SEATTLE - It seems the Orioles got fortunate yesterday with the injury news about Trey Mancini and it is similar today with left-handed starter John Means. The Orioles top starting pitcher for the year - he's 6-4 with a 2.67 ERA - is certain he will return when his 10-day injured list stint is up on an off-day, the day before the O's host Cleveland June 28. He was placed on the IL today, retroactive to June 17, with a left shoulder strain. Means said what he felt at the end of his last start...

The Orioles arrive in Seattle with a season-high eight-game losing streak and Dylan Bundy attempting tonight to extend his streak of eight consecutive starts allowing three earned runs or fewer. Bundy has surrendered only two earned runs (three total) and seven hits with 16 strikeouts in three career games against the Mariners covering 14 2/3 innings. Tonight marks his second start. Former Orioles infielder Tim Beckham has two career hits against Bundy and both are home runs. Trey Mancini is...

The Nationals were at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago last week when a foul ball went screaming into the stands down the third base line and struck a woman, who then needed to be hospitalized. Players had long expressed concerns about dangerous moments like that and supported the idea of extending protective nets at ballparks farther down the lines, and that incident only bolstered their opinion. So today's announcement by managing principal owner Mark Lerner that the club will extend the...

Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is on the injured list with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, went through full batting practice again Thursday. Between games of the Wednesday doubleheader against the Phillies, he ran the bases and simulated baserunning scenarios out of the box. He said his foot is making progress. Zimmerman has missed 46 games. "It's getting better," Zimmerman said. "I'm starting to run. You just have to do it a few days in a row, get nothing (going wrong),...

What a treat to be able to introduce you to the co-producer of "Hitting the Books," Olivia Witherite. She has been the coordinator and videographer of this blog from day one and an uncompromising supporter of what we do here. She takes the video and edits it to what you see, while working with her social media department to get this blog up and running each time. Today she will tell us about her favorite book of the moment, "The Book Thief," one she could not have more highly recommended to...

The Orioles have designated Dan Straily for assignment today while also losing the most effective pitcher on their staff. John Means is headed to the 10-day injured list with a strained left shoulder. The move is backdated to Monday and he's eligible to return for the series against the Indians that begins June 28 at Camden Yards. A series of moves today also included outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. coming off the concussion injured list and returning to the active roster and reliever Evan...

The Nationals have swept a couple of two-game series this season, but they've yet to sweep a three-game series. This wouldn't be a bad time to break through that barrier, would it? After taking both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Nats now have a chance with a win tonight over the Phillies to sweep the three-game set (condensed from the original four-game plan). They're sending Erick Fedde to the mound instead of Stephen Strasburg, who initially was scheduled to start tonight but was...

In a letter to fans from principal owner Mark D. Lerner, the Nationals today announced a plan to extend protective netting, which currently ends at each dugout, to just prior the left and right field foul poles at Nationals Park. The new Ultra Cross Knotless Dyneema protective netting will offer a better viewing experience while also providing a higher degree of protection for fans from flying baseballs and bats that go into the stands. The new netting is expected to be installed during the...

The Orioles will welcome back Mike Mussina for a ceremonial first pitch on Sunday, June 30, in celebration of his upcoming induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame later this summer. Mussina, 50, played 18 Major League seasons from 1991-2008, including his first 10 seasons with the Orioles. He currently holds the best all-time winning percentage by a qualifying Orioles pitcher with a minimum of 140 decisions (.645), and ranks among the club's all-time leaders in strikeouts (second,...

Mike Mussina is coming back to Baltimore before heading to Cooperstown, N.Y. The Orioles announced today that Mussina will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before their June 30 game against the Indians at Camden Yards. Mussina spent the first 10 seasons of his 18-year career with the Orioles after they selected him in the first round of the 1990 draft out of Stanford University. He currently owns the best all-time winning percentage by a qualifying pitcher in franchise history with a...