Maybe if big league teams knew he'd be batting over .300 and be the majors' leading hitter against left-handed pitching, Hanser Alberto would not have bounced around over the winter and into spring training like a hot potato and not a wanted young player. After a winter that started with him playing for Texas, Alberto was claimed via waivers by the Yankees, then by the Orioles, followed by the Giants and then again by the Orioles. The Yankees claimed him Nov. 2 from the Rangers and the...

MIAMI - As July creeps ever closer and thoughts of the trade deadline begin creeping into his mind, Mike Rizzo made a series of bullpen changes this week that could go a long way toward determining just how the Nationals general manager chooses to approach July 31. In releasing Trevor Rosenthal and then summoning veterans Fernando Rodney and Jonny Venters from the minors, Rizzo ostensibly declared this new-look relief corps has one month to prove itself before he must decide whether to be...

MIAMI - The Nationals lineup needed some time to figure out Marlins rookie starter Zac Gallen tonight, a chance to watch the young right-hander up close more than once and figure him out. That also meant the Nationals needed Patrick Corbin to keep them in this game and give that lineup a chance to do something later on. Which is precisely what Corbin did. The left-hander gave up one early run but otherwise was stellar over the course of seven innings to give his teammates a chance to...

Each break in the Orioles' schedule gives the bullpen a chance to settle down. The phone doesn't ring. The revolving door doesn't spin. It's the calm before the next storm. Keeping track of the changes is becoming harder to do. Especially while I vacationed in Charleston, S.C., with limited access to the West Coast reports. (Want to test the strength of your relationship? Keep checking your phone during dinner and other activities.) I saw Tanner Scott sitting at his Camden Yards locker...

Orioles pitcher Josh Rogers is seeking a second opinion on his left elbow that's expected to lead him to season-ending surgery. Rogers came out of yesterday's game with soreness in the elbow and underwent tests today. The Orioles are classifying the injury as a strain of the ulnar collateral ligament. "I'm pretty concerned," said Rogers, who will visit orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. "I think the level of concern for everybody is pretty high. It's not good. I know...

MIAMI - Ryan Zimmerman appears to have completed his rehab assignment in Harrisburg and is on track to come off the injured list Friday when the Nationals open a weekend series in Detroit. Which means the organization and manager Davey Martinez are about to face some delicate decisions. Zimmerman's pending return will require the Nationals to remove someone prominent from the current 25-man roster. And then once he is officially back, Martinez will have to figure out how much playing time to...

Another game and another day when Orioles pitchers got roughed up. They allowed five more homers on this warm afternoon at Camden Yards as the Padres beat the O's 10-5 to complete a two-game sweep. The Orioles fall to 22-58 at the 80-game mark. They have lost 13 of 14, 17 of 20 and 21 of their last 26 games. They fall to 9-30 at home and to 0-17-1 in their past 18 series. Right-hander Dylan Bundy pitched out of a first-and-third, no-outs jam in the first. But he allowed two homers over the...

No matter how Dylan Bundy fared this afternoon, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde could reach a certain level of comfort in knowing that he sent an actual starter to the mound. Hyde is plugging holes in the rotation as if it's a kiddie pool. He's resorted again to using openers, which really constitutes a bullpen game with the first reliever unable to provide length. There's a glaring difference beyond the terminology. The baton-passing "affects you the next day and it affects you the day after...

MIAMI - The last time Patrick Corbin faced the Marlins ... well, he put forth his best performance of the season. Corbin shut out Miami on 116 pitches May 25 in D.C., a four-hitter that served as the high point for his debut season with the Nationals. It was followed, of course, by three straight subpar outings, which prompted some concern about the left-hander. Until he bounced back in a big way last week against the Phillies, allowing one run and four hits over seven innings. So Corbin should...

Right-hander Dylan Bundy (3-9, 4.59 ERA) gets the start this afternoon as the Orioles host San Diego to conclude a two-game series. The Padres hit four homers in last night's 8-3 win, including one by Manny Machado, who drove in two runs. Over his last seven starts, Bundy has posted a 3.86 ERA. Bundy made five starts in the month of May, going 2-2 with a 2.64 ERA. He held opponents to a .195 (22-for-113) batting average and four home runs, and his 2.64 ERA in May ranked tied for ninth-best...