It is what relievers are supposed to do. But Craig Stammen has only been a reliever for one week. The Nationals right-hander arrived in the fifth inning Saturday night after Jason Marquis struggled in getting guys out. The bases were loaded and there were no outs. The Diamondbacks third hitter, Justin Upton, was at the plate and the Snakes led 4-2. Stammen managed to induce a double play off the bat of Upton and struck out the dangerous Adam LaRoche. Facing only two batters, he got...

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg prepares for his 11th big league start today at Nats Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks after a rough outing on Tuesday that saw the right-hander allow a career-high six runs in a career-low 4 1/3 innings versus the Marlins. Pitching coach Steve McCatty says Strasburg (5-3, 3.07) has made some adjustments this week as he gets ready to tangle with the Snakes. "He got a little frustrated with himself and started concentrating and thinking about...

The Orioles sailed into the last of the fourth today with a 3-0 lead. But the game unraveled for the Birds and Brian Matusz when Tampa scored five runs in that inning and went on to beat the Birds, 7-3. The O's were batting .302 since Buck Showalter took over, but today were held to just four hits. There were 19 straight O's batters retired after an Adam Jones three-run homer in the third until a Matt Wieters double with one out in the ninth. The O's took a 3-0 lead in that third. After...

Tampa Bay pitching has retired the last 18 Oriole batters. If not for one swing from Adam Jones, the Rays would be working on a shutout. Andy Sonnanstine threw 99 pitches in five innings, but he escaped serious trouble in the first and second and benefited from the Rays' uprising against left-hander Brian Matusz in the fourth. The Orioles couldn't make it 11 quality starts in 12 games under Buck Showalter. Matusz lasted only four innings and was charged with five runs and nine...

There's a question no one needed to ask just a week or two ago. But now, after giving up five runs in just 3 2/3 in his last start, Zach Britton, the left-handed pitching prospect has an ERA of 5.71 over his past four Norfolk starts. He is 1-2, 3.57 overall in seven Triple-A starts over 35 1/3 innings. Britton had been pitching so well, that, even with this recent stretch, his ERA is still 2.09 over his last 13 starts between Double and Triple-A. He pitches tonight for the Tides at home...

Nationals pitcher Yuneski Maya threw three innings and 30 pitches in a game Friday and did "wonderful considering he hasn't pitched competitively in quite some time," according to Williams. Maya allowed no hits, no runs, no walks and struck out one. "He commanded the ball well and his breaking stuff was good. Maya has good mound presence and the pitches he threw went where he wanted them to go. He did the little things well, fielded his position and showed some mound savvy," said...

Adam Jones gave the Orioles a 3-0 lead with a three-run shot off the left field foul pole in the top of the third. It was Jones' 17th homer of the year. He is 1 for 2 today and is now batting .415 over his last 11 games at 17 for 41 with two homers and 8 RBI. He also has five doubles and a triple in that stretch. Jones had just one homer over his past 22 games until today's blast. He now has 51 RBI. Jones has hit 10 of his 17 homers on the road this year. He hit 8 homers in June and...

B.J. Upton went from first to third on Jason Bartlett's one-out single in the third inning. Good idea, except that Gabe Kapler stopped at third, adjusted his batting helmet and leaned in to talk to his coach as Upton approached the bag. The play's right in front of Upton, but that's a minor detail. He was going first to third and nobody was going to stop him. Kapler had little choice except to run home, where Matt Wieters waited for him and applied the tag. Kapler plowed into Wieters, but...

Adam Jones couldn't deliver with the bases loaded in the first inning, but he just slammed a ball off the foul pole in left field to break a scoreless tie and give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Andy Sonnanstine, whose ultimate goal is to reach 100 pitches before the fourth inning, tried to tempt Jones with another breaking ball. It worked. Jones jumped all over it. Ty Wigginton singled and Luke Scott walked before Jones came to the plate, giving the Orioles seven baserunners in two-plus innings....

How boring. The Orioles used a walk to Brian Roberts, an error, a double steal and a walk to Luke Scott to load the bases with one out in the top of the first inning. Who needs hits? The Orioles did. Adam Jones took a curveball that appeared to miss outside, but plate umpire Brian Knight called it a strike. Jones swung through a fastball to fall behind, 0-2, fouled off a pitch while trying to protect the outer half of the plate - he no longer could trust Knight - and popped up the next one...