It takes some work to get to the untuck. Nationals closer Rafael Soriano made it interesting in the ninth inning, especially in a one-run game on Sunday against the Braves. He struck out Dan Uggla to begin the frame. And then a pop-up to first by Gerard Laird had him looking good with two outs and no one on. But back-to-back singles by Andrelton Simmons and Ryan Doumit changed things. Suddenly the tying run was in scoring position and the go-ahead run was on first base with the dangerous Jason...

NEW YORK - Shortstop J.J. Hardy is out of the lineup again today because of lingering back issues. The early-season absences are particularly frustrating to Hardy because he said this year's spring training was one of the healthiest of his career. With Hardy sidelined, the Orioles will go with Ryan Flaherty at short, Steve Lombardozzi at second and Jonathan Schoop at third. For the Orioles David Lough LF Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C Nelson Cruz DH Steve...

There were a lot of questions entering spring training for the Orioles, and a few answers were found along the way. We discovered who would fill out the rotation. We've learned who would get playing time at second base and in left field. The bullpen has filled in and roles have been mostly defined. The one thing that didn't resolve itself during the spring was the future of shortstop J.J. Hardy. There were multiple reports, even from MASNsports.com's own Roch Kubatko, that the O's were...

While it's very, very early in the season, there's no doubt that yesterday's 2-1 win was a big one for Matt Williams' club, as the Nationals avoided a sweep at the hands of the Braves and pushed back against a division rival that had dominated the head-to-head matchup dating back to last season. The big blast for the Nats yesterday came from the bat of Ian Desmond, who clubbed a long solo homer in the seventh that broke a 1-1 tie and led the Nats to an exciting win. But for Desmond, the...

A collective sigh of relief swept through Nationals Park when Ryan Zimmerman stepped up to pinch-hit in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves. Although he struck out (a bit awkwardly, at that), the appearance was a sign that whatever is bothering Zimmerman's troublesome right shoulder is not enough of a concern to keep him from swinging a bat. Zimmerman has insisted since he was first injured in 2012 that he does not feel any soreness at the plate, but this was a sure sign that the...

NEW YORK - Stop me if you've heard this one: The Orioles are playing a day game, their fourth in a row since leaving Baltimore. They hunger for a postgame spread that isn't lunch. In this case, the 1:05 p.m. start has nothing to do with plummeting temperatures and the need to bask in whatever warmth is available in Detroit in the month of April. It's opening day at Yankee Stadium, with the first Bleacher Creature roll call of 2014. I always feel a special bond with the city of New York...

Chris Tillman made 15 starts for the Orioles in the 2012 season and they team went 10-5 in those games. He made 33 last season as the Orioles went 21-12. He has made two this year and the team is 2-0. Sense a trend? When Tillman starts, the Orioles have a good chance to win. That adds up to a mark of 33-17 in his 50 starts since 2012, a team win percentage of .660. Tillman delivered an ace-like performance Sunday giving up just five hits and one run over 8 1/3 innings in outdueling Justin...

Here's the good news that I can pass along on Ryan Zimmerman after today's 2-1 Nationals win over the Braves: An MRI revealed that Zimmerman does not have any structural damage in his sore right shoulder and he isn't going on the disabled list at this time. The other news - I guess you could call it bad news - is that the MRI did show that Zimmerman has some inflammation in his shoulder. Zimmerman was pulled from yesterday's game against the Braves after just five innings due to discomfort...

Right-hander Taylor Jordan showed poise and resiliency on the mound Sunday as the Nationals got their first win of the season against the Braves, 2-1. Shortstop Ian Desmond said Jordan and catcher Sandy Leon did a nice job against a veteran and big hitting Braves lineup. "I thought Taylor and Sandy (Leon) didn't an unbelievable job," Desmond said. "That is a young battery right there going up against a very good team. They were both really composed in some tough situations. Really tough....

Chris Tillman, pitching like an ace today, gave the Orioles a huge effort on the mound. The Orioles backed him with solid defense and a few clutch at-bats to post a 3-1 win over the Tigers this afternoon. The O's ended their four-game losing streak and head to New York with a 2-4 record. Tillman gave a struggling rotation a great outing today. He entered the ninth with a 3-1 lead and came two outs short of his second career complete game. After a one-out double by Victor Martinez, Tommy Hunter...