With a win today, the Nationals would record their first four-game home sweep since their arrival in Washington in 2005. Is it possible for that note to both surprise me and not surprise me in the slightest? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, with yesterday's win, Edwin Jackson became the first player in modern baseball history (since 1901) to record at least one win in a starting role for at least seven different teams prior to his 29th birthday. Is it possible for that note to both...

The Orioles' lineup has a different look today. Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty is making his first major league start, replacing Robert Andino at second base. Andino has shifted to shortstop. Ronny Paulino is behind the plate J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds are on the bench. For the Orioles: Endy Chavez LF Nick Johnson DH Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Wilson Betemit 3B Chris Davis 1B Ronny Paulino C Ryan Flaherty 2B Robert Andino SS Brian Matusz LHP

The Orioles are 7-29 in their last 36 games against the Blue Jays, but they've won five of the last nine. One of the keys: Making sure Nolan Reimold bats in the ninth inning. The Orioles are hitting .196 with runners in scoring position, but they're 5-3 and looking for their second sweep of the season. Brian Matusz is making his fourth career start against the Blue Jays. In the first three, he's gone 0-2 with an 18.56 ERA in only 5 1/3 innings, with 14 hits allowed, four walks, five...

Five days ago, Ross Detwiler went five shutout innings. The next day, Stephen Strasburg threw six shutout frames. Gio Gonzalez followed with seven scoreless innings. Jordan Zimmermann then tossed seven innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 13-inning win. Then yesterday, Edwin Jackson threw a complete game, allowing just one run. If it seems like the Nationals' starters are actively trying to one-up each other on a daily basis, it's because they are. The guys in the Nationals rotation are on fire...

The Orioles began yesterday in a four-way tie for first place in the American League East and now they are, at least for a day, alone at the top at 5-3. So they've got that going for them. They also seem to have a little spunk and chemistry going for them in the early going. It is impressive that they pulled out these games in Toronto considering they kept giving up leads on Friday night and their own error led to Toronto taking a lead in the sixth yesterday. But they pulled both out late,...

Edwin Jackson had thrown a complete game before. He'd actually thrown four of them, including a no-hitter. But never had he been nearly this pitch-efficient when going a full nine innings. Jackson finished today's outing having thrown just 92 pitches in his nine frames of one-run ball, a far cry from his 149-pitch no-hitter back in 2010. Known for elevated pitch counts and having to work with runners on base, Jackson was a different guy today. He was able to pitch from the windup nearly...

When pitching coach Steve McCatty went out to talk to talk to Edwin Jackson after the Nationals righty had issued a four-pitch leadoff walk in the eighth inning, the conversation was pretty cut and dried. As McCatty puts it, it was like a scene out of the movie "Full Metal Jacket." "I went and asked him, 'How are you doing?' " McCatty said. "He says, 'I'm fine.' I say, 'Well, do you want this?' He goes, 'Yes.' I said, 'Well, if you want it, you tell me you want it.' And he...

Nationals starter Edwin Jackson's complete game was a gem unto itself: nine frames, two hits, one run, one walk and nine strikeouts. In only 92 pitches, Jackson handed the Nationals their first complete game of the season and a five-game win streak. He also gave a taxed bullpen a full day off. Following 23 innings of pitching, nine of those frames from the bullpen in the past two days, Saturday was a game for the relievers to be spectators, Jackson. "Because of the extra innings, this was...

Francisco Cordero could have signed with the Orioles over the winter. He narrowed his choices to two teams. He chose the Blue Jays. The Orioles are trying to give him regret. Nolan Reimold hit a two-run homer off Cordero in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie. The ball landed in the second deck. Chris Davis reached on an infield hit, the ball slamming off Cordero. Pinch-runner Ryan Flaherty kept drawing throws from Cordero. Maybe Cordero lost focus. The Orioles want him to lose the...

Nolan Reimold came into this Toronto series batting just .238, but he now has five hits in the last two days, including a very big one today in the top of the ninth. Reimold's two-run homer broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Orioles a 6-4 win at Toronto. He is 5-for-10 in the series with two doubles, two homers and three RBIs. The Orioles went 4-23 in Toronto from 2009-2011, but now have a series win there for the first time since June 2008 and can sweep this series Sunday. Wilson Betemit's...