Nationals lose at Florida 16-10 on Wednesday night.

1.    The Nats fell to 57-77 overall and 37-62 since starting 20-15.

2.    The game will be remembered for a wild brawl in the sixth inning.
     a.    Center fielder Nyjer Morgan, who injured rookie catcher Brett Hayes’s left shoulder by crashing into him without sliding on Tuesday night, was hit by a pitch by starter Chris Volstad in the fourth inning.  Morgan then almost immediately stole second base and third base and scored on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Ian Desmond.
     b.    In the sixth inning, Volstad threw a pitch behind the 6-foot Morgan, who then charged at the 6-foot-8 Volstad.  Morgan was clotheslined by first baseman Gabby Sanchez. 
     c.    Ejected were Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez and pitchers Volstad and Jose Veras (HOH-zay VEHR-iss), along with Morgan.
     d.    Reliever Doug Slaten hit Sanchez with a pitch in the seventh inning, prompting his and manager Jim Riggleman's ejections.

3.    The Nats trailed 14-3 after three innings.

4.    Scott Olsen allowed nine runs in 1 2/3 innings.
     a.    Olsen has allowed four runs or more in four of his last six starts.
     b.    Olsen fell to 3-8 with a 5.88 ERA over 15 starts this season.

5.    Reliever Craig Stammen allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings.
     a.    Stammen gave up five hits (including two homers), two walks and a wild pitch.

6.    Slaten recorded two outs but gave up a solo homer.

7.    Positives from the loss:
     a.    The Nats totaled 16 hits and went 8-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
          i.    Desmond had two doubles, a single, two RBI and two runs.
          ii.   Catcher Will Nieves (nee-EH-vehs) had a solo homer and a single and finished with two runs.
          iii.  Pinch hitter/center fielder Justin Maxwell had two doubles and two runs.
          iv.  First baseman Adam Dunn had a double, a single and a run.
          v.   Right fielder Michael Morse had two singles and an RBI.
     b.    Relievers Miguel Batista and Drew Storen combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings.


Orioles lose to Boston 9-6 on Wednesday night.

1.    The O’s fell to 49-84 overall and 17-11 under manager Buck Showalter.

2.    The O’s blew a 5-2 fifth-inning lead.

3.    The O’s allowed six runs in the seventh inning.
     a.    Reliever Mark Hendrickson gave up three runs in 1 1/3 innings.
          i.    Hendrickson allowed a two-run homer.
          ii.   Hendrickson had provided scoreless relief in eight consecutive appearances.
     b.    Reliever Alfredo Simon (see-MOHN) gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings.
          i.    Simon (see-MOHN) allowed a three-run homer and now has allowed a homer in five of his last eight appearances.

4.    Rookie Jake Arrieta allowed three runs in five innings.
     a.    Arrieta threw 95 pitches in the five innings.
     b.    Arrieta now has a 5.11 ERA over 16 starts.

5.    Positives from the loss:
     a.    The O’s struck out 12 times but totaled 10 hits and went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
          i.    Left fielder/center fielder Felix Pie (pee-AY) had two doubles, an RBI and a run.
          ii.   Center fielder Adam Jones had a two-run double and a run but left the game in the seventh inning with a sore upper back.  He missed time recently with a sore upper back.
          iii.  Shortstop Julio Lugo had two singles and two runs.
          iv.  First baseman Ty Wigginton had two singles, an RBI and a run.
     b.    Reliever Matt Albers tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

Redskins trim their roster to 75 on Tuesday.

The Skins placed receiver Malcolm Kelly on injured reserve with his hamstring injury.  Executive vice president/head coach Mike Shanahan refused to say whether the hamstring was torn or strained, which is interesting given cornerback DeAngelo Hall told ESPN 980 on August 20 that Kelly’s hamstring injury was misdiagnosed as a Grade 1 strain when it was a Grade 2.  Kelly had three catches in five games as a rookie in 2008.  He played in all 16 games last season, starting 10 games and finishing with 25 catches (including an 84-yard reception in the season finale at San Diego).  Kelly is the Skins’ tallest receiver at 6-foot-4 (two inches taller than Devin Thomas) and is known for having good hands.

