Notoriously hard on himself after a poor performance - or at least what he considers a poor performance - Stephen Strasburg has nothing to complain about today. Strasburg went seven scoreless innings, marking the first time in his career that he has worked seven shutout frames, allowing just four hits, striking out nine and earning his sixth win in the Nationals' 2-0 victory over the Braves. This comes after three straight starts where Strasburg failed to work into the sixth inning and...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters to hurry with their postgame questions. LL Cool J is performing at Tropicana Field, and Showalter wanted to rush back into the dugout and enjoy the concert. Winning is fun, especially after six straight losses. Brian Matusz held the Rays to one run and two hits over 7 1/3 innings for his fourth consecutive quality start. He's 5-5 with a 4.41 ERA. And he's now the club's stopper. "Brian's a rare left-hander in that...

I feel like we've seen this type of win once or twice this season. A Nationals starter goes deep into the game, delivering a dominating outing, the offense provides just enough run support and the bullpen closes it down. All the familiar pieces were there in the Nats' 2-0 win over the Braves this afternoon. Stephen Strasburg bounced back off three consecutive subpar outings (by his lofty standards) and tossed seven shutout frames, allowing just four hits without a walk and striking out...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Has Brian Matusz become the Orioles' ace? Too soon? Matusz is headed toward his fourth consecutive quality start, holding Tampa Bay to one run and two hits today over a season-high seven innings. He's walked two and struck out seven. Only one Tampa Bay batter has reached second base, when Sean Rodriguez doubled to lead off the fifth inning and later scored on Drew Sutton's ground ball. B.J. Upton walked with one out in the sixth inning, broke too soon for second...

We've got a fantastic pitchers' duel here at Nats Park, with Stephen Strasburg and Brandon Beachy trading zeros and strikeouts. Beachy was the first to blink, allowing a solo home run to Jesus Flores leading off the fifth inning. It was the second homer of the season for Flores, and it gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead. Runs will be precious in this one, as both starting pitchers have been in a zone. Strasburg has needed just 70 pitches to get through his five innings, which is remarkable...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - OK, who had Endy Chavez in today's home run pool? Chavez broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with his first homer as an Oriole, lining a 2-1 pitch from Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson over the right field wall. It was the Orioles' first hit of the day and their first extra-base hit in three games. J.J. Hardy followed with a double, but Chris Davis struck out. Extra-base hits in back-to-back at-bats by the Orioles? The floodgates have opened here at Tropicana...

Twice already this season, rainouts have allowed manager Davey Johnson the opportunity to skip Stephen Strasburg in the rotation. With Strasburg's innings adding up and his team-imposed limit of somewhere around 160 innings this season looming, Johnson could choose to jump Strasburg in these situations and throw Gio Gonzalez on normal rest. That would allow him to save Strasburg's innings for later in the season, when the Nationals will hopefully be fighting for a playoff spot. Both times...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tsuyoshi Wada made his first appearance today in an Orioles clubhouse since undergoing ligament-reconstructive surgery on his left elbow. Wada made the drive from the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. "Since the surgery, my elbow is getting better and better," Wada said through his interpreter. "I started doing some lower-body exercises this week, and starting next week, I'll start some shoulder exercises. About when I can come back, that's kind of too far...

Steve Lombardozzi wasn't in the Nationals' lineup yesterday. But after rain washed out the opener of this three-game series with the Braves, Lombardozzi is back in the leadoff spot and playing left field for Davey Johnson today. Michael Morse will hit fifth today against Braves righty Brandon Beachy, with the left-handed-hitting Adam LaRoche staying in the cleanup spot. Strangely, the Braves will hit Beachy eighth today, with left fielder Jose Constanza batting ninth. Here are the lineups...

The damage to Wilson Ramos' shredded right knee is so severe, it turns out he'll need two surgeries to fully repair it. Ramos recently underwent surgery on the meniscus in the knee, but doctors could not repair the torn ACL at this time. Manager Davey Johnson said doctors will need to wait to operate on the catcher's ACL. Johnson said he fully expects Ramos to be ready for spring training next year, but there's no chance of the 24-year-old returning this season. There is some positive...