The Nationals are about to wrap up their best first half in franchise history. At 45-32, Washington has the best record in the National League, is 3.5 games ahead of the second place team in the NL East, and is on pace to win 95 games this season. What has been perhaps most impressive about the team's run so far this year is that when former cellar-dwellers come out of nowhere in this fashion, they usually do so on the shoulders of one identifiable superstar. Whether it be a franchise player...

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that we were talking about Manny Machado being in a slump. Actually, it was. Remember this story. Yeah, that didn't last long. Machado was not picked for the Eastern League All-Star Game and maybe league officials are regretting that now. He will play on the big stage of the Futures Game Sunday for the second year in a row. Machado's bat is now sizzling at Double-A Bowie. Since being selected to participate in the Futures Game, Machado is batting .383 (18-47)...

The Nationals will square off against the Giants and starter Tim Lincecum tonight. Lincecum is 3-8 with a 5.60 ERA this season, but has put up quality starts his last two times out. He delivered seven shutout innings his last start, which came against the Dodgers. Here's Davey Johnson's lineup for tonight: LF Steve Lombardozzi CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman RF Michael Morse 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa C Jesus Flores P Jordan Zimmermann For the Giants: RF...

Believe it or not, Jordan Zimmermann has only one win at Nationals Park since last year's All-Star break. One win. In 11 starts. This despite posting a 3.13 ERA during those 11 outings at home. Zimmermann's last home win came on Aug. 18, 2011. In his eight home starts since, he has an 0-4 record and has received 10 runs of offensive support while in the game. Despite all the talk about the Nationals' two All-Star starters (Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez), Zimmermann currently leads...

The Orioles' current slide is nothing that a four-game winning streak couldn't fix. It's just that right now, the Orioles don't look capable of winning four in a row. The O's have lost six of their last seven games and have been outscored 58-25 during that stretch. They have looked every bit as bad as that run differential would indicate. Here is something pretty amazing: From May 20-June 1, the Orioles lost nine of 11 games. Currently they have lost 10 of 13 games. That is a record of...

You've heard of bad losses. Last night's loss was a bad one. It makes a fist and punches you in the gut. It takes up two parking spaces. It uses up all the hot water. It raises gas prices. It hides the remote control. It brings 20 items into the express lane. It sits behind you in the theater and won't stop talking. It hires Lindsay Lohan to babysit your kids. Yeah, the kind of loss so bad, it should be put on timeout. The Orioles led the Mariners 3-1 in the seventh inning. They had...

The Orioles had just three hits tonight, but for a while it looked like they had enough runs to get a win in Seattle. Then the Mariners took advantage of a late O's miscue on defense to score five runs over their last two innings and beat the Orioles 6-3. Chris Davis hit his second homer in the last three games, a three-run shot in the fourth, and that gave the O's a 3-1 edge, which held up until the bottom of the seventh. With a man on first and none out in the seventh, Chone Figgins...

Jason Hammel tied his career high by allowing eight runs in his final start before the All-Star selections were announced. Bad timing. Hammel is one of five finalists for the Final Vote, joining fellow pitchers Jonathan Broxton, Yu Darvish, Ernesto Frieri and Jake Peavy. Tonight, he's held the Mariners to one run through six innings. Good timing. Hammel has given up five hits, including John Jaso's gift double in the sixth, walked none and struck out seven. He's clinging to a 3-1 lead...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, during his pregame session with reporters in Seattle, indicated that Chris Tillman could start Wednesday against the Mariners instead of Thursday against the Angels. Executive vice president Dan Duquette told me earlier today that Tillman was scratched from his start in Triple-A Norfolk in case he was needed to pitch against the Angels, but Jake Arrieta could be pushed back a day. That seems to be the plan. It might be a good idea to reintroduce Tillman to...

After a 328 day absence, it appears that Chris Tillman is returning to the Orioles rotation Thursday. While Tillman's 2010 and 2011 seasons have been difficult and trying, in 2012 he has turned back the clock to 2009. In 2009, the 21-year old phenom dominated the International League for nearly four months (only Braves 22-year old hurler Tommy Hanson was better). That was the last bit of real success Tillman has had until this season. I was present at a few of those Norfolk Tides games...