ATLANTA - The Nationals are getting the first of their key injured players back tonight, with Ryan Madson activated off the disabled list. And more appear to be coming, with Brian Goodwin likely joining the club this weekend and Daniel Murphy and Matt Grace not too far behind. Madson was added back to the active roster in time for tonight's opener against the Braves, the strained right pectoral muscle that sidelined him for two weeks having healed. The veteran setup man was able to make it...

Jonathan Schoop will try to bust out of his slump tonight against Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray. He's batting fifth for the first time this season after occupying the cleanup spot in 21 games. Manager Buck Showalter also used Schoop once as the leadoff hitter and batted him third in 14 games. Nothing is working for Schoop while he's gone 3-for-20 with seven strikeouts in his last five games. Three of the strikeouts came last night against Nationals starter Max Scherzer. He's getting good...

After losing three straight to the Washington Nationals by a combined 11-2 score, the Orioles host the New York Yankees tonight. It's the start of a four-game series to wrap up a seven-game homestand. No game tonight: Tonight's game has been rained out. The clubs will make it up as part of a single-admission doubleheader on Monday July 9 at 4:05 p.m. The Yankees (35-17) are two games behind the Red Sox (39-17) for the American League East lead. They also hold the second-best win percentage in...

Jonathan Schoop has been lowered to fifth in the lineup for tonight's series opener against the Yankees. Mark Trumbo inherited the cleanup spot against right-hander Sonny Gray. Schoop, last year's Most Valuable Oriole, is 3-for-20 with seven strikeouts in his last five games and is batting .230/.258/.375 this season. Chris Davis is batting sixth tonight. Jace Peterson continues to lead off. Andrew Cashner started at Yankee Stadium on April 5, his second game as an Oriole, and allowed only one...

ATLANTA - And a very pleasant good afternoon to you from SunTrust Park, here in beautiful unincorporated Atlanta. The hometown Braves have been among the biggest surprises in baseball so far, with the youngest roster in the sport playing an exciting brand of ball and (until last night) holding first place in the National League East division. That changed last night when the Nationals finished off their sweep of the Orioles and the Braves lost to the Mets, but that doesn't make this weekend's...

The Washington Nationals reinstated right-handed pitcher Ryan Madson from the 10-day disabled list and optioned right-handed pitcher Trevor Gott to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Madson, 37, returns to the active roster after missing 12 games with a pectoral strain. In 10 games prior to being placed on the disabled list, Madson pitched a 1.00 ERA (1 ER/9.0 IP) while striking out nine batters and...

The Orioles will host award-winning American composer John Williams as a special guest on Monday, June 11, for the club's 7:05 p.m. ET game against the Boston Red Sox. Williams, one of the most accomplished composers in American history and a lifelong baseball fan, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game, as the Orioles celebrate his illustrious five-decade career in the performing arts. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy a pregame selection of Williams' famous...

Just when you think the Orioles offense has to start putting up some runs, they don't. Now of course, they faced Max Scherzer last night, and he fanned 12 over eight scoreless in the Washington Nationals' 2-0 victory. But the Orioles scored only two runs on 20 hits in the series and were shut out twice They have now been shut out six times this season, including three times in their last 11 games. The Orioles went 1-for-10 during the Washington series when batting with runners in scoring...

BALTIMORE - It took until late into the night May 30, but the Nationals are back in first place in the National League East. The Nats won their sixth straight with a 2-0 dispatch of the Orioles on the road, behind eight shutout innings from Max Scherzer (9-1). The Mets grounded the Braves 4-1 in Atlanta, thanks to a pair of RBIs from Brandon Nimmo and Adrián González. Atlanta's loss and the Nats win provided Washington with a 1/2 game lead in the division at the start of play May 31. It...

Executive vice president Dan Duquette hasn't made the usual appearances around the batting cage this week. The First-Year Player Draft begins Monday night and the Orioles are updating their board in preparation for one of the most important events of the year. The significance grows for an organization that's poised to lose a chunk of its roster to free agency or trades with the club now 22 games below .500. They need to get it right. The Orioles hold the 11th, 37th and 87th picks in the...