MIAMI - Despite being removed from the game in the seventh inning of tonight's 9-2 Nationals win, Bryce Harper says he's fine, and some minor quad tightness that he's been feeling lately won't keep him out of tomorrow's lineup. "I just fell," Harper said of the play when he dropped to the infield dirt when trying to move from second to third in the seventh inning. "Tripped on my foot. Nothing with my hamstring or my quad or anything like that. Tripped over my ankle and just ran...

MIAMI - The frustration that might have built up over the weekend when the Nationals got swept by the Braves melted away tonight, as the Nats pounded out 11 extra-base hits, got seven strong innings from Jordan Zimmermann and routed the Marlins 9-2. Bryce Harper went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple before being pulled from the game due to what manager Matt Williams said was some minor quad tightness, Tyler Moore had three hits, including a homer, while Danny Espinosa and Anthony Rendon...

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was asked what made the difference tonight for pitcher Wei-Yin Chen. He had an ERA of 6.75 over his first two starts, but this evening gave up just one run and five hits over 6 1/3 innings in the Orioles' 7-1 win over Tampa Bay. "He was able to throw strikes early, get early outs and let our defense work behind him," Wieters said. "He was carrying a little bit more of a fastball tonight which also helped him out." Meaning he had more velocity tonight? "Yeah,...

It has been a rough start to the season for sinkerballer Taylor Jordan. An ERA a little under 5.00, a FIP a little under 4.00 and a hike in walks/nine innings (3.18 compared to 1.92 in 2013) all point to the 11-plus innings pitched so far not being kind to the young righty after an encouraging spring training that solidified his standing as the Nationals' No. 5 starter. While this tiny selection of numbers is troublesome, there is one other set of numbers that are more concerning for the...

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen picked up the win tonight after allowing one run over 6 1/3 innings. That's a quality start. That's also the result of pitching with a solid defense behind him, one that kept making plays and frustrating the Tampa Bay hitters. "I thought balls went right at some fielders," said manager Buck Showalter following a 7-1 victory over the Rays at Camden Yards. "We played real good defense. I didn't think he was particularly ... I thought they centered a lot of...

Last week, USA Today revisited Orioles first baseman Chris Davis' thoughts on whom he considers the true home run king. Davis said, "Bonds was a great player for a long time. But it's hard to say that Hank Aaron's record isn't the legitimate home run record because of all of the allegations, the accusations regarding Bonds." This sentiment is not an uncommon one on the field and in the stands. It is a perspective that speaks of what we want baseball to be, a display of pure ability and...

Wei-Yin Chen had been struggling to get outs and the Orioles had been struggling to score runs. But Chen had a strong outing and the Orioles came up with their second-highest run total of the season tonight in a 7-1 win over Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game series. In the first three innings the Orioles scored six runs, one more than they had scored in three games over the weekend against Toronto. In those three at-bats, O's hitters went 9-for-18 with five doubles and 5-for-10 with...

Wei-Yin Chen retired 12 of the first 13 Tampa Bay batters tonight, the only baserunner coming on Desmond Jenning's walk with one out in the fourth. Too soon for players in the dugout to ignore him? Chen's flirtation with a no-hitter ended with one out in the fifth, when James Loney doubled to right-center field. Fans applauded Chen. It was fun while it lasted. Brandon Guyer reached on an infield hit, but Yunel Escobar grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the fifth and keep Chen's shutout...

Apparently, there's nothing like the Miami Marlins to bring a team out of its offensive woes. Going to the bottom of the third in Little Havana, the Nationals have a 5-1 lead, with right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on the mound. Zimmermann has given up a run on three hits and struck out three over two frames. In the first inning, it was Washington's extra-base power on display. Jayson Werth doubled off the top of the wall in left-center and then scored easily when Bryce Harper tripled. Tyler...

The Orioles made three nice defensive plays behind Wei-Yin Chen in the first inning tonight, beginning with third baseman Ryan Flaherty's clean pick of Ben Zobrist's scorching ground ball. Zobrist is now 10-for-24 lifetime against Chen, who could use some assistance from his defense. He also will take any clean inning that comes his way, considering his 1.969 WHIP and opponents' .412 average before tonight. The first six Rays have been retired tonight, and Chen has thrown 20 pitches. They...