Manager: Clint Hurdle, fourth year Record: 10-16 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: CF Andrew McCutchen (.286/.408/.500, 4 HR, 14 RBIs); 2B Neil Walker (.235/.291/.431, 6 HR, 12 RBIs); 3B Pedro Alvarez (.172/.280/.387, 6 HR, 14 RBI); RHP Brandon Cumpton (0-1, 2.57 ERA) Season series vs. O's (2013): Did not play Pitching probables April 29: Charlie Morton vs. Chris Tillman, 7 p.m., MASN HD April 30: Brandon Cumpton vs. Bud Norris, 7 p.m., MASN HD Series breakdown The Pirates were starting to...

Center fielder Michael Taylor announced his presence with a three home run game Sunday for Double-A Harrisburg against Bowie. He went 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBIs, becoming the first Nationals organizational player to his three homers in one game since Danny Espinosa. Taylor is batting .250 with four doubles, five home runs and 18 RBIs in 22 games. He has struck out 39 times, but has walked 11 times and stolen five bases. He is hitting .351 at home and .170 on the road. Taylor is...

HOUSTON - In the NFL, there's a saying that is used quite frequently when a team has to deal with a key player getting injured. "Next man up," is what coaches, general managers and players will often utter when a valuable contributor heads to the trainer's room. That's a mentality that the Nationals have needed to adopt this season as one player after another has landed on the disabled list for weeks on end. When Wilson Ramos went down, Jose Lobaton and Sandy Leon had to step up and...

Cuban outfielder Dariel Alvarez was signed by the Orioles in the middle of last summer. Now, less than a year later, and after just 44 minor league games, he is flashing some impressive tools and talents for Double-A Bowie and it has been showing up on the stat sheet as well. Going into last night's game, the 25-year-old right-handed hitter had four straight multi-hit games, going 11-for-20 with four doubles, a homer and six RBIs. Alvarez defected from the Cuban national team in January of...

The Orioles are supposed to begin a two-game series against the Pirates tonight at Camden Yards. If only the weather would cooperate. Rain could wash away both games. The two teams are off Thursday and might be forced to play a doubleheader. Stay tuned. Manny Machado didn't play at Single-A Frederick last night, with rain causing a postponement. He's still 8-for-12 on his rehab assignment. As I've written, the Orioles could activate Machado tonight to fill the roster spot vacated by...

There is a good chance that if you ask an Orioles fan about Jonathan Schoop, that fan would say that the player has a lot of potential, but needs more seasoning. If numerically inclined, that person may bring up Schoop's four errors at third base, his one walk in 82 plate appearances, his poor .297 wOBA, or even that 31.7 percent of his plate appearances end in a strike out. That all paints a rather poor picture of Schoop and brings up the idea that perhaps he will be forever harmed by that...

HOUSTON - The second opinion that Bryce Harper received on his injured left thumb provided more bad news to an already injury-depleted Nationals team. Harper will need surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the thumb, a source confirms, and Harper could be out for around two months. ESPN first reported that Harper would need surgery. Harper injured the thumb sliding into third base on a triple in Friday night's win over the Padres. He remained in the game initially, but came out...

We're back! After an offseason hiatus, we're once again hosting Adam Jones for another season of live chats. These chats not only give fans the opportunity to watch Jones discuss his life on and off the diamond, but they also let fans ask their burning questions for the Orioles center fielder. Our first live chat is set to kick off tomorrow (Tuesday, April 29) at 1 p.m. You can catch it live on the front page of MASNsports.com, and follow along on Facebook and Twitter! As always, in order...

The offensive start to the 2014 season by the Nationals has been mildly surprising. Second in the National League in runs scored per game at 4.42 (behind the Rockies' 5.38 runs per game), this early-season surge in scoring has been paced by some surprising sources of production. With five players in the top 50 in National League weighted on base average (wOBA) with a minimum of 80 plate appearances, the Nationals have displayed a potent lineup, even with the musical chairs approach to lineup...

Not as good as the Chinese food in my fridge - a cold egg roll is one of my favorites - but give it a try. As expected, Manny Machado will serve as the designated hitter tonight at Single-A Frederick before the Orioles re-evaluate him and the possibility of activating him from the disabled list for the Pirates series. Double- A Bowie right-hander Tyler Wilson has been named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. Wilson's award comes one week after Baysox first baseman Christian Walker was named...