Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy underwent an MRI on his lower back and also received a cortisone injection during yesterday's off-day. The MRI turned out "pretty good," according to manager Buck Showalter, who added that Hardy is available tonight and should be able to start on Saturday. Outfielder David Lough also is available tonight, according to Showalter. Lough underwent concussion tests Wednesday in Baltimore before racing back to New York and playing left field in the ninth...

ATLANTA - The Nationals will face Braves right-hander Julio Teheran for the second time in seven days tonight at Turner Field. Teheran allowed two runs over seven innings in an Atlanta win over the Nats in D.C. last Saturday, and he also added two hits to help his own cause. The Nats will send Tanner Roark to the mound for his second start of the season. Roark picked up the win in his 2014 debut, holding the Mets to two runs in six strong innings. For the Nats CF Denard Span 2B Anthony...

J.J. Hardy is out of the Orioles lineup again tonight, marking the sixth time in seven games that has been the case. Ryan Flaherty is starting again at shortstop. Hardy was supposed to work out yesterday to test his lower back and remained hopeful that he would start tonight. Update: Hardy fielded ground balls today and will take batting practice later. He expects to be in the lineup Saturday. Hardy was told to rest Thursday, which is why he didn't work out, but he says his back is feeling...

Nationals right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett is right in the middle of quite a run. Let's begin with spring training. Barrett played in 10 games and finished 10 2/3 innings without allowing a run. He gave up only five hits, struck out eight and walked none. Opposing hitters batted .147 against him. Now nine games into the 2014 regular season, teams are befuddled by Barrett and his stuff. He started it all with three amazing outs on opening day at New York. In the bottom of the ninth, he...

When Jonathan Schoop first made the major leagues - and that happened last September - he beat the odds. Most young players drafted or signed at an early age never see the majors. Some get released before they even get to the higher levels of the minors. But Schoop made it all the way from the Dominican Summer League - his first pro ball destination - to Baltimore. And now he's making significant contributions to Orioles wins. In 2004, Schoop played on the team from Curacao that won the Little...

Matt Williams and Aaron Barrett first crossed paths in the Arizona Fall League in 2012. Williams, in his first managing gig at any level of the game, and Barrett, then 24 and coming off a strong campaign split between low and high Single-A in the Nationals' system, were both members of a Salt River Rafters roster that made it to the AFL Championship game that fall. After a dominant season on the mound as a 24-year-old in the low minors that season, Barrett embraced the opportunity to test...

The opening weeks of the 2014 season are offering Orioles fans a contrast in team hitting styles that will continue into this weekend's series with Toronto. Orioles batters do not see a lot of pitches; their opponents do. One approach is not inherently better than the other despite assumptions to that effect. I'm therefore working to accept this team as the largely free-swinging bunch that it is even if its lack of patience at the plate occasionally tests my patience. The 3.68 pitches per...

ATLANTA - I'm going to rattle off some numbers for you this morning. I know it's early and some of you might not like numbers at this hour, but if you're a Nationals fan, I have a feeling you'll enjoy most of what I'm about to pass along. Through their first nine games of the season, the Nats have seven wins, tied with the Brewers for the most in the majors. They have a run differential of plus-22, also tied with Milwaukee for tops in the big leagues. If it seems like the Nats' bats...

The Orioles return home tonight after a 3-3 road trip through Detroit and New York. They may have shortstop J.J. Hardy in the lineup, depending on whether his back responded favorably to yesterday's workout. David Lough could return to left field against Blue Jays right-hander Dustin McGowan. But does manager Buck Showalter sit Delmon Young, who went 6-for-11 with a double, home run and three RBIs in the last two games at Yankee Stadium? Young isn't just raking against lefties. The Orioles...

The Orioles are in a stretch where they play 16 consecutive games against American League East opponents. Tonight is the fourth game of that stretch that will see them open the year with 19 of 22 against the AL East. They will face Toronto six times over the next 13 games, starting with tonight's homestand-opening contest at Camden Yards. One of the many reasons it was good to see the team break out of its seven-game offensive funk was simply the fact that the schedule is so division-heavy...