The Orioles toyed with the idea of going with a six-man rotation, settled on the more traditional five and are downsizing to four. It's still April, only 16 games into the season. The roster will undergo plenty of changes and various circumstances are going to force the adjustments, whether due to injuries, postponements or quirky off-days stuffed into one week. Dean Kremer was optioned late Saturday night because he's a fifth starter on a team that isn't playing today or Thursday. Having to...

The Orioles were locked in another pitcher's duel this afternoon. Last night they trailed 1-0 after six innings but won 6-1. It was 0-0 today in Arlington, Texas through six. And through seven. And eight and nine. But the Orioles finally cracked. Nate Lowe's bases loaded single to left won it 1-0 in 10 innings for Texas as the O's failed to sweep and fall to 7-9 for the year. The O's missed a chance in the top of the 10th. With Maikel Franco on third and one out, pinch-hitter Trey Mancini...

There's nothing wrong with the mound at Camden Yards, the home clubhouse or the ballpark atmosphere. The routine at home isn't disruptive. John Means just happens to pitch better on the road this month, for reasons that can't be explained beyond the ridiculously small sample size. In Means' lone outing in Baltimore, he faced the Mariners in the first game of a doubleheader and allowed three runs in five innings with two home runs attached to his line. In starts made on three trips, he's...

The day began with aggravating - though not terribly shocking, if you've been paying attention - news. Stephen Strasburg was going back on the injured list, this time with right shoulder inflammation, and the $245 million pitcher would not be making his scheduled start against the Diamondbacks. Rarely in the past have the Nationals not suffered as a result of a Strasburg IL stint, and it's certainly now fair to wonder how they will survive this one, with Patrick Corbin also struggling and Jon...

Following the first game of an April 13 doubleheader against the Mariners, Freddy Galvis was batting .143/.211/.171 and attracting some heat for his inconsistent play at shortstop. The comparisons to José Iglesias weren't flattering. Some fans were demanding that the Orioles recall Richie Martin from the alternate training site, especially after he collected two hits, including an RBI double, a walk and two stolen bases in Tuesday's game against the Nationals in Bowie. But Galvis had two...

After losing Thurday's doubleheader at home scoring three runs in two games, the Orioles scored 11 in the first two games of their series at Texas. They have posted 5-2 and 6-1 wins. Today they can sweep this series and get back to the .500 mark. The Orioles (7-8) are 6-2 on the road, winning three in a row away from Oriole Park. Last night's win improved the O's record to 3-7 when their opponent scores first. Entering this weekend, the Orioles had lost six in a row and nine of 11 in games...

Anytime during his 11-year career Stephen Strasburg has looked as bad as he did Tuesday night in St. Louis, when he was rocked for eight runs in five innings with diminished velocity, erratic command and poor body language, the right-hander has proven either to be injured or tipping his pitches. Turns out he was injured after all. The Nationals placed Strasburg on the 10-day injured list this morning with right shoulder inflammation, a transaction loaded with ramifications, the most immediate...

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Paolo Espino and recalled right-handed pitcher Ryne Harper from the Alternate Training Site (Fredericksburg) on Sunday. Additionally, the Nationals placed right-handed pitchers Stephen Strasburg (right shoulder inflammation; retroactive to 4/15) and Wander Suero (left oblique strain) on the 10-day Injured List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Espino, 34, will...

The Orioles filled the opening on their 26-man roster today by recalling reliever Cole Sulser from the alternate training site in Bowie. Sulser is riding the proverbial shuttle. He broke camp with the team, was optioned to make room for reliever Shawn Armstrong and served as the 27th man in Thursday's doubleheader. In two appearances, Sulser has tossed three scoreless innings with no walks and five strikeouts. He was on the taxi squad. Dean Kremer was optioned late last night because the...

The Nationals would like to win today's series finale against the Diamondbacks, no question. If they do, they'd have taken three of four over the weekend and five of seven over the last week, a nice bounceback since that ragged 1-5 start to the season. But truth be told, there's a bigger story going on right now that supersedes anything: Stephen Strasburg is injured. Despite his and the team's insistence nothing was physically wrong Tuesday night when he was shelled in St. Louis, the...