Following Tuesday's rainout, Wednesday's game turned into the series finale between the Nationals and Marlins. Prior to Monday, the three game set would have decided second place in the National League East in late May. Now that the series has been reduced to a pair of games and the Nationals dropped the opener Monday night 3-2, it is important they get a split before Miami leaves town. Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann did a nice job of working around two hits in the first innings thanks to a...

After exchanging 7-6 wins in 10 innings the past two days where the winning team trailed with two outs in the ninth, the Orioles and Brewers play the series finale tonight in Milwaukee. Can this game match the excitement of the first two? Bud Norris (3-4, 3.83 ERA) pitches for the Orioles against Yovani Gallardo (2-3, 3.51 ERA). Gallardo won last night's game with a pinch-hit double in the 10th inning. Gallardo went 1-0 with a 2.27 ERA in five April starts, but has gone 0-3 with a 6.33 ERA...

Nationals manager Matt Williams had another positive update on the status of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has been out with a right thumb fracture. Zimmerman went through batting practice Wednesday and even had former Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez throwing to him. "Today is a stepping stone for him," Williams said. "He got on the field for live BP. Took a lot of swings. He also took grounders today. That is a big step. We will see how he feels tomorrow. And what his body feels...

There's a few things that have changed since our first edition of Ask Matt. For starters, we've moved from Matt Williams' office to the media room. According to Williams, this move will be permanent if the Nationals start a winning streak tonight. Not that the skipper is superstitious or anything ... On top of the location switch, we have redirected control of the blog to the fans. We asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter to submit their questions, and we collected an interesting...

The first update on the National League All-Star voting was released on Wednesday, and two Nationals are in the running for starting gigs on July 15. As voted by fans, Nats second baseman Anthony Rendon and Nats outfielder Bryce Harper are both in the mix on the first ballot, but they have some ground to make up before being pinned as NL starters. Rendon sits in fourth place among NL second basemen with 183,600 votes. He trails the Phillies' Chase Utley (509,390 votes), the Dodgers' Dee...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is sticking with the same lineup tonight, which includes Nick Hundley behind the plate and Jonathan Schoop at second base. Nothing to see here except familiarity. Pitchers Bud Norris and Yovani Gallardo were used as pinch-hitters last night at Miller Park. Gallardo delivered a walk-off double in the 10th inning off Orioles left-hander T.J. McFarland. Tonight, they oppose each other on the mound. According to Elias, Tom Browning and John Smoltz were the last...

The Orioles have been busy with minor matters today. Shortly after trading catcher Johnny Monell to the Dodgers for cash considerations, the Orioles announced that reliever Evan Meek has been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Meek cleared waivers after going 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA in eight games and 9 2/3 innings with the Tides. Meek didn't allow a run in his first eight appearances with the Orioles, but was optioned on May 1 after permitting nine runs and 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings over four...

Baseball fans, don't forget to look for the Orioles scratch-off from the Maryland Lottery. Sure, there's a chance to win cash instantly and a top prize of $60,000. But you could also win a whole lot more! For instance, how would you like to watch the O's take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field? The Lottery is giving away four trips to see the O's play in Wrigley on Saturday August 23 as part of a three-day, two-night trip for two to Chicago - including airfare, hotel accommodations, a pregame...

One day after optioning catcher Steve Clevenger to Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles have traded Tides catcher Johnny Monell to the Dodgers for cash considerations. Monell, 28, was batting .209/.280/.286 with four doubles, one home run and seven RBIs in 30 games at Norfolk. He will report to the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque. The Orioles purchased Monell's contract from the Giants on Nov. 30. He lost the backup competition to Clevenger, who was optioned yesterday after first...

Manager Matt Williams will use the same lineup against the Marlins he intended to use for Tuesday's game before the rainout. The only difference is Jordan Zimmermann will take the mound for the Nationals, while Blake Treinen has been moved to the bullpen after having his spot skipped. Kevin Frandsen will get the start at second while Danny Espinosa will be on the bench. For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche C Wilson Ramos SS Ian Desmond 2B...