The Nationals have more left-handers in their bullpen than right-handers. The southpaws: Sean Burnett, Ross Detwiler, Michael Gonzalez and Tom Gorzelanny build a bond as many left-handers do, comparing pitches and game strategies. Detwiler came into a tough situation Tuesday. With starter Chien-Ming Wang struggling from the first three batters on, Detwiler and Gonzalez got the feeling they could be called upon earlier than usual. Although Detwiler has been a starter for most of his career,...

I've got plenty on the whole bizarre Joel Peralta pine tar incident coming up in a bit, with reactions from both the Nationals and the Rays. First, let's get to Chien-Ming Wang, who delivered another poor outing tonight and has a 6.62 ERA and 2.26 WHIP since joining the rotation. Wang has now made four starts this season. None have been all that impressive, and often, they've featured Wang struggling with his mechanics. That was true tonight, as well. "He's been having some problems...

I'm detecting a pattern with the Orioles. They're going to shut out their opponent or be shut out. Those are the two choices. Can they extend their streak to five straight games tonight? And which side will they occupy? One of my Twitter followers asked me last night whether the rotation will undergo any changes after the All-Star break. I replied that it might not take that long. Jamie Moyer is scheduled to make his third start tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, and executive vice president...

Every year as the trade deadline approaches, fans who are fortunate enough to find their team in contention get the luxury of engaging in a fun debate: should our team be buyers? Should they, in other words, make a play for one or more guys who might take a group from pretty good to very good, possibly playoff good? Or should they stick with what they have and hope it's enough? As Orioles fans, we typically sit this out and instead engage in some deadline variation of "sell or do...

Weird, wild stuff is happening here in D.C. as we get ready to start the eighth inning of a 5-4 ballgame. Rays reliever Joel Peralta, who pitched for the Nationals during the 2010 season, was ejected for having an "illegal substance" on or in his glove. The ejection happened before Peralta threw a single pitch in the eighth inning. All four umpires came out to the mound, as did the entire Rays infield and manager Joe Maddon. The umpires, including crew chief and home plate umpire Tim...

Frustration is now setting in for the Orioles' hitters and their fans. The Orioles were shut out for the second night in a row, as they lost 5-0 to the Mets tonight at Citi Field. This is the first interleague series the O's have lost after winning their first four. The Orioles have not scored in their last 21 innings, dating to Sunday at Atlanta. Mets starter Johan Santana, who had allowed 10 runs in 10 innings since pitching a no-hitter, pitched six shutout innings on four hits tonight,...

The Orioles might want to mix in a run once in a while. Not trying to be a know-it-all here, but I think it's pretty solid advice and I'm offering it up for free. It's almost like they're being punished since Jason Hammel tossed a one-hit shutout Saturday night in Atlanta. They needed another shutout to win the following day while being limited to two runs, and they managed only one hit last night while being shut out by Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Tonight, left-hander Johan Santana...

With Chien-Ming Wang putting up three straight sub-par starts entering tonight, this might have been a statement game of sorts for the veteran right-hander. This wasn't the statement he was hoping to make. Wang got smacked around by the Rays tonight, and was pulled after just 3 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits, gave up three extra-base hits, walked three batters (including Rays starter David Price) and tossed 77 pitches before being pulled. Ross Detwiler came on in relief of...

The Orioles still don't know whether outfielder Nolan Reimold will undergo surgery. They continue to wait and hold onto whatever bit of optimism remains. I wrote earlier today that Reimold was undergoing another examination - special assistant Brady Anderson accompanied him - after he already visited two cervical specialists. If you missed "O's Xtra" on MASN HD, here's what manager Buck Showalter told reporters at Citi Field regarding Reimold's status and what lies ahead: Buck Showalter...

After Sunday's game, a game in which Michael Morse went 0-for-4 at the plate, dropping his average to .211, he approached manager Davey Johnson and asked to be dropped in the batting order. "I'm killing the team," Morse told Johnson. "No, you're not killing the team," the Nats' manager replied. "You're going to be fine. You'll be carrying us in a minute. I'm not worried. I don't want you worrying." Morse and Ryan Zimmerman are frustrated with the way they've been swinging the...