Scott Hairston is in the Nationals lineup tonight, making his first start since coming off the 15-day disabled list yesterday after missing time with a strained left oblique. He will bat fifth and play left field. Right-hander Blake Treinen will make his first start for the Nationals tonight, opposing Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. Here's the Nationals lineup: CF Denard Span3B Anthony RendonRF Jayson Werth1B Adam LaRocheLF Scott HairstonSS...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A group of Orioles are taking early batting practice under the lights at Tropicana Field, including Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, David Lough, Ryan Flaherty, Steve Pearce, Steve Clevenger and Jemile Weeks. Other players are hitting inside the cage in the tunnel that leads to the dugout. The sun is shining and it's hot outside, but they're preparing for indoor baseball. Schoop has three hits in his last 22 at-bats, and four in his last 26. Hardy hasn't...

The Orioles offense has not gotten up to speed yet, that is pretty clear to see. The Orioles scored just six runs on 24 hits and went 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position at Minnesota. Right now, the Orioles rank third in the American League in team batting average, but 11th in on-base percentage, 12th in runs and last in walks. The O's have drawn 66 walks and the AL average for a team right now is 106. You could have figured the O's would not rate highly in some of these categories...

Left-hander Sammy Solis threw four innings Monday in Florida and the club's offseason facility and everything looked good, according to a team source. Solis' velocity is there. He is playing extended spring training games against teams from the Braves, Astros and Tigers. Solis had a minor back strain right before end of spring training which set him back. Update: A Nats source confirms that Solis will likely headed north, presumably to Double-A Harrisburg in the next week. Harrisburg...

Major League Baseball this week announced the 31 winners of the 2014 Honorary Bat Girl Contest, which recognizes baseball fans who have been affected by breast cancer and demonstrate a commitment to eradicating the disease. Annie Arensdorf of Ashburn, Va., has been named the winner for the Washington Nationals, and she will be recognized on the field before the team plays the New York Mets on Friday, May 16. In addition to participating in the lineup delivery as part of the pregame ceremony,...

On a team that has sputtered defensively to start the 2014 season, Nationals center fielder Denard Span is a playmaking oasis in a desert of bad hops, errant throws and generally poor defensive showings. Currently leading the team in the defensive statistics ultimate zone rating and defensive runs saved, Span has few peers in the outfield or across baseball in general when it comes to his skills with the glove. With the bat, however, the reviews aren't as glowing for Span, especially this...

A departure from the press box after 2 a.m. sure doesn't lend itself well to early morning blog posts. But I figured I had plenty to discuss after last night's wackiness. Blake Treinen will make his first major league start tonight. Who will the 25-year-old oppose? Only the best pitcher on the planet in Clayton Kershaw. What type of lineup will Treinen face? One that features Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Dee Gordon (don't scoff, he's hitting .342 and has stolen...

It was a game that officially took two hours and 59 minutes to play. But, in reality, it had another three hours and 17 minutes of a rain delay sandwiched inside the regular game. The Nationals ended up winning the opener against the Dodgers, 4-0. The pair of two-run shots by Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa were critical. Also crucial to the victory was the bullpen's ability to stay focused and hold the Dodgers scoreless for the final five innings of the game. Nationals reliever Aaron...

We have finally learned who will start Tuesday night (or, shall I say, later on today) for the Nationals. It'll be right-hander Blake Treinen, who will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse. Right-handed reliever Ryan Mattheus will be optioned to Syracuse to make room for Treinen on the roster, manager Matt Williams announced after tonight's 4-0 Nats win, which featured a 3-hour, 17-minute rain delay. This will be Treinen's first major league start. He made a brief stint with the Nats...

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos caught nine innings of a rehab game for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators on Monday night in their 8-2 loss to Richmond. Ramos went 0-for-4 and grounded into a pair of double plays, but called 149 pitches from four Senator pitchers. On Sunday, he was the designated hitter for the Hagerstown Suns and hit a three-run homer. Ramos has been out since opening day with a left hamate fracture. He has had a few extended spring training games and now a pair of rehab games...