NEW YORK - The scene - Bryce Harper getting hit by a pitch on his left foot, taking a few steps toward first base and then retreating to the dugout before a Nationals trainer could even emerge to check on him - looked bad, not only to the casual observer watching the game but to the man who suddenly had to find a replacement for his star slugger. "Yeah, I was really worried," manager Davey Martinez admitted. Once the Nationals' 3-0 loss to the Yankees was complete, though, Harper - who also...

The first inning didn't jump up and bite the Orioles tonight. They actually took an early lead on Joey Rickard's home run from atop the order. They weren't the team trying to climb out of a hole. They were the team that couldn't hold a lead. David Hess surrendered two more home runs over the first three innings, the offense poked at Red Sox pitching but couldn't puncture it and the Orioles continued their nosedive with a 6-4 loss before an announced crowd of 21,837 at Camden Yards. The...

In his first six major league starts, Orioles right-hander David Hess has delivered four quality starts. But the two times he has not been able to do that were against the Boston Red Sox. Hess allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings tonight as Boston beat the Orioles 6-4 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are 19-47 with six consecutive losses. This is the third losing streak of at least six games this year. Hess had allowed 10 runs in his first five major league starts and all 10 had scored on homers....

Quick, which Orioles minor league affiliate do you know the least about? Odds are, about half of you said the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Orioles and the other half probably said either the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles or the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds because you've never heard about the Dominican Summer League Orioles. The DSL Orioles got their season underway on June 2, and today I thought I would update you on some early standouts thus far. In the Dominican...

NEW YORK - Though their lineup is not yet at full strength, the return of Adam Eaton and Daniel Murphy in recent days did give the Nationals batting order a more formidable look for the first time all season. The results, though, were painfully familiar tonight, no matter who had been added to the mix. The Nationals were shut out for the second straight game, dropping their interleague series opener to the Yankees 3-0 and losing Bryce Harper to a potential left foot injury in the...

NEW YORK - Though they weren't ready to announce anything this afternoon, the Nationals are preparing to recall Erick Fedde from Triple-A Syracuse and send the right-hander to the mound for Wednesday's series finale at Yankee Stadium. Stephen Strasburg would have been scheduled to make the start, but he departed his last outing with shoulder inflammation and was subsequently placed on the disabled list. Fedde also last pitched Friday for Syracuse, so that makes him available for this...

Right-hander David Hess (2-2, 3.07 ERA) tonight gets his second look at the Boston Red Sox, the one team that hit him hard so far during his first five major league starts. Since that outing, Hess is 1-1 with an ERA of 0.96 over his past three starts. But May 20 versus Boston, in his second big league start, he gave up five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. J.D. Martinez hit two homers and Andrew Benintendi also took him deep in Boston's 5-0 win. Hess had allowed just one run over the...

The Orioles made their roster move official about an hour before first pitch by placing Andrew Cashner on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Saturday with a strained muscle in his lower back. Left-hander Donnie Hart was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. Hart is available in the bullpen tonight. He's allowed one earned run (two total) and six hits in 5 2/3 innings with the Orioles over five appearances as he continues to ride the shuttle between Norfolk and the majors. He's registered a...

NEW YORK - Daniel Murphy and the Nationals know there are going to be times when the veteran second baseman appears to be less than 100 percent comfortable running the bases or making plays in the field, even eight months removed from microfracture surgery on his right knee. What both sides also know, though, is this: No matter how many styles points he loses, Murphy's potential contributions now that he's finally making his season debut will far outweigh them. "It may not always look...

The Orioles today officially signed their top draft pick, prep pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, who was just introduced at a Camden Yards press conference where he was joined by Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich. It was not long after the Orioles selected Rodriguez 11th overall in round one on June 4 that they were closing in on agreement to a signing bonus. Rodriguez will head to Florida tomorrow for an orientation and to throw some bullpens before he joins the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League...