Facing a 5-0 deficit in the fourth inning might have many teams thinking about how they can get ready for the final game of the series and just try to win two out of three. Last season, down 5-0 that late in the game might have been too much to overcome for the Nationals. But eight games into the season, the Nationals now have five comeback wins. They have outscored opponents 23-6 from the seventh inning on. They have been able to get clutch hitting in the late going to turn likely defeats into...

The early-season magnifying glass is intense. Coming into the series against the Marlins, Bryce Harper was in a bad slump. His upper and lower halves were not in sync and he struggled to get around on the ball, and because it was the only sample size people had, they put more meaning to it than it deserved. If Harper had had two bad series in the month of June, no one would have noticed, but because it is April everything is noticed. The same can be said of Stephen Strasburg and the two bad...

For the third year in a row, the Orioles selected a talented right-handed pitcher with their first-round draft pick in 2013. Just like Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman before him, Hunter Harvey is beginning his first full season in the organization this year amid the high expectations that come with being a high pick. Harvey made a very good first impression when he pitched a few innings on the farm last summer after the Orioles selected him with the 22nd pick out of Bandys High School in Catawba,...

As I watched the Orioles battle the Yankees last night on MASN, I kept a watchful eye on Tweetdeck to read the continuous stream of commentary, as I typically do. On this particular night, one tweet from former major league outfielder and 2004 World Series champion Gabe Kapler stuck out to me. It's a point that has been made before, but one that proved to be valid throughout the remainder of the game in the Bronx. "I salivate at how good Adam Jones could be with 15% more plate discipline. He...

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is known for many things: his defensive capabilities, his power and, of course, his "Stay Hungry" catchphrase. This week, Jones appeared on MLB Fan Cave's show "Off the Bat," which airs on MTV2. During the show, he gave host Chris Distefano a tour of some of his favorite restaurants in the Baltimore area. Jones also faced off against "Off the Bat" hosts in a doughnut-eating contest. It was competitive. It was sloppy. But did Jones "Stay Hungry" and...

Jayson Werth's grand slam was the big blow last night, the one you'll see on all the highlight reels and the one that lifted the Nationals to a dramatic 10-7 win over the Marlins. It was a huge blast, both in terms of distance and in terms of importance, helping the Nats turn another deficit into a victory. But let's talk a bit more about Bryce Harper's home run earlier in the game last night, a shot that not only pulled the Nats back into the ballgame but also might have pulled Harper out...

NEW YORK - Early this morning, the Orioles announced that Chris Tillman, Bud Norris and Ubaldo Jimenez would start the three games against the Blue Jays this weekend at Camden Yards. Tillman was pushed ahead of Norris. The Orioles are off today. No games. Reduced odds that a player will be hurt. Celebrate good times. J.J. Hardy will work out today at Camden Yards to test his lower back. David Lough will rest up after passing his concussion test yesterday in Baltimore. Jemile Weeks will wonder...

When Brian Matusz took the mound in the last of the eighth inning last night, he saw Yankees players with bats in their hands, not dollar signs. In a 3-3 game with one out and the go-ahead run just 90 feet away, Matusz would get Jacoby Ellsbury on a foul pop to third. After an intentional walk to Carlos Beltran, he got Brian McCann to fly out to center. He kept the game tied with those two big outs and the Orioles would then score two in the ninth to beat New York. In getting out Ellsbury and...

Blown leads, multiple replay reviews, monstrous homers, more blown leads, plays at the plate, late-game strategy ... this game have enough in it for you? What an entertaining ballgame tonight's 10-7 Nationals win turned out to be. It lasted a whopping three hours, 56 minutes, saw 364 pitches get thrown, and ended with the Nats celebrating a wild victory thanks to Jayson Werth's go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning. Matt Williams covered all the main topics in his postgame...

It is a strategic move. But you don't see a team walk a batter to get to a clutch hitter like Jayson Werth too many times. It set up a possible double play. Instead it turned into a game-changing grand slam. Nationals reliever Craig Stammen, who kept the Marlins off the board for three and 1/3 innings, said it doesn't take too much to get Werth going, usually something way less egregious than an intentional walk. "Well, knowing Jayson, if a pitcher looks at him wrong, he'll take that...