The Washington Nationals returned from rehab and reinstated outfielder Ben Revere from the 15-day disabled list on Friday and optioned outfielder Matt den Dekker to Triple-A Syracuse. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Revere, 28, returns to the Nationals after missing 27 games with a right oblique strain suffered on Opening Day in Atlanta. The speedy outfielder registered two Major League at-bats this season before his injury and...

CHICAGO - After a chilly night with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field, it's suddenly a beautiful, warm day with the wind blowing out today. Chicago weather, folks, gotta love it. Or hate it. The Nationals and Cubs play the second of their four-game series this afternoon, the Nats looking to bounce back from a fairly nondescript 5-2 loss in last night's opener. The good news: They've got their leadoff hitter and center fielder back at last. Yes, Ben Revere has been activated off the...

Before Mike Rizzo was hired as Washington's full-time general manager on Thursday, August 20, 2009, after serving on an interim basis for the Nationals throughout the '09 season, there was a bit of drama in the nation's capital. For a time, at least according to published reports, it appeared as if someone else might get the job. Once he was officially announced the full-time GM, Rizzo was asked about the week he went through leading up to the final decision and the published reports which...

Here's to the unlikely. The Orioles have cornered the market on defying expectations in recent years, outlasting meager predictions on their way to two playoff appearances and a division title. If the O's are going to contend for the AL East in 2016, they'll need plenty of unanticipated happenings again this season. In other words, they'll need more nights like Thursday night. The O's won their first matchup of the season with the New York Yankees in dramatic fashion, using eight shutout...

The Orioles' starting rotation has kind of quietly been on a pretty solid run of games lately. The O's starters have recorded seven quality starts over the last nine games, pitching to an ERA of 2.95 in that stretch. After right-hander Kevin Gausman's eight scoreless innings last night, O's starters pitched to an ERA of 1.29 in the Yankees series. Over 21 innings, the rotation allowed 12 hits with seven walks and 17 strikeouts. They produced three consecutive quality starts for the first...

CHICAGO - They had been a stellar defensive team throughout the season's first month, entering play last night with fewer errors than any other club in the National League. Which only made the Nationals' defensive miscues during their 5-2 loss to the Cubs all the more striking. From a purely official standpoint, the Nats were not charged with any errors. They still lead the NL with only nine in 28 games so far this year. From an unofficial standpoint, they were quite shaky in the field. It...

CHICAGO - The Nationals didn't want to make Michael A. Taylor bat leadoff on a daily basis, and with Ben Revere about to return from the disabled list, they probably won't need to ask Taylor to do it much more. But no matter where he bats in the Nats lineup, no matter how many or how few opportunities he gets moving forward, Taylor has to prove he can transform himself into the kind of hitter his team can trust in big spots. Taylor found himself in one of those spots tonight during a 5-2 loss...

CHICAGO - The opener of a marquee series between the National League's top two teams featured plenty of big names, plenty of dominant pitching performances and some highlight-reel defense. What it didn't include was very much offense. The Cubs managed to pull off a 5-2 victory over the Nationals thanks to Ben Zobrist's two-run single to right in the bottom of the fourth and two-run homer off Felipe Rivero in the bottom of the eighth. Addison Russell added an RBI double in the eighth, as...

In matching scoreless innings tonight with Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka, Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman looked like an ace himself. Through three starts, he has an ERA of 1.42 and a batting average against of .152. Tonight, he gave up just three hits over eight scoreless innings on 98 pitches. In a season where the Orioles hoped he would step up his game and become a top-of-the-rotation starter, he has so far done exactly that. "Obviously, my confidence is growing and I just feel a lot more...

Before Rich Hill became the six million dollar man, before he went from the Long Island Ducks to living high on the hog, he was an injured pitcher at Orioles spring training. Full of promise and anxiety and failed expectations. Hill would make 13 starts among his 14 appearances with the Orioles, racking up a 7.80 ERA and 1.873 WHIP in 57 2/3 innings. He averaged 6.2 walks per nine innings. Finding the plate was restricted to the lunch line. The Cardinals signed Hill to a minor league deal in...