The Skins cut four players: offensive lineman Edwin Williams, safety Lendy Holmes, long snapper James Dearth and linebacker Hall Davis, who was just acquired from St. Louis via trade on Monday.

The Skins must cut down to 53 players prior to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 4.

Nationals lose at Florida 1-0 in 10 innings on Tuesday night.

1.    The Nats fell to 57-76 overall and 37-61 since starting 20-15.

2.    The Nats totaled just four hits, struck out 10 times and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
     a.    Second baseman Adam Kennedy, shortstop Ian Desmond, left fielder Roger Bernadina, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and catcher Ivan Rodriguez went a combined 0-for-21.  Bernadina did have an outfield assist.

3.    Closer Drew Storen recorded one out before allowing a single, a walk and a walk-off single.
     a.    Storen has allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings over his last three games.

4.    The Marlins turned a 4-6-2 double play to end the top of the 10th inning.  They were able to turn the double play because center fielder Nyjer Morgan attempted to score from second base on a groundball to second.  Morgan inexplicably did not try to slide (he might have been safe had he slid) and crashed into rookie catcher Brett Hayes, who left the game with a left shoulder injury and was not happy with Morgan.

5.    Positives from the loss:
     a.    Jordan Zimmerman tossed six scoreless innings in his second start of the season.
          i.    Zimmerman gave up just one hit and no walks and recorded nine strikeouts.
          ii.   Zimmerman underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2009.  His encouraging start came on the day it was announced rookie starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg will undergo Tommy John Surgery on Friday.
          iii.  Zimmerman allowed five runs in four innings in his season debut on August 26.
     b.    Relievers Joel (joh-EHL) Peralta and Tyler Clippard combined for three scoreless and hitless innings.
     c.    First baseman Adam Dunn had a single and two of the Nats’ four walks.


Orioles beat Boston 5-2 on Tuesday night.

1.    The O’s improved to 49-83 overall and 17-10 under manager Buck Showalter.

2.    The O’s concluded a 17-11 August, collecting their most wins in a month since going 18-10 in September 2004.

3.    Rookie Brian Matusz allowed two runs in six innings.
     a.    Matusz gave up six hits (including a two-run homer) and one walk and recorded six strikeouts.
     b.    Matusz went 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA over six starts in August.
     c.    Matusz improved to 7-12 with a 4.72 ERA over 27 starts this season.

4.    Relievers Jim Johnson, Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara (oo-eh-HAH-ruh) combined for three scoreless innings.

5.    The O’s totaled nine hits and went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
     a.    Designated hitter Luke Scott had a solo homer, an RBI single and a walk and finished with two runs.
          i.    Scott has a team-high 26 homers this season.
          ii.   Scott is eighth in MLB with a .570 slugging percentage and 10th in MLB with a .923 OPS.
     b.    Left fielder Felix Pie (pee-AY) had a solo homer.
          i.    Pie (pee-AY) batted .308 in August after hitting .222 in July.
     c.    Right fielder Nick Markakis hit his 40th double of the season and had a run. 
          i.    Markakis became just the 19th outfielder since 1900 to record at least four seasons with 40 doubles or more.
          ii.   Markakis is tied for sixth in MLB with 40 doubles.

Redskins announce a pair of trades with St. Louis on Monday.

The Skins dealt tight end/fullback Dennis Morris to the Rams for an undisclosed draft pick.  Morris was a sixth-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft and was not going to make the Skins according to executive vice president/head coach Mike Shanahan.  Morris had done little of note in practice or games this preseason.  The Skins have strong depth at tight end, and first-year player Darrel (duh-REHL) Young has been getting playing time ahead of Morris at fullback.

