Williams on Roark, Werth and Souza (10:50 p.m. start time)

Williams on Roark, Werth and Souza (10:50 p.m. start time)
When Nationals manager Matt Williams wrote out the lineup card, he anticipated Jayson Werth could return to right field this evening, but that won't be the case. Werth was scratched from the Nats lineup with lingering soreness in his right shoulder and right ankle. Prior to being scratched, Williams said Werth was receiving treatment from the training staff. "When you get to this time of the season, you've got welts and scratches that can get kind of chronic if you allow it, so you've...

Souza diagnosed with shoulder inflammation

Souza diagnosed with shoulder inflammation
The Nationals' roster may have suffered another hit this evening in Atlanta. In the second inning, right fielder Steven Souza Jr., who was filling in for Jayson Werth, attempted to catch Freddie Freeman's two-run homer. Instead Souza slammed into the right field wall which is actually a chain link fence. Souza stayed in the game through the bottom of the inning, but was removed in the top of the third for Kevin Frandsen, due to shoulder inflammation. After the game manager Matt Williams...

Nats down early to Braves (Nats fall 7-6)

Nats down early to Braves (Nats fall 7-6)
The Nationals find themselves in a hole early in Atlanta. After being retired in order in the first, Stephen Strasburg took the mound in the bottom of the inning. Strasburg retired the first two batters he faced, but then issued a walk to Freddie Freeman. Justin Upton followed with a two-run homer to center field. Strasburg then walked Jason Heyward, but struck out Evan Gattis to end the inning. The Nats trail 2-0 at the end of one inning. Update II: Strasburg's struggles continued...

Williams after the Nats' 13-inning walk-off win

Williams after the Nats' 13-inning walk-off win
It took nearly five hours and 13 innings, but the Nationals earned a series win over the Mets. Bryce Harper's two-run walk-off homer gave the Nats a 5-3 win over the Mets. The bullpen pitched 6 2/3 innings scoreless innings, highlighted by three scoreless frames from Craig Stammen. On Harper's two-run, game-winning homer: "That was a good swing. He had a couple of good ones today. It's coming. I'm happy for him, happy for our guys they battled. It's even better that (Harper's)...

Social Media Weekend styled by Hair Cuttery coming up this weekend

Social Media Weekend styled by Hair Cuttery coming up this weekend
We're back at it again, Orioles fans! MASN's Social Media Weekend (#masnSMW) styled by Hair Cuttery starts this Friday, Aug. 8 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. By being social with MASN, you'll have chances to win during the entire Cardinals series at the ballpark. If you plan on heading to the Yard, you could win an opportunity to swap your seats for an upgraded view! Fans who are at the Yard and tag their tweets with #SeatSwap will be eligible to win a seat upgrade courtesy of...

Williams on second base rotation, Zimmerman, Soriano and more

Williams on second base rotation, Zimmerman, Soriano and more
Since losing third baseman/outfielder Ryan Zimmerman last Tuesday to a hamstring injury, Nationals manager Matt Williams has started Danny Espinosa, Zach Walters and Kevin Frandsen at second base. Espinosa has started three of the five games despite sporting a .214 average this season. He will also start tonight's series opener in Miami after picking up one hit in Sunday's win over the Reds. "I just like the way Danny played yesterday," Williams told reporters in Miami. "He hit three...

Phillies take early lead against Nats (Zimmermann leaves with injury, Nats fall 6-2)

Phillies take early lead against Nats (Zimmermann leaves with injury, Nats fall 6-2)
After sailing through the first inning, Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann ran into a bit of trouble in the second. After striking out Ryan Howard for the first out, Zimmermann allowed back-to-back singles to Marlon Byrd and Cody Asche. Domonic Brown then hit a two-run double to center to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Zimmermann ended the inning by striking out the last two batters. Through two innings, Zimmermann has thrown 25 pitches. The Nationals have two hits off of A.J....

Williams on Desmond, Werth and Nats' first half

Williams on Desmond, Werth and Nats' first half
Heading into the last series before the All-Star break, two of the Nationals' most reliable players are dealing with injuries. Both shortstop Ian Desmond and right fielder Jayson Werth were injured in Thursday's loss to the Orioles. Desmond was struck on the right hand by a Darren O'Day pitch in the eighth inning and is out of tonight's lineup. Werth fouled a ball off his foot in the ninth, but is starting tonight. After staying in the game initially, Desmond had to leave before the...

LaRoche gives Nats early lead in Game 2 (Nats win 7-2)

LaRoche gives Nats early lead in Game 2 (Nats win 7-2)
Coming into tonight's game, the Nationals needed to win in order to return to D.C. with a series split as well as a winning road trip. Apparently nobody told Adam LaRoche that Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija was on the mound. LaRoche hit his 11th homer of the season to give the Nats a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The homer was just the sixth Samardzija has allowed all season. Nats righty Blake Treinen has tossed two scoreless innings. Update: Another inning and another run off Samardzija....

Nats grab early lead in Milwaukee (Zimmerman homers in 16th, Nats win 4-2)

Nats grab early lead in Milwaukee (Zimmerman homers in 16th, Nats win 4-2)
The Nationals wasted no time scoring against the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo. Denard Span singled to right field for the Nats' first hit of the night. With Anthony Rendon batting, Span stole his 13th bag of the season. Span then went to third on Rendon's single and scored on Jayson Werth's RBI groundout to give the Nats a 1-0 lead. Gallardo has allowed just two runs in his last 21 innings, struck out 20 and walked three. The Nats lineup made Gallardo throw 29 pitches in the first....

