FLUSHING, N.Y. - As the rain continues to fall, the Nationals and Mets continue to play. We're heading to extra innings, tied 2-2. A combination of Michael Gonzalez, Ryan Mattheus and Tom Gorzelanny held the Mets scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, and we go to the 10th at Citi Field. Gorzelanny allowed a two-out double to Daniel Murphy in the ninth, but was able to retire Jason Bay on a grounder to third to end the inning. Ryan Zimmerman made a sparkling play on Bay's ground ball,...

Well, that was one frustrating loss. The Orioles got a sixth straight quality start but not a sixth straight win, losing 3-1 to Cleveland as they missed a chance to record their first four-game sweep there since September of 1971. Justin Masterson gave up one run and seven hits over 7 1/3 innings to get his seventh win. The Orioles had eight hits overall but went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Tommy Hunter gave the club his second straight solid start, but took the loss, despite...

The Orioles had a chance to either tie tonight's game in the eighth inning or put two runners in scoring position with one out. They chose something from column C. In case you missed it, Nick Markakis singled with one out, and Indians manager Manny Acta made a surprising pitching change, removing starter Justin Masterson and bringing in reliever Vinnie Pestano. Endy Chavez followed with a double in the left field corner, and Markakis ran through third base coach DeMarlo Hale's stop sign and...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - In his first trip to the Big Apple as a big leaguer, Bryce Harper didn't take long to make a statement. Harper smacked a two-run home run off Chris Young in the top of the first inning, giving the Nationals what's now a 2-1 lead. Welcome to New York, rook. It was Harper's first home run since all the way back on June 28. He had gone 81 at-bats without a homer prior to launching an 85-mph fastball from Young into orbit. Can we really call an 85-mph four-seamer a fastball?...

Ryan Flaherty picked up a hit in his fourth consecutive game tonight with a leadoff single in the top of the third inning. Flaherty has only one hit in each of those games, but the modest streak includes two home runs. He's also driven in four runs. At least for now, manager Buck Showalter is continuing to start Flaherty at second base against right-handers. He gave Omar Quintanilla the start at shortstop while keeping Flaherty in the lineup. It's a little strange seeing J.J. Hardy leaning...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Tonight marks the third straight game that Jesus Flores will watch from the bench, with rookie catcher Sandy Leon taking over behind the plate. Leon's major league tenure has gotten off to a nice start, as he's hitting .385 in 13 at-bats. But the Nationals are looking forward to getting Flores back in the starting lineup once his back tightness has subsided. Manager Davey Johnson said today that he'll still play things carefully with Flores, wanting to make sure that the...

The Orioles' five-game win streak has certainly been fueled by excellent starting pitching, and the Orioles have given up just ten runs over those five games. As for the offense, the Orioles are certainly not putting up big numbers there. They currently rank third in the AL in homers and ninth in slugging, but only 11th in runs and batting average and 12th in OBP. But they have averaged 4.6 runs per game during the win streak, a tick up from their season average of 4.15 runs per game. Last...

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending July 22nd. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network. In eight games last week, Zimmerman led the Majors with 15 hits and 32 total bases and ranked second in the N.L. with a .500 (15-for-30) batting average. The 27-year-old belted five home runs and notched a 1.067 slugging percentage, ranking second in the Majors in both categories. His nine runs scored...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Nationals have posted their lineup for tonight's 7:10 p.m. game against the Mets at Citi Field, and Jesus Flores isn't in it - or behind the plate - for a third straight game. Sandy Leon will catch Jordan Zimmermann tonight. Here are tonight's lineups: For the Nationals: 2B - Steve Lombardozzi RF - Bryce Harper 3B - Ryan Zimmerman LF - Michael Morse 1B - Adam LaRoche SS - Danny Espinosa CF - Roger Bernadina C - Sandy Leon P - Jordan Zimmermann For the Mets: SS -...

Omar Quintanilla will follow up two appearances with the Orioles as a defensive replacement at second base with his first start tonight at shortstop. J.J. Hardy gets a rare breather, and it comes after he collected two hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs yesterday afternoon. Ryan Flaherty stays at second base, and Endy Chavez replaces Chris Davis in left field. Davis is starting at first base. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF Endy Chavez LF Jim Thome DH Adam Jones CF Matt...