Manager Matt Williams reported that right-hander Doug Fister had another quality simulated game in Florida and could be 15 days away from making his first start for the Nationals. Fister went three innings and tossed 44 pitches. "He felt good with everything," Williams said. "Lots of grounders and reported he felt really good with it. The next step for him is work out down there tomorrow. The plan is for him to be here Thursday and continue to go through his program and get to a rehab start...

As he looks for his second homer of the 2014 season, Chris Davis probably figures he's playing the right opponent tonight to get one. In 38 games and 138 at-bats against Toronto pitching since the start of the 2012 season, Davis has hit 17 homers. Davis hit .393 with four doubles, nine homers and 17 RBIs against the Jays in 2012. Last season, he hit .299 with seven doubles, seven homers and 19 RBIs against Toronto. In the three earlier games this year he went 2-for-10 with one homer and one...

Bryce Harper. Those two words dominated headlines not just in Washington, D.C., but all around baseball this past week - whether it was for his lack of hustle in Saturday's game against the Cardinals or for his hyped matchup with the Angels' Mike Trout. Here are a few headlines you may have missed from other media outlets regarding Harper and the Nationals. * Manager Matt Williams has received praise from many in the media over the way he handled the Harper situation. FOXSports.com's...

Shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Matt Wieters aren't in the Orioles lineup for tonight's game in Toronto. The Orioles are giving Hardy's hamstring an extra day to heal. No idea what's going on with Wieters, who didn't play yesterday morning following a night game. Adam Jones is 10-for-21 during a five-game hitting streak. Also, the Orioles made their roster move official, designating outfielder Steve Pearce for assignment and adding reliever T.J. McFarland to the 25-man...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled left-hander T.J. McFarland from Triple-A Norfolk anddesignated infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce for assignment. McFarland, 24, has posted a 1.84 ERA (14.2IP, 3ER) in three starts for Norfolk, striking out 18 while walking four. Pearce, 31, is 1-for-7 in three games with the Orioles this season.

The Orioles haven't posted their lineup for tonight's game in Toronto. Once they do, it's not expected to include outfielder Steve Pearce among the reserves. Barring a drastic change in plans, Pearce will be designated for assignment to make room for left-hander T.J. McFarland on the 25-man roster. The Orioles would temporarily go with a 13-man pitching staff to aid their bullpen, which was used extensively in Boston. One other way to make room for McFarland would have been to place...

The Washington Nationals today recalled right-handed reliever Aaron Barrett from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and optioned left-handed reliever Xavier Cedeno to Syracuse. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. In two appearances since being optioned to Triple-A on April 12, Barrett, 26, collected two saves and did not allow a run in 2.1 innings pitched. He surrendered just two