WASHINGTON - Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph has homered in back-to-back starts. In a related story, Joseph is the team's hottest hitter. Joseph jumped on a 91 mph fastball from Nationals starter Tanner Roark leading off the top of the third inning to tie the score 1-1. Joseph went 2-for-3 with a double and home run Saturday night against the Mariners at Camden Yards. Jayson Werth's sacrifice fly gave Washington a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Denard Span led off with a double and...

Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark has been through a lot to get where he is at. He had 17 losses a couple of seasons ago in the minors. This year, he has rolled to an 11-6 record. On Monday against the Orioles, with Chris Davis on base, J.J. Hardy's liner hit Roark square in the backside and glanced toward third base for a single. As trainer Lee Kuntz, manager Matt Williams and pitching coach Steve McCatty started to walk toward the mound to see if he was OK, Roark turned around and saw...

WASHINGTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn't offer a date today for Ubaldo Jimenez to come off the disabled list and make a start. Showalter said it's possible "anytime after Thursday," which makes sense, considering that Jimenez worked six innings last night at Triple-A Norfolk. "We're going day to day," Showalter said before tonight's game against the Nationals in D.C. Showalter spoke with Tides manager Ron Johnson to get a report on Jimenez, who allowed one run in six...

The teams in the American League East have stepped up their games a bit since the All-Star break. That includes the Orioles, who just concluded a 16-game stretch against the AL West going 10-6. The Orioles led the division by four games at the break and lead Toronto by 3 1/2 games heading into tonight's makeup game at Washington. The four best records in the AL since the break belong to AL East teams: .714 - Tampa Bay at 10-4 .647 - Toronto at 11-6 .625 - Orioles and New York at 10-6 The...

The Nationals surged for most of July with the offense igniting for the first time in a while. A lot of that offense centered around the bat of right fielder Jayson Werth. On Monday, Major League Baseball announced that Werth has been named the National League Player of the Month for July. Werth hit .337 (28-for-83) in July with 11 doubles, six home runs, 24 RBIs, 17 runs scored and 14 walks. Werth also earned the Player of the Month in July 2013, when he hit .367 with seven home runs and 22...

Washington Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth was named National League Player of the Month for July. Major League Baseball made the announcement this afternoon. Werth hit .337 (28-for-83) in July with 11 doubles, six home runs, 24 RBI, 17 runs scored and 14 walks to earn the second monthly citation of his 13-year Major League career. Coincidentally, Werth earned the first Player of the Month award of his career in July of 2013 (.367 average, seven home runs, 22 RBI). This July, the...

WASHINGTON - Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez completed his brief injury rehab assignment last night and is in the visiting clubhouse today at Nationals Park. Jimenez will board the charter for Toronto following tonight's game and wait for his next start with the Orioles. Jimenez, who's 3-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 18 starts for the Orioles, has been on the disabled list with an ankle injury. He allowed one run in six innings last night at Triple-A Norfolk. "I threw six innings and everything felt...

Six innings, one hit, no runs, no walks and seven strikeouts on July 25. Six innings, two hits, no runs, one walk and six strikeouts on July 31. He is 7-2 and he has a 2.17 ERA. He has won five straight decisions. OK, this is serious now. The Nationals' top pitching prospect is rolling. Right-hander Lucas Giolito has his stuff, and one professional who watches him believes the 20-year-old's not even going max effort yet. Or maybe it's because all his stuff looks so effortless. This...

WASHINGTON - Back at Nationals Park for the makeup of a July 8 rainout, the Orioles will be without a designated hitter again as they take on the National League East frontrunners. Nelson Cruz is in left field and batting cleanup, Chris Davis is at first and Ryan Flaherty is at second against the Nationals. The Orioles will pit right-hander Kevin Gausman against Nats righty Tanner Roark. Gausman has allowed four runs in 13 2/3 innings for a 2.63 ERA over his last two starts. Roark is 4-0...

WASHINGTON - Nothing much to report on Jim Johnson's bullpen session today in Sarasota. He completed it and the Orioles are still interested in signing him to a minor league deal. Scott McGregor watched Johnson's workout today at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. The Orioles remain the favorites to sign Johnson to a minor league deal. The only way he probably goes elsewhere is if a team steps up with a major league offer. Johnson would be an option as a September call-up when rosters expand...