CLEVELAND - Yovani Gallardo will throw his simulated game Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. at Progressive Field. He's already had two bullpen sessions that left the Orioles encouraged by his progress from right shoulder tendinitis. "I'm not sure how many innings he's going to go," said manager Buck Showalter. "They're thinking probably two or three." Gallardo could throw another simulated game or begin an injury rehab assignment at one of the minor league affiliates. "Wally (Dave...

It was a really nice play. Not a spectacular one that ends up on endless highlight-reel shows. Just a really nice play that leaves fans applauding. Jayson Werth's catch last night of Stephen Piscotty's second-inning sinking liner to left-center, requiring a lot of ground covered and then a slide to complete the maneuver, was the best defensive play of the Nationals' 2-1 victory over the Cardinals. It also represented merely the latest in a string of really nice plays Werth has made over the...

The Nationals went 16-7 in April and are 13-12 in May with five games remaining before June 1. Manager Dusty Baker has said in the past if you can win at least 15 games per month, you are on a pace to have a good shot at the postseason. "It doesn't guarantee you anything, but it puts you in a pretty good position," Baker said. "It gives you some motivation and drive to achieve something. In baseball, if you just always look at the big picture on things ... the big picture seems like it's...

CLEVELAND - Orioles center fielder Adam Jones is making his 22nd career start as the leadoff hitter tonight and his first since May 10, 2010. Jones shrugged it off this afternoon after reporters sought his reaction. He dug through a bat bag, trying to find one that was "hot." Was he surprised? "Nope," he replied. Did manager Buck Showalter warn him ahead of time? "Nope." Jones couldn't remember his last start atop the order, guessing that it occurred in 2009. He was off by one...

As Memorial Day arrives, the Nationals lead the National League East because of their excellent starting pitching and improved bullpen. That's not unexpected. But how about the Phillies? The team that lost 99 games last season has started the first two months as a contender because of their rotation and bullpen. They are proving that a team doesn't need to score a lot of runs when pitching dominates. Anyone see the Phillies coming? Like the Nationals, the Mets are winning even though they...

After two months, the Orioles are contending in the American League East, but their biggest rival has been the Red Sox, not the defending champion Blue Jays.The Rays have done a turnaround: They have a dangerous power lineup, but their rotation has questions. The Red Sox, with David Ortiz in his final season, are pounding the ball, playing tight defense and growing a nucleus of talented players. Their issue is pitching. The Yankees were bad in April, but surged in May, thanks to a string of...

CLEVELAND - The top of the Orioles lineup has a different look tonight, with center fielder Adam Jones leading off and Hyun Soo Kim batting second and playing in left field. Jones is in a 3-for-39 slump. He's struck out seven times in his last three games. Kim is 5-for-7 in his last two games. Left-hander Ashur Tolliver became the 15th Orioles reliever last night to strike out three batters in his major league debut. He worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The Orioles are listing Chris Tillman as...

You wouldn't necessarily think it, given the number of potent left-handed bats in their regular lineup, but the Nationals actually are more productive when facing left-handed pitchers than right-handed ones this season. They enter play tonight with an .812 team OPS against lefties, fifth-best in baseball. It helps that the Nationals' two best lefty hitters (Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy) fare quite well against southpaws. And then, of course, it helps that right-handed hitters like Ryan...

Daniel Murphy started 44 games and appeared in 46 of the Washington Nationals' first 47 games before Dusty Baker gave the veteran infielder a night off in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals last night. In those 46 games, the 31-year-old former New York Met, who signed a 3-year/$37.5M deal with the Nats this winter, put up a .394/.427/.617 line, 14 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. Murphy's 69 hits lead the majors, as does his .394 average, and his 24 multi-hit games,...

Hitting streaks have been on the top of many minds in Major League Baseball lately. Jackie Bradley pieced together a 29-game hit streak that ended Thursday night. That left him five games short of the Red Sox team record, held by Dom Dimaggio, which he could have been tied when the Red Sox visit Camden Yards next week. Meanwhile, MLB started its celebration of the 75th anniversary of Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hit streak on Sunday and is pushing out daily notifications about his hit(s) on...