The Braves have taken the first two games of their series here in D.C., out-hitting the Nationals, playing superior defense and getting better overall pitching. This afternoon, Tim Hudson held the Nats to just one run and four hits over seven innings, the Braves capitalized on Ryan Zimmerman's third-inning throwing error, getting two unearned runs on Evan Gattis' two-run homer, and Eric O'Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel locked down the 3-1 Atlanta win. It's been two tightly played games over...

The Nationals' 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves was another quality battle between starting pitchers Tim Hudson and Stephen Strasburg. In the end, the Nationals right-hander gave up the more costly home run in a critical third inning. Evan Gattis' two-run shot was the big offensive play for the Braves, but it was set up by a Ryan Zimmerman throwing error that allowed Justin Upton to reach base. Upton then stole second base when Strasburg was just a moment late in his pickoff attempt to first...

Not only did the Nationals lose their second straight ballgame to the Braves this afternoon, they also lost catcher Wilson Ramos for what looks like at least a couple of weeks with a pulled left hamstring. Ramos suffered the injury when hustling down the first base line on a groundout in the bottom of the eighth inning in the Nats' 3-1 loss to Atlanta. This comes after the Nats' 25-year-old catcher worked his way back from a devastating knee injury suffered last May, when he tore the ACL...

It was another snapshot moment in time for the Nationals organization. In a late February spring training game in Florida, the Nationals faced off against All-Star David Wright and the Mets. But as you looked out on the diamond, it wasn't Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper doing battle with New York. Instead, it was the best of the Nationals' prospects. Guys like Anthony Rendon, Nathan Karns, Matt Skole, Destin Hood, Eury Perez and others. And there at shortstop...

NEW YORK - Remember that two-out single by Ryan Flaherty in Boston that broke an 0-for-17 streak and ignited a late game-winning rally? He's staying hot. Flaherty homered off Yankees starter Phil Hughes with one out in the second inning to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. It's his first homer of the season, and his first since Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Oct. 9 in the Bronx. Flaherty is now 2-for-19, which only sounds bad if you didn't know about the 0-for-17...

Single-A Frederick outfielder Trent Mummey is headed for surgery on an injured hamstring. The estimated rehab and recovery time is six to eight weeks for the Orioles' fourth-round pick in 2010 out of Auburn. Mummey played in the season's first two games, going 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. He dealt with some hamstring issues last season when, over 72 games with the Keys, he hit .228 with four homers and 22 RBIs. Single-A Delmarva shortstop Adrian Marin is listed as day to day with a...

NEW YORK - Besides the full-season minor league affiliates that began playing this month, the extended spring training games in Sarasota also hold a great deal of importance to the Orioles. Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia served as the designated hitter again for the second straight day and is scheduled to play right field on Monday and Tuesday. The Orioles are close to assigning him to an affiliate, with Double-A Bowie his likely destination. Steve Johnson pitched three innings today and...

For the third time in the last two days, Ryan Zimmerman has delivered an off-target throw. Two of those three throws have cost the Nationals. I'm of the mind that not too much blame should be heaped on Zimmerman for his throw to second base in the ninth inning last night. Zimmerman was off-balance and needed to get the throw off in a hurry in order to beat Jason Heyward to the second base bag, and he missed his target by a few feet. The ball rolled into right field and two runs...

NEW YORK - Alexi Casilla held up on Manny Machado's low line drive to second base last night, broke late to third after Robinson Cano played the ball on one hop, and realized that he had no shot at reaching the bag. Glancing back at Machado, his priorities changed in a hurry. "I stayed in the rundown to give Manny time to get to second so we could keep somebody in scoring position, but we couldn't do it," Casilla said this afternoon. "I tried my best to stay in it as long as I can and...

In an effort to allow more fans to honor Earl Weaver, the greatest manager in the history of the franchise, the Orioles have announced that "A Celebration of Earl" will now begin at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The memorial was previously scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. "A Celebration of Earl" will include a video tribute and a collection of notable guest speakers, including Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Buck Showalter, National Baseball...