With Matt Wieters back in the lineup and Darren O'Day back in the bullpen, the Orioles' roster intrigue shifts to outfielder Hyun Soo Kim and pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. Do the Orioles option Dariel Alvarez to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Kim, who's expected to come off the disabled list Tuesday? They'd be replacing a right-handed hitter with a left-hander, but Julio Borbon has a similar skill set to Joey Rickard, who's on the disabled list with a thumb injury and isn't expected back...

For the first time since last Monday, catcher Matt Wieters is back in the Orioles lineup tonight, catching and batting sixth. He got hit in the right foot in New York a week ago and was on the active roster, but missed six games. "It has gotten better each day and moving around is no problem now," Wieters said this afternoon. "That is what we were waiting for, to be able to run and walk with no hindrance. Feels good to get back out there. "It is something to where the foot is a sensitive...

The Nationals like Aroldis Chapman. A lot. Mike Rizzo tried to sign the closer out of Cuba in 2010, and even thought he had outbid every other franchise in the majors for him (until it turned out the Reds had done it instead). Dusty Baker, of course, managed Chapman his first four seasons in the big leagues, continues to speak glowingly about the flame-throwing left-hander and was one of his staunchest supporters after the pitcher was suspended for domestic violence. So the Nationals, to make...

Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez will rejoin the Orioles on Tuesday after being on the paternity list. The Orioles will need to make a corresponding roster move, and it may not involve Tyler Wilson. A decision is pending. Manager Buck Showalter indicated that Jimenez could be a candidate to start Thursday's makeup game in Minnesota. The Orioles want to give Kevin Gausman an extra day of rest, which would put him in line to start Friday against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Wilson also would be a...

The Orioles are breaking out their right-handed lineup tonight, with Nolan Reimold in left field and Dariel Alvarez in right for the series opener against the Rockies. Mark Trumbo is playing first base and Chris Davis is the designted hitter. Matt Wieters is catching for the first time in a week. Reimold became the first Orioles player yesterday to hit a two-out pinch-hit game-ending home run since Larry Sheets against the Mariners on Aug. 24, 1988 at Memorial Stadium, according to the Elias...

To say Roch Kubatko has a strong following is a bit of an understatement. Every day, Orioles fans visit the School of Roch on MASNsports.com, eager to find out the latest news and notes of the Birds. And just below each entry, in the comments section, those same fans come together to form one of the strongest and most loyal online gatherings of sports fans in baseball. It's a tightly knit community, rather than simply a group of random commenters. Fans talk baseball, of course, but often...

The Nationals seemed to have all the answers a week ago after starting their post All-Star break homestand with two wins in three games, but after a 2-4 finish, they hit the road to Cleveland, San Francisco and Arizona with more questions. Who will be the Nats' fifth outfielder? Michael A. Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following Sunday's 10-6 loss to San Diego. Since being recalled from Syracuse on July 10, he's gone 3-for-16 with six strikeouts, including one to end the eighth...

The two most consistent hitters for the Nationals this season continue to be Daniel Murphy and Wilson Ramos. They are the top two hitters in the National League in batting average. They also combined for six hits in Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Padres. Before the San Diego comeback in Sunday's 10-6 loss, they were on tap to be the heroes. Murphy's sac fly gave the Nats a 1-0 lead in the first, and Ramos singled in that inning. Murphy tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single and Ramos' two-run...

The Cleveland Indians went 22-6 in June. They came to Baltimore on Friday night with the best record in the American League. They were 30-14 in their previous 44 games. But they left Baltimore after getting swept three in a row. The Orioles, at 57-40, now own the best record in the AL and are on a 95-win pace. Some of the dire predictions by some fans just a few days ago have been washed away by a weekend of winning. It seems as if the Orioles struggle for a few games this time every year, but...

Three starts into Lucas Giolito's career, the only thing the Nationals know for sure about their 22-year-old pitching prospect is that they don't really know yet what they've got. Giolito arrived in the big leagues late last month with a near-flawless pedigree. He had the stuff, the maturity and the presence to suggest he was ready for the big show. The results, though, haven't matched up with the pedigree. And now, following another underwhelming performance yesterday during what became a...