On July 27, the Orioles were beginning what looked like a very grueling stretch of the schedule with three home games against the red-hot A's followed by six on the road against the Yankees and Rays. When the Orioles rallied twice to come from behind against the A's in the opener of that series, it was another impressive night for the Orioles. But it ended very badly with Oakland scoring six in the ninth off Jim Johnson to post a 14-9 win. Not only did Johnson bounce back from that game,...

TAMPA, Fla. - I've lost track of my road record this season, but I'm pretty sure that I've captured one of the wild card berths. I may lead my division. Tack on four more wins while I catch this 7:05 a.m. flight back to Baltimore and try to remember where I parked my car at the BWI train station. Garage 1, I believe. Or maybe it was 2. I've got a 50-50 shot at being right. The Orioles are living right these days. They scored five runs in three games at Tropicana Field, and they went...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles are 1-0 in games when dogs are allowed inside Tropicana Field, DJ Kitty bobbleheads are given out and The Wiggles perform a concert in center field. No need to bother Elias with that one. It's a day that Taylor Teagarden won't soon forget. His two-out RBI double off Rays reliever Joel Peralta broke a scoreless tie in the 10th. "Definitely don't want to swing at something that's out of the zone right there, because I had seen all his pitches at that...

With Stephen Strasburg throwing a strong six innings and Drew Storen notching the save, today's game could have easily been one which was played in the final month of the 2011 season. "That was a little bit reminiscent of last year," Davey Johnson said with a smile as he sat down to talk with reporters. The main difference, of course, is that the 2012 Nationals sit atop their division and are looking at what could be the first playoff appearance since the team moved to the nation's...

Look out Major League Baseball. Stephen Strasburg could be starting to figure this thing out. On July 25, the Nationals right-hander, relying on his lethal fastball, fired 11 strikeouts, allowing one run in a seven-inning win over the Mets in New York. On July 31, going with a similar game plan, the Phillies jumped on Strasburg, notching eight hits and scoring six runs in handing him the four-inning loss, his shortest stint of the season. On Sunday, Strasburg returned to his "old" form...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- The Orioles have won 11 straight extra-inning games. They've won 10 straight one-run games. They took four of six against the Yankees and Rays on a road trip that looked ominous on the schedule. "This time of the year, I'm sure you all are noticed there's a lot of well-pitched games. That's pretty normal from my experience," manager Buck Showalter said after today's 1-0, 10-inning victory at Tropicana Field. "Late July through the month of August, you'll see...

The Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays at their own game - winning with solid pitching. After Miguel Gonzalez pitched seven shutout innings to match David Price pitch for pitch, the Orioles finally broke a scoreless tie when Taylor Teagarden drove an RBI double to the gap in left-center in the top of the 10th in a 1-0 win over the Rays. The win was the Orioles' 11th straight in extra innings and was their 10th win in a row in a game decided by one run. The Orioles posted back-to-back shutouts...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez did everything within his power to give the Orioles a victory today. He just couldn't score runs for them. Gonzalez turned in the best start of his brief major league career, shutting out the Rays on two hits over seven innings. He walked four and struck out four. Darren O'Day pitched the eighth inning after Gonzalez threw 103 pitches, 59 for strikes. He retired the side in order, keeping the game tied as we head to the top of the...

Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki started his Sunday morning with a stroll through the clubhouse. Wearing a Nationals workout shirt and athletic long shorts with two white batting gloves, he was ready for work. Suzuki headed to the indoor batting cage for a session with Nationals hitting coach Rick Eckstein. Although Suzuki admitted he is not quite where he wants to be at the plate (.215), he believes he is making progress. "I feel good," Suzuki told me on 106.7 The Fan's "Nats Insider". "I...

Adam LaRoche now has 71 RBIs on the season, increasing his lead among National League first basemen. Stephen Strasburg now has seven RBIs on the season, increasing his lead among all major league pitchers. From an outsider's perspective, it might be an unlikely offensive duo which has driven in the Nationals' four runs so far today, but those who have watched the Nats this season know better. Both LaRoche and Strasburg have been raking this year. Strasburg got the Nationals on the board...