ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Left-hander Gio Gonzalez got through the first inning allowing only a walk. In the second inning, his night fell apart. Gonzalez could not find the plate, issuing four walks, including three walks in a row to the bottom of the Rays order. A wild pitch scored C.J. Cron. A walk to Willy Adames scored Jake Bauers. Then the biggest hit of the game came off the bat of Kevin Kiermaier, who crushed a 3-2 pitch over the center field wall for a grand slam. It was his first homer...

After a 3-3 road trip, the Orioles are back home tonight to start a seven-game homestand. It starts this evening with the opener of a four-game series against Seattle, then the Orioles host the Los Angeles Angels for three games over the weekend. The Orioles went 1-2 at Washington and 2-1 at Atlanta. At 23-53, they are five games from the season's midpoint. The Orioles are 4-3 over the last seven games. Over longer stretches, they have lost 12 of 16 and 21 of the last 29 games. They are 11-23...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Nationals reinstated right-hander Brandon Kintzler from the 10-day disabled list this afternoon and optioned-hander Jefry Rodriguez to Triple-A Syracuse. Kintzler had been on the DL since June 10 with a right forearm flexor strain and pitched an inning in a minor league rehabilitation assignment for Single-A Potomac on Sunday. "Yeah, he's ready to go," said manager Davey Martinez. "He did well. But the biggest thing is the arm felt good. So we get him back...

The Orioles optioned left-hander Donnie Hart to Triple-A Norfolk and transferred infielder Luis Sardiñas to the 60-day disabled list to create room for infielder Tim Beckham on the 25- and 40-man rosters. Sardiñas went on the 10-day DL retroactive to April 29 with a lower back strain, but he recently sprained his left ankle. Danny Valencia didn't crack the Orioles lineup for tonight's series opener against the Mariners, but he's going to resurface with left-handed starters lined up the...

For the first time in two weeks, first baseman Chris Davis will play in front of the home fans at Camden Yards tonight when the Orioles host Seattle. After missing eight games to get a mental break and work on his swing, Davis returned over the weekend and had five RBIs in wins Friday and Saturday over the Atlanta Braves. He's got a lot of catching up to do with his bat, but he had just 15 RBIs all year before the Atlanta series with six in April and nine in May. "I think it was just that -...

Dylan Bundy rolled his ankle while running the bases Saturday in Atlanta and his start Thursday afternoon is in jeopardy. So, too, is his roster spot. The Orioles probably will put Bundy on the disabled list if he's unable to face the Mariners to close out the four-game series. They're monitoring the situation. Manager Buck Showalter didn't want to commit to a brief DL stint if Bundy can't pitch, but he indicated that it likely would happen. Bundy collected his first major league hit and...

The Washington Nationals returned from rehab and reinstated right-handed pitcher Brandon Kintzler from the 10-day disabled list and optioned right-handed pitcher Jefry Rodriguez to Triple-A Syracuse. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Kintzler, 33, returns to the active roster after missing 12 games with a right forearm flexor strain. He appeared in 31 of Washington's 64 games prior to being placed on the disabled list. On the...

St. PETERSBURG, FLA. - The Nationals have headed south to begin a six-game road trip, but only the first two games are in the Sunshine State. The Nats and the Rays are coming off of dramatic late-inning victories as they prepare to do battle tonight for the second series meeting this season. The Rays walked off the Yankees 7-6 in the 12th inning on recently recalled Jake Bauers' solo shot. The Nats came back from a 6-2 deficit to stun the Phillies 8-6 on three doubles by Bryce Harper and an...

Tim Beckham is coming off the disabled list today and starting at third base as the Orioles open their series against the Mariners. A corresponding move will be announced later. Beckham is batting eighth against Mariners right-hander Félix Hernández. Mark Trumbo is the designated hitter and cleanup hitter, and Chris Davis is behind him batting fifth. Caleb Joseph is catching. The Mariners are 1-6 over their last 7 games. Kyle Seager ranks second in the majors with 33 RBIs on the road,...

The penultimate National League All-Star balloting update has been released and the Nationals now just have two players ranked in their respective positions: Bryce Harper and Trea Turner. Harper has been going through a highly documented and publicized slump over the last month-plus, but he's made some positive strides over the last week, slashing .300/.423/.600 with six hits (all doubles), three RBIs and five walks over his last six games. He also made headlines over the last few days when he...