The David Hess cheering section in front of the press box fought to pace itself this afternoon as the right-hander made his major league debut. Shrieks, cheers and raised iPhones for photo ops upon his introduction, as the video board in center field showed him in the dugout, as he walked to the mound for his warmup tosses. Each strike drew a reaction heard 'round the ballpark. Orange and white T-shirts with Hess' name on the back, a gray game jersey. Not available in the lobby, but spotted...

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of infielder Mark Reynolds from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday and placed first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to May 10) with a right oblique strain. Additionally, the Nationals transferred right-handed pitcher Joaquin Benoit to the 60-day disabled list. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Reynolds, 34, joins the Nationals after appearing in 10 games...

PHOENIX - The sore back that prevented Ryan Zimmerman from playing in five of the Nationals' last seven games has now landed him on the disabled list. The Nationals placed Zimmerman on the 10-day DL today with what the club called a right oblique strain and purchased the contract of veteran slugger Mark Reynolds from Triple-A Syracuse to take his place and provide another right-handed bat off the bench (and quite possibly in the lineup). Needing to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for...

David Hess is making his first major league start today with a chance to also make a lasting impression. The kind that keeps him with the Orioles beyond the doubleheader. Manager Buck Showalter provided another reminder that Hess isn't required to be optioned as the 26th man. He can stay with the club while someone else comes off the 25-man roster. He can move into the rotation. "Yes," Showalter said. "That's the way it works. You pitch good ... Yeah. This isn't something that's going to...

PHOENIX - With two games left to play, the Nationals have already locked up a winning record on this seven-game road trip through San Diego and Arizona. They'd like to do even better than that, though, and today they have an opportunity to take three in a row from the Diamondbacks, owners of the National League's best record to date. Stephen Strasburg takes the mound for this afternoon's game, looking to keep the train rolling after excellent starts the last two nights by Tanner Roark and...

Pedro Álvarez tested his right hamstring this morning with some light running on the field, but he remains out of the lineup for Game 1 of today's doubleheader against the Rays. The Orioles will use Mark Trumbo as their designated hitter. Álvarez came out of Thursday's game against the Royals after experiencing spasms and some cramping in the hamstring. "He moved around," said manager Buck Showalter. "We just got through doing some things. I was waiting on the lineup for a while to...

Chance Sisco is behind the plate today for Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Rays. Jace Peterson continues to play third base. Mark Trumbo is the designated hitter and Anthony Santander is in right field. Santander loses his Rule 5 status today and can be optioned to the minors without passing through waivers and being offered back to the Indians. It provides more roster flexibility for the Orioles. Center fielder Adam Jones is batting .379 (11-for-29) during his seven-game hitting streak....

Right-hander David Hess will make his major league debut this afternoon as the Orioles host Tampa Bay in Game 1 of a single-admission doubleheader. The Orioles (11-27) beat the Rays 11-6 last night as Manny Machado hit a grand slam, homered twice and drove in six runs. The Orioles have their first three-game win streak of the season and have outscored their opponents 25-13 in those games. The Orioles have scored 32 runs with 47 hits and hit 11 home runs in the four games on this homestand. In...

After Manny Machado had a huge game with two homers and six RBIs in a win over Tampa Bay last night, he took time to throw some props to his hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh. Machado said this during a live interview on MASN: "Working with Coolbaugh has been the key to the success this year. Going in the cage and doing my routine every day. Coolbaugh gave me the approach that I need. Staying on top of me every day and trying to stay with a routine. With him helping me out every day it's paying...

PHOENIX - For several years, Pedro Severino has been waiting for an opportunity to show the Nationals what he can do catching in the big leagues on a regular basis. And for several years, the Nats have been intrigued at the prospect of Severino playing on a regular basis but unwilling to go all-in on him while trying to contend for a title. They have no choice but to find out now. With Matt Wieters on the disabled list and expected to miss significant time with a strained hamstring, Severino...