High Single-A Potomac Nationals shortstop Jason Martinson got off to a hot start in Woodbridge, earning a pair of Carolina League Player of the Week honors in April. "I felt a lot more confident having been in this league already," he said. "Still a lot of work to get done but I'm doing everything I can to make that next jump. Martinson has already hit seven homers and has 26 RBIs for Potomac. He has cooled off a little bit since his April run. His average stands at .253 through May 19....

The first quarter of the Nationals' 2013 season has been marked by some pretty dramatic inconsistencies. Their record currently at a decent but disappointing 23-21. The Nationals have had stretches where it looked like they were ready to put it all together and begin playing to their potential, like during their five-game winning streak two weeks ago. The vibe in the clubhouse would begin to change, the momentum would seem to start picking up and you'd start thinking that the Nats would...

CC what I did there? So how exactly did CC Sabathia end up on the mound tonight for the Yankees? Why is this man making another start at Camden Yards? The Yankees-Blue Jays game was postponed yesterday because of rain, which Orioles manager Buck Showalter referenced following a 3-1 loss to the Rays. "They somehow got rained out in New York," he said. I see what he did there. Sabathia's start was pushed back to tonight, against a team that's lost five games in a row, all of them at...

On this date last year, Xavier Avery started for the Orioles and went 2-for-4 against the Washington Nationals. At that point, he was batting .313 after just eight major league games. He was called up quickly to the bigs last season, barely after a month in his first go-around at the Triple-A level with Norfolk. But Avery ended last season struggling at bat, the Orioles acquired a few outfielders to provide minor league depth over the winter and he began the 2013 season back at Double-A...

For as ice cold as Adam LaRoche was a few weeks ago, he's that scorching hot right now. LaRoche is on a 16-game hitting streak, with his seventh-inning RBI single extending that run. During those 16 games, LaRoche is hitting .382 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .462. Yeah, that would qualify as being on fire. He's not the only one. Ryan Zimmerman is 2-for-4 with three RBIs today, and he also notched an RBI single in the seventh. Over the last 11 games,...

Nick Markakis said he wasn't sure exactly where that ball that was eventually ruled a home run hit exactly. It was ruled a homer for Matt Joyce off Chris Tillman in the top of the sixth as Tampa Bay beat the Orioles to complete the sweep. "I wasn't even looking where the ball landed. I was looking to the spot I needed to get to where I thought it would bounce to. I just knew down in that area it's a concrete wall and I was just trying to create an angle to the ball. Once the ball didn't...

Upon further review, Orioles manager Buck Showalter agreed with the umpires' decision to award a home run to Tampa Bay's Matt Joyce in the top of the sixth inning. Joyce initially was given a double, and he remained on the bag during a lengthy delay that ultimately included a review. "I think Joe (Maddon) was just waiting to get the right call out of the dugout, because you can only get them to review it if you think it was a home run. You don't want to penalize fair or foul," Showalter...

After using offense to win the first two games of this series, Tampa Bay today turned to the American League co-leader in wins, and lefty Matt Moore outdueled Chris Tillman as the Rays beat the Orioles 3-1 to complete the three-game sweep. The Orioles have lost five in a row and are 0-5 on this homestand. It's the Rays' first three-game sweep in Baltimore since May 6-8, 2011. The Orioles were 10-3 in their last 13 home games versus Tampa Bay coming into this series. Moore gave up just five...

Six Nationals have come to the plate so far today. All six have been retired by Padres starter Andrew Cashner. Eleven Padres hitters have come to the plate thus far. Five reached base off Dan Haren, and three came around to score. The Nats trail the Padres 3-0 in the finale of this four-game set, which doesn't bode well for Davey Johnson's club, given the lineup the Nats have in play today and the way that this club has struggled scoring runs late in games. Four of the guys in the Nats...

An Orioles starter has exceeded five innings for the second time in the last eight games. It's Chris Tillman again today. Tillman has allowed three runs and five hits over six innings, with one walk, four strikeouts and two home runs. He's thrown 111 pitches, 71 for strikes. The Rays expanded their lead to 3-1 in the sixth on a controversial home run by Matt Joyce. The umpires ruled it a double. Orioles manager Buck Showalter thought the ball was foul. Rays manager Joe Maddon thought it...