Given the chance to turn a double play these days, the Orioles are turning it. J.J. Hardy at short and Jonathan Schoop at second have become a formidable combination in the middle of the diamond for the club. This afternoon, Hardy threw some praise Schoop's way. "From the first time I saw him turn a double play from second base, I thought he was extremely quick. He has good hands," Hardy said. "After I feed him or Manny (Machado) feeds him, he turns the ball well with a strong arm. He's...

The Nationals paved the way for the return of left-hander Gio Gonzalez by optioning right-handed starter Blake Treinen to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. Treinen went 0-2 with a 2.89 ERA in three starts in his most recent stint. Overall, he is 0-3 with a 2.80 ERA in eight major league games, including four starts over 30 1/3 innings. In Thursday's 7-1 loss to the Giants, Treinen lasted five innings, allowed five hits, two runs, three walks and struck out two. He struggled a bit with his...

The Washington Nationals today optioned right-hander Blake Treinen to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and recalled left-handed pitcher Xavier Cedeno from Syracuse. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Cedeno, 27, joins the Nationals for his second Major League stint this season. In his one Major League appearance this season, April 21 vs. Los Angeles (AL), Cedeno tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two...

The Orioles know the date that's been set for third baseman Manny Machado's appeal, but they're not commenting on it. Manager Buck Showalter indicated that it's not imminent. It won't take place during the current series and it may not be heard next week while the Orioles are in New York. Also, the appeal won't be heard by Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, or Joe Garagiola, Jr., the senior vice president of standards and on-field...

ST. LOUIS - Jordan Zimmermann has never beaten the Cardinals, going 0-4 with a 7.03 ERA in seven career starts against the boys from St. Louis. Today, he looks to change that and to also continue his recent strong stretch, which has seen him throw 18 straight scoreless innings. The Cardinals will give the ball to Lance Lynn today. Lynn held the Nationals to one run over 5 2/3 innings in a win back in mid-April. For the Nationals CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam...

For the second time in three nights, Steve Pearce will start in left field for the Orioles and bat second behind leadoff hitter Nick Markakis. Manny Machado remains in the seventh slot after breaking his 0-for-18 slump with a double last night. Markakis needs two more hits to tie Ken Singleton for sixth on the Orioles' all-time list with 1,455. He's 4-for-12 lifetime against Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison. For the Blue JaysJose Reyes SSMelky Cabrera LFJose Bautista RFAdam Lind DHEdwin...

It's pouring right now at Camden Yards. No, pouring may be too tame a word. The rain is coming down so hard that I can barely see the tour group stuck in the visitors dugout from my fifth-floor Warehouse window. I don't know about you, but I can't see the tarp on the field in the middle of a rainstorm and not think of ex-Orioles catcher and current MASN broadcaster Rick Dempsey, who turned rain delay boredom into laugh-inducing pantomime on many a major league diamond. Sometimes Dempsey...

The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season in the New York-Penn League tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Hudson Valley. Coming off the first playoff appearance in the 12-year history of the franchise, the IronBirds will play their first seven games on the road and open at home a week from tonight against Brooklyn at Ripken Stadium. Former big league catcher Matt Merullo, who led the club to a 40-32 record last season, returns as manager. Justin Lord is the pitching coach and Scott...

ST. LOUIS - In case you missed it, Gio Gonzalez went four innings at high Single-A Potomac last night, allowing one run on two hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in his second rehab start as the left-hander works back from left shoulder inflammation. Scheduled to throw five innings and around 80 pitches, Gonzalez tossed 79 pitches in four frames, and while the walks weren't ideal and he didn't work as deep into the game as he or the Nationals would have liked, Gonzalez will almost...

Anthony Rendon was considered the top hitting prospect in his draft class in 2011. The hard-hitting third baseman was limited to designated hitter duties by a shoulder injury in his final year at Rice University, however, after he suffered ankle injuries in the 2009-2010 seasons, both of which required surgery. So there was some concern about his durability as the First-Year Player Draft approached that June. Five teams passed on Rendon, in spite of the fact that he finished his collegiate...