Manager Dusty Baker said right-hander Matt Belisle, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 27 with a right calf strain, will go through a bullpen session today and is closer to getting to rehab games. "He has to go get some innings in and get some back-to-backs," Baker said. "He's doing fine. He's been working hard, which doesn't surprise anybody. He's in great shape. We actually had to slow him down a little bit because he's such a go-getter. "He will go out (on a rehab...

Orioles right-hander Mike Wright is working on six days' rest again tonight, which must feel normal given his inconsistent routine. Wright also had six days between his first two starts of the season. Starts between April 29 and May 7 were interrupted by one inning in relief on May 4. The weather is the main culprit. And Wright isn't complaining. It beats pitching every five days in the minors. Wright has faced the Tigers once in his career, working a scoreless inning on July 31, 2015. Rajai...

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg gets the call in Game 1 of today's day-night doubleheader against the Marlins, fresh off signing a new seven-year, $175 million contract extension with the Nationals. Right-hander Tanner Roark gets the nod for the Nats in the nightcap. Strasburg is 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts over 49 innings, the best start to a season in his career. He has struck out 58 batters and walked 12.The Nationals have recalled outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse...

Chris Tillman had another outstanding outing for the Orioles last night. He went seven scoreless innings to improve to 5-1 with a 2.58 ERA. The Orioles have won seven of his eight starts this season. That was one impressive stat for Tillman. But he doesn't get his latest win if the Orioles' late-inning relievers don't do what they usually do: get big outs with little margin for error. No margin for error really, as Darren O'Day and Zach Britton got the last six outs, throwing a combined 18...

The Orioles are in dual mode when it comes to their pitching needs. They remain in the market for another arm, but they're also trying to ready their own minor leaguers for possible duty later in the summer. They had a minor league offer on the table for veteran Kyle Lohse before he signed yesterday with the Rangers, a deal that reportedly included a June 1 opt-out. They recently had special assignment scout Ron Schueler, who's based in Arizona, watch Tim Lincecum's showcase. The Orioles are...

For the better part of a week now, Bryce Harper has barely seen anything to hit. Over his last eight games, he has 36 plate appearances - but only 14 official at-bats - as opposing pitchers went out of their way to avoid getting beaten by the current best hitter on the planet. Throughout it all, Harper has showed impressive patience, refusing most of the time to expand his zone and start hacking at pitches he probably couldn't do much damage with in the first place. Yet at the same time, he...

The Nationals came back to beat the Marlins 5-3 as manager Dusty Baker maneuvered his bullpen around to find a way to get the win. Starter Gio Gonzalez got into the fifth, but left trailing 2-0. Plus, he had allowed three straight singles to open the sixth. After that, the bullpen took over, with Baker employing five relievers in the final four innings. They allowed just one more run as they watched the Nationals offense come alive. Baker was asked if he spread the wealth in the bullpen because...

Chris Tillman's 2016 season just seems to keep getting better and better. Tonight, he pitched seven scoreless innings as the Orioles beat the Tigers 1-0 on Adam Jones' 200th career home run. The Orioles have won six in a row to get to 22-12. With Houston's win over Boston tonight, the O's claim sole possession of first place in the American League East. After the game, Jones was heaping some big praise on Tillman, who is now 5-1 with a 2.58 ERA over eight starts. The Orioles are 7-1 in...

The Chris Tillman bounceback season continues to gain momentum and hang time. Tillman turned in his fifth consecutive quality start tonight, shutting out the Tigers on five hits over seven innings in a 1-0 victory before an announced crowd of 30,488 at Camden Yards. Tillman walked two and struck out seven, including two in his final inning after Nick Castellanos' leadoff double. He threw 107 pitches, 70 for strikes. In those five quality starts, Tillman has surrendered only six runs in 33...

Kyle Barraclough pitched 20 games last season for the Marlins before allowing a home run. On Sept. 19, 2015, that streak ended thanks to a blast by Bryce Harper. The next 17 games, Barraclough appeared in, he did not allow another homer. Until Friday night, again at Nationals Park. With a man on, Harper connected for the second homer given up by the Marlins right-hander, lifting the Nationals to a 4-2 lead. It was Harper's 11th homer of the season. The Nationals went on to win 5-3 in the...