Orioles manager Buck Showalter was talking about the clutch nature of two-out, run-scoring hits before tonight's game. Then his team went out and came up with a couple of big ones to lead the O's past Houston 4-3 tonight in front of 28,875 at Camden Yards. After Houston tied the game 2-2 in the top of the seventh, the O's untied it off reliever Jerome Williams in the bottom half. J.J. Hardy led off the frame with a double and was at third with two outs. Then Jonathan Schoop lined a sharp...

For the first time this season, the Nationals rotation is just as they drew it up. Right-hander Doug Fister will make his first start since the Dec. 2 trade that brought him to Washington from Detroit, having overcome elbow inflammation and a lat injury that sidelined him for the first month of the season. Manager Matt Williams expressed excitement to have Fister healthy - and rightfully so - when talking to the media at O.co Coliseum in Oakland before tonight's game. "It's good for him,...

Wei-Yin Chen carried a one-run lead into the seventh tonight before Houston's Chris Carter led off the inning with a home run to left field. Just like that, we're tied. And go ahead and insert your "all he does is hit home runs" joke. Chen completed seven innings, tying his season high. He allowed two runs and five hits, walked one and struck out four. Chen threw 101 pitches, 67 for strikes. That's a quality start, no matter the outcome. Chen also worked seven innings on April 26 against...

First baseman Chris Davis will report to the Double-A Bowie Baysox and appear in an injury rehab game Saturday night, the team announced. The Baysox are playing New Britain at 6:35 p.m. at Prince George's County Stadium. Davis may be one-and-done on the assignment after taking live batting practice today and proclaiming himself ready to come off the disabled list. The Orioles will check on him after Saturday's game and make a decision. Davis is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left...

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated right-handed pitcher Doug Fister from the 15-Day Disabled List. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Fister, 30, joins the Nationals rotation after missing the season's first 34 games with a right lat strain. He was acquired in a December 2013 trade with Detroit in which the Nationals sent INF Steve Lombardozzi, LHP Ian Krol and LHP Robbie Ray to the Tigers. In...

Now that the Orioles are playing well with a record of 13-8 against the American League East, they will try to win a few series outside of the division. It's not like they haven't done that. They swept a doubleheader against Pittsburgh. But the Orioles lost two of three to Detroit, Kansas City and Minnesota. They went 0-3 in those series and 5-2-1 in the other eight series they've played. After coming off their sweep against Tampa Bay, and with six wins the last eight games, the Orioles host...

OAKLAND - Adam LaRoche will serve as the designated hitter while Kevin Frandsen will man first base as right-hander Doug Fister makes his anticipated Nationals debut tonight against the Athletics. LaRoche will be the Nats' DH for the second time this season while Frandsen plays first for the first time in 2014. He did start at first 35 times, and appeared there 40 times overall, for the Phillies last season. Fister comes off the disabled list to make his first start of the year, and first...

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis took five rounds of outdoor batting practice today and said he felt great. It showed, judging by how far he was launching baseballs and how he kept smiling each time he exited the cage. Davis homered pretty much in every possible direction - left field, into the bullpen, center field, the flag court in right and onto Eutaw Street. Once he finished, he walked past two reporters with a smile on his face and said, "Still got it." "I felt really good the last...

Before he took the field and had an impressive batting practice session today, Chris Davis talked earlier in the Orioles clubhouse and wondered just how long his oblique injury has hindered his swing this year. "I've looked at a lot of swings from the first couple of weeks and my follow through just didn't look the same, just didn't look right. Felt good yesterday (hitting in an indoor cage) to get back on track," Davis said. Davis, who has just two homers in 22 games, indicated the...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter announced today that outfielder Henry Urrutia will undergo sports hernia surgery Tuesday in Philadelphia. Urrutia is expected to miss six to eight weeks of the minor league season. Urrutia was batting .220/.250/.293 with six doubles and seven RBIs in 20 games at Triple-A Norfolk. He appeared in 24 games as a rookie with the Orioles last season, batting .276/.276/.310 with a triple and two RBIs. The Orioles chose Urrutia as their minor league Player of the Year...