Get this: When Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse have both been in the starting lineup this season, the Nationals are 44-21 (.677). That's a 110-win pace. Not too shabby. Given the way things have been going lately, the Nats could seemingly win 110 games and still end up taking the National League East by a slim margin. While Washington has won 11 of its last 13, the Braves keep on matching them, and with their 11-inning walkoff win last night, they've now won 11 of their last 15. The...

Last summer, reliever Kevin Gregg won over a few Orioles fans by yelling at David Ortiz, standing his ground when the burly designated hitter took a few steps toward him and ripping the Red Sox for their sense of entitlement. Now it's Mark Reynolds' turn. Reynolds already had been cheered more after heating up at the plate during the last homestand. Fewer people were wondering why he was in the lineup and on the 25-man roster. Fewer people were demanding that the Orioles eat the rest of...

If the Orioles called up Dylan Bundy to pitch in a few games in September, I have no doubt that would excite the fans. It would be amazing, thrilling and very, very cool to see that happen for a 19-year-old kid. And Bundy is probably good enough or very close to that to handle it right now. But I don't think the Orioles should do it. This kid has had an amazing year. He will easily win the Orioles minor league Pitcher of the Year award and may be baseball's No. 1 prospect right now. For...

In news that won't come as a shock, the Orioles confirmed in a tweet that Zach Britton will start Saturday night's game against the Tigers at Comerica Park. It makes sense, since Britton is in Detroit. He didn't fly there to visit Greektown. The Orioles didn't have to officially recall Britton tonight. He was placed on baseball's equivalent of a 24-hour taxi squad. A corresponding 25-man roster move is coming on Saturday. The Orioles could choose to option right-hander Steve Johnson to...

As pumped up as Michael Morse was after his grand slam in the fourth inning tonight - and he was plenty pumped up - his teammates were just as animated. Guys gave him high fives, low fives, pats on the helmet. They pushed him out of the dugout for a curtain call, tossed bubble game at him and messed with his hair. You can tell this group is thrilled to see the guy that clubbed 31 homers last season back producing the way he did in 2011. "Morse is unbelievable," Ian Desmond said. "Last...

Michael Morse wasn't in the clubhouse postgame to talk about his monster grand slam which gave the Nationals a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning, but his manager talked about it for him. In Davey Johnson's mind, that grand slam was just another big moment in what's been a really hot stretch for Morse over the last couple weeks. "Michael Morse, he had a rough road to hoe, being out for a long time (with a strained lat) and then coming back, and just off this last homestand, I think it started...

Friday's start was certainly the measure of how far Ross Detwiler's career has advanced. In the past, two runs, three hits and 23 pitches in the first inning would have been the beginning of the end. In this game it was his sinker. It wasn't sinking. And that caused problems. But Detwiler was able to diagnose that the Mets were realizing they could get hits off his sinker. Without the sink, it was a very hittable pitch. So he went to his fastball more than usual, and tried to cut the zone...

Well, for a while it looked like the Orioles might pin a loss on Justin Verlander for the first time ever. In the end, they didn't pin a loss on anyone as the Detroit Tigers beat the Orioles 5-3 in Game 1 to start a big three-game series. The Orioles just could not handle the middle of the Tigers order tonight as Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder went a combined 4-for-6 with two walks, three homers and all five Tigers RBIs. Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer for the Orioles off Verlander in...

Johan Santana retired the first nine Nationals he faced tonight. He then gave up hits to the next four Nats hitters. The fourth left the ballpark, giving the Nationals their first grand slam of the season. Michael Morse crushed a 1-1 fastball over the scoreboard in right-center, turning a 2-0 Nats deficit into a 4-2 Nats lead and sending what looks like a nearly sold out crowd into a frenzy. It was Morse's third career grand slam, and he enjoyed every second of the experience. He gave...

J.J. Hardy has batted twice tonight against Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander. He's laid down two sacrifice bunts. Good execution. Bad idea? Neither bunt led to a run, though some of the blame lies at the feet of plate umpire Tim Timmons, who blew a call in the first inning. Nick Markakis clearly was safe, beating Prince Fielders' throw, but Timmons wouldn't remove the blindfold. Manager Buck Showalter didn't call for Markakis to bunt last night, and there's no way to know whether...