Adam Jones is back in the Orioles lineup tonight, as expected, after missing the last three games with a sore right shoulder. Manager Buck Showalter wanted to watch Jones throw this afternoon before returning him to center field. David Lough moves to left field. Chris Parmelee remains in right. For the Orioles Manny Machado 3B Chris Parmelee RF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C Jimmy Paredes DH J.J. Hardy SS Ryan Flaherty 2B David Lough LF Mike Wright RHP For the Blue Jays...

Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals lineup today after suffering a mild strain of his left hamstring last night. Clint Robinson will play right field and bat cleanup. I caught up with manager Matt Williams at Nationals Park in an exclusive live video chat for MASNsports.com earlier this afternoon. "(Bryce) is here," Williams said. "He's getting some treatment. We'll see how he is today and put him through a series of tests, if you will - light tests - to see where he's at. If he...

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Taylor Hill from Triple-A Syracuse and placed right-handed pitcher Tanner Roark on the paternity list. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Hill, 26, returns to the Nationals one day after he was optioned to Syracuse upon the return of right-handed pitcher Doug Fister from the disabled list. Hill's posted a 3.75 ERA in six appearances (12.0 IP) out of the Nationals' bullpen this season....

Tonight, the Orioles' pitching staff gets another shot at facing the majors' highest-scoring team when they open a three-game series at Toronto. While the Blue Jays rank 13th in team pitching in the American League, their offense been potent, to say the least. The Orioles know all about that. Toronto has averaged 6.7 runs per game this year in going 6-3 against the Orioles. O's pitchers have allowed 10 runs or more four times this year, and Toronto has been the opponent all four times. But...

Yunel Escobar's first 5-for-5 game of the season, in a 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins in early May, took him from a .271/.326/.376 line to .311/.361/.411 in one night. The 32-year-old Nationals infielder singled the Fish to death in front of an appreciative crowd in the nation's capital and impressed manager Matt Williams, who told reporters, "Yunel did what he does." What Yunel does, Williams explained that night, is stay inside the baseball, remain calm at the plate, take what he's given...

In the life of Orioles right-hander Mike Wright, no start comes with a guarantee that another one will follow in five or six days. Wright is back on the mound tonight, making his first trip to Toronto. His major league career began with 14 1/3 scoreless innings, but he's allowed 10 runs and 14 hits in his last two starts over nine innings. Wright walked three batters in his last outing against the Yankees, but they came in succession to open the fifth inning. Brian Matusz replaced him with no...

I had the pleasure of visiting Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tenn., this week. With Father's Day approaching, the wonderful independent bookstore had a display of books for dad that, as you might expect, included titles celebrating the father-son bond as expressed through baseball. I'm fortunate to share that bond with my father and to be developing that bond with my son. However, the bookstore display had me thinking about my daughter. My kids are too young to really know what they like...

A gale force gust may have blown through the nation's capital late last night when a collective sigh of relief was released upon hearing the term "minor" associated with Bryce Harper's latest injury, a left hamstring strain. With heavy showers having passed through downtown D.C. about 30 minutes before, Harper slipped on the wet grass in right field while making an aggressive throw to the plate in the top of the sixth inning. His legs buckled beneath him just as he released the ball,...

Bryce Harper left tonight's 5-3 loss to the Rays in the six inning with what Nationals manager Matt Williams called a "mild left hamstring strain." That seems to be promising news considering the tense moments following Harper's injury. The Rays trailed 3-2 with Logan Forsythe on second and Steven Souza Jr. on first with one out in the top of the sixth when Asdrubal Cabrera singled on sharp groundball into right field. Rays third base coach Charlie Montoyo threw up the stop sign when...

Now that the Orioles are done with the Phillies, it's time to get back to baseball. (Yes, I know the Phillies won yesterday, but they tried to throw away the game on Chase Utley's error. There's also the blind squirrel analogy. That's a bad team and children shouldn't be exposed to it.) The Orioles flew into Toronto last night to begin a three-game series on the spongy turf at Rogers Centre. They were swept on April 21-23 and lost infielder Ryan Flaherty to a groin injury. The Blue Jays...