The Orioles have scored 11 runs in their first four games, including a pair yesterday in the ninth inning. The starters have posted a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings. Where are you most concerned? I'm going out on a limb and saying the offense erupts this afternoon against Tigers starter Rick Porcello, who's carrying a career 6.58 ERA in 23 games in March/April and is 1-5 with a 5.14 ERA in seven starts against the Orioles. He's allowed 24 runs and 56 hits in 42 innings. (By the way, Porcello's...

Well, let's start on a positive note this morning, and it comes from last night on the Orioles farm, where pitchers Kevin Gausman, Tyler Wilson and Hunter Harvey combined to pitch 16 2/3 shutout innings. At Triple-A Norfolk, Gausman went 4 2/3 innings before leaving due to his pitch count reaching 71. He gave up three hits and two walks and had six strikeouts. Left-handed batters were just 1-for-10 with five strikeouts against Gausman, who now has put together a 13 2/3-inning shutout streak...

I've noticed that lots of fans are clamoring for the Orioles to recall Kevin Gausman from Triple-A Norfolk just four games into the 2014 season. Actually, his name came up before the Orioles left Baltimore, but the demands for his services are louder and more pronounced. Gausman will pitch at Camden Yards this year. He may do it this month. But the Orioles aren't looking to make changes to their rotation during the first week of the season. Sorry folks, but they're not going to react that...

Today's home opener didn't go the Nationals' way in the win/loss column. It didn't go their way when it came to the review in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ian Desmond's bizarre inside-the-park homer was ruled a ground rule double. It didn't go their way when it came to having three runners thrown out on the basepaths. The little things add up in games between the Nationals and Braves, and they did today in Washington's 2-1 loss. One thing that the Nats can come away from today...

Upon further review, Nationals manager Matt Williams isn't sure the on-field umpires conferring with New York-based replay officials got it right when they reversed a call on an apparent inside-the-park home run by Ian Desmond in a Friday's 2-1 loss to the Braves. Neither does Desmond, who acknowledges he doesn't know all the ins and outs of the new expanded replay but says he's seen plays in the past when outfielders have picked up a ball resting at the base of the wall and thrown it in...

The Nationals were aggressive on the basepaths Friday in their 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the home opener. Unfortunately, they came up short on three critical plays: a pair of caught stealings and another runner thrown out at the plate. Left fielder Bryce Harper was caught in a rundown in the second inning on a pitchout when he tried to swipe second. Shortstop Ian Desmond was thrown out in another rundown when he thought he had a shot to steal third base in the fifth inning. First...

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides now list Kevin Gausman as tonight's starter after the Orioles held him out of last night's game. Gausman would have flown to Detroit if today's game at Comerica Park had been postponed due to rain, forcing a doubleheader on Saturday. Manager Buck Showalter indicated that Gausman could have served as an extra reliever. The Orioles were subjected to a 34-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fourth inning. Play resumed with Miguel Gonzalez returning to the mound,...

For a few minutes in the bottom of the fifth inning, it appeared that the Nationals had tied the game at 1-1 on an inside-the-park home run by Ian Desmond. Desmond hit David Hale's first pitch of the inning into the corner in left and the ball came to rest at the base of the padded wall. Left fielder Justin Upton immediately raised both arms to signal to the umpires that he felt the ball was unreachable, but third base umpire Marvin Hudson made no signal as Desmond scampered around the bases...

Twenty-year-old catcher Pedro Severino continues to progress well in the Nationals system with his promotion to high Single-A Potomac this spring. There is a lot of buzz surrounding the young Dominican backstop, primarily for his solid defense and great hands. The 6-foot-1, 180-lb. Severino started his first game with the P-Nats on Thursday at Carolina. He expects to get a ton of at-bats with Potomac to see now how his bat advances. "He has got a real good swing," said Nationals vice...

Hard to believe Jordan Zimmermann was battling the flu less than 24 hours ago. He looks pretty healthy to the Braves, I bet. Zimmermann is through three scoreless innings and doesn't look like he's being overtaxed. He's allowed one hit - a two-out single to left by Dan Uggla in the second - and is flashing both a mid-90s fastball with movement and a slider that darts out of the strike zone. He's fanned four, using heat to get two swing-and-miss third strikes and enticing a pair of Braves to...