CLEVELAND - Care to take a stab at predicting the Orioles lineup this afternoon? Adam Jones could remain atop the order after collecting two hits last night. The outfield corners again could be handled by Hyun Soo Kim and Nolan Reimold. Kim has made three consecutive starts. Manager Buck Showalter is looking for any combination that works at the plate and still works in the field. Kim was 5-for-7 in his last two games before going 0-for-3 last night. He was hit by a pitch in the first inning,...

Max Scherzer's postgame media sessions so far this season can easily be separated into two groups. He's either asked: 1) What allowed him to be so dominant on that particular night, or 2) Why does he continue to give up significant home runs at the worst possible time? There has been precious little middle ground with Scherzer through the first two months of 2016. Sometimes he looks like the best pitcher on the planet. Sometimes he looks like the most-hittable pitcher on the planet. He rarely...

CLEVELAND - The Orioles struck out six times tonight. Fewer whiffs and a win. Adam Jones collected three hits from atop the order, Manny Machado went 4-for-5 and Dylan Bundy earned his first major league victory in a 6-4 win over the Indians at Progressive Field. Bundy tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings after relieving starter Mike Wright with two outs in the fifth. Brad Brach stranded a runner while striking out two in the seventh, Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run off Darren O'Day in the...

Left-hander Jaime Garcia went seven innings for the Cardinals in their 6-2 victory over the Nationals. He allowed only two runs, but he wasn't close to having his best command. That led to a few pitches that hit or came close to Nationals hitters. Daniel Murphy was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning. Then in the fifth, Garcia came close to hitting Ben Revere. Home plate umpire Alan Porter then warned Garcia and both benches, even though Nationals starter Max Scherzer had not been...

Three runs on two swings and a highlight-reel double play. After the Orioles' offensive struggles in Houston, the offense broke out tonight and two big hits in the seventh inning helped lead the way. Their middle infield on defense came up big, too. Tied 3-3 in the seventh, Chris Davis' RBI double off reliever Zach McAllister gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead. On the next pitch, Mark Trumbo hit a two-run homer to right as the Orioles beat Cleveland 6-4 tonight at Progressive Field. The Orioles...

Last Sunday in Miami, Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer pitched well in an 8-2 victory over the Marlins. After that game, Scherzer said he felt like he might be rounding into "midseason form." Friday night against the Cardinals was a different story. Scherzer's season-long issue of allowing home runs continued. But this time, it was a major home run that changed the complexion of the game. With the bases loaded and a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, Stephen Piscotty launched a grand slam...

Home runs have been Max Scherzer's biggest bugaboo since late last summer. Walks? Not so much. But add a bunch of free passes to yet another bomb surrendered by Scherzer, and the Nationals ace really finds himself in trouble. The Cardinals pounced on Scherzer during a five-run top of the third tonight, the big blast coming via Stephen Piscotty's first career grand slam, taking control of this Friday matchup on South Capitol Street. The home run - the 15th Scherzer has surrendered in 69 1/3...

CLEVELAND - Orioles manager Buck Showalter continues to juggle the lineup in an attempt to slow down the strikeout pace and end a losing streak that's reached four games. Adam Jones is leading off, Hyun Soo Kim has moved up to second while starting for the third consecutive night and Manny Machado is batting third. Machado also has hit leadoff and second, but he's stuck with one position since shortstop J.J. Hardy fouled a ball off his left foot and suffered a hairline fracture. Machado...

Right-hander Taylor Jordan underwent Tommy John ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery Thursday performed by Dr. James Andrews, the Nationals announced. It is the second time Jordan has undergone the procedure. He first had the surgery in 2011 and returned in late 2012. Jordan was a ninth-round selection by the Nationals in 2009. Nationals assistant general manager and vice president, player personnel Doug Harris said the club was careful in following Dr. Andrews' diagnosis before...

With Adam Jones batting first and Hyun Soo Kim batting second, the Orioles certainly are sending out a new-look lineup in the first game of the series in Cleveland. Maybe Buck Showalter thought, "Why not shake some things up?" The Orioles scored just seven runs and struck out 52 times in Houston, a major league record for a three-game series. The Orioles also went just 4-for-28 (.143) in Houston with runners in scoring position. The Orioles have scored three runs or less runs in five straight...