A pair of 48-win teams tangle in the Nation's Capital on Monday night as the Orioles arrive to face the Nationals. The teams opening day starters, Stephen Strasburg and Chris Tillman are off to great starts. Strasburg allowed only a Manny Machado double down the left field line in the first three innings. Machado's hot shot came in the second at-bat of the game. Strasburg has recorded one strikeout in each inning. But Strasburg is at 41 pitches after those three innings. Tillman did not...

WASHINGTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Kevin Gausman will be eligible to return to the club immediately after the All-Star break. Also, Gausman will no longer be on an innings limit, with today's decision to option him taking care of it. Asked whether the Orioles had a tough decision optioning Gausman, Showalter said, "Yes and no. We know where we're going to take him innings-wise this year in a perfect world and I think he's got a chance to be part of that and we want to manage...

On June 6 the Orioles were 6 1/2 games behind first-place Toronto. Today, they enter tonight's action two games ahead of Toronto and leading the American League East. A lot changed in just one month. A lot can change over the next month. Pretty sure the Tampa Bay Rays would agree with this. The Orioles' recent surge has some similarities to their playoff run of 2012, especially the help they are getting almost nightly from so-called role players. In recent days, players like Brad Brach,...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Julio DePaula from Double-A Bowie and optioned right-hander Kevin Gausman to Triple-A Norfolk. DePaula, 31, has not allowed a run in three appearances with the Baysox (6.1IP, 3H, 3BB, 8K) after being signed by the Orioles organization on June 27 from the independent York Revolution. He has pitched to a 3.62 ERA (916.1IP, 369ER) in 13 minor league seasons in the Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Baltimore systems....

Nationals manager Matt Williams fielded questions about second baseman Anthony Rendon and why he has garnered so much interest to be included in the Final Vote for next week's All-Star Game in Minneapolis. "Anthony continues to understand himself and what he can and can't do," Williams said. "For me, I think he's shown more power than anybody expected him to show. And that's power to his pull side. Everybody understands his swing and fact that he can hit the ball the other way. You talk...

WASHINGTON - Kevin Gausman told reporters today that he's been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, a move made again to provide the Orioles with an extra bullpen arm. The Orioles are selecting the contract of reliever Julio DePaula, who will be in uniform for tonight's series opener against the Nationals. Gausman is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in six starts with the Orioles this season. He allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings yesterday at Fenway Park, striking out seven and being denied the win after the...

As a high school senior growing up in California, Doug DeCinces had dreams of playing Major League Baseball. Then he had a chat with an Orioles scout. "The scout (Al Kubski) told me that I can't run and that I throw like a girl," DeCinces says. "I was shocked, said, 'OK.' I was disappointed. He was a gruff old scout. But I think he wanted to see if I had what it takes to improve. There was no coddling back then." In 1970, when the Orioles drafted and signed DeCinces, he joked with...

Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth today was named the National League Player of the Week. Major League Baseball made the announcement this afternoon on MLB Network. Werth, 35, hit .450 (9-for-20) with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, five walks and seven runs scored on the week to earn the citation. Werth, who has posted at least one RBI in five straight contests, helped the Nationals go 5-1 on the week and register series victories over the Rockies (3-0) and Cubs (2-1). In...

WASHINGTON - Orioles center fielder Adam Jones and infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce have been recognized for their hot play of late, as they've been named American League co-Players of the Week for the week ending July 6. Jones batted .423 (11-for-26) with a double, two homers, five RBIs, four runs scored and a stolen base. Pearce batted .333 (10-for-30) with two doubles, three homers, nine RBIs, eight runs scored and two steals as each player claimed his first career weekly honor in...

The Orioles are in first place in the American League East. The Nationals are a half-game out of first in the National League East. It's always cool when these two neighbors square off, but it's a heck of a lot more fun when the teams are playing well and are in contention. The Nats will send Stephen Strasburg to the hill, while the O's will go to right-hander Chris Tillman. Manager Matt Williams is going to the same lineup 1-8 that he has for five of the six games that Bryce Harper has...