If you blinked over the weekend, you probably missed something. Between a series sweep, a couple of career milestones (and Gatorade showers to go along with them) and MASN's Social Media Weekend, this weekend was one to remember at Nats Park. The Nationals entered their weekend series against the Phillies with a four-game losing streak, but behind Dan Haren's quality start and some lively bats, the Nats broke the streak with a 9-2 win Friday. Saturday, the Nationals came from behind to...

Less than 24 hours after Orioles center fielder Adam Jones revealed on Twitter that a fan at AT&T Park threw a banana at him in the ninth inning of yesterday's game, the San Francisco Giants have issued a statement that includes an apology and an update on the investigation. Thus far, the Giants have not been able to identify the person responsible. We were extremely disappointed to learn about the incident involving Adam Jones at AT&T Park yesterday. The Giants have a zero tolerance policy...

The Orioles start the week 4 ½ games behind the Red Sox in the American League East, and they are bunched with teams in the race for two wild cards. Here's a snapshot of what's going on with the other contenders: * The Red Sox are coming off a tough series loss, losing three of four in Kansas City, but it is difficult to deny their rotation with Jake Peavy joining Jon Lester and John Lackey. ... How much Clay Buchholz (neck) will contribute remains a question. ... But the offense is...

Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez, signed by the Orioles in late July, will make his debut for the organization when he plays this afternoon for the Gulf Coast League Orioles. The 24-year-old Alvarez recently acquired his work visa, the last step before he could take the field. Alvarez, who signed for $800,000, played for Camaguey in the Cuban League from 2007-11 and Tuxpan in Mexico in 2012. In five seasons with Camaguey, he batted .297 (341-for-1,147) with 37 home runs and 180 RBIs. In 2011,...

The Nationals swept the Phillies over the weekend. That always feels good. But the Nats are still eight games out of a wild card spot with just 45 games to play. It's not an impossibility, but the odds of making the postseason sure aren't great. What is great, though, is the way Jayson Werth has been playing this summer. The veteran outfielder is in the midst of what could possibly be his finest season at the plate as a big leaguer. Due to the hamstring injury that caused him to miss a...

Individually, you can decide how much you choose to make out of the Nationals' offensive explosion this weekend. Yes, it came against the Phillies, who own the fifth-worst team ERA in the majors. Yes, it was just three games, which in no way means that the Nats have snapped out of their season-long offensive funk and gotten on track. Some of you might choose to view this as the start of something positive, a sign that the bats are waking up down the stretch. Others might brush off the...

To say the least, a few waves were made around Birdland the other day when former Oriole Mark Reynolds was designated for assignment by Cleveland. A lot of fans felt that the Orioles should have looked to re-sign Reynolds, and the thought crossed my mind, as well. However, I'm not sure that Reynolds is precisely what the Orioles need right at this moment. We all know who Reynolds is on the field, so there's no use in going into it here. Last offseason, I said on Birds Watcher that I felt the...

The Orioles must feel snakebit when it comes to playing the Diamondbacks. And everyone sees what I did there. The Orioles are 3-9 against Arizona, losing all three series. They're 1-5 at Camden Yards and 2-4 at Chase Field. Tonight, they get another chance to wrangle the Diamondbacks, with Scott Feldman making his seventh start for the Orioles and 22nd overall this season. He's 4-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 11 road games, and 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three career games (two starts) against...

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is one of the most active athletes on Twitter, building a following of 128,881 at last count. He talks baseball, food, pets and anything else that's on his mind. But he may become the latest Oriole to give it up. Earlier tonight, Jones claimed that a fan at AT&T Park in San Francisco threw a banana in his direction in the ninth inning of the Orioles' 10-2 victory over the Giants. "I want to thank whatever (expletive) threw that banana towards my direction...

In the minor leagues, the Orioles want their pitchers to develop consistent and repeatable mechanics and deliveries. They prefer they have a good fastball and changeup combination along with a breaking pitch, and they really want their pitchers to work hard on pitching down in the strike zone. Sounds like good advice. It makes sense that it is easier for a batter to drive a ball that is elevated over one that is down in the strike zone or even low and out of the strike zone. If you watch...