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...

Adam Jones battled Tigers starter Justin Verlander in the top of the eighth inning today, fouling off four pitches and taking two out of the strike zone before lifting a sacrifice fly to deep left-center field that broke a 1-1 tie. Jones drove an 87 mph slider into the gap, where Tyler Collins made a nice running catch. Jones picked up only his second RBI of the season, scoring Nick Markakis from third base. Markakis delivered his first extra-base hit of the season with a triple to...

The Nationals and Braves wrap up their first matchup of the season on Sunday with right-hander Taylor Jordan facing left-hander Alex Wood. The Braves have won 15 of the last 21 games against the Nationals and are 9-2 in that span at Nationals Park. The Nationals scored first and took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a base hit by Jayson Werth. Third baseman Anthony Rendon scored thanks to a throwing error by Braves second baseman Dan Uggla. Manager Matt Williams used a challenge later in the...

Well, look at Chris Tillman dishing out three clean innings to start today's game against the Tigers. That makes eight for the Orioles' pitching staff in 2014. Jonathan Schoop is on the 25-man roster because Manny Machado is on the disabled list following knee surgery. He's in today's lineup because of J.J. Hardy's back spasms. Opportunity can be found in many places, including body parts. Schoop may have gotten an infield hit in the third inning if he hadn't stumbled coming out of the...