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...

The Orioles look pretty aggressive on the bases for a team working on 17 minutes sleep. David Lough collected his first hit as an Oriole with a one-out single in the first inning. He stole second and scored on Chris Davis' double to right field. Adam Jones also came around from first base after drawing his second walk in four games. He had 25 last season, folks. Lough went 0-for-4 and popped up a bunt attempt in the second game. He only cracked the lineup once at home because the Red Sox...

The Orioles play their road opener this afternoon in Detroit where Miguel Gonzalez will make his season debut. He went 11-8 with a 3.70 ERA during a very solid 2013 season. Here is a good Gonzo stat: When he has started over the last two seasons, the Orioles have gone 26-17 for a .605 winning percentage. Here is one stat that needs work: In the first four innings of his starts in 2013, he pitched to an ERA of 2.49. From the fifth inning on, that went up to 6.22. In 2012, that was not an issue...

Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner said before Friday's home opener against the Atlanta Braves that his team will not seek a temporary home for spring training while the club tries to work out a deal with the Houston Astros on a possible future joint facility in Florida. "No, I don't think that is the right move," Lerner said. "I think you do it, we do it, and we move on to our permanent spot. It seems painful to go through the last three years what we did to try to find it. The economy...

Manager Matt Williams said opening day in Washington, D.C., is just as special - or even more so - because it is the team's home opener in front of Nationals fans. Monday in New York was the season opener, of course, and Williams said because the team played so well in a series sweep, it makes today even more distinctive for the players. "It is probably even more magnified because you have already played and you have experienced that road atmosphere," Williams said. "Today is a nice thing...