The Danny Espinosa/Steve Lombardozzi debate highlights many fascinating aspects of baseball fandom. It is tools vs. grit, slash line vs. batting average, and strikeouts vs. productive outs. The main issue is that in every meaningful category for their careers, Espinosa is a better player. Look at the two slash lines. Espinosa, for his career, is at .236/.311/.407 and Lombardozzi is at .273/.314/.352. While the increase in contact rate is aesthetically pleasing, it is close to meaningless...

Is there any team in baseball that has played three games already this season against 2012 Cy Young Award winners? The Orioles have and they are a very impressive 3-0 in those games, scoring 21 combined runs. On opening night, April 2, they faced David Price and beat the Rays 7-4. On April 18, they faced Price again and beat the Rays 10-6 in 10 innings. Last night they faced R.A. Dickey and beat the Blue Jays 4-3. Even though they didn't pin a loss on Price's record, they did hand Dickey a...

Davey Johnson says it's time to get mad. He's frustrated with the Nationals' 10-10 start to the 2013 season and wants to see his boys get their act in gear. That should start, Johnson says, with a little anger. How exactly do the guys do that, though? Do they smash bats over their knees following strikeouts? Do they throw their gloves to the ground after failing to get to a fly ball in the gap? Do they smack a security guard after yet another loss? (I sure hope not.) Johnson's point, of...

Your baseball body clock is probably out of whack this morning. The Orioles are playing a 12:35 p.m. game today. It's Wednesday. Something doesn't feel quite right. It's a travel day, with the Orioles flying to Oakland following Josh Stinson's debut with the club. Stinson was given today's assignment instead of left-hander Zach Britton, but don't read too much into it. The Orioles could have gone either way. The reports on Britton are mostly favorable. The feeling within the...

The frustration that the Nationals feel as an offense can be summed up in the roughest of nights at the plate for first baseman Adam LaRoche. Four times he faced one of his best friends, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, and four times the right-hander struck out LaRoche. The strikeout in the sixth was the toughest to take with the bases loaded and his team trailing by 2-0. Manager Davey Johnson said maybe it is time to get mad. It is obvious that everyone in this clubhouse is extremely...

Typically a guy that preaches the need to keep an even keel over the course of a 162-game season, Davey Johnson has seen about enough. His Nationals team - the same one that was picked by many to win the World Series, the same team that Johnson felt was talented enough that he declared its motto to be "World Series or bust" - is now a .500 squad, owners of a 10-10 record. After tonight's 2-0 loss to the Cardinals, the Nats have now lost eight of their last 11 games, and Johnson is starting...

When it was over, reporters wanted to talk to Jim Johnson. He has been a big part of the Orioles now winning 100 consecutive regular season games when leading after seven innings, even if he was not even aware of the streak that is now at triple digits. "I didn't know honestly," Johnson said after recording his eighth save in eight tries. "But obviously it means guys are throwing the ball well in the bullpen and getting put in good opportunities and doing what they are supposed to...

The Orioles registered their fourth series win against American League East teams tonight by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 at Camden Yards. That sound you hear isn't champagne corks popping in the home clubhouse. "We have a lot of bridges to cross, but I'd rather see that than the other way," said manager Buck Showalter. "We've got a quick turnaround, a game tomorrow, and then head out to the West Coast for 11. There's another challenge around the corner, and I'm proud of the...

The last time the Orioles faced R.A. Dickey he pitched a one-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts against them. Tonight they used a big inning to beat the knuckleballer and the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 in front of 13,272 at Camden Yards. The win was the Orioles' 100th consecutive in the regular season when leading after seven innings. The last loss came on Aug. 8, 2011. Jim Johnson pitched the ninth to record his eighth save in eight chances this year and his 29th consecutive save dating to last July...

Ross Detwiler has turned in four really strong starts, but he only has one win to show for it. The Nationals left-hander allowed two runs over six innings tonight against a tough Cardinals lineup, but he leaves on the hook for the loss with the Nats trailing 2-0 heading to the seventh. The Nats offense was struggling coming into tonight, and they've had major issues with Adam Wainwright this evening. The Cardinals righty allowed just one hit through five innings and then worked his way out...