Since opening day, there have been a few changes in the Orioles bullpen. Among those traded, sent to the minors or injured are Richard Bleier, Nate Karns, Jimmy Yacabonis, Pedro Araujo and Mike Wright. John Means is now in the rotation. New additions since then include Shawn Armstrong, Branden Kline, Evan Phillips, Yefry Ramirez and Gabriel Ynoa. The only bullpen pitchers on the opening day roster that are still in the 'pen are Paul Fry, Miguel Castro and Mychal Givens. Changeover was not...

In 2011, outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was a first-round draft pick by the Blue Jays. Then, after hitting. .268 in seven minor league seasons for the Blue Jays, he was traded March 8 to Baltimore for international slot money the Orioles weren't going to use anyway. When he arrived in spring training in Sarasota, Fla., he was projected as outfield depth on an Orioles roster that was loaded with outfield prospects making impressions. Now, six weeks into the season, Smith is one of the Orioles'...

Jonathan Villar moves back to shortstop and Hanser Alberto gets the start at second base for tonight's series opener against the Angels at Camden Yards. Rio Ruiz is batting cleanup. Stevie Wilkerson remains in center field and Pedro Severino is catching. Dan Straily will try to rebound from his last start against the Rays, when he allowed five runs and nine hits with three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He's 2-4 with a 7.49 ERA and 1.664 WHIP in nine career starts against the Angels. Albert Pujols...

LOS ANGELES - Right-hander Erick Fedde is adjusting to his new role with the Nationals after being a starter for most of his first four-plus seasons in pro ball. Fedde, 26, started 67 of the 85 appearances he has made with the Nats in their minor league system since 2015. The 2014 first-round selection from Nevada-Las Vegas rehabbed from Tommy John surgery to get back to a regular starting role in 2016. After building through the minors, Fedde made three starts for the Nats in 2017, and then 11...

LOS ANGELES - The biggest element of the Nationals offense, one the team has been unable to consistently demonstrate for close to 40 games, is a power-hitting bat day in and day out. Juan Soto showed what he could do with the bat in 2018. Anthony Rendon raced out to a hot start this season but was then slowed by the hit by pitch on his elbow in Miami on April 20. Matt Adams has shown flashes of his "Big City" bat, but the injury bug bit this slugger as well courtesy a left shoulder...

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals arrived in Chavez Ravine Thursday to begin a four-game set against the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers desperate to get their offense going to take pressure off their pitching staff. Mired in a four-game losing streak and fresh off a rough series sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, in which they scored only six total runs, the Nats tallied three runs quickly to set the tone in the opener against the Dodgers. They added three more tack-on runs late to help...

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals added veteran outfielder Gerardo Parra to their 25-man roster Thursday to look for a spark as the team attempts to dig its way out of a recent slump. Nats manager Davey Martinez said Parra brings a lot of versatility to the field, and swings the bat very well against right-handers. "He's a veteran outfielder that can play all three outfield positions, also plays a little bit of first base," Martinez said. "He gives us another left-handed bat. He'll play against...

The Orioles pitching has taken a bit of a turn for the better and that is very welcome. Yes, it's just small slice of a long season but maybe it provides a lift for the team and maybe we can begin to see more of it. The club's team ERA is 5.52 and through games of Wednesday, that still ranks last in the American League. But the ERA was over 6.00 for most of late April and it went as high as 6.37 on April 22. But over the past 13 games, the team ERA is 3.97 and the Orioles have allowed four...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with outfielder Gerardo Parra and placed outfielder Andrew Stevenson on the 10-day Injured List with back spasms (retroactive to May 7) on Thursday. Additionally, the Nationals designated right-handed pitcher Jimmy Cordero for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Parra, 32, joins the Washington Nationals after beginning the 2019 season with the San Francisco...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is staying true to his word in his use of reliever Mychal Givens. It's fine to label Givens as the closer based on his team-leading four saves and how he's the first choice to pitch last. But he won't be saved for the saves. Hyde trusts Givens to get the biggest outs anywhere after the sixth inning. Givens worked the eighth and ninth Wednesday night with the score tied and carried the game into extras. He's exceeded one inning in eight of his 13 appearances. The...