With Johnny Giavotella on the roster strictly as a second baseman, Rubén Tejada has settled into a role as the everyday shortstop for the Orioles. Paul Janish was designated for assignment and again outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. The only alternative in J.J. Hardy's absence seems to be moving second baseman Jonathan Schoop to the left side of the infield, which has happened only twice in the starting lineup. Manager Buck Showalter has kept Manny Machado at third base. Machado apparently...

Hey, Orioles fans. Welcome to the latest edition of Yard Work. On this week's episode ... We hope you enjoyed the All-Star festivities. While there weren't any representatives from Birdland in this year's Home Run Derby, Jonathan Schoop came through in the clutch for the American League in last Tuesday's All-Star Game. His efforts helped the AL earn a 2-1 win over the NL. Too bad it doesn't mean anything this year, right? Steve Melewski and I will recap the All-Star events, including...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Did you know the Nationals haven't lost a baseball game in 11 days? OK, so that's a bit misleading when you consider four of those days included the All-Star break. Nevertheless, the Nats will carry a six-game winning streak into tonight's contest against the Angels, seeking to sweep this abbreviated, two-game interleague series. They'll attempt to do so without Bryce Harper in the lineup. As both the right fielder and Dusty Baker explained last night, they collectively...

Catcher Caleb Joseph will be back behind the plate tonight in the latest attempt to get pitcher Kevin Gausman on the right track. In his first second-half start on Friday against the Cubs, Gausman faced 17 batters, allowing eight runs and a career-worst four homers over three innings. He has gone from a pitcher with an ERA of 3.61 last year (which was 3.10 in the second half) to the current ERA of 6.39. Gausman recorded 18 quality starts in 30 outings last year and has recorded five quality...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has declared left-hander Zach Britton ready to resume closing at the next opportunity. Britton has entered games in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings since coming off the disabled list again, and he hasn't been used in a save situation. He finished up last night's 12-1 win over the Rangers. The last of Britton's five saves came on April 14 in Toronto before his first trip to the disabled list. "He's ready to go," Showalter said. "If we get in a close...

The Orioles will try tonight to build their first three-game winning streak since June 24-27. Another quality start tonight from Kevin Gausman would give the Orioles three in a row for the first time since May 19-21. The Orioles are alone in fourth place, eight games behind the first-place Yankees and 4 ½ out for the second wild card. Joey Rickard is in right field tonight with the Rangers starting left-hander Martín Pérez. Caleb Joseph is catching. According to the Elias Sports...

As the Orioles approach an important home run milestone, the club is encouraging fans to predict who will hit the 10,000th regular season home run in Orioles history (since 1954) for a chance to win unique prizes. To date, the Orioles have hit 9,976 regular season home runs in club history, just 24 homers shy of the milestone. To enter the contest, fans should guess the player who will hit the 10,000th regular season home run in team history, as well as the inning and the number of men on base...

It was always a matter of when not if the Nationals would make a trade to bolster their bullpen, and it finally happened over the weekend. Byron Kerr and I are back to break down the acquisition of right-hander Ryan Madson and left-hander Sean Doolittle from the A's and the ripple effect on the Nats bullpen on a new episode of the District 34 podcast. Madson and Doolittle both made their Nationals debuts in a 4-3 win over the Angels Tuesday night, with the righty putting together a shutdown...

Through the first half of the 2017 campaign, to say Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was underperforming at the plate would be an understatement. Machado slashed a combined .290/.351/.518 with 72 long balls and a 132 wRC+ from 2015 through 2016. Being just 24 heading into this season, many expected him to stay on the same track, if not get even better. However, this hasn't been the case. From the start of this season to the All-Star break, Machado posted just a .230/.296/.445 with a 91...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Maybe it was the presence of Mike Trout in the opposing dugout. Maybe it was the knowledge he was getting the next day off. Maybe it was just another ballgame and the opportunity to show off his skills like he does so many other nights. Whatever the case, it was hard to watch Tuesday night's game at Angel Stadium and not believe Bryce Harper was particularly motivated to do something special. And Harper indeed did something special during the Nationals' 4-3 victory. He went...