The Orioles play at Tropicana Field this afternoon in the second game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles improved to 17-34 with last night's 2-0 win behind David Hess. The Orioles have now won consecutive road games for the second time this season, the first was April 5-6 at Yankee Stadium. It was the Orioles' second shutout of the season, also on April 27 against Detroit. It was the first time the Orioles won scoring two-or-less runs this season and first time...

MIAMI - First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has been out since May 10 with a right oblique strain, was out on the field for batting practice taking grounders at first base and throwing to second base at about a 3/4 pace. "He's coming along," said manager Davey Martinez. "When you deal with that kind of injury you want to make sure you are totally right because it's about swinging and all this other stuff. We want to make sure he's right when he comes off." Zimmerman has been swinging the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles will wait at least one more day on Mark Trumbo before deciding whether he needs to go on the disabled list. Trumbo continues to report that his knee is much better since yesterday's cortisone injection and the Orioles think he could be ready as early as Monday afternoon against the Nationals at Camden Yards. "Trum's a lot better," said manager Buck Showalter. "We're going to wait on him. Not going to get into his availability for today, but obviously...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles closer Zach Britton is set to begin his injury rehab assignment Wednesday with Triple-A Norfolk. He's been setback-free in his mound work and simulated games. Britton threw two innings this morning at Tropicana Field. The extended spring training players who batted and played defense behind him included infielder Steve Wilkerson, who's completing his 50-game suspension. Here's Britton on the sim game and how he's feeling: "It was good," he said. "Two...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Closer Zach Britton threw his two-inning simulated game this morning at Tropicana Field, with the Orioles summoning six players from extended spring training to assist him. Britton said it was the best he's felt. Britton did extensive fielding drills afterward and is expected to join Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday to begin his injury rehab assignment. While the extended spring players took batting practice, David Hess ran the stadium steps as part of his conditioning....

MIAMI - Matt Adams continues to demonstrate the worth of his signing, especially for his power bat. Adams' homer on Friday was his 12th of the season, second to Bryce Harper (15) on the club. According to the Nationals' public relations staff, Adams would lead the National League in slugging percentage (.626) and would be second in OPS (.995) if he had the minimum plate appearances (3.1). Adams currently stands at 2.71 plate appearances per game. Mark Reynolds, who gets the start at first...

MIAMI - Right-hander Max Scherzer talked about how well divisional opponents know his stuff and how they try to wait him out. The Phillies attempted that strategy May 6 and Scherzer battled through for a season-high 15 strikeouts and a 5-4 win. He managed to pitch around three Phillies extra-base hits. Friday's game was the Nationals' first meeting of 19 this season against the Marlins, another National League East foe. Scherzer fought through six innings, 114 pitches, a two-run double by...

MIAMI - A late offensive surge helped the Nationals pull away from the Marlins in a 9-5 series-opening win at Marlins Park. From the sixth to the eighth innings, the Nats scored seven runs on seven hits and two errors, turning a 2-2 tie into a 9-5 victory. The offense exploded for seven runs on seven hits, taking advantage of two Marlins errors to put the game away in the late stages. "If we start hitting the ball like we are capable of hitting, good things are going to happen, obviously,"...

The problems in navigating a lineup the third time through the order resurfaced for Orioles right-hander Andrew Cashner in Chicago on Monday night. Cashner will look for improvement this afternoon when he faces the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg. Cashner threw four scoreless innings to begin his night Monday, but was knocked from the game during the sixth. As the lineup turned over, Cashner issued a walk and five straight hits over the fifth and sixth innings. For the season, Cashner allows a...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - How ironic that a team slashing one of the lowest payrolls in baseball has a manager with the last name Cash. The Rays traded center fielder Denard Span and closer Alex Colomé before last night's game against the Orioles. They were in third place in the American League East, only two games below .500 and certainly within sniffing distance of a wild card, though with a substantial portion of the season in front of them. Some people call it "tanking," some call it a...