After losing to the New York Yankees at Camden Yards last night, the Orioles need a win tonight to even the series and get them back to the .500 mark at 4-4. They last were two games under .500 at 5-7 last April 13. On the mound, Miguel Gonzalez (0-1, 1.59 ERA) pitches against left-hander CC Sabathia (0-1, 6.35 ERA). Gonzalez went 5 2/3 innings in his first start, last Wednesday at Tampa Bay, allowing three hits and one run, with five walks (tying his career-high) and five strikeouts. He took...

BOSTON - With the Nationals sitting dead last in the majors in team batting average at .185, manager Matt Williams has decided to make some changes in his lineup. Third baseman Yunel Escobar has been one of the offensive bright spots, going 8-for-27 (.296) through the first seven games. Williams has decided to move Escboar into the leadoff spot, followed by left fielder Jayson Werth, while center fielder Michael A. Taylor falls to the last spot in the order after striking out six times over the...

Acquired by the Orioles from the Chicago White Sox last Aug. 30 for minor league pitchers Miguel Chalas and Mark Blackmar, outfielder Alejandro De Aza is off to a good start in his first full season with team. He has hit safely in all six games he has played, batting .333 (9-for-27) with one double, two homers, four RBIs, one stolen base and a .950 OPS. In his last four starts, De Aza has three multi-hit games, going 7-for-18 (.389). "Been working hard and when we we work hard, good things...

The Orioles expect the rain to clear out of the area tonight by 6 p.m., allowing them to play the Yankees in the second game of their series. Matt Wieters got five at-bats today in extended spring training - three from the left side and two from the right - and threw from 150 feet. "You can tell he's feeling pretty good," said manager Buck Showalter. Showalter said it's possible that Wieters will be playing in rehab games by the end of April, though he's hoping it happens earlier. Jimmy...

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-hander Rafael Martin on Tuesday and designated left-hander Xavier Cedeno for assignment. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Martin, 30, joins the Nationals for his first Major League assignment. Plucked from the Mexican Winter League after catching the eye of Nationals Director of International Scouting Bill Singer, Martin signed with Washington as a Minor League free agent on Feb. 25,...

Everth Cabrera is leading off and Alejandro De Aza drops to ninth for the Orioles tonight as their series continues against the Yankees. Manny Machado is batting second and Steve Pearce moves down to the cleanup spot. Chris Davis, who struck out four times last night, is serving as the designated hitter and batting sixth against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia. A light rain is falling at Camden Yards and the tarp remains on the field. That's my entire weather report. For the Orioles Everth...

BOSTON - Nationals manager Matt Williams has shaken up the lineup for the first time this year. Third baseman Yunel Escobar brings his team-leading eight hits and .367 OBP to the leadoff spot. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor, the team's leadoff hitter for the first seven games, has six strikeouts the last two days and 11 in just 29 at-bats this season. Williams dropped Taylor to the bottom of the order. Left fielder Jayson Werth moves into the two spot after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout...

A lawsuit has been filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City on behalf of outfielder Nolan Reimold alleging negligent medical care at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the continuation of a saga that's included two spinal fusion surgeries and the derailment of a promising career. Reimold, 31, believes he was cleared too quickly to resume baseball activities following the initial procedure in June 2012 to remove a herniated disc and fuse two vertebrae. He underwent a corrective surgery the following...

If a full evening of programming centering on Nationals baseball sounds like paradise, you're in luck. Not only will fans have the opportunity to watch full coverage of tonight's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park beginning at 5:30 p.m., but once "Nats Xtra" postgame wraps up, MASN will air "National Pastime: Baseball's Return to Washington," an hour-long special in celebration of the club's 10th anniversary. Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the Nats' first opening day, in...

Last week, the Orioles were finally able to deal Ryan Webb, shipping him to the Dodgers along with catcher Brian Ward and the team's competitive balance draft pick (No. 74 overall) in exchange for right-handed reliever Ben Rowen and catcher Chris O'Brien. The Dodgers agreed to pick up the tab on the rest of Webb's $2.75 million contract, and then yesterday, they released him. The clear takeaway for the Dodgers is this: They really wanted the Orioles' draft pick and the extra draft pool...