The Orioles were six outs from an impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Angels, but they could not get them tonight. The Angels scored twice in the last of the eighth to come from behind 2-1 and beat the Orioles 3-2 tonight at Angel Stadium. Josh Hamilton led off the eighth and singled off Tommy Hunter. Erick Aybar's double tied it, 2-2. Hunter picked up a couple of strikeouts, but an intentional walk and an unintentional walk followed and Hunter turned over a bases loaded, two-out jam to...

The Orioles have scored one run through five innings tonight and Ryan Flaherty is responsible for it. Always worth mentioning when there are fans venting over tonight's lineup. Why Flaherty? Why David Lough? Let's start with Flaherty. Third baseman Manny Machado is day-to-day with tightness in his lower back. Flaherty is the utility infielder on this team. He also is good with the glove at the hot corner. Lough hasn't started since June 27. He went 2-for-4 in that game and collected a...

The Orioles are looking for their second three-game sweep of the season tonight when they play at Anaheim. The O's took three in St. Petersburg against Tampa Bay from May 6-8. The Orioles swept a four-game series at home against Texas from June 30-July 3. They were swept in a three-game series at home by Detroit from May 12-14. The Orioles last took three in Anaheim from Aug. 27-29, 2010. The Orioles are 7-2 against the Angels, 5-1 on the road, since the start of the 2013 season. With last...

The Nationals were unable to finish off a season sweep of the Rockies on Wednesday, seeing a ninth-inning rally fall short in a 6-4 loss. Instead, Washington had to settle for finishing 5-1 against Colorado as the club heads to Cincinnati for the second leg of a three-city road trip. "Just we gave ourselves a chance again. That's the nature of this ballpark, but then again, it's some pretty good at-bats put together against their closer in the last inning," manager Matt Williams said....