Nationals manager Matt Williams explained during pregame Friday the reasoning for placing Bryce Harper near the top of the lineup at the No. 2 spot against the Cubs and right-hander Jason Hammel. "I think it's a question of trying to create a little bit with Bryce at the top of the lineup, especially against a righty," Williams said. "We faced three lefties the last three games. So I wanted to give him some opportunity certainly to drive runs in. The same holds true with Anthony (Rendon)...

Baseball in Baltimore doesn't involve near the level of mythology that it does in bigger cities. We don't have ghosts in our stadium and the only curses fans express involve neither the Bambino nor goats. If there's any bit of enduring mystical lore around this team, it's Orioles Magic, which has taken on different forms the past few seasons to be about something other than miraculous victories. Earlier this week, I wrote about Orioles Magic in terms of comeback wins and walk-offs. Those...

BOSTON - Today's game between the Orioles and Red Sox at Fenway Park has been postponed due to inclement weather associated with Tropical Storm Arthur. The teams will play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday with Game 1 scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and Game 2 at 7:15 p.m. The first game will air on MASN2 HD and the second game on FOX. The Orioles haven't confirmed their starters, but it's expected to be Miguel Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez, who was slated to pitch on Saturday. Kevin Gausman...

Manager: John Farrell, second year Record: 38-47 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: DH David Ortiz (.252/.351/.483, 19 HR, 53 RBIs); 1B Mike Napoli (.277/.397/.460, 10 HR, 32 RBIs); LHP Jon Lester (9-7, 2.92 ERA, 1.18 WHIP); RHP John Lackey (9-5, 3.62 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) Season series vs. O's: 5-5, 32 runs scored, 39 runs allowed Pitching probables July 5 (Game 1): Jon Lester vs. Miguel Gonzalez, 1 p.m., MASN2 HD July 5 (Game 2): John Lackey vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, 7 p.m., FOX July 6: Jake Peavy vs....

After batting sixth in his first three games back from the disabled list, Bryce Harper has been elevated to second in the order for the first time since April 21. Harper has batted second 135 times in 272 major league starts. He has gone 3-for-11 (.273) with a double and an RBI in his three games since being activated. With the 21-year-old moving up, Anthony Rendon is moving down. Rendon has batted first or second in 42 of his last 43 games. Today, he's batting sixth for just the second...

Manager: Rick Renteria, first year Record: 37-46 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 1B Anthony Rizzo (.281/.392/.502, 17 HR, 44 RBIs); SS Starlin Castro (.288/.334/.470, 25 doubles, 11 HR, 48 RBIs); RHP Jake Arrieta (5-1, 1.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP); RHP Jason Hammel (7-5, 2.98 ERA, 1.01 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 2-2, 14 runs scored, 15 runs allowed Pitching probables July 4: Jason Hammel vs. Tanner Roark, 11 a.m., MASN HD July 5: Jeff Samardzija vs. Gio Gonzalez, 4 p.m., MASN HD July 6: Jake...

After drafting 38 players this year in the First-Year Player Draft, 27 of which were pitchers, the Orioles had signed 30 picks as of yesterday afternoon. Of the 30 signed players, 19 are pitchers. The latest signing announced by the club on Thursday was its ninth-round pick, University of Mississippi infielder Austin Anderson. The Orioles did not have a pick until the third round and they have signed their first 16 picks, getting every player from the third to the 18th round. Last year, they...

BOSTON - Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester has a 2.92 ERA in 17 starts this season. Lester has a career 2.92 ERA in 26 starts against the Orioles. Does anyone else find that odd? What about coincidental? I'm not going with ironic. Lester is 15-4 lifetime against the Orioles and held them to two runs over seven innings on opening day, walking one and striking out eight. However, he went 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA in four starts in 2013 and 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in three starts in 2012. Nelson Cruz is...

BOSTON - If you happen to check the American League East standings, you may notice that the Orioles are listed first. They swept the Rangers in a four-game series to conclude their homestand. Four games without third baseman Manny Machado, whose suspension ends on Saturday. They played nine innings uninterrupted, which isn't how Rangers manager Ron Washington pictured it happening while scratching starter Yu Darvish. Did the lines of weather communication get crossed? The Orioles need to...

Steve Pearce spent another night having a big game and another night talking about his recent hot hitting when it was over. "I'm just feeling comfortable in the batter's box. Hitting is contagious. We are all hitting and we'll just ride it," Pearce said. "It feels really good, especially with the win for a sweep. Some close games. Definitely means more when we win." Pearce went 4-for-5 tonight with two doubles, two stolen bases and two RBIs. He drove in four runs in the series. Over his...