The list of superlatives that were used to describe Bryce Harper in the Nationals' clubhouse late last night was a lengthy one. "He's a man-child," outfielder Michael Morse said. "He's unbelievable." "The kid's a gamer," said shortstop Ian Desmond. "He's unbelievable. One of the best players I've ever seen, to be honest." This all came after Harper delivered another big-time moment - his first career walk-off hit in the Nats' 7-6 12-inning win over the Mets last night. It was...

If I were to keep it simple, I'd summarize watching Bryce Harper play baseball as fun because it is - whether it was his post-draft introductory press conference (where he took batting practice before the formal session), his home debut at Nationals Park, the time he stole home off Cole Hamels or Tuesday night's first career walk-off. I know I'll always kick myself for missing his first career home run. A friend and I were going to make it to that game too. We were planning on it, rain got...

After drafting 15 players over the first 15 rounds of the First-Year Player Draft the last two days, Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said he is quite pleased with the club's haul of talent so far. "I feel really good," Rajsich said. "You know, this draft was considered a very shallow draft and I couldn't be happier with what we were able to come up with." Rajsich was a guest last night on my radio show, "Baltimore Baseball Tonight," on 105.7 FM The Fan in Baltimore. I asked...

Well, this one was nuts. Twelve innings, 14 total pitchers used, three blown Mets leads in the eighth inning or later, countless misplayed balls (two in the bottom of the 10th by poor Jordany Valdespin), three wild pitches and the first walk-off hit by a teenager in nearly 24 years. It felt like it might never end, but it did. A thrilling - and exhausting - contest finally went to the Nationals by a 7-6 score. "It was a wild game," manager Davey Johnson said. "They didn't play very well,...

BOSTON - I can't figure out who's going to make Saturday's start against the Phillies at Camden Yards. It's easier to eliminate certain pitchers, most notably left-hander Zach Britton, who would be working on short rest and who will stay on his rehab assignment. The Orioles apparently think Britton needs to improve the command of his pitches. They're in no rush to end his assignment. Cross him off the list. Manager Buck Showalter didn't mention Brad Bergesen when rattling off the names...

Shortstop Ian Desmond continues to deliver in the clutch. On Tuesday, Desmond produced three straight RBIs, with his team trailing each time. In the eighth frame, Desmond's RBI single tied the game at 4-4. In the tenth, Desmond reached on an error hit so hard that Ryan Zimmerman scored to knot the contest at five. And finally, in the game-changing 12th inning with the Nats trailing 6-5, Desmond's RBI double scored Michael Morse to even the game again. Whether it has been leading off or...

BOSTON - Jason Hammel said his knee wasn't an issue while working five innings tonight in the Orioles' 8-6, 10-inning victory over the Red Sox. "Knee is getting better each time out," he said. "It's manageable right now." Hammel couldn't put away the Red Sox early and his pitch count rose to 106. "Yeah, they're usually pretty patient," he said. "They were kind of aggressive tonight. Obviously, you want to get deeper into ballgames, but we still had a chance to win. "It was a...

BOSTON - Manager Buck Showalter described tonight's 8-6, 10-inning victory over the Red Sox as "one of our better wins of the year." "That was a real test for us a little bit," he said. It became more challenging when closer Jim Johnson blew his first save of the season. "J.J.'s picked us up so many times this year and the guys come in and picked him up. That was nice," Showalter said. Darren O'Day was warming in the bullpen, but Showalter allowed Johnson to pitch the 10th and pick...

BOSTON - The Orioles were one strike away from winning tonight's game and pulling into a first-place tie with Tampa Bay in the American League East. One strike. It seemed like a done deal with Jim Johnson on the mound, but nothing comes easily for the Orioles. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer off Johnson on a 1-2 pitch to tie the game, 6-6, and send it into extra innings. David Ortiz singled off the Green Monster with one out and "Salty," as he's called here, cleared it with...

As if nine innings of tonight's Nationals-Mets contest hasn't been entertaining enough, we're going to extras. The Nats and Mets are tied 4-4 after nine in an up-and-down game which saw both teams squander a lead in the late innings. After tying it in the eighth, Washington had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth when Roger Bernadina singled with two outs, bringing Bryce Harper to the plate and the crowd to its collective feet. Harper smoked a ball to left field on a line, but...