As we all know by now, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is enjoying a torrid - as well as historic - start to the 2013 season. Over the past few seasons, he has become not only a star, but an endearing presence to the Orioles fan base - not only because of his freakish power and 6-foot-3physique, but his ever-improving ability at the plate. The baseball world saw that during the first four games of the season and that brought Davis and the Orioles a lot of positive attention. It seemed that...

When I moved to D.C. in 2005, I learned all I needed to know about the Nationals (at the time) rather quickly. It was the middle of August, the team was decent and they were on the verge of a winning season. Truth be told, I only went to a couple games before August turned into September. Then Ryan Zimmerman made his major league debut on Sept. 1. My memory's fading and I honestly can't recall whether or not I was physically at that game, but I do know I spent an awful lot of time at RFK...

When the Nationals take the field around 7:05 p.m. tonight aiming for a sweep of the White Sox, they'll give the ball to Dan Haren, their 32-year-old right-hander, who will be making his Nationals Park debut. Haren got smacked around pretty good in his first start as a National last Friday against the Reds, allowing six runs on nine hits over just four innings. The veteran righty served up a whopping four home runs, although two of them just cleared the Great American Ballpark fence and...

A lot had to happen last night before Manny Machado could stun about 30,000 Red Sox fans and delight who knows how many Orioles fans looking on from the homefront and places beyond. Chris Davis had to hit a massive center field homer. Ryan Flaherty had to get his first base hit of the year when he was down to his last strike on a 2-2 pitch. Nolan Reimold and Nate McLouth had to work walks and McLouth, especially, took a few close pitches to get on base. But after the tying run scored on a wild...

BOSTON - You see the way Tommy Hunter can overpower hitters. He replaces starter Jake Arrieta after the rain delay last night and immediately strikes out Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks. You see the way Hunter can frustrate himself and a fan base that no longer has Kevin Gregg to kick around. He pumps fastballs at Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia and watches the two players circle the bases, their back-to-back home runs giving the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. All of it happened in the same...

BOSTON - Orioles starter Jake Arrieta watched the ninth-inning rally tonight on one of the televisions in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park. "We were freaking out pretty good," he said. The Chris Davis leadoff homer. The two-out single by Ryan Flaherty. The back-to-back walks to Nolan Reimold and Nate McLouth. The wild pitch from Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan that tied the game. The three-run homer by Manny Machado, his first of the season, that untied it. "It really didn't matter...

BOSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent about seven minutes with reporters following tonight's 8-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Here's a sampling: "Chris (Davis) gave us a little hope there, but our guys battled. A really nasty night to play. It's very easy to give in, but it was a battle and I'm real proud of them. Their bullpen is something. To be able to string together an inning like that... Jake (Arrieta) kept us in the game. A little frustrating for him. He had good stuff...

The umpires might have hit a traffic jam on their way to the stadium this afternoon, causing a 16-minute delay, but there are plenty of guys in the Nationals clubhouse who can relate. Ian Desmond is one of them. "I've got no problem with it. I've been stuck in traffic many a time here in D.C.," Desmond said. "I'm surprised they got here as fast as they did. It's always an adventure." White Sox starter Gavin Floyd had a bit of an adventure in the middle innings tonight. After putting...

Shortstop Ian Desmond rolled to another big day at the plate in Wednesday's 5-2 Nationals win over the White Sox. Desmond went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, scoring two runs. On Tuesday, he also had a pair of hits, including his second homer of the season. He now has seven extra-base hits in eight games. Saturday was his first homer, which came after he had made two errors in a game the Nationals won 7-6 in 11 innings at Cincinnati. Desmond said he was itching for the opportunity...

Some starting pitchers map out their pregame routine so carefully that an unexpected 16-minute delay would totally throw them out of whack. Jordan Zimmermann is not one of those pitchers. Zimmermann needed to wait a bit longer than normal to throw his first pitch tonight because the umpires got stuck in traffic and were late to the stadium. There apparently was an immigration rally at the Capital today, which caused a massive backup, and the unsuspecting umps got caught up in it. The game...