The question has been asked often: How can a team that leads the majors in errors, struggles to score runs and get clutch hits and has an ever-changing rotation that ranks 12th in the league in ERA, still be in the playoff hunt after 92 games? I have another question as an addendum to that: How can a team with a minus-55 run differential still be in the playoff race after 92 games? Here is the best answer I can come up with. The Orioles have shown an amazing ability this year to win the close...

For fans who have followed the Nationals since they moved from Montreal, it's not hard to forget the last time they were in first place this late in the season - that wonderful summer when baseball returned to the nation's capital in 2005. A big part of that success will be at Nationals Park tonight to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the opening of this weekend's National League East showdown with Atlanta. "The Chief," Chad Cordero, has been in town to conduct a celebrity...

The movement of prospects continues today within the Nationals organization, this time on the offensive side. MASNsports.com has confirmed that outfielder Eury Perez has been promoted from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Syracuse. Perez was hitting .300 with 30 RBIs, 26 stolen bases and 34 runs scored in 81 games with the Senators. The biggest jump in classifications belongs to speedy outfielder Brian Goodwin. A club source confirms Goodwin has been bumped two levels from Single-A Hagerstown...

The Orioles tweeted tonight that there's been a scoring change in Tuesday night's game in Minnesota. I wouldn't want you going to bed without having all the details. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Twins center fielder Denard Span was credited with an infield hit, and Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy was charged with a throwing error. The single has been removed, and it's now just a straight error on the play. Why is this important? Well, reliever Luis Ayala no longer is tagged with an...

It's off to Cleveland for the Orioles after a series split this week with the Twins. Whatever excitement this four-game series may bring, it will be tough to match what happened between the teams on July 21, 1996. Sixteen years ago, the O's reacquired legendary first baseman Eddie Murray in a deal that sent pitcher Kent Mercker to Cleveland. For a nostalgic fan like myself, who grew up delighting in the chants of "Ed-die" at Memorial Stadium, it didn't get much better than welcoming back...

Just writing the title of this entry makes me wanna run jump into my Santa suit. On, Dasher! On, Dancer! On, Prancer and Vixen! On, Strasburg! On, Harper! On, Desmond, um ... Wait, I'm getting confused. Anyway, this weekend when the Nationals host the Braves, the team will host its annual Christmas In July Toy Drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. Throughout the weekend series, volunteers from the U.S. Marines Corps Reserve will accept donations of new,...

It's easy to look at the Nationals on the field and be impressed. The team is atop the National League East and seems destined for a playoff berth. But off the diamond, the success of the Nationals organization is just as potent. The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation has been touching the lives of children all throughout our nation's capital and has been a beacon of hope for so many in the area. Recently, the Foundation announced it will host K Street Cocktails, a fundraising reception...

When Drew Storen sprinted in from the Nationals Park bullpen for the first time this season, he heard "Bad Company" blaring over the stadium speakers, saw the fans give him a standing ovation and thought back on the last four months, which have been pretty rough on him professionally. "It was pretty emotional for me, to be honest with you," Storen said. "It's hard to explain, but it is honestly one of the best feelings in the world to have the fans appreciate me being back out there. ......

That was a rare experience to see Gio Gonzalez not get to the fifth inning in a start for the Nationals. Coming into Thursday's assignment against the Mets, Gonzalez had gone at least five frames in 16 of his initial 18 starts in a Nationals uniform. There was June 3 when he lasted only 4 2/3 innings in a loss against the Braves. You had to go back to the opening week and his Nationals debut to see a shorter stint, just 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision April 7 at the Cubs. But Gonzalez lasted...

It's easy to look at a 9-5 loss to a division rival and say not much went right. Gio Gonzalez got hit hard and lasted just 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year. Craig Stammen didn't fare much better in relief. Bryce Harper went 0-for-5, the Nationals were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and they left 12 on-base. But Davey Johnson isn't looking at today's loss that way. He doesn't view this as a missed opportunity to earn a sweep and won't leave Nats Park frustrated...