ST. LOUIS - The Nationals decided to rest Stephen Strasburg a day after the right-hander's start was ended prematurely by upper back stiffness. "He's not gonna throw today," manager Matt Williams said before tonight's game. "We'll let the medication kick in a little bit and see how he is tomorrow. As of right now, we don't have an update because he just hasn't thrown a ball yet." Williams pulled Strasburg after throwing only 60 pitches through four innings yesterday. The pain...

The Orioles lineup tonight included a fair share of double-takes. Is that Manny Machado at shortstop instead of third base? Are all three catchers getting starts? Caleb Joseph is 2-for-6 against Rays starter Chris Archer. Matt Wieters is 4-for-12. Steve Clevenger is 0-for-2, but he was swinging a hot bat before leaving the club for the birth of his daughter. Machado is making his first career start at short in the majors and only his second appearance. In his debut, he replaced J.J. Hardy in...

The Orioles (63-67) have played 130 games, with 32 remaining in the 2015 season. They begin a brief homestand tonight that consists of one three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. It begins a stretch where 26 of the remaining 32 games are within the American League East. The O's have a winning record in the division this year at 26-24, including a 13-8 mark at home and a 7-5 record against Tampa Bay (64-66). The Orioles are 13-17 versus the AL Central and 15-18 against the AL West. The...

Pitcher Steve Johnson is on the Orioles' taxi squad today and will have his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday. With an off-day on Thursday, the Orioles could skip Miguel Gonzalez's next turn after he showed up today with soreness in "a couple of places," according to manager Buck Showalter. The break in the schedule comes at a convenient time. The Orioles don't have many starter options, even with rosters expanding. "We'll see how that shakes things out," Showalter...

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said if the fans are upset about his team, which has lost 10 of its last 11 games, that is understood and fine by him. He was asked if it is hard for the team to keep the intensity level high with all the recent losing. "No, we're professionals man," Jones said. "We get paid a lot of money to play this wonderful game. We're getting beat right now and does it look pretty to the fans? No. The fans want us to succeed. The last few years have been very good in...

Dylan Bundy has been cleared to start a throwing program following today's examination by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. Bundy is on the disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Miguel Gonzalez, who's failed to work more than 5 1/3 innings in 11 of his last 14 starts, showed up today sore in "a couple of places," according to manager Buck Showalter. Showalter said head athletic trainer Richie Bancells is "a little concerned," and Gonzalez could miss his next start. "We'll...

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals enter tonight's game against the Cardinals as winners of eight of their last 12 games, backed by an offense that has scored 71 runs over the stretch, second best in the National League. Jayson Werth continues his success in the leadoff spot. In 10 games since moving to the top of the order, Werth is slashing .325/.413/.650 with two homers, one triple, five doubles, six walks, seven RBIs and 10 runs scored. Bryce Harper has reached base safely in 11 straight games,...

Manny Machado is making his first major league start and second appearance at shortstop tonight, as the Orioles open a three-game series against the Rays at Camden Yards. Ryan Flaherty is starting at third base. Also, all three catchers are in the lineup. Caleb Joseph is behind the plate, Matt Wieters is playing first base and Steve Clevenger is serving as the designated hitter. Chris Davis is in right field and rookie Dariel Alvarez is on the bench. Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen has held opponents...

The Orioles won't dig deep into Triple-A Norfolk's roster when their own 25-man roster can expand on Tuesday. The Tides are making a run at the playoffs and the Orioles don't want to leave them at a competitive disadvantage, though helping the major league club remains the top priority. They've already got one pitcher in place after summoning right-hander Steve Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk. Johnson has left the Tides and is headed to Baltimore, putting him in position to have his contract...

Manager: Mike Matheny (4th season) Record: 84-46 Last 10 games: 7-3 Who to watch: RF Jason Heyward (.291/.349/.442 with 11 HR, 48 RBIs), 1B Matt Carpenter (.262/.361/.467 with 20 HR, 69 RBIs), SS Jhonny Peralta (.276/.335/.429 with 16 HR, 58 RBIs), RHP Michael Wacha (15-4, 2.69 ERA), RHP Trevor Rosenthal (41 saves, 1.52 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 2-1 Pitching probables: Aug. 31: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP John Lackey, 8:15 p.m., MASN2 Sept. 1: RHP Joe Ross vs. RHP Carlos Martinez, 8:15...