First baseman Chris Davis showered, dressed and headed to Prince George's Stadium this afternoon, where he's scheduled to play first base for a minimum of seven innings with the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Davis might have to serve as the designated hitter if heavy rain causes sloppy conditions. It wouldn't prevent the Orioles from possibly activating him on Sunday, but they'd prefer that he play in the field to further test his left oblique. "From what I've heard, at Bowie the field surface...

Matt Wieters continues to serve as the Orioles' designated hitter for tonight's game against the Astros at Camden Yards. Nothing interesting or different about the lineup. It looks familiar. The tarp is on the field. It rained earlier and more is on the way. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Nelson Cruz LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters DH J.J. Hardy SS Steve Clevenger C Steve Pearce 1B Jonathan Schoop 2B Miguel Gonzalez RHP Down on the farm, Single-A Frederick pitcher Matt...

OAKLAND - OK, so Doug Fister's first start as a National didn't go as he had hoped. Pitching for his new team, trying to make a positive first impression, with some California-area friends and family members in attendance, Fister allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits, and made a throwing error that led to a first-inning run. Again, not exactly how Fister would have drawn it up. But there are a few factors that fans should consider when looking at Fister's Nationals debut. One,...

BOWIE, Md. - The last time Chris Davis played in Double-A Bowie, he batted third and played third base. It was Sept. 5, 2011. Davis had been in the Orioles organization for just weeks and the Orioles were still weeks away from ruining Boston's season on the final day of the year. So, yeah, it's been a while. Tonight's Baysox lineup is out and, as expected, Davis will bat second and play at first base. He is wearing No. 24. The last time he played at Bowie, Davis was on the major league...

Losing 8-0 is never fun. But getting Ross Detwiler some extended work is a promising sign. Doug Fister struggled in his first start for the Nationals, surrendering seven runs, five of them earned runs, in 4 1/3 innings. Detwiler had a very difficult May 6 against the Dodgers, giving up four runs on three hits himself, over one inning. But Friday he was able to hang in there, getting out of the fifth inning for Fister. Detwiler went 2 1/3 frames, scattering three hits, one hit batter, striking...

OAKLAND - The good news is that Doug Fister seemingly made it out of his first start back off the disabled list in good shape from a physical standpoint. The not-so-good news is that Fister was hit around in his Nationals debut, and the Nats dropped an 8-0 ballgame to the Athletics in the opener of this three-game set. Fister allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two, walked none and allowed three home runs, tying for the most homers he's ever...

Chris Davis will report to Double-A Bowie on a rehab assignment for the second time in his career. Davis also played two rehab games in September 2011, going 3-for-6 with a double. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to qualify for the Eastern League All-Star team. It's conceivable that the Orioles will activate Davis from the disabled list on Sunday, the first day that he's eligible. Otherwise, he should be back in the lineup by Monday. Who would have imagined such an early return after his...

Watching Manny Machado, LJ Hoes and Jonathan Schoop all play in the same game last night, I could have been easily confused and thought I was watching a game at Single-A Frederick or Double-A Bowie. But this was Baltimore, this was the big leagues, and those O's developed players all had good moments in the game last night. Schoop's single put the Orioles ahead in the seventh. Schoop has four RBIs his last three games. When he bats eighth, Schoop is hitting just .146 but as the No. 9 hitter...

A lot of Orioles came through tonight in a 4-3 win over Houston. That included 22-year-old rookie second baseman Jonathan Schoop. His two-out single in the seventh broke a 2-2 tie and was a clutch hit for the Orioles. "Just was looking for a pitch I could hit to put us on top," Schoop said. "Think it was a fastball or a cutter. I was ready for it and drove it up the middle. "I am trying to be more relaxed if I can and don't try to do too much. Go up there, look for your pitch and hit...

Doug Fister was in line to start his Nationals debut with an easy first inning - that is, when nerves, enthusiasm or whatever other emotion he took into tonight's contest appeared to get in the way. Fister got John Jaso and Jed Lowrie to fly out to start the game before Josh Donaldson singled back to the pitcher. Fister didn't eat the grounder or make a safe throw to first. He fired wide of the bag and up the right field line, awarding Donaldson an additional two bases on the error. Brandon...