It seems pretty clear to me that Matt Wieters, Jim Johnson and Adam Jones are the top three candidates for this year's Most Valuable Oriole award. It also seems clear to me that a very solid case could be made for any of the three to win the award. But when I turned in my ballot this week I voted this way: 1st - Jones 2nd - Johnson 3rd - Wieters The argument that Johnson has been one of the game's best closers, anchoring one of the game's best bullpens, which is the strongest part of the...

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals aren't getting any help from the Braves lately. Atlanta just keeps on rolling, winning 10 of their last 12. So the guys in the Nationals' clubhouse are taking the mentality that they'll just have to go ahead and clinch the NL East title without any help from the team nipping on their heels. "I know if we win three more, we're in, we win the pennant," manager Davey Johnson said. "That's all I want everybody in that room to figure on." The magic number was...

PHILADELPHIA - I'm guessing that Michael Morse's injured hand and wrist are feeling just fine tonight. Morse already has two home runs and four RBIs through three at-bats, helping the Nationals to a 6-3 lead over the Phillies. The first Morse home run was in the air for about 78 years before finally coming down just barely over the left field fence. It was an absolute rainmaker, giving Morse his 15th homer of the season. The second Morse longball was just demolished out to center. Morse...

PHILADELPHIA - Bo Porter was already a Houston resident. Now, after the Nationals' season ends, he'll skipper the city's baseball team, as well. Porter was announced this morning as the next manager of the Houston Astros, which will be the 40-year-old's first big league managerial gig. After a college football career at Iowa, a stint in the major leagues as a player, two years of service as a minor league coach and manager and five years as a base coach or bench coach for three different...

It's usually a morning blog entry, but I'm feeling a little bold as the sun goes down. I found a few leftovers that might be of interest, including this first item from Elias: Last night, the Orioles hit home runs with men on base in the fifth inning (Chris Davis), sixth (Mark Reynolds), seventh (Davis again) and eighth (Manny Machado) in their 12-2 win over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. According to Elias, it's the the first time in more than six years that a team hit home runs with men...

As previously announced, the Washington Nationals will sell a limited number of Standing Room Only tickets the day of each postseason game, subject to availability. Standing Room Only tickets for the Tiebreaker, Wild Card and National League Division Series can be purchased for $30 each at the Nationals Park Box Office, located at the Center Field Gate, once the Box Office opens on the day of each game. Standing Room Only tickets will be limited to two per person. On game days, the Nationals...

PHILADELPHIA - In New York, R.A. Dickey is in line for his 20th win of the season, which would tie him with Gio Gonzalez for the most in the majors. Dickey notched 13 strikeouts through 7 2/3 innings of work, allowing three runs. The NL Cy Young race between Gonzalez, Dickey and Braves closer Craig Kimbrel looks like it'll come down to the wire. Gonzalez will have a chance to bolster his chances tonight when he faces the Phillies in the series finale between these two teams. The Reds beat...

PHILADELPHIA - Ian Desmond commented last night that Bryce Harper seems to find a way to impact every single game he's a part of. Last night, Harper smacked a two-run homer, stole a base and drove in an insurance run with a triple in the ninth inning. In the process, he became just the second teenager in major league history to hit 20 home runs, behind only Tony Conigliaro who hit 24 in 1964, and now is the first teenager ever with 17-plus homers and at least 17 stolen bases in a...

The Orioles' announced crowd of 26,513 last night brought the 76-date season total to 1,981,154. The average attendance at Camden Yards this season is 26,068. By my math, which is as sketchy as the guy who sold me the Rolex in Times Square this summer, the Orioles need 18,846 to reach the two-million mark. I'm told that Saturday's game against the Red Sox is sold out. The Orioles occasionally get seats returned by the visiting team or season plan holders, so fans should always check back,...

With the postseason beginning next Friday(!), the Nationals will have to make a decision on their pitching roster for the second season. Starters Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler are set. But an interesting alteration that might occur is the possible addition of left-hander John Lannan and right-hander Christian Garcia to the postseason roster. Lannan improved to 4-0 with a 4.23 ERA in the Nationals' 8-4 win over the Phillies on Wednesday night, going 5 1/3...