New reliever Andrew Miller was asked today what he thought of the Orioles when he was watching them from the Boston dugout. "Admired playing against them," Miller said at his first O's press conference. "Someone asked if this was a big change and if I had any animosity toward Baltimore. Definitely not. "Clearly they are doing something right here. Last couple of years they've been one of the best teams in what I believe to be the best division in baseball. To be up there is an...

The Washington Nationals today activated infielder Asdrubal Cabrera and optioned right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The Nationals acquired Cabrera, along with cash considerations, from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday afternoon in exchange for infielder Zach Walters. Cabrera, a veteran shortstop who has started 149 games at second base, is a...

The Nationals officially activated infielder Asdrubal Cabrera today and optioned right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett to Triple-A Syracuse. The club acquired Cabrera and cash considerations yesterday in exchange for infielder Zach Walters. Cabrera has made 149 starts at second base in his career and is a career .270 hitter. The 26-year-old Barrett is 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 40 appearances for the Nationals. Blake Treinen, who was called up Thursday, will remain with the team. Nationals...

Chris Davis has returned to the Orioles lineup tonight after being used as a pinch-hitter last night and getting a second at-bat as the designated hitter. New reliever Andrew Miller is in the clubhouse and wearing No. 48. The corresponding roster move will be announced after batting practice. Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen shut out the Mariners over eight innings last week in Seattle, and he's trying to find the same success tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Camden...

The Orioles lost 1-0 in extra innings to the Angels on Thursday. They mustered a measly five hits in 13 innings. Their division lead is down to 1 1/2 games with the Blue Jays having won six straight and nine of their last 10. And yet I went to bed with a smile on my face last night. Are we having fun yet? I don't know about you, but I sure am. It's August and the Orioles are in first place in the American League East. This hasn't happened since 1997 when the O's went wire to wire. What's...

Teams across baseball loaded up on pitching and the final day before the non-waiver deadline didn't disappoint with big-name players going everywhere. Here's a breakdown: * Oakland: The Athletics added lefty John Lester to a rotation that already has Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel, Scott Kazmir and Sonny Gray and this should help them correct a trend: Since 2000, they've been to the postseason seven times, but have advanced past the first round just once. A platoon of Jonny Gomes and Sam...

Throughout most of the season, the Nationals' bullpen has been one of the team's strong suits. Nats relievers have taken slim leads and held their opponents at bay, and when the Nats have trailed in ballgames, the guys out in the 'pen have done a tremendous job of keeping the deficit where it is, allowing the position players a chance to come back in the late innings. Of late, however, the bullpen has slipped a little bit. Dating back to June 14, Jerry Blevins has seen his ERA jump from...

Zach Walters was 166 games into his professional career after Arizona drafted him in the ninth round of the 2010 Draft out of the University of San Diego when the Nationals acquired him from the Diamondbacks in a July 2011 trade that sent veteran right-hander Jason Marquis to Arizona. "Zach Walters (is a) switch-hitting shortstop that we had seen as an amateur in the college ranks that we really liked," Nats general manager Mike Rizzo explained in a radio interview that summer. "He's...

Manager: Lloyd McClendon, first year Record: 56-52 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 2B Robinson Cano (.328/.389/.453, 25 doubles, 7 HR, 59 RBIs); 3B Kyle Seager (.281/.348/.486, 25 doubles, 16 HR, 67 RBIs); RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (9-5, 3.06 ERA, 0.99 WHIP); LHP James Paxton (2-0, 2.25 ERA, 0.67 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 1-3, 7 runs scored, 12 runs allowed Pitching probables Aug. 1: Roenis Elias vs. Wei-Yin Chen, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD Aug. 2: James Paxton vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD Aug....

Right-hander Brad Brach has been pitching very well for the Orioles and that continued at Camden Yards last night. In the Orioles 1-0 loss in 13 innings to the Angels, Brach pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings on just 21 pitches. He retired all six batters he faced with three strikeouts. "When you go out there in a tie game, you just want to get the outs as quick as you can and get the team back in to hit," Brach said. "That is all I was focused on, to put up zeroes for the...