In the eighth inning of today's 14-inning marathon, the Nationals nearly took the lead. In fact, it sure looked like they did take the lead. Two batters after Ian Desmond's two-out home run tied the game in the eighth, Tyler Moore came burning around third base, heading for home on Adam LaRoche's pinch-hit single to right. Just as Yankees catcher Russell Martin received a throw from right fielder Dewayne Wise, Moore dove (or should I say bellyflopped) head-first towards the plate. Moore...

It was a particularly rough afternoon at the plate for Bryce Harper. The talented rookie struck out five times against the Yankees in a 5-3, 14-inning loss before a sellout crowd of 41,287 at Nationals Park. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte used his slider to subdue Harper with three consecutive strikeouts. In his final pair of strikeouts, the frustration started to show as Harper had plenty to say to home plate umpire Tim Timmons. In the field, Harper did not miss a beat. He played masterful...

Post your comments here tonight: Let the live blogging begin. I'll be posting some stats, notes and commentary on tonight's game in this entry throughout the Orioles-Braves game. I hope you the readers do the same. Post any comments and/or questions here and keep the dialogue going. I'll try to answer questions and keep it interesting during the game. Each time something new is added, it will appear at the top of the content right below this message and push the rest of the content down the...

Here are a couple of updates on some currently injured minor league players: * Triple-A Norfolk's Ryan Adams has been out since mid-May with a fractured right thumb. He could begin a minor league rehab injury assignment on June 25 with short-season Single-A Aberdeen. * Norfolk catcher Luis Exposito, who has been out with a hamate bone injury, should return around July 15. * Double-A outfielder Ronnie Welty, who last played on May 10, could return around July 1. Welty has been out with a...

Andy Pettitte leaves, and things start turning for the Nationals. Old Man Pettitte went seven strong innings, allowing just two runs and striking out six, and he left with a 3-2 lead. Three batters after Pettitte exited, the game was tied. Ian Desmond's 10th home run of the season has knotted this contest at 3-3. He took a 2-2 pitch from Cory Wade and demolished it, sending it at least 10 rows deep into the left field seats. The 10 homers ties a career high for Desmond. He now has a mere...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't shaking up the lineup tonight. Chris Davis is starting in right field again, with Steve Pearce in left, Mark Reyolds at first base and Wilson Betemit at third. He'd love to sneak in a designated hitter, but no chance. For the Orioles: Brian Roberts 2B J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Wilson Betemit 3B Steve Pearce LF Jason Hammel RHP For the Braves: Michael Bourn CF Martin Prado LF Brian McCann C Dan...

The actor who played Steve Urkel on "Family Matters" - Jaleel White - threw out the first pitch before today's ballgame. He fired a strike in on the outer half. Must've actually been Stefan Urquelle sneaking onto the mound without anyone noticing. The Nats lead 2-1 midway through the fourth inning thanks to a two-RBI double by Jesus Flores. But this wasn't your standard two-RBI double. The ball traveled to the base of the 377-foot marker in left-center field despite the fact that...

Orioles pitchers are 0-for-9 at the plate with eight strikeouts in interleague games this year, which might seem like an obvious failing except that they were 9-for-22 (.409) last season, setting American League single-season records for most hits and highest batting average by pitchers in interleague competition. Wei-Yin Chen has struck out in both of his at-bats this season, and that's an obvious failing. He'll be the first to admit, through his interpreter, that he's a bad hitter. He had...

Nationals right-handed reliever Ryan Mattheus said everything went well with his foot in his latest rehab game at Double-A Harrisburg. He is feeling no complications as he recovers from plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Mattheus threw 26 pitches of scoreless ball over one inning. A club source on hand said Mattheus "looked great." Mattheus told me he will have two more rehab assignments on back-to-back days to see how the foot reacts to a pair of games in a row. If everything goes as...

Because of a vendor distribution problem, the Oriole Park 20th anniversary tumbler giveaway scheduled for Saturday, June 23 will not arrive in time to be handed out as originally planned, the Orioles announced Saturday. Instead, those eligible for the original promotion (the first 10,000 fans 15 and over) will receive a "Greetings from Birdland" T-shirt on June 23, along with a voucher to be redeemed for the tumbler once they arrive. The voucher will explain the methods of redemption, but...