MIAMI - With Ryan Zimmerman out 4-6 weeks with a fractured right thumb, Danny Espinosa will be getting a good bit of playing time at second base in the near future. And while Zimmerman will be missed during his absence, the Nationals sure don't mind having Espinosa in the lineup given the way the 26-year-old is playing right now. Espinosa is 9-for-26 (.346) with four doubles, a triple, two walks, five strikeouts and a stolen base on the young season. He's reaching base at a .414 clip and...

There was plenty of walk-off excitement in Woodbridge. Recently called up third baseman Khayyan Norfork scored the winning run on a Carolina double play attempt as the P-Nats downed Carolina 6-5. With the game knotted at 5-5, Norfork was hit by a pitch to start the rally. He went to second on Oscar Tejeda's groundout. Kevin Keyes was then intentionally walked by Carolina's Louis Head (0-1). Brandon Miller's hard grounder to shortstop Erik Gonzalez was thrown to second baseman Torsten Boss to...

A quick scan of the weather forecast today has the chance of showers ranging from 70 to 100 percent throughout the day. If there's a window, it better be shut. I can't imagine that the Orioles would play a doubleheader on Wednesday if tonight's game is postponed, since the Rays return to Baltimore in June and August, but we'll find out. Rookie Jonathan Schoop wasn't in last night's lineup. Ryan Flaherty got the start at third base for the Orioles and had a pair of RBI singles, along...

Orioles lefty Zach Britton has found his sinker again. He is pounding two-seam fastballs down in the zone and throwing them at a greater velocity. He is getting very impressive results to start this season. Just when some were doubting they'd see Britton pitch well again in the big leagues, he's doing it. Over five games, Britton is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00. He has given up just two hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings. He leads American League relievers with an .080 batting average against...

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...