During the Nationals' five-game losing streak, the Nationals managed six runs. Since that spiral, the Nationals have won three in a row, and have scored at least eight runs in each of the wins, outscoring opponents 26-5 in that span. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 with two-run home run in the eighth off of the Cardinals' Jason Motte as the Nationals went on to shutout the Cardinals 10-0 on Friday night. Zimmerman said every losing streak has a message. The Nationals did not...

NEW YORK - We have a 1:05 p.m. game in the Bronx today. I hope you slept fast. I wanted to give you something to read with your morning coffee before I post the lineup. Here's a quote yesterday from manager Buck Showalter, which came after a reporter asked whether he tends to look up or down at the standings. In other words, is he more focused on the Yankees or the teams he's trying to stay ahead of in the wild card race. Showalter fired off his answer without hesitation, and he repeated...

NEW YORK - Miguel Gonzalez hadn't pitched in 11 days before taking the ball tonight at Yankee Stadium. Some pitchers would be too strong, would lose their feel and their command. Others, like Gonzalez, simply dominate. Gonzalez tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out a career-high nine batters and lowering his ERA to 3.31. "We had a couple changes," he said. "We have some new guys on our ballclub. I think that's what set me back a little bit more. They told me they were going to...

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with reporters outside the visiting clubhouse following tonight's 6-1 victory over the Yankees, and Miguel Gonzalez was the hot topic, as you would expect. Gonzalez seems to enjoy the pressurized settings. The better the opposing pitcher, the more he dials it up. "Obviously, when you're facing one of the best pitchers in the league, you've kind of got nothing to lose," Showalter said. "Nobody expects anything. But he's pitched here before...

Pitching on 10 days' rest and in a big game to start a three-game series, Miguel Gonzalez was neither rusty or rattled. He was just excellent. Gonzalez retired the first nine batters he faced and threw seven scoreless innings tonight as the Orioles beat the Yankees 6-1 to move within two games of first place in the AL East. Now 73-58, the Orioles improved to 15 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 1997 season. Gonzalez pitched out of a two on and no out jam in the sixth,...

Adam Wainwright, who as I mentioned earlier had pitched to a 1.74 ERA and gone 6-1 over his last eight starts, didn't make it out of the third inning tonight. Gio Gonzalez, on the other hand, didn't allow a baserunner through his first three innings of work. The Nationals lead 6-0 after three, and frankly, the Cardinals are lucky that margin isn't even more lopsided. Two Nats runs came around in the first on Adam LaRoche's single to left, giving the Nationals first baseman 81 RBIs on the...

NEW YORK - Manager Buck Showalter pointed out yesterday that the Orioles weren't going to New York to soak up the atmosphere. He mentioned today that he looks "up" at the standings, not down to check on the teams giving chase. Message received. The Orioles have taken a 3-0 lead over the Yankees in the second inning on Chris Davis' sacrifice fly and Mark Reynolds' two-run homer. Reynolds' ball landed in the first row of the second deck in left field, just above the red Modell's...

Nationals reliever Henry Rodriguez and 2012 first-round pick Lucas Giolito both underwent elbow surgeries today. Can the team get some kind of buy one, get one free deal here? Giolito underwent Tommy John surgery out in L.A., with the procedure performed by Dr. Lewis Youcm. Rodriguez, meanwhile, went to New York to have Nationals orthopedist Dr. Wiemi Douoguih remove a bone spur from his right elbow. Rodriguez's surgery was a surprise to reporters, given the reliever is currently on the...

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter needed a lead blocker today to get through the visiting dugout at Yankee Stadium and take a seat on the bench for his pregame session with the media. This series is getting a lot of attention from national media and New York reporters who normally would hang in the home dugout during batting practice. Is there more importance attached to these next three games? "I'm sure there is on paper and on math," Showalter said. "Our guys were very focused...

Manager Davey Johnson announced today that left-hander John Lannan, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez will join the team tomorrow. Lannan won two games for the Nationals this season, and has recently come on strong at Triple-A Syracuse. He had not surrendered a run in his last two outings, scattering 11 hits in 18 innings, both victories. "It's great," manager Davey Johnson said of Lannan. "He's had a great attitude down there and come up and really been excited about coming...