Nationals right fielder Jayson Werth thinks his sprained right ankle is a "minor" injury and hopes he'll be available off the bench tonight. Werth hurt the ankle in the seventh inning of last night's game, and is out of tonight's starting lineup. He had hoped the ankle would feel better this morning, but that wasn't the case. Instead, Werth said, it was "sore, sore and swollen." "It was a lot sorer than I thought it was going to be," he told reporters in Miami this afternoon....

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told reporters today that nothing is imminent on the trade front, though he anticipates a flurry of activity among clubs leading up to Thursday's 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline. Duquette said he's focused on improving the team's pitching depth, which indicates that the Orioles aren't in the running for a big-name starter such as Jon Lester or Cole Hamels. "I think more pitching depth, I would say. It's more realistic that we could make a deal...

With the non-waiver trade deadline set for Thursday, July 31 at 4 p.m., there is still some uncertainty in the Orioles clubhouse. The players have to be happy to be in first place but also wondering if there will be any additions or subtractions coming. "You know it's always interesting," pitcher Zach Britton said. "We hear what people are saying. But until something happens or a new player walks in the clubhouse or someone is leaving ours, I don't think we'll focus on it too much. "If...

The Orioles are beginning a six-game homestand tonight without their starting first baseman. Chris Davis was sent home today due to flu-like symptoms that may be contagious. Manager Buck Showalter wasn't taking any chances. Steve Pearce is starting at first base, with Nelson Cruz in left field and Delmon Young serving as the designated hitter. Davis was sick "all day yesterday," according to Showalter. "It may be contagious and we don't want it passed around," he added. Davis could...

MIAMI - Jayson Werth said last night that he hoped his sprained right ankle, an injury suffered in the seventh inning of last night's loss to the Marlins, would be well enough for him to be back in the lineup for Game 2 of this three-game series in Miami. That won't turn out to be the case. Werth is out of the Nationals lineup tonight, with Nate McLouth written in as the starting right fielder. With Werth and Ryan Zimmerman (on the disabled list with a hamstring injury) out, Wilson Ramos will...

Exactly four years ago today, the Orioles hired Buck Showalter as the 19th manager in franchise history. No regrets. Showalter's team is 12 games above .500 and 2 1/2 ahead of the second-place Blue Jays in the American League East. Delmon Young is serving as the Orioles' designated hitter for the third time in five games. He's 5-for-9 with a three-run homer in his last three appearances and is 4-for-15 (.267) with a homer and two RBIs in his career against Angels right-hander Jered...

MIAMI - Luckily for the Nationals, they haven't had too many nights like last night. There haven't been many grit-your-teeth, clench-your-fist type of losses to this point in the season, games that the Nats had in their grasp but let slip away late. Yes, last night was Rafael Soriano's fourth blown save of the season, but one of those four games ended up turning into a win anyway. And outside of a few blown saves, very few of the Nats' defeats this season have felt like punches to the...

Manager: Mike Scioscia, 15th year Record: 63-41 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: CF Mike Trout (.302/.390/.592, 30 doubles, 24 HR, 76 RBIs, 72 R); 1B Albert Pujols (.273/.325/.472, 22 doubles, 20 HR, 66 RBIs, 60 R); RF Kole Calhoun (.290/.346/.492, 11 HR, 30 RBIs); RHP Garrett Richards (11-3, 2.62 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 1-2, 7 runs scored, 10 runs allowed Pitching probables July 29: Jered Weaver vs. Chris Tillman, 7 p.m., MASN HD July 30: Garrett Richards vs. Kevin Gausman, 7...

It is natural to think of the most recent occurrences to be the product of a new realization. That is, if a player all of a sudden has a monster first half or a terrible first half, then that player is defined by that play. However, if the only bits of information you have are projections from the beginning of the year and how a player has performed so far, then you can ignore the latter and focus solely on the former. In other words, it is more likely that Nelson Cruz's preseason projection...

The major league trade deadline is Thursday. The Nationals have won eight of their last 12 games and 15 of the last 23. But with Ryan Zimmerman's hamstring injury reportedly keeping him out of the lineup for six to eight weeks, most folks around baseball think the Nats will be active in the trade market for an infielder - either second base or third - to help the team with its pursuit of a division title. In this space a week ago, I came to the conclusion that the Nats were as healthy as...