The Skins dealt an undisclosed draft pick to the Rams for linebacker Hall Davis.  He was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Nationals win at Florida 9-3 on Monday night.

1.    The Nats improved to 57-75 overall and 37-60 since starting 20-15.

2.    The start of the game was delayed for 2 hours 49 minutes due to rain.

3.    Relievers Joel (joh-EHL) Peralta, Tyler Clippard and Craig Stammen combined for nine strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

4.    The Nats went just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, but each of the two hits was a three-run homer.  The Nats totaled 11 hits and four walks.
     a.    Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman had a three-run homer, a single and a walk and finished with three runs.
          i.    Zimmerman is batting .321 (35-for-109) in August.
          ii.   Zimmerman is 10th in MLB with a .914 OPS.
     b.    First baseman Adam Dunn had a three-run homer, an RBI double and a walk.
          i.    The previously slumping Dunn is 6-for-10 with two homers over his last three games.
          ii.   Dunn is tied for third in MLB with 33 homers.
     c.    Left fielder Roger Bernadina had a triple, a single, a walk, a stolen base and three runs. 
          i.    Bernandina is 9-for-23 over his last five games.
     d.    Right fielder Michael Morse had a double and a single. 
          i.    Morse is 10-for-15 over his last four games.

5.    Jason Marquis earned his first win as a National.
     a.    Marquis allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings.
     b.    Marquis gave up seven hits (including two homers), three walks and a hit-by-pitch and recorded one strikeout.
     c.    Marquis improved to 1-7 with an 8.13 ERA over eight starts this season.

Nationals beat St. Louis 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.

1.    The Nats improved to 56-75 overall and 36-60 since starting 20-15.

2.    John Lannan allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings in his best start of the season and had a two-run double.
     a.    Lannan allowed two earned runs or less in five of his six starts in August.
     b.    Lannan improved to 6-6 with a 4.95 ERA over 20 starts this season.

3.    Right fielder/first baseman Michael Morse had a two-run homer and a single and finished with two runs.
     a.    Morse is 8-for-12 over his last three games.

4.    First baseman Adam Dunn had two singles, a walk and two runs.

5.    Center fielder/right fielder Roger Bernadina had a double and a single.

6.    Negatives from the win:
     a.    The Nats struck out nine times and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
     b.    Shortstop Ian Desmond committed his MLB-leading 29th error as a sharply hit groundball got by him in the ninth inning.
     c.    Closer Drew Storen (one run in 1 1/3 innings) allowed a solo homer in the ninth inning but recorded his third save in four chances.


The Nationals announce they have signed starting pitcher Livan Hernandez through the 2011 season on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Hernandez  is 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA over 27 starts this season and has been the Nats’ best starting pitcher.  He signed a minor-league contract with the Nats in February.  The irony of the announcement is that it came on the heels of Hernandez’s two worst starts of the season (12 runs in 10 2/3 innings over his last two starts).


Orioles win at the Angels 1-0 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

1.    The O’s improved to 48-83 overall and 16-10 under manager Buck Showalter.

2.    The O’s completed their first ever season sweep of the Angels (6-0).

3.    Jeremy Guthrie tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings.
     a.    Guthire had allowed 11 runs in 14 2/3 innings over his last two starts.
     b.    Guthrie improved to 8-13 with a 3.94 ERA over 27 starts this season.
     c.    The O’s have produced 18 quality starts in 26 games under Showalter.

4.    Reliever Michael Gonzalez struck out the only batter he faced.

5.    Reliever Koji Uehara (oo-eh-HAH-ruh) recorded a one-pitch save.

6.    Negatives from the win:
     a.    The O’s totaled just five hits and one walk, struck out 12 times and went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.  Their only run came on a sacrifice fly by catcher Matt Wieters.
     b.    Second baseman Julio Lugo left the game in the first inning after being struck in the head with a pickoff attempt.