What do you think was going through Jordan Zimmermann's mind as he watched the Nationals pull away from the Rockies and pile up a season-high 12 runs and franchise-record-tying 21 hits last night? "Guys ... stop ... save some of that for me, please?" That's just a guess. Zimmermann would take 12 runs of support over a span of four starts, much less one. Here's hoping the Nationals keep the offensive roll going and get the guy some runs tonight. Yesterday's offensive production was...

After last night's loss, the Orioles now have an even run differential. Their record is nine games over .500 at 41-32 but they have scored 310 runs this year and given up the same number. Their are eight American League teams with a better run differential than the Orioles but just two with a better record (the Rangers and Yankees). Winning close games has clearly been big for the club this year and the Orioles are 25-12 in games decided by two runs or less and 9-2 in extra-inning games. A...

You won't find many Orioles swinging hot bats right now, and shortstop J.J. Hardy definitely needs to knock the frost off the ol' lumber. Hardy is in a 3-for-40 slump that's lowered his average to .239. He went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts last night. The Orioles have played 73 games and Hardy has started 71 of them. The obvious move is to rest him for a night, perhaps giving the start to Robert Andino. Hardy is 0-for-9 lifetime against Jered Weaver, who starts tonight for the Angels. A...

I guess the Nationals were getting a little tired of everyone talking about how much their offense stinks. They've exploded for 12 runs and 16 hits tonight, and have only played six innings. The most runs the Nats had scored in a game this season prior to tonight was nine. They'd already matched that total by the end of the fifth inning. Every hitter in the lineup with the exception of Bryce Harper has a hit. Adam LaRoche has two home runs. Tyler Moore has a three-run shot which I'm not...

Brian Matusz hasn't gone more than 5 2/3 innings in his last four starts, and tonight he failed to retire a batter in the sixth before exiting. "It's a great hitting team, one through nine," he said. "I made some good pitches to get out of some innings, but when it came down to it, I left some fastballs over the plate." Matusz was allowed to come back out for the sixth, but Peter Bourjos' two-run homer ended his night. "I was fighting all the way through to stay in that game, and...

It wasn't difficult to figure out the reason why left-hander Brian Matusz struggled again tonight. "He was up just about the whole outing," manager Buck Showalter said following a 7-3 loss to the Angels before 24,296 at Camden Yards. "Was fortunate to still be the game with those hits. They hit a lot of balls hard that found holes. We hit a lot less hard, but didn't find holes. We made a lot of mistakes and Brian wasn't very crisp tonight." Showalter allowed Matusz to come back out...

As I type this, Ryan Zimmerman just reached a career milestone. With a single in the fifth inning in Colorado on Tuesday night, the Nats third baseman collected his 1,000th-career hit, needing only 903 games in which to do so. It's a great accomplishment, particularly for a guy who has battled some nagging injuries in recent memory. And while Zimmerman continues to achieve greatness on the field, it stands to reason things would be the same off the diamond. That certainly rings true, as it...

Brian Matusz gave up a career-high 13 hits tonight and is staring at his fourth consecutive loss unless the Orioles rally from a 5-1 deficit. Maicer Izturis singled leading off the top of the sixth and Peter Bourjos slugged a two-run homer - the 21st and 22nd runs allowed by Matusz in the sixth this season, most in the majors. Tommy Hunter replaced him. Matusz is charged with five runs on 13 hits, with no walks and one strikeout, in five-plus innings. He threw 82 pitches, 59 for...

The odds of an Orioles win may not be very great tonight. You have an O's team that has been slumping at the plate facing one of the league's best pitchers in C.J. Wilson of the Angels, who happens to be pitching very well in recent starts. Some Wilson stats: * Wilson is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA that ranks second in the AL. * He is 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA over his last six starts. * Wilson has the best ERA in baseball since Sept. 1, 2011 at 2.08, just ahead of R.A. Dickey (2.19) and Stephen...

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz has faced 14 batters in the first three innings tonight. The Angels have six hits. How is the score 1-0? Well, the Angels stranded Albert Pujols at second base in the first inning after his two-out double in his Camden Yards debut. They stranded Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis in the second inning after they singled. And they managed only one run in the third despite a leadoff double by Mike Trout and RBI single by Torii Hunter. Matusz threw eight pitches...