Williams provides updates on Harper, Gonzalez and Ramos

Williams provides updates on Harper, Gonzalez and Ramos
Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper took swings in the batting cage with both hands this afternoon for the first time since tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on April 26. Manager Matt Williams told the media prior to tonight's game against the Astros that Harper is a taking a positive step in his rehab program. "Today was the first time with two hands," Williams said. "It's limited, but he's excited about that." Williams said Harper came through the hitting session...

Ryan Zimmerman's fifth annual A Night at the Park to take place June 16

Ryan Zimmerman's fifth annual A Night at the Park to take place June 16
On Monday, June 16, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will host his fifth annual A Night at the Park, presented by MASN. In addition to silent and live auctions, country singers Billy Currington and Jerrod Niemann will perform at the fundraiser. The event will raise money for Zimmerman's charity, the ziMS Foundation, which is dedicated to the treatment and the ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system. Zimmerman's mother Cheryl was...

MASN's first Social Media Weekend of '14 starts Friday

MASN's first Social Media Weekend of '14 starts Friday
It's the most wonderful time of the year, O's fans! MASN is hosting its first Social Media Weekend of the 2014 baseball season at Camden Yards on May 23-25. All weekend long, we'll be on-site, celebrating our social media followers and rewarding those fans for their loyalty. Hopefully, you're one of them! We'll kick things off with Adam Jones on Friday afternoon for his second live chat of the season. Jones will be fielding fan questions live on the front page of MASNsports.com, so be...

Williams, Fister and Desmond weigh in on Nats' win over Diamondbacks

Williams, Fister and Desmond weigh in on Nats' win over Diamondbacks
After falling behind in today's series finale, the Nationals were on the verge of returning to D.C., with a 1-5 record from their six-game road trip. To say today's game was a must-win might be a little exaggerated, but boy was it important. The Nats capitalized on seven strong innings from Doug Fister and a bases-loaded hit from Ian Desmond in the top of the ninth for to beat the Diamondbacks 5-1. Denard Span's leadoff walk in the ninth started the Nats' rally. Anthony Rendon then...

We have a pitchers' duel in the desert (Nats win 5-1)

We have a pitchers' duel in the desert (Nats win 5-1)
We've got a pitchers' duel in Arizona. After scoring a combined 15 runs in the last two games, the Nationals and Diamondbacks are scoreless through three innings. Doug Fister has thrown 52 pitches, allowing three hits and striking out four in three innings. Three of Fister's outs have come via the groundball, which is a good sign for the Nats' sinker ball pitcher. Fister's counterpart on the mound, Brandon McCarthy, has not allowed a hit and has struck out two through three. Update:...

Mattheus on his return to the Nats

Mattheus on his return to the Nats
Reliever Ryan Mattheus is back with the Nationals for the first time since the club left Viera, Fla., in March. The Nats called up Mattheus and sent starting pitcher Taylor Jordan to Triple-A Syracuse. Mattheus found out last Thursday that he would be returning to the Nats after he was ejected from a game. Mattheus threw one pitch against Indianapolis in the eighth inning. The ejection came one night after Syracuse and Indianapolis exchanged bean balls with one another. "It caught me a...

Bird Talk: O's shine defensively, Santana getting "close," power rankings and more

Bird Talk: O's shine defensively, Santana getting "close," power rankings and more
Last week, the Orioles played a pair of American League East opponents, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. The club was in Boston during the Red Sox's emotional tribute for Boston Marathon bombing victims. While Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski have you covered with wall-to-wall Orioles coverage, here are some stories from other media outlets. * ESPN's Buster Olney touched on the Orioles' stellar defense in his column from Sunday. Heading into last Sunday's game, the Orioles had...

Nationals Chatter: Harper, Harper, Harper and power rankings

Nationals Chatter: Harper, Harper, Harper and power rankings
Bryce Harper. Those two words dominated headlines not just in Washington, D.C., but all around baseball this past week - whether it was for his lack of hustle in Saturday's game against the Cardinals or for his hyped matchup with the Angels' Mike Trout. Here are a few headlines you may have missed from other media outlets regarding Harper and the Nationals. * Manager Matt Williams has received praise from many in the media over the way he handled the Harper situation. FOXSports.com's...

Bird Talk: Hunter's velocity increase, Jones shares New York thoughts, change in pie and more

Bird Talk: Hunter's velocity increase, Jones shares New York thoughts, change in pie and more
The Orioles kicked off the second week of the season on a high note by winning a series against the division rival Yankees in New York. Adam Jones found himself to be a favorite of the New York tabloids as he shared his comments about fans who run onto the field, as well as what he really thinks about new Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka. (More on Tanaka later.) While MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski have you covered with wall-to-wall Orioles news, below are some stories you may...

Nationals Chatter: Injury plague strikes, Williams on replay, more on Harper and Robinson

Nationals Chatter: Injury plague strikes, Williams on replay, more on Harper and Robinson
Much of the past week was dominated by the Nationals' injury woes. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and center fielder Denard Span are the latest Nats to hit the disabled list. Zimmerman is expected to be out four to six weeks after fracturing his right thumb on Saturday, while Span was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list after a collision with the Braves' Dan Uggla last Friday. In between injuries, the Nats were swept by Atlanta, but got back on the winning side of things after...