Nationals right-hander Casey Janssen, who is on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation, got knocked around Sunday in his second rehab assignment with the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. Arriving in the seventh, Janssen allowed a home run, double and triple, but finished the inning. Of course, you don't want to get knocked around in a rehab outing, but more importantly for Janssen is how the shoulder feels the day after. If he feels good Monday, his next outing would likely be Tuesday....

How badly did the Orioles want to get home? The reasons are plentiful, but I'll just toss out one alarming stat. They're 1-9 in their last 10 road games when batting first. I'm dismissing the three-game series that moved to Tropicana Field. And just the fact that a home series was played in St. Petersburg further illustrates the Orioles' desperate need to regain some semblance of normalcy. The Orioles haven't played at Camden Yards since April 29. They haven't played in front of fans who...

On April 24, the Orioles fell to 7-10 and were three games under .500. Then they won five of six games, were 12-11 and won that series of home games that was moved on the road to St. Petersburg. It appeared the club had handled well the disruption to its schedule which even included an impressive win over Chicago's Jeff Samardzija in the no-attendance game. But now the Orioles are back at three games under .500 at 13-16 following a 1-5 stretch against the Mets and Yankees. Right now the team...

Veterans Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos delivered clutch RBIs in the bottom of the eighth to help the Nationals to their eighth come-from-behind win of the early season in today's 5-4 victory over the Braves. After a sluggish start in the first 20 games of the year, the Nationals have stormed back, winning 10 of 12 while showing tremendous resiliency especially in late innings. "I like the fact that we grind," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. Trailing by one entering the eighth,...

The Nationals found a way in the end to come back and beat the Braves 5-4 on Sunday and sweep their three-game series. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was staked to an early 3-0 lead. Normally, he is able to take full advantage of such a cushion. But the Braves chipped away quickly, scoring two in the second inning and one in the third to tie the game at 3-3. Atlanta scored one more in the seventh and led 4-3. Zimmermann knew it wasn't his most even outing with control issues - he had only two...

NEW YORK - The Orioles will transfer catcher Matt Wieters to the 60-day disabled list to make room for pitcher Jorge Rondon, claimed off waivers today from the Rockies. Rondon has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. Wieters went on the disabled list March 27 and still could be activated by May 26. As I wrote earlier today, he's scheduled to catch eight innings on Tuesday at extended spring training and nine on Thursday and Saturday. Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy was asked to sum up what he saw...

The Orioles today announced that they have claimed minor league right-hander Jorge Rondon off waivers from the Colorado Rockies and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. In a corresponding move, catcher Matt Wieters has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Rondon, 27, pitched in two games for Colorado this season. In five games at Triple-A Albuquerque, he went 0-0 with a 1.35 ERA (6.2IP, ER). Prior to pitching for Colorado this season, he also previously pitched in the St. Louis...

David McCullough is my favorite historical writer and one of my favorite writers, period. I could have picked any of his works to mention here and been positive on all, but "Truman" was a delayed read for me and I just finished it. President Harry S. Truman was unique and appears even moreso today. Plain speaking and a common touch are not exactly words we use describing most current politicians. This book covers Truman's life from first breath to end. As McCullough told the New York Times...

Every Orioles fan is feeling a little down today. The team seems to be in a rut, a funk, some kind of a ditch that is causing wheels to spin while the car stays put. It looks grim after five losses in six games, especially since it followed five wins in six games. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, though. The especially relieving part is that the Orioles are still at the very start of the tunnel, and it isn't caving in on them in the slightest. Last place doesn't look good on...

Orioles hitters got dominated today by New York right-hander Michael Pineda. Meanwhile, Bud Norris was knocked out in the fourth inning. That was not a good combination for the Orioles, who lost 6-2 to the Yankees. In winning three of four in this series, New York won its first series against the Orioles since Sept. 9-12, 2013. The Orioles lost for the fifth time in six games to fall to 7-12 on the road and 13-16 for the season. Pineda struck out 16 Orioles over seven innings without a walk. He...