Bryce Harper felt he lost the Nationals the game two nights ago when he let Gregor Blanco's fly ball get over his head, allowing the game-tying run to score with two outs in the ninth inning. You can certainly argue that Harper's play on that fly ball was merely one of many factors that led to the Nats blowing Tuesday night's game, but there's no arguing that Harper carried the Nats to a massive victory yesterday with his play on both sides of the ball. Harper is lauded by scouts,...

Kevin Gausman will garner most of the attention tonight in his major league debut in Toronto, but keep an eye on the man behind the mask. Not the plate umpire, though would it surprise anyone if he ended up in the middle of a controversy? I'm referring to catcher Matt Wieters, who will guide Gausman through his first start. Keeping Gausman from getting too amped up will be one of Wieters' most important tasks. "It's kind of my job every night, to try to get those pitchers in the mindset...

Not long after the Orioles had finished off a second straight win over the Yankees, Matt Wieters talked about Jason Hammel and his strong outing in this win. "I'd say this was probably the best outing he's had this year. They have a lot of tough lefty hitters in that lineup, and he had to locate and mix in his change-up, which was big for him tonight. That was the Hammel we saw last year," Wieters said after the right-hander gave up two runs and six hits over 6 2/3 to improve to 6-2. It...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter finally confirmed that Kevin Gausman will start Thursday night's game in Toronto. The corresponding move won't be announced until earlier in the day. "They're deciding who they're going to pitch second day in. I'd kind of like to see who that's going to be between a left- and right-hander before we do something," he said. Showalter indicated that he would be willing to go with a short bench and keep the extra bullpen arm, with the uncertainty surrounding...

Jason Hammel recorded his first quality start tonight since April 25, and the Orioles scored five runs off Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda as they beat New York 6-3 to win the series, two victories to one. That is back-to-back wins for the Birds after a six-game slide. They have won 10 of 15 series on the year and moved to within three games of the first-place Yankees. Hammel, who had pitched to an ERA of 10.43 over his last three starts, went 6 2/3 this time, giving up six hits and two runs....

Orioles starter Jason Hammel kept the rotation on its recent roll tonight. Hammel labored early, but he became the fourth consecutive Orioles pitcher to complete six innings. And he kept going, striking out Reid Brignac and Austin Romine in the seventh before manager Buck Showalter signaled for left-hander Brian Matusz. OK, Kevin Gausman, it's your turn. Hammel tied his longest outing of the season at 6 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs and six hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. He...

The Orioles entered this game with a real challenge tonight, facing New York right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. He shut out the O's on five hits and 113 pitches April 14 at New York, giving up just one hit to the last 17 batters he faced that night. Kuroda is 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA on the year. He ranks second in the AL in ERA, and he's tied for fourth in wins and WHIP at 0.95. Over his last four starts, he has pitched to an ERA of 1.21 and, in three career starts previously against the O's, he is...

Hiroki Kuroda shut out the Orioles on five hits in his first start against them on April 14 in New York. Tonight, the Orioles strung together four hits with two outs in the first inning and took a 3-0 lead. I'm pretty sure that's Kuroda on the mound, but he doesn't resemble the same pitcher who shut them down with such ease in the Bronx. Kuroda had allowed three home runs in his first nine starts. He served up two in the first inning tonight, with Nick Markakis clearing the fence in...

The last two times the Nationals have handed their bullpen a lead in the late innings, that lead has disappeared and extra innings have been needed. Gio Gonzalez has given everything he had today, throwing 116 pitches over 7 1/3 scoreless innings, and now he'll hope the Nats bullpen can lock down a win. It's 1-0 Nats, with Bryce Harper's solo homer in the sixth still the only run on the board. The Nats had a golden chance to tack on an insurance run or two in the top of the eighth, but...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter passed along a lot of credit today to the LSU coaching staff for preparing Kevin Gausman for the professional level. The staff includes former Orioles bullpen coach Alan Dunn, who's now the Tigers' pitching coach. "They did a great job with him at LSU, Alan Dunn," Showalter said. "He came with pretty good times to the plate from the stretch. He came with some things, and that's why he was so intriguing in the draft. "He's going to face the best hitters...