Single-A Delmarva shortstop Jared Breen was hospitalized after he ran into a wall near the stands chasing a foul ball in the first inning Friday night. Observors say Breen hit the wall very hard on the game's fourth pitch and was down for a long time before he was transported to a Salisbury, Md. hospital, and he has since been moved to Baltimore. The 24-year-old Breen suffered a fractured right knee cap, broken orbital bone and a concussion in addition to other lesser injuries. A 24th-round...

For the third time this year, Stephen Strasburg has left a start early due to injury. Strasburg appeared to be favoring his left side after throwing a first-pitch fastball to Giants first baseman Brandon Belt with two outs in the fourth inning. Nationals manager Matt Williams, pitching coach Steve McCatty and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz quickly came out of the dugout to check on Strasburg. After a brief huddle, the decision was made to end Strasburg's afternoon with the Nationals leading...

With Bud Norris listed among the Orioles' relievers today, it's more apparent that Kevin Gausman will remain in the rotation and take his next turn Tuesday night in Minnesota. Gausman shut out the Rangers on four hits over 6 1/3 innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts, in Thursday night's 2-0 loss at Camden Yards. The Orioles want him building up innings while envisioning him breaking camp next spring in the rotation. The Orioles have been shut out in back-to-back games for the first...

The recently slumping Nationals offense figured to be in for a long day with Giants ace Madison Bumgarner on the mound. But Michael A. Taylor woke up the bats and the crowd early, smacking Bumgarner's first offering of the game over the left field wall to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. It was the second time Taylor has led off a game with a homer this season and the fifth time for the Nationals. Denard Span has done it twice, and Yunel Escobar once. Escobar immediately jumped all over...

Chris Davis continues to play right field for the Orioles, who are hoping to locate their offense today in Chicago. Matt Wieters is behind the plate after serving as the designated hitter last night. Travis Snider is playing left field and Chris Parmelee is starting again at first base. Bud Norris is listed among the relievers. The Orioles have slipped into second place in the American League East, one game behind the Yankees. The Rays and Blue Jays are two games back. For the Orioles Manny...

Stephen Strasburg's second chapter of this season continues this morning in a showdown with reigning World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner. The first 10 starts of 2015 were mostly disastrous for Strasburg, who ended up on 15-day disabled list on May 30 with a 6.55 ERA accompanying his trapezius strain. But a clearly more confident Strasburg has emerged from his DL stint to claim victories for the Nationals in his last two outings. Six days ago, Strasburg stifled the Phillies, allowing just two...

The same team that won 18 of 23 games has now lost four of its last five. It's forgotten again how to score runs, going 19 consecutive innings without crossing the plate. Enjoy the ride. Just make sure to buckle up. Chris Tillman has a chance today to reach the .500 mark for the first time since being 2-2 on April. 23. He lost six consecutive decisions, but is 4-0 with a no-decision in his last five starts. Tillman has three quality starts and one horrific dud in that stretch. He allowed six...

Before the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, some scouting reports expressed concerns about the very low batting crouch of Orioles top draft pick DJ Stewart. Here is an excerpt from Baseball America's scouting report on Stewart: "He has managed to make his unorthodox stance work in college, but scouts aren't sold that it will work at the next level. He crouches very low at the plate, which can make it tougher for him to unleash his raw power. Many scouts believe that if he just stands up a...

In 2007, Jake Peavy was the National League Cy Young Award winner. That same year, the Kansas City Royals drafted Clint Robinson in the 25th round. Since then, Peavy has won two World Series titles, including most recently last season with the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, Robinson was becoming a minor league lifer, having played 921 games on the farm in the Royals, Blue Jays and Dodgers organizations. In the seventh inning tonight, with the Nationals battling offensive demons from last...

Chicago White Sox left-hander John Danks had a terrible June. But tonight, he got his July off to a good start against an Orioles team that is suddenly struggling on offense. Danks pitched seven scoreless innings as the Chicago White Sox beat the Orioles 1-0 at U.S. Cellular Field in the opener of a three-game series. The Orioles have been shut out in back-to-back games, losing both even though their pitchers allowed just three runs. The Orioles have not scored in their last 19 innings. They...