The fourth save of reliever Mychal Givens' season last night required him to get the last four outs. It's happened twice this month, with Givens striking out three batters in 1 1/3 innings in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader in Chicago. The extreme already had passed, with Givens facing nine batters and covering the last two innings of a 4-3 win over the White Sox on April 24 at Camden Yards. Manager Brandon Hyde isn't shy about pushing Givens, who's exceeded one inning in seven of his...

Orioles reliever Nate Karns is confident that he's going to avoid surgery on his right elbow. Karns received a second opinion yesterday from Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., and an MRI showed no evidence of structural damage. He received an injection to alleviate the tightness in his forearm and will remain shut down. "Doing great, doing great," Karns said this afternoon while standing at his locker. "Second opinion went well. My MRI is clean. We just got a shot to kind of help with...

The Washington Nationals made the following roster moves on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Reinstated third baseman Anthony Rendon from the 10-day Injured List Recalled right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde from Double-A Harrisburg Optioned infielder Carter Kieboom to Triple-A Fresno Placed left-handed pitcher Tony Sipp on the 10-day Injured List with a strained oblique Rendon, 28, returns to the active...

MILWAUKEE - It's not enough to completely change the complexion of the lineup, but the Nationals do have to feel a little better about the state of things now because they've got Anthony Rendon back 17 days after he was hit by a pitch in the left elbow. Yes, the Nationals have officially activated Rendon off the 10-day injured list. He'll be at third base and should be batting third, a major boon to the club both at the plate and in the field. The corresponding roster move: Carter Kieboom...

The Orioles invite families to spend Mother's Day Weekend at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as the Orioles take on the Los Angeles Angels from May 10-12. On Saturday, May 11 at 4:05 p.m., the Orioles will host A League of Their Own Movie Night, presented by United Concordia, when the first 20,000 fans 15 and older will receive a "There's No Crying In Baseball" t-shirt. Fans are invited to remain in the ballpark after the game to watch A League of Their Own on the center field video board. The...

Joey Rickard is starting in left field tonight and Stevie Wilkerson is in center as the Orioles continue their series against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. Dwight Smith Jr. is the designated hitter. Hanser Alberto was out of the lineup last night, but he's playing second base tonight. Jonathan Villar moves to shortstop. Chris Davis is batting fifth. Austin Wynns is catching. Renato Núñez is a career .302 (19-for-63) hitter against the Red Sox, but he's on the bench tonight. David Hess...

MILWAUKEE - For the first time in a long time, the Nationals expect to be adding significant players to their active roster today instead of subtracting them. Anthony Rendon is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list. And unless something unforeseen happened late Monday night or happens over the next few hours, the star third baseman will be activated and be in the Nats' lineup for tonight's game against the Brewers. It's a major boost to a team ravaged by injuries and sorely in need...

It was impressive last night when, over seven innings, left-hander John Means shut down a hot-hitting Boston Red Sox team. A Red Sox team that scored 30 runs the previous three games and was averaging 6.1 runs the previous 16. A Boston team that, while going 8-3 over its previous 11 games, led the majors in batting average (.295), OBP (.393) and OPS (.872). A Boston team that was facing Means for the second time this year. Last night, the first six hitters in their lineup saw Means three times....

MILWAUKEE - The sleep-deprived Nationals landed in Milwaukee 16 hours later than scheduled, thanks to a travel nightmare late Sunday night and early this morning in Philadelphia. They had every reason to complain about their travails, and the fact they now had to open another tough road series while fielding an injury depleted lineup. But they chose to try to look on the bright side. They shrugged off their charter flight mechanical problems and wondered if somehow the whole experience might...

Almost a week has passed since the Orioles made a roster move, and it was done only because of a traditional doubleheader that allowed for a 26th player. Outfielder Anthony Santander joined the club Wednesday in Chicago, homered in Game 2 and returned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles haven't shaken up the roster for other reasons since they recalled reliever Yefry Ramirez from Norfolk on April 29 to fill the vacancy created by pitcher Luis Ortiz, optioned left-hander Tanner Scott after the...