Bud Norris has outstanding career numbers against the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels have some outstanding offensive numbers of their own this season. To steal a line from my own network, who will own it? Norris (7-6, 3.96 ERA) hasn't made a big league start since July 9 when he gave up five runs over four innings against the Nationals. He was optioned to Double-A Bowie so he could start during the All-Star break. On Monday he went 4 1/3 innings allowing four hits and three runs and threw 99...

In his last six games, Bryce Harper has raised his average from .246 to .263 and hit a pair of home runs. Ever since taking a more upright approach at the plate, he's been raking. So why is Harper on the bench tonight as the Nationals open a three-game series at Coors Field against the Rockies? Manager Matt Williams told reporters in Denver that the reason is two-fold: He wants to give Harper the occasional day off, especially since he seems to be struggling lately against left-handed...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Bud Norris from Double-A Bowie and optioned catcher Steve Clevenger to Triple-A Norfolk. Norris, 29, is 7-6 with a 3.96 ERA (91.0IP, 40ER) in 15 starts for the Orioles this season. Clevenger, 28, appeared in two games for the Orioles after being recalled on July 12. He has batted .328/.378/.458 in 36 games with Norfolk and .240/.296/.373...

The Orioles lead the all-time series against the Angels, 345-290, going 184-129 in Baltimore and 161-161 in Anaheim. Does anyone remember when Nolan Ryan no-hit the Orioles, back when he pitched for the California Angels? I'm old enough to recall it vividly. It happened on June 1, 1975. Ryan walked four and struck out nine while tossing the fourth no-no of his career. Wayne Garland replaced starter Ross Grimsley and allowed one hit over 4 2/3 innings in a 1-0 loss. Check out the boxscore...

The Orioles recalled right-hander Bud Norris from Double-A Bowie to start tonight's game. To make room for Norris on the roster, the Orioles optioned catcher Steve Clevenger to Triple-A Norfolk. Clevenger appeared in two games for the Orioles after being recalled on July 12. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RFF Steve Pearce LF Adam Jones CF Nelson Cruz DH Chris Davis 1B J.J. Hardy SS Manny Machado 3B Nick Hundley C Jonathan Schoop 2B Bud Norris RHP For the Angels Kole Calhoun RF Mike Trout CF...

DENVER - Just as Bryce Harper is starting to heat up, he'll take a seat in the opener of the Nationals' three-game set at Coors Field. Matt Williams has opted to sit Harper against Rockies left-hander Franklin Morales. Ryan Zimmerman will play left field tonight, his first start in left since Harper returned from the disabled list. Danny Espinosa will play second, with Anthony Rendon sliding across the diamond to play third. The Rockies, meanwhile, will be without shortstop Troy Tulowitzki...

Two players from the Orioles organization played in Sunday's Dominican Summer League All-Star Game. They were on the South team that lost 9-7 to the North. Ricardo Andujar, a 21-year-old switch-hitting shortstop from Azua, Dominican Republic, got the start and went 1-for-3. Victor Romero, a 19-year-old right-hander from Los Teques, Venezuela, retired the only hitter he faced. Andujar is batting .358 to rank seventh in the DSL in 37 games for the O's DSL-1 team. Andujar has a .455 OBP, a...

I'm back home this afternoon after a nice visit with family in Ocean Pines. My fridge is filled with leftovers, the lineup including chicken piccata with angel hair pasta, chicken cacciatore with noodles, roast beef, mashed potatoes with sour cream, soft shell crabs and crab cakes. The beef stroganoff never made it into the cooler - I emptied that container in a few days - but we have homemade chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert Anybody hungry? Shortstop J.J. Hardy...

DENVER - So far in July, the Nationals are hitting an impressive .274 as a team, with a .771 OPS. From March through June, they hit .244 as a team, with a .691 OPS. They've scored 5.07 runs per game in July, up from 4.03 in the season's first three months. They're averaging 3.71 extra-base hits per July contest, compared to 2.69 per game from March through June. The offense, which was fairly hit-or-miss over the season's first three months (no pun intended), has started to come around on...

Manager: Walt Weiss, second year Record: 40-58 Last 10 games: 3-7 Who to watch: SS Troy Tulowitzki (.340/.432/.603, 18 doubles, 21 HR, 52 RBIs, 71 R); 1B Justin Morneau (.312/.345/.502, 20 doubles, 13 HR, 60 RBIs); RF Charlie Blackmon (.305/.351/.477, 17 doubles, 14 HR, 52 RBIs, 18 SB); LHP Jorge De La Rosa (10-6, 4.39 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 0-3, 7 runs scored, 18 runs allowed Pitching probables July 21: Franklin Morales vs. Doug Fister, 8:30 p.m., MASN HD July 22: TBA vs....