First baseman Adam LaRoche offered more insight to the end of the Nationals' marathon 14-inning 8-5 victory at Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Wednesday. LaRoche said he was battling the flu, his hurt elbow and his aching back in his final at-bat. LaRoche ended up with five RBIs in a game he didn't start. He hit a game-tying home run, a go-ahead two-run single in the 12th inning and a fielder's choice that scored the decisive run in the 14th. Those three ailments still bothered him...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce remains optimistic that he will return to the lineup Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field. Pearce, diagnosed with a strained right abdominal muscle, took early batting practice today and ran sprints in the outfield. "It felt good," he said. "Everything is good. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and I should be ready to go. "There's no point in rushing it. Today we did hitting and we were out in the field and everything felt fine,...

Nationals manager Matt Williams had positive news today on the progress for third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has been on the sidelines since July 23 with a right hamstring strain. Williams said Zimmerman has graduated to running in his rehabilitation program. "He ran," Williams said. "He's upping his running. He was on the Alter-G again at 90 percent body weight, which is good, and running. That's a step in the right direction. He's increasing his strength and his ability to let it go a...

The Orioles' magic number to clinch the American League East is down to 15 and they have 23 games remaining as they begin a road trip tonight against Tampa Bay. That may come as good news to an O's team that is 33-20 against the AL East this year. Since starting this season by losing two of its first three series within the division, the Orioles are 11-1-2 in 14 AL East series. The Orioles have not lost a road series in the AL East all year, going 7-0-1 in those series with a record of...

ST. PETERSBURG - The Orioles have David Lough in left field and Ryan Flaherty at third base for tonight's series opener against the Rays. With Chris Davis at first and Nelson Cruz at designated hitter, the club has a bench led by Delmon Young, Alejandro De Aza and Kelly Johnson. Lough makes his second start in three games, but first in left since Aug. 31. With four hits in his last nine at-bats, Lough has lifted his season average from .213 to .227. Flaherty makes his first start since...

The Nationals have added another player to their roster. Infielder/outfielder Jeff Kobernus has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. This is Kobernus' first stint with the Nats in 2014; he previously appeared in 24 games for the club in 2013. Kobernus missed some time this season after fracturing his left hand in early April, but returned on June 25. Kobernus played in 73 minor league games, hitting .264 with a .347 on-base percentage. Fifty-three of those games played were at the Triple-A...

The Washington Nationals today recalled infielder/outfielder Jeff Kobernus from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Kobernus joins the Nationals for the first time this season after hitting .264 with a .347 on-base percentage in 73 Minor League games. After recovering from a fractured left hand suffered in early April, Kobernus returned to the Chiefs' roster on June 25 and...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Over his last 20 starts, Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen has lost a grand total of two games. This is going back to May 3. Twenty starts, two defeats. Chen takes the mound tonight in the series opener against the Rays at Tropicana Field, where it's always 72 degrees. Good thing the roof doesn't open here. It's 400 degrees outside and we don't need anyone with the Rays to become tempted. Chen is 7-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 12 starts on the road. He's registered a...

Last night was a special one for the Orioles player development department as this year's award winners were announced and honored at Camden Yards. They were introduced to the crowd at the ballpark and before that held a press conference with reporters that was also attended by their family members who came to support the players and honorees. First baseman Christian Walker was named O's minor league Player of the Year, taking the Brooks Robinson Award. Right-hander Tyler Wilson was honored...

What is the proper recompense that Orioles fans deserve for enduring 14 consecutive seasons of losing baseball? The honest answer is nothing. If you're a longtime sports fan, you know the hard truth is that the game doesn't owe us as fans anything. The joys are few, the frustrations many. Nevertheless, I cling to my sometimes naive belief that loyalty will be rewarded in time. It wasn't so long ago, during a period when the sufferings were plentiful and often substantial (think 30-3), that...