Adam LaRoche is back from the left quad injury that landed him on the 15-day disabled list, and he'll go right into the Nationals lineup in his customary spots at first base and fourth in the batting order. For a team that's dropped a season-high four straight games, an infusion of offense is a welcome development. To make room for LaRoche on the 25-man roster, infielder Zach Walters was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. The Nats will keep both Tyler Moore and Greg Dobbs, deciding their bench...

First baseman Adam LaRoche has been activated and returns to the Nationals lineup this afternoon for the series finale at Pittsburgh. Infielder Zach Walters was sent to Triple-A Syracuse in the corresponding move. With LaRoche back in the lineup, the bench gets better, with power hitter Tyler Moore now returning to a utility role. Maybe Moore's return to the bench will also help ignite the backup crew. But the bigger statement is that with LaRoche returning, the Nationals get a consistent bat,...

The Orioles are bringing their 1-6 Sunday record into today's series finale against the Indians at Camden Yards, their last game before hitting the road for an 11-day trip. No Sunday wins at home, and their lineup will be missing first baseman Chris Davis, who's going on paternity leave. It may also be missing third baseman Manny Machado, who's day-to-day with a strained right groin. The Orioles will activate reliever Preston Guilmet from the taxi squad and return to a 12-man pitching staff....

The first inning has been a bugaboo for Stephen Strasburg this season, but he got through the first against the Pirates in 1-2-3 fashion, then followed up with a six-pitch second inning, getting an inning-ending 6-3 double play off the bat of Pedro Alvarez after hitting Russell Martin with a pitch. In his first 10 starts of the season, opposing batters battered Strasburg for a .383 average and he posted a 7.20 ERA in the first inning. Second innings have been better: a .222 batting average...

A few observations after the Orioles were shut out 9-0 by Cleveland on Saturday afternoon. The Orioles have now lost five of their last seven and nine of the last 13 games. The Orioles were shut out for the fourth time this season and for the first time at home against Cleveland since April 3, 2003. If they lose today to the Tribe, they would fall to 10-13 at home and would drop back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 27 when they were 12-12. * Ubaldo Jimenez has to pitch much...

Today's trade with the Padres served two purposes for the Orioles. It gave them a backup catcher and it distracted from today's 9-0 loss to the Indians. Nick Hundley, acquired with cash considerations for left-hander Troy Patton, is expected to be activated for Sunday's series finale. The Orioles will make a corresponding roster move, most likely optioning Caleb Joseph to Triple-A Norfolk. They also will activate reliever Preston Guilmet from the taxi squad and place first baseman Chris...

Ubaldo Jimenez needed 99 pitches today to get just 12 outs. Not what he had in mind in going against his former Cleveland Indians teammates. Jimenez walked five on the day and two in the fifth inning when Cleveland scored five to break the 0-0 tie and knock him from the game on its way to a 9-0 win. "My first mistake was walking the leadoff guy," Jimenez said. "That got me in trouble. Base hit. Another little groundball base hit, but the big thing was walking the leadoff guy. "I felt...

Ubaldo Jimenez faced his former Cleveland Indians teammates today. This one did not go as planned. The Indians scored five in the fifth and four runs in the seventh today to beat the Orioles 9-0 in front of 36,873 at Camden Yards. The Orioles fall to 24-23 with their ninth loss in the last 13 games. They are 6-13 against American League Central teams and this was their most lopsided loss of the season. Jimenez battled his control from the start today, walking three of the first eight...

There's something about the prospect of Stephen Strasburg facing the Pittsburgh Pirates that gets Nationals fans downright giddy. Who could forget the hard-throwing right-hander's uber-hyped major league debut on June 8, 2010, when Strasburg fanned 14 Pirates in front of a sellout "Strasmas" crowd at Nationals Park. Yep, that 14-strikeout performance in his first big league game still stands as Straburg's career high in strikeouts. Who better to turn to when you've lost three straight and...

Ubaldo Jimenez has no hard feelings toward the Indians after they failed to re-sign him as a free agent. In turn, the Indians didn't make it easy on Jimenez today at Camden Yards. Jimenez failed to record an out in the fifth inning and was charged with five runs and four hits. He issued five walks, tying his season high, and hit a batter. This is the shortest start of the season for Jimenez, who suddenly has lost his May magic. He permitted one run in 19 2/3 innings over his first three...