Another Monday, another edition of Clubhouse Cliff Notes. As you might've noticed, there were a lot more wins than losses for the Nationals this week, so most of the chatter in the clubhouse was of an upbeat nature. Here you'll find some of the more interesting, humorous or insightful things said this week. As always, I've tried to keep this entry fresh by going with quotes that I didn't use in previous entries. And away we go: Ryan Mattheus April 18 pregame Context: On his most recent...

In his first three starts as an Oriole, pitcher Wei-Yin Chen is 1-0 with an ERA of 2.60. He has allowed two earned runs or less in each outing and the Orioles have won two of his three starts. Chen recorded his first career quality start Sunday in Anaheim, pitching a season-high 6 1/3 innings. He has a 15-to-6, strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17 1/3 innings. There are certainly some things to like about Chen. They include the fact he is left-handed, is just 26 years old, has some solid experience...

Syracuse Chiefs center fielder Bryce Harper crushed his first homer at the Triple-A level off of Buffalo Bisons starter Jeurys Familia. Harper also added a single and finished 2-for-3, his average now standing at .242. Buffalo won the game 6-1. Double-A Harrisburg Senators starter Jeff Mandel has added a breaking ball to his repertoire. The breaking pitch has more depth and is "coming along," according to a team source. Mandel is 1-1 with a 0.96 ERA in three starts, striking out 10 and...

It was easy to understand why Stephen Strasburg would get upset. Maybe it was the calls he got at San Diego State. Or maybe it was the wide strike zone he occasionally enjoyed at the minor league level. But in his first season, Strasburg would sometimes get riled up when strikes were called balls. He would lose focus and a walk or hit would follow. Suddenly, the opponent was under his skin and gained an edge they could use. Against Cleveland in June of his first season, Strasburg had...

Nick Markakis began today in a 6-for-33 stretch, without an RBI over his last eight games and with just one over his past 13 contests. But the Orioles right fielder delivered huge hits this afternoon in the eighth and 10th innings as the Orioles beat the Angels 3-2 in 10 innings. The win allowed the Orioles to finish their trip through Toronto, Chicago and Anaheim with a 6-4 record. The last time the Orioles had a winning record on a 10-game trip, they went 6-4 at Toronto, Minnesota and Boston...

Endy Chavez singled and scored the go-ahead run for the Orioles in the top of the eighth inning, using his speed to reward third base coach DeMarlo Hale for the aggressive send. With the score tied in the 10th, Robert Andino drew a leadoff walk against former Orioles reliever Latroy Hawkins and took second on Chavez's sacrifice bunt. Andino moved to third with two outs and scored on another Nick Markakis single. Orioles 3, Angels 2. To review: Chavez made a great running catch in left field...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter came out of the dugout in the sixth inning to protect Nick Markakis, who argued a strike call, and ended up getting tossed for the first time this season and the 20th in his career. Bench coach John Russell has taken over the managerial duties. Showalter isn't far away. He's just not in disguise. Showalter needed to vent. He's been upset with the strike zone at various times during this entire road trip, and especially in this series. He mentioned last...

The Orioles have not put any runs on the board so far today through five innings against Angels right-hander Dan Haren. They trail 1-0 after four and a half innings. The Orioles are just 3-for-17 at bat today with three singles and eight strikeouts and have put just one runner in scoring position. The Orioles' bats have been scuffling a bit since that late-game homer explosion Monday night at Chicago. In the five games since, they have scored just 15 runs on 31 hits with a team average of...

Endy Chavez saved a run in the bottom of the first inning today, and for a team that's been so bad defensively, it's worth pointing out and embracing and asking for a second date. Chavez broke back for the fence and made a running, backhanded catch to rob Albert Pujols with one out and a runner on second base. This isn't an usual occurrence for Chavez. I've seen him race into the gap and to the line to make outstanding catches. He's a plus-defender, which makes him a solid fourth...

There are both positives and negatives that can be taken out of this afternoon's rained-out series finale between the Nationals and Marlins. First, the pluses. Ryan Zimmerman was scheduled to get today off to give his inflamed right shoulder a chance to rest. Now, he'll get that break without needing to miss an additional game. The rainout means Zimmerman will go into Tuesday's series opener in San Diego on three days of rest and having only been out of the Nats' lineup once....