ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Hyun Soo Kim is not in tonight's Orioles lineup for the first of three games against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Kim, who left Sunday's final game of the first half with a right hamstring strain, is listed among the reserves on the lineup card. Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Caleb Joseph and Ryan Flaherty took early batting practice. Mychal and Tiffani Givens are the proud parents of daughter Makaylah Grace, born yesterday in Tampa. She's seven pounds and 13 ounces and...

And we're back. After a four-day break for All-Star festivities, the Nationals are back in action tonight, opening a nine-game homestand that begins this weekend with three against the Pirates. Stephen Strasburg sat out the Midsummer Classic in San Diego in part because he wanted to make sure he was fresh to start tonight's second-half opener. So this is a big start for the right-hander, who (by the way) is attempting to improve to 13-0 on the season. Erratic left-hander Francisco Liriano...

TAMPA - The Orioles found a starter in their bullpen. The club announced this morning that Dylan Bundy, 23, will make his first major league start on Sunday versus the Rays at Tropicana Field. The news came about three minutes after my flight landed in Tampa. The rotation against the Rays includes Yovani Gallardo on Friday and Chris Tillman on Saturday. Kevin Gausman will start Monday night against the Yankees in the Bronx. Bundy, the fourth-overall pick in 2011 out of Owasso High School in...

In his first start back after a stint on the 15-day disabled list for an "upper back strain," Stephen Strasburg took a no-hit bid against the Cincinnati Reds into the seventh inning at Nationals Park. He was up to 93 pitches after six innings though, and two outs into the seventh, at 109 pitches, veteran skipper Dusty Baker made the decision to end the outing in spite of the fact that Strasburg hadn't allowed a hit. It wasn't a difficult decision. "No, because he had just come off the...

Shortstop Max Schrock has hit the ground running in his promotion to high Single-A Potomac. The 21-year-old is hitting .427, going 32-for-75 in 16 games. He has five doubles, three homers, four stolen bases and 11 RBIs. Dating back to Sunday, he has 20 hits in a 10-game span. So far this season with low Single-A Hagerstown and Potomac, Schrock has raked, hitting .348 with 25 doubles, two triples, seven homers, 19 stolen bases and 50 RBIs in 83 games. Potomac manager Tripp Keister, appearing...

Dusty Baker believes strongly in entering the All-Star break on a high note and coming out of the All-Star break on a high note, likening this portion of the schedule to the final minutes of the first half and the opening minutes of the second half of a basketball game, when momentum swings often feel more pronounced. Baker's Nationals did their part in entering their four-day break on an upswing, winning 11 of their last 14 games, including 6-of-7 against the Mets. Now they'll see if they...

The second half is here and so are all of the same questions about the rotation and how the Orioles will address it. The Orioles will continue to look in-house for rotation help while also checking the trade market. They'd love to add a left-hander, but they can't be too choosy. Double-A Bowie southpaw Chris Lee remains on the disabled list with a strained lat. He hasn't pitched since May 23 and he still hasn't been cleared to throw. Right-hander Yovani Gallardo is another wild card for the...

There has been a bit of a shuttle going on in recent days in the Orioles bullpen as the club works to find another left-hander to join Zach Britton and also fresh arms to help keep the 'pen from being overused. Just in the last several days before the All-Star break, we saw Ariel Miranda, Jayson Aquino and Jason Garcia make their way onto the Orioles roster. Now comes 25-year-old left-hander Donnie Hart, a sidearming southpaw who has never made his way onto those top prospects lists, but...

Manager: Clint Hurdle (6th season) Record: 46-43 Last 10 games: 8-2 Who to watch: LF Starling Marte (.316/.363/.460 with 30 SB), RF Gregory Polanco (.287 with 12 HR, 50 RBIs), CF Andrew McCutchen (14 HR, 38 RBIs), RHP Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.77 ERA), RHP Mark Melancon (1.23 ERA, 27 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1st meeting (3-4 in 2015) Pitching probables: July 15: LHP Francisco Liriano vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7:05 p.m., MASN July 16: RHP Gerrit Cole vs. RHP Tanner Roark, 7:05 p.m., MASN...

Here is the latest on the Orioles' draft signings as all major league teams face a deadline at 5 p.m. ET on Friday to complete them. The Orioles continue to pursue their seventh-round pick, N.C. State first baseman Preston Palmeiro, the son of former Oriole Rafael Palmeiro. An industry source says the Orioles and Palmeiro's reps, including his father, have had "active discussions the last few days." The slot amount for Palmeiro, taken with the 211th overall pick is $204,700, which is the...