Nelson Cruz put on a homer display and the Orioles rallied again, but this time came up short. Up by just one late in the game, Milwaukee scored four times in the eighth to pull away for an 8-3 win over the Orioles at Miller Park. The Brewers took two of three in the series and the Orioles lost for the seventh time in the last 11 games to fall to 26-25 as their three-city road trip now heads to Houston. O's pitching has allowed 63 runs the last 10 games, allowing eight runs or more five...

Breaking news for the Orioles: They get to use a designated hitter tonight. It's not as exciting as trading prospects for a hot pitcher, but there you go. Honestly, does anyone get a thrill from watching American League pitchers attempt to lay down a bunt? If so, you also must get a rush from staring at a dripping faucet. Nelson Cruz could serve as the DH tonight if David Lough gets the start in left field against Astros right-hander Brad Peacock, who's 1-4 with a 5.20 ERA this...

Not only does Nelson Cruz continue to hit home runs, he has developed a fondness for driving the ball to right-center field. That was the landing spot again tonight in the top of the second inning at Miller Park, as his 18th home run tied the game 1-1. Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo threw two 91 mph fastballs to Cruz, the second one traveling much farther than he wanted. Cruz leads the majors in home runs and ranks second in RBIs with 47, two behind the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton. Cruz...

Following Tuesday's rainout, Wednesday's game turned into the series finale between the Nationals and Marlins. Prior to Monday, the three game set would have decided second place in the National League East in late May. Now that the series has been reduced to a pair of games and the Nationals dropped the opener Monday night 3-2, it is important they get a split before Miami leaves town. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann did a nice job of working around two hits in the first innings thanks to a...

After exchanging 7-6 wins in 10 innings the past two days where the winning team trailed with two outs in the ninth, the Orioles and Brewers play the series finale tonight in Milwaukee. Can this game match the excitement of the first two? Bud Norris (3-4, 3.83 ERA) pitches for the Orioles against Yovani Gallardo (2-3, 3.51 ERA). Gallardo won last night's game with a pinch-hit double in the 10th inning. Gallardo went 1-0 with a 2.27 ERA in five April starts, but has gone 0-3 with a 6.33 ERA...

Nationals manager Matt Williams had another positive update on the status of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has been out with a right thumb fracture. Zimmerman went through batting practice Wednesday and even had former Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez throwing to him. "Today is a stepping stone for him," Williams said. "He got on the field for live BP. Took a lot of swings. He also took grounders today. That is a big step. We will see how he feels tomorrow. And what his body feels...

There's a few things that have changed since our first edition of Ask Matt. For starters, we've moved from Matt Williams' office to the media room. According to Williams, this move will be permanent if the Nationals start a winning streak tonight. Not that the skipper is superstitious or anything ... On top of the location switch, we have redirected control of the blog to the fans. We asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter to submit their questions, and we collected an interesting...

The first update on the National League All-Star voting was released on Wednesday, and two Nationals are in the running for starting gigs on July 15. As voted by fans, Nats second baseman Anthony Rendon and Nats outfielder Bryce Harper are both in the mix on the first ballot, but they have some ground to make up before being pinned as NL starters. Rendon sits in fourth place among NL second basemen with 183,600 votes. He trails the Phillies' Chase Utley (509,390 votes), the Dodgers' Dee...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is sticking with the same lineup tonight, which includes Nick Hundley behind the plate and Jonathan Schoop at second base. Nothing to see here except familiarity. Pitchers Bud Norris and Yovani Gallardo were used as pinch-hitters last night at Miller Park. Gallardo delivered a walk-off double in the 10th inning off Orioles left-hander T.J. McFarland. Tonight, they oppose each other on the mound. According to Elias, Tom Browning and John Smoltz were the last...

The Orioles have been busy with minor matters today. Shortly after trading catcher Johnny Monell to the Dodgers for cash considerations, the Orioles announced that reliever Evan Meek has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Meek cleared waivers after going 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA in eight games and 9 2/3 innings with the Tides. Meek didn't allow a run in his first eight appearances with the Orioles, but was optioned on May 1 after permitting nine runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings over four...