Wilson Ramos waited 38 days for a chance to get back with the Nationals. The catcher had a double, a walk and a sac fly that drove in the winning run in a 3-2 Nationals win over the Dodgers, which gave Washington a series victory. The double came on the first pitch he saw from Dodgers starter Dan Haren. I think the Nationals are glad he is back as well. "I am excited to be back with the team," Ramos told MASN's Dan Kolko. "I know I can help the team a lot. That is what I want to do. I want...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles catcher Matt Wieters is available off the bench tonight, according to manager Buck Showalter, after having his right elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., and grabbing a flight back to Tampa. Showalter anticipates that Wieters will be in Thursday night's lineup against Rays left-hander David Price. He's expected to serve as the designated hitter. Showalter said Wieters should be catching again "in the near future." Wieters underwent an MRI on...

Let's start with this stat that could get your attention: If the Orioles win one of the next two nights, they will have three road series wins this year in the American League East. They didn't win their third AL East road series in 2013 until Sept. 13-15 at Toronto. After going 15-23 (.395) in AL East road games last season, the Orioles are 7-4 (.636) so far in 2014, winning two series and tying one. They are 3-0 this year against the Rays, after losing 11 of the final 13 games to Tampa Bay...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Caleb Joseph spent part of his afternoon accepting hugs from teammates in the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field, warm greetings given to a player making his major league debut at age 27. Joseph didn't know whether he would start tonight, since he hadn't spoken to manager Buck Showalter and no lineup was posted. Turns out, he's catching and batting ninth against Rays left-hander Cesar Ramos. It's been an unforgettable 24 hours for Joseph, a late scratch from...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles have purchased the contract of catcher Caleb Joseph from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned infielder Jemile Weeks. Joseph, 28, will make his major league debut tonight against the Rays at Tropicana Field. He's starting behind the plate, batting ninth and wearing No. 36. Joseph, who arrived in Tampa around 1:30 p.m., is batting .261/.284/.402 in 22 games for the Tides. He hit .299/.346/.494 with 22 home runs and 97 RBIs for Double-A Bowie in 2013 and was named...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Caleb Joseph from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned infielder Jemile Weeks to the Tides. Joseph, 28, has batted .261/.284/.402 in 22 games for the Tides this season. He hit .299/.346/.494 with 22 home runs and 97 RBI for Double-A Bowie in 2013 on his way to being named Topps Minor League Player of the Year for the Eastern League, as well as an EL All-Star for both the mid-season and season-ending squads. Joseph, the...

First innings have not been kind to Stephen Strasburg this season. Prior to Wednesday's game in seven starts this season, Strasburg had allowed nine runs, six of them earned, with an opponent batting average of .394 in the first inning. The Dodgers added to that trend with two runs on four hits to take a 2-0 lead early in the final game of the series. Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig all had singles in the first. Gonzalez and Puig contributed the RBIs. It was...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles catcher Matt Wieters is likely to stay on the active roster following today's visit with Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. Wieters doesn't have a torn ligament in his right elbow and there's no talk of surgery, according to an industry source. The club may continue using him as the designated hitter, as it did last night, until he's able to catch. Wieters had an MRI on his elbow Monday and manager Buck Showalter sounded optimistic that the two-time...

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - As the Orioles wait to find out whether they may include catcher Matt Wieters in tonight's lineup, they will attempt to continue their recent run of success against the Rays. The Orioles are 3-0 against Tampa Bay this season and have outscored the Rays 15-4. They've won three in a row for the first time since building a five-game winning streak against Tampa Bay from Aug. 4-Sept. 13, 2012. The Orioles have won nine of their last 15 road games, averaging 5.4 runs per...

So where have all the homers gone? The Orioles have hit 23 homers over their first 30 games. That ties for 12th in the American League and just five teams in the majors have hit fewer. After 30 games last season, the Orioles had hit 34 homers. Last year at this point, the O's had eight multi-homer games and now they have just four. This from the team that led the majors in 2013 with 212 homers, which was 24 more than Seattle, the next-closest team. The Orioles had four players hit 20 or...