ARLINGTON, Texas - Dariel Alvarez is with the team and could get a start this weekend with the Orioles set to face three left-handers. He's batting .295/.333/.459 with six homers against lefties in the minors this season. Alvarez will wear No. 12. A corresponding move has not yet been announced. Steve Clevenger is also in Texas, rejoining the team after going on paternity leave for the birth of his daughter, Peyton. Clevenger hit in Chaz Roe's simulated game at Globe Life Park earlier this...

Center fielder Denard Span's trip to the disabled list with left hip inflammation this afternoon, and injuries sustained last night by infielder Yunel Escobar (right hand contusion) and center fielder Michael A. Taylor (right knee contusion), will result in prized Nationals rookie Trea Turner making his first major league start tonight. Turner will play second base and bat eighth in the opening game of a three-game series against the Marlins at Nationals Park. Since being summoned from...

Double-A Bowie outfielder Quincy Latimore was named to the Eastern League end of season All-Star team today. In 111 games, Latimore has hit .269 with 29 doubles, six triples, 16 homers, 52 RBIs and an OPS of .823. The 26-year-old Latimore ranks first in the league with 51 extra-base hits and second in doubles. Last year, the Baysox put four on this team with first baseman Christian Walker, third baseman Niuman Romero, outfielder Dariel Alvarez and reliever Oliver Drake. While Latimore is...

The Nationals this afternoon recalled outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse to fill the 25-man roster spot of center fielder Denard Span, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left hip inflammation. den Dekker, acquired from the Mets on March 30 in a trade for left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins, has hit .184 with two homers and five RBIs in three previous stints with the Nationals this season. In 73 games at Syracuse, den Dekker batted .249 with eight home runs and 32...

The news that center fielder Denard Span has a left hip injury and will go back on the disabled list will make it difficult for him to return this season - unless the Nationals can win the National League East and play deep into October. But without their leadoff man, the scenario becomes tougher as the regular season games wind down. The Nationals will have to make a corresponding move today to fill Span's roster spot. With first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore still a week away from...

At some point in the near future, and no one's saying exactly when, Nationals right-hander Joe Ross will reach his innings limit/pitch count for the season and he'll be shut down for the year. The concern in his case is that the right-hander has never thrown this many innings in a season before. Ross threw six innings on Thursday night, leaving him at 66 2/3 so far in the majors and 142 2/3 overall on the year between Double-A, Triple-A and the Nationals. Ross went up to 122 1/3 innings in...

Rookie right-hander Joe Ross was again outstanding - on a night when the Nationals lost two position players during a 4-2 win and announced after the game that their leadoff man could be done for the season. Yunel Escobar left in the fifth with a hand injury and Michael A. Taylor hurt his knee in the seventh. Taylor was in for Denard Span, who did not play because of back tightness. After the game manager Matt Williams said that Span will have to go back on the disabled list with left hip...

The Nationals dropped the Padres 4-2 Thursday night behind strong pitching from Joe Ross and home runs from Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman. But news about three injured players - center fielder Denard Span, third baseman Yunel Escobar and center fielder Michael A. Taylor - made it feel a bit like a loss rather than a joyous series-clinching victory. The worst news involved Span, who is heading back to the disabled list with left hip inflammation. He was activated from the DL on Tuesday and...

Let's face it, being an Orioles fan has been a depressing proposition of late. Not quite 14 consecutive losing seasons depressing, mind you, but depressing all the same. If the 2014 season was exhilarating - and it was - the 2015 season has been exhausting. Judging from the recent Orioles commentary on Twitter, fan reactions to the team's struggles have included equal parts hostility and humor. OK, there's actually nothing equal about it. Ours is a hostile fan base right now. Given the...

One of the great treats in doing the Hitting the Books blog this season has been the chance to discuss books with my broadcast cohorts. This week I sat down with Dick Bremer, the voice of the Minnesota Twins, to discuss his favorite. Dick has been with the Twins for 30 years and is a St Paul native. Rich in humor and voice, he graciously sat with me to talk books. One thing is clear from this season of blogs: World War II novels and history continue to be extremely popular with readers. Dick's...