Big & Rich to take the place of Dierks Bentley in Free NatsLive Post Game Concert

Big & Rich to take the place of Dierks Bentley in Free NatsLive Post Game Concert
The Nationals regretfully announce that Dierks Bentley will be unable to play his previously scheduled June 2 concert at Nationals Park due to a serious illness in his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dierks and his family during this difficult time. Fans who purchased tickets to Saturday's Nationals-Braves game will now be able to enjoy a performance by country superstars Big & Rich in the first free NatsLive Post-Game Concert of the season. Known for the hit singles "Lost in This...

J.J. Hardy selected as the AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead

J.J. Hardy selected as the AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead
The Orioles today announced that shortstop J.J. Hardy has been selected as the AT&T Fans' Choice Bobblehead. For the first time in Orioles history, fans were able to select the player they wanted immortalized in a bobblehead giveaway. The bobblehead is scheduled to be distributed during Fan Appreciation Weekend on Sunday, September 30 to the first 20,000 fans age 15 and over. Voting began on April 10 and fans voted three different ways throughout the promotion: through unlimited mobile...

O's activate Chavez, purchase Gonzalez's contract; Hunter, Avery optioned

O's activate Chavez, purchase Gonzalez's contract; Hunter, Avery optioned
The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated outfielder Endy Chavez from the disabled list, selected the contract of right-hander Miguel Gonzalez and optioned right-hander Tommy Hunter and outfielder Xavier Avery to Triple-A Norfolk. Chavez was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 9 with a strained left oblique. He is batting .133/.175/.167 in 20 games for the Orioles this season. Chavez appeared in three rehab games with Double-A Bowie, going 3-for-10 with two walks and...

Moore optioned to Syracuse, Solano to be recalled

Moore optioned to Syracuse, Solano to be recalled
The Nationals made a roster move after today's 5-3 loss to the Miami Marlins, optioning first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore to Triple-A Syracuse. They are expected to recall catcher Jhonatan Solano from Syracuse before Tuesday's game to serve share duties with catcher Carlos Maldonado, who went 0-for-4 in today's defeat. The only other catcher on the active roster is Jesus Flores, who left Sunday's game with a mild right hamstring strain. The impending arrival of the 26-year-old Solano...

Nationals option Tyler Moore to Syracuse

Nationals option Tyler Moore to Syracuse
Following today's game at Miami, the Washington Nationals optioned infielder Tyler Moore to Syracuse of the International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Moore, 25, batted .158 (3-for-19) in 12 games this season with Washington.

Nats drop opener in Miami

Nats drop opener in Miami
Jordan Zimmermann hit his first career home run and Ryan Zimmerman added a two-run double, but the Nationals fell 5-3 to the Miami Marlins on Monday, ending their winning streak at three games. Zimmermann lasted six innings, yielding four runs on eight hits. He walked none and struck out four. Since starting the season 3-1, Zimmermann has gone 2-4 in his last six starts. His solo home run to left off Carlos Zambrano in the third inning staked the Nationals to a 1-0 lead. But Logan Morrison...

Reynolds activated from DL, Pomeranz placed on DL

Reynolds activated from DL, Pomeranz placed on DL
The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated infielder Mark Reynolds from the disabled list and placed right-hander Stu Pomeranz on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 26, with a left oblique injury. Reynolds was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 11 with a strained left oblique. He is batting .191/.324/.337 with two home runs and nine RBI in 27 games for the Orioles this season. He has hit safely in five of his last seven games before going on the DL, batting...

Who says pitchers can't hit? (Nats trail 5-3 after seven)

Who says pitchers can't hit? (Nats trail 5-3 after seven)
What is it with Nationals starting pitchers with a bat in their hands? Jordan Zimmermann became the latest starting hurler to homer, crushing a Carlos Zambrano pitch to left-center for a 1-0 lead over the Marlins in the third inning. It was his first career homer. Last night, you'll recall, Gio Gonzalez - who only had to wield a bat in anger in a rare interleague start as an Oakland A before this year - ripped a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 2-2. It was his first career RBI. Last...

Nationals select Brown from Triple-A, place Tracy on DL

Nationals select Brown from Triple-A, place Tracy on DL
The Washington Nationals today selected outfielder Corey Brown from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed infielder Chad Tracy on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to May 27, with a right adductor strain. Additionally, Washington transferred outfielder Jayson Werth to the 60-Day DL. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Brown batted .297 with nine doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 30 RBI and...

Maldonado in for Flores as Nats open series in Miami (updated)

Maldonado in for Flores as Nats open series in Miami (updated)
The Nationals get their first look at brand-new Marlins Park in Miami today, after playing an ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" game in Atlanta last night. It's a quick turnaround made easier by the fact that Memorial Day dawns with the Nats in first place in the NL East. The only change in today's lineup is the presence of catcher Carlos Maldonado instead of Jesus Flores behind the plate. Flores sustained a mild right hamstring strain in the finale of the Braves series, and gets today off,...

Another crack at Komatsu?

Another crack at Komatsu?
The Nationals lamented losing outfielder Erik Komatsu to the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, posturing that he was an important piece of organizational depth. Now, they might have another crack at reacquiring the 24-year-old, who came to Washington from the Brewers in exchange for utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., last July 30. This morning, the Twins designated Komatsu for assignment to open up a roster spot, meaning he will have to pass through waivers in order...

Valentine's days in Baltimore are cherished memories for ex-Oriole

Valentine's days in Baltimore are cherished memories for ex-Oriole
As "Oops" moments go, the one committed by Fred Valentine in his rookie season with the Orioles in 1959 was a whopper. But the affable 77-year-old now laughs off his error of aggression as a youthful indiscretion. "Paul Richards was the manager when they brought me up in '59," Valentine said. "Gus Triandos was catching, and they put me in the lineup, hitting behind Triandos. Sure enough, he hit a ball off the right-field wall - and Gus was slow, really slow - and stopped at first base....

For Oriole Advocates, Challenger Baseball is a rewarding endeavor

For Oriole Advocates, Challenger Baseball is a rewarding endeavor
The 16 teams that gathered on baseball diamonds in Thurmont, Md., last weekend for a baseball jamboree didn't focus on wins and losses, batting averages and ERAs. They were more attuned to the game's basic tenets - hitting a pitched ball, fielding and throwing, running the bases. When a physical or developmental disability makes it more difficult to play the game you love, you tend to focus on the little things - and like the saying goes, the little things often mean the most. Since 1991,...

Over capacity with room to spare

Over capacity with room to spare
When is a sellout not a sellout? How about Saturday night, when the nationally televised Orioles-Nationals game drew 42,331 to Nationals Park? Despite exceeding the stadium's listed capacity of 41,487 (see page 122 of the team's 2012 media guide), the throng that saw the middle game of the first "Battle of the Beltways" inteleague series this season won't go down in the record books as a sellout. No, your grasp of basic mathematics hasn't failed you. I can assure you that 42,331 is...

Desmond's suggestion sparked Johnson's reworked batting order

Desmond's suggestion sparked Johnson's reworked batting order
So how did Nationals manager Davey Johnson arrive at the notion of moving leadoff hitter Ian Desmond to the No. 5 spot in Saturday's lineup, while bumping Bryce Harper, who had been hitting fifth, into the two-hole? Partly out of need to inject some life into a batting order that's been struggling to produce offense and partly because the change was suggested to him by one of the parties involved. "Just needs shaking up a little bit, you know?" Johnson said during his pregame session...

Maldonado gets start, Desmond hitting fifth, day off for Espinosa

Maldonado gets start, Desmond hitting fifth, day off for Espinosa
Carlos Maldonado gets his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace the injured Sandy Leon, but tonight's Nationals lineup against the Orioles also includes some other surprising shuffling. Shortstop Ian Desmond gets his first shot at the five-hole this season, with Steve Lombardozzi hitting leadoff and playing second base. This isn't the first time Desmond has hit fifth - he did so once in 2010 and three times in 2011, and is a career .353 (6-for-17) in that spot in...

April 22 postonement to be made up as part of Aug. 3 single-admission doubleheader

April 22 postonement to be made up as part of Aug. 3 single-admission doubleheader
The April 22 Nationals-Marlins game at Nationals Park has been rescheduled as part of a traditional, single-admission doubleheader on Friday, August 3, with the first game beginning at 4:05 p.m. The second game will follow at 7:05 p.m. or later, depending on when the first game is completed. All tickets for the postponed April 22 game can be exchanged at the Nationals Park Box Office for seats of equal or lesser value for the August 3 doubleheader or any remaining regular or value home game...

Nats select Maldonado from Triple-A, DL Leon, move Ramos to 60-day disabled list

Nats select Maldonado from Triple-A, DL Leon, move Ramos to 60-day disabled list
The Washington Nationals today selected catcher Carlos Maldonado from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed catcher Sandy Leon on the 15-Day Disabled List with a high ankle sprain (right ankle). The Nationals also transferred catcher Wilson Ramos from the 15- to the 60-Day Disabled List. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The 33 year-old Maldonado, who will wear No. 49 when he joins the Nationals...

MASN's reaction to the Fourth Circuit's decision regarding the MASN and Time Warner Cable dispute

MASN's reaction to the Fourth Circuit's decision regarding the MASN and Time Warner Cable dispute
MASN STATEMENT REGARDING TIME WARNER CABLE: We're disappointed by the Fourth Circuit's decision, which upholds the FCC's order reversing the decisions of two independent arbitrators and the FCC's Media Bureau that had ruled in MASN's favor. We will continue to explore ways to bring our exciting lineup of live sports action to Time Warner Cable's subscribers in North Carolina. Viewers in North Carolina who want to watch MASN's programming can find it on DirecTV, Dish, Charter, Mediacom, M...

Flashback: Trumpet-tooting fans, Camden Yards mojitos and a body-slamming umpire

Flashback: Trumpet-tooting fans, Camden Yards mojitos and a body-slamming umpire
Did you know there were different species of orioles? We all know that there's a Baltimore Oriole - of the winged and baseball-playing varieties. There are also Puerto Rican, Hispaniolan and Bahama birds. And, believe it or not, a Cuban Oriole. They all used to be lumped into the same species, until elevated into individual statuses in 2010. The Cuban Oriole is endemic to the Caribbean island nation, and its habitats are tropical and subtropical forests, particularly those boasting mangrove...