Former Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson got his old buddies Thursday with an 8-1 victory for the Nationals over visiting St. Louis. The right-handed Jackson (8-9) struck out 10 hitters, allowed no earned runs, four hits, and lasted eight innings with a season-high 123 pitches, notching his eighth win of the season. It also marked his first win at home since July 4 and snapped a three-game skid at home. "I wouldn't have any problem letting him go to 130 pitches," manager Davey Johnson said....

Isn't this weekend just what was expected? The Orioles and Yankees playing on Labor Day weekend in Yankee Stadium with first place in the American League East on the line? The Orioles have a good chance to challenge the Yankees. The Orioles have more pitching depth, a stronger defense and a better offense with Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy heating up. The Yankees are injured and struggling in their last 45 games. Their offense misses injured Alex Rodriguez, who is going to be out another 10...

Bryce Harper is starting to look like the Bryce Harper we saw in May and June. The 19-year-old is turning on pitches inside, staying short and quick to the ball and squaring it up on the barrel. Harper crushed a two-run homer into the Nationals' bullpen in right in the first inning tonight, giving the Nats a 2-0 lead and giving the rookie outfielder his third homer in the last two days. Harper nearly had his second straight two-homer game when he sent a ball to the wall in center in his...

As the Nationals were flying back from Miami last night, Davey Johnson had a brief chat with Stephen Strasburg. "You've got a few more to go," Johnson told his ace, in an effort to reassure Strasburg that his next start won't be his last. Johnson said today that Strasburg will make two to three more starts this season, meaning his final outing of 2012 will likely come either on Sept. 7 at home against the Marlins or Sept. 12 at the Mets. General manager Mike Rizzo has said all along that...

As could be expected, Drew Storen has had a few hiccups since coming back from elbow surgery, which wiped out his entire first half of the season. A little over two weeks ago, Storen gave up four runs and registered just a single out in an outing against the Giants, turning a 2-1 Nationals deficit into a 6-1 ballgame. Since then, however, Storen has really started rounding into form. He's had six straight scoreless outings, spanning 5 2/3 innings, and hasn't allowed a single baserunner over...

Nationals prospect Matt Skole was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Year today, after racking up 27 home runs and 92 RBIs for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns this season. Skole told reporters in Zebulon, N.C., what an honor it was to receive the Most Valuable Player award. "I was really excited. It felt great," he said. "I was happy for myself and the way I played in that league. It is a very prestigious award." The 2011 fifth-round selection out of Georgia Tech played 101...

Zach Britton is on a bit of a roll right now. He is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.25 over his last three starts after giving up just one run in eight innings today in a win over the White Sox. Britton set a career high with 10 strikeouts and didn't walk a batter. His previous career best was seven against Los Angeles on Sept. 17, 2011. "I felt real good the whole game, even in the second inning," Britton said. "I made some pretty good pitches, just a little up in the zone. I was able to get down...

Twice this season, the Orioles have taken a four-game series from the Chicago White Sox, who continue to lead the American League Central. Reason to be proud? "It is for today," manager Buck Showalter said following a 5-3 victory at Camden Yards. "There's another challenge starting tomorrow." That challenge takes the Orioles to the Bronx, where a three-game sweep would put them in a first-place tie with the Yankees in the American League East. Zach Britton, optioned after the game,...

Jesus Flores is behind the plate for the Nationals tonight as they kick off a four-game set with the Cardinals, while St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina has returned to the lineup after missing one game with upper-body strains resulting from a violent home plate collision. A night after Kurt Suzuki hit his first homer as a National, he'll back Flores up. Neither catcher has faced Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia in their career. It'll be Garcia and Edwin Jackson on the mound tonight in the...

Minutes after earning his fourth victory by holding the White Sox to one run over eight innings, left-hander Zach Britton was shipped back to the minors. It's a tough business. The Orioles optioned Britton to Triple-A Norfolk. They will announce on Friday that they've signed left-hander Randy Wolf, who threw today in the Camden Yards outfield. Britton is 4-1 with a 4.80 ERA in eight starts with the Orioles this season. He's posted a 1.25 ERA in his last three starts, covering 21 2/3...