The Nats are looking good right now. They're coming off a three-game win streak with Jordan Zimmermann holding his own as team anchor and the under-.500 Chicago Cubs coming into town for a three-game series for Mother's Day weekend. With warmer temperatures on the way, school wrapping up for the kids and summer truly around the corner, now's the time to get to the ballpark ... or at least that's what my friends keep telling me. I'm at the ballpark often enough, catching games and writing...

In August 2012, the Orioles were in the wild card hunt and desperate to solve a problem - third base. Former Oriole Mark Reynolds, despite his power, was struggling at the hot corner, and executive vice president Dan Duquette, the front office, along with manager Buck Showalter were looking for a solution. In the middle of that month, the Orioles did something bold and head-scratching at the same time. They promoted Manny Machado from Double-A Bowie to the majors. At first, I was bewildered...

After the Orioles had won their game last night, the result came in from Boston where Minnesota beat the Red Sox 15-8. Former Oriole Pedro Florimon knocked in a career-high three runs and help his former O's teammates move into a first-place tie with Boston at 21-13. While the Orioles have won four in a row, Boston has lost five of its last six games. After Chris Tillman got the win last night against Kansas City, he took some time to talk about teammate Jim Johnson, who tied Randy Myers'...

Let's have fun with some numbers for a bit. Factoring in his outing last night in a win against the Tigers, Jordan Zimmermann has a 1.59 ERA this season, which ranks fourth in the majors behind just Matt Harvey, Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander. Pretty good company, if you ask me. Zimmermann has a 0.82 WHIP, which ranks third in the bigs, and his six wins ties for the most in the league. He has six quality starts (defined as at least six innings of work and no more than three earned...

Another fantastic pitching performance from Jordan Zimmermann, another homer from Bryce Harper and another save notched by Rafael Soriano. The Nationals picked up a 3-1 win over the Tigers tonight, with Zimmermann leading the way yet again. Despite pitching on six days' rest and dealing with a 57-minute rain delay before first pitch, Zimmermann allowed just one run over seven innings against a Tigers team that came into today batting a robust .285. "Well that was a good one," manager...

During some rough patches in April, Nationals players and coaches kept saying it was early in the season and things would turn around. The mild frustration started to become a little more palpable as the team lost games and the offense had trouble with its consistency. But all that time, the Nationals stayed close to the .500 mark. And in the last week, that patience has started to pay off. With Wednesday's 3-1 win over Detroit, the Nationals have won three in a row and five of their last...

Is it too early to start checking the standings? If not, the Orioles and Red Sox are tied for first place in the American League East. The news that Brian Roberts will undergo surgery today on his right hamstring didn't send the Orioles scrambling for another second baseman. They acquired Alexi Casialla and kept Ryan Flaherty as insurance policies in case Roberts returned to the disabled list and was lost for an extended period. Manager Buck Showalter batted him ninth to avoid disrupting...

Getting Jim Johnson to talk about himself at any length may be harder than trying to hit Jim Johnson, who tonight tied the Orioles' club record with his 34th straight save. But in a rare moment for him, Johnson was asked about his pitching tonight and his evolution into a top closer. He is better at the job now, he feels, than he was when he first got the ball in the ninth. "I think it is more about knowing what kind of pitcher you are," Johnson said. "I do it differently than other...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter spoke to second baseman Brian Roberts for about 20 minutes today, going over the upcoming hamstring surgery and looking ahead to his eventual return to the lineup. "He's very frustrated by it, as we are, but Brian Roberts is going to come back and make a contribution to this club this year," Showalter said. "I've got a good feeling about that." Roberts will undergo surgery Thursday in Dallas to repair a muscle in his hamstring. His recovery time is an...

OK, so it wasn't a complete-game one-hitter. He didn't allow just two baserunners over eight innings. But Jordan Zimmermann turned in another gem tonight, and he did it against arguably the most dangerous offensive team in baseball. Zimmermann went seven innings, allowing just one run on seven hits. He walked two, struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 1.59. Over his last three starts, against the Reds, Braves and Tigers - all potent lineups - Zimmermann has allowed just one run on 10...