The Nationals reacquainted themselves with an old friend at AT&T Park on Monday, and there's no question that Michael Morse - the slugging first baseman/outfielder who was one of the most popular players on the Nats' 2012 playoff team - is also a big hit in San Francisco. The "May the Morse Be With You" t-shirts distributed by Hunter Pence and worn by his new teammates are one clue. The presence of Morse's old D.C. anthem, A-ha's "Take on Me," over the loudspeakers later tonight...

Caleb Joseph, getting another start behind the plate tonight for the Orioles, threw out Boston leadoff hitter Brock Holt trying to steal second base in the top of the first inning. Joseph is 7-for-16 against runners attempting to steal this season. Nick Markakis extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first. Manny Machado grounded into a double play, but Adam Jones hit his 10th home run of the season to give the Orioles an early lead. Jones' ball...

It has been more than a month since the Orioles played an American League East opponent but that ends tonight as the O's host Boston to begin a three-game series and 13-game stretch against division opponents. They are 13-8 against AL East teams and that is the best record by a division team in division games. The O's last game within the AL East was May 8. The Orioles are 3-4 against Boston this year but are 27-17 versus the Red Sox since the start of the 2012 season. This year the clubs...

SAN FRANCISCO - Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is out of the lineup for the third straight game after injuring his right hand on Friday against the Padres. Kevin Frandsen will play third and bat second again for the Nats. Also, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was named the National League Player of the Week after throwing 17 consecutive scoreless innings. Zimmermann went 2-0, allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out 16. This is the first time Zimmermann has won the honor....

The Orioles purchased reliever Josh Stinson's contract from Triple-A Norfolk today and optioned reliever Brad Brach. A fresh arm was needed tonight after starter Ubaldo Jimenez lasted only 2 1/3 innings yesterday and manager Buck Showalter used Brach and left-hander T.J. McFarland to cover the rest of the game. Stinson, 26, has gone 0-3 with a 5.19 ERA over 26 innings in nine games (two starts) for Norfolk, striking out a batter per inning. Brach, 28, has registered a 5.40 ERA over 18 1/3...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of RHP Josh Stinson from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned RHP Brad Brach to Triple-A Norfolk. Stinson, 26, has gone 0-3 with a 5.19 ERA (26.0IP, 15ER) in nine games (two starts) for Norfolk, striking out a batter per inning. Brach, 28, has pitched to a 5.40 ERA (18.1IP, 11ER) in 10 games for the Orioles this season. To make room for Stinson on the 40-man roster, LHP Johan Santana has been transferred to the 60-day DL.

David Lough is starting in center field tonight for the Orioles as Adam Jones will serve as the designated hitter. Lough is batting just .196 in 102 at-bats. But he is 6-for-14 with a double, two homers and five RBIs over his past six games. "Yeah, but we aren't winning," Lough said of his offense finally starting to come around. "So doesn't matter what I do. It's what we do as a team. It's unfortunate we can't win more games. But I feel fine, I feel good. Knew I'd come around...

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will visit orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews next Monday in Gulf Breeze, Fla. after his latest throwing session today didn't produce the desired results. Wieters still is experiencing some discomfort in his right elbow, though manager Buck Showalter didn't classify it as a setback. Showalter also told reporters that today's session was one of the better ones since Wieters was cleared to throw. Surgery remains a possibility for Wieters. The Orioles will...

Washington Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann today was named the National League Player of the Week. Major League Baseball made the announcement this afternoon on MLB Network. Zimmermann, 28, opened the month of June with 17 consecutive scoreless innings as he pitched back-to-back gems over the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres. In earning his first NL Player of the Week honors, Zimmermann went 2-0, allowed just seven hits, walked one and struck out 16. He held opposing...

The Orioles welcome the Red Sox to town tonight. Despite the benches-clearing incident last night, Manny Machado is in the lineup again tonight, batting second. There has been no ruling so far on whether Machado will be suspended. Bud Norris will take the mound for the O's. He's 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA in four career starts against the Red Sox. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones DH Chris Davis 1B Nelson Cruz LF J.J. Hardy SS David Lough CF Caleb Joseph C Ryan Flaherty...