Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon has notched at least a base hit and an RBI in four straight games for the Gulf Coast League Nationals and continues to play deeper into games as the franchise slowly brings him back from his fractured left ankle. Rendon is hitting .444 (4-for-9) in his last four games with a double, two homers and nine RBIs. He has had home runs in back-to-back games. Rendon walked in the top of the eighth Tuesday and then was promptly replaced by a pinch runner. But he...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - It'll be the 10-win Stephen Strasburg against the one-win Jeremy Hefner at Citi Field today as the Nationals and Mets wrap up a three-game set. Twice this season, the Nats have taken the first two games of a series against the Mets only to drop the finale, failing to record the sweep. Today they'll rely on Strasburg as they try to notch their fifth straight victory. In his only career start at Citi Field coming into today, Strasburg fired six scoreless innings, allowing...

Music is an important part of any baseball game, from the playing of the national anthem before the first pitch to the array of songs that accompany the important moments at each game. Think about it - could you imagine a rally without the bugled "Charge" call, a pump-up-the-crowd moment without "YMCA" by The Village People or the individualized snippets that accompany each hitter to the batter's box and each pitcher to the mound? Sometimes, it seems, the melodies fade into the landscape...

Life's pretty busy these days, what with the constant news cycle, work weeks that extend beyond 40 hours even if they shouldn't and the general buzz-buzz-buzz attitude that American culture unintentionally employs upon its citizens. That's why it makes sense that busy folks would be baseball fans. Here's my logic: It's a long season. There are at least 162 games in a season. That allows fans the opportunity to catch up if a game or two (or more) just so happen to be missed. And - just...

Let's be clear: There's still no reason to abandon hope for the Orioles to post a plus-.500 season in 2012. They have a knack for righting the ship when things look bad and every game that passes puts them that much closer to the endgame. Each day that ends with a cushion is a surplus banked against a bad streak. They're getting there. Regardless, we all basically know that this team isn't ready for the playoffs just yet. There's too much strength in the competition, both from the Yankees...

Orioles minor league pitcher Bobby Bundy is expected to have surgery Thursday to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. The procedure will keep him out for the rest of the season. The procedure will be performed by a doctor based near Little Rock, Ark., who has dealt with the Bundy brothers before and has the approval of Orioles doctors. The older brother of Dylan Bundy, the Orioles' top pitching prospect, Bobby Bundy had given up 15 runs in just 3 2/3 innings in his last two starts for...

The Pirates are buyers, proving again that it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. It is not 1971 or 1979. I took the time to check. In case you missed it, the Pirates acquired pitcher Wandy Rodriguez from the Astros last night for minor leaguers Rudy Owens, Robbie Grossman and Colton Cain. The Astros will be sending a nice hunk of cash, too. The Orioles spoke to the Astros about Rodriguez, as I wrote here, but they weren't overly enthusiastic. I've heard that his salary was a big turnoff -...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Even though Gio Gonzalez finished the seventh inning last night having thrown just 87 pitches, Edwin Jackson remains the only Nationals starter this season to record an out in the eighth. Take a second to let that sink in. As good as the Nationals' rotation has been this season, there have only been three games where that day's starter has notched an out in the eighth inning. And all three times, it's been Jackson. Gonzalez certainly could have worked into the eighth...

FLUSHING, N.Y. - Adam LaRoche used Roger Bernadina's bat in his first three trips to the plate tonight. The switch-hitting Danny Espinosa hit right-handed against a right-handed pitcher. Jesus Flores and Michael Morse attacked the ball early instead of waiting for it to get deep into the zone. The Nationals tried everything against Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. And after five innings of mostly ineffectiveness, all the tinkering started to pay off in the sixth. Washington's hitters...

Second base umpire Gary Darling made the balk call on Wei-Yin Chen. "To be honest with you, I have no idea (why)," Chen said through his interpreter. "I have a standard routine when I was on the mound and I do the same routine every time. After the game, I went back to the video room and I keep checking. I watched it (over and over). I couldn't get it, and to be honest with you I don't understand that. "I can do better. I didn't control my emotions really well at that time. It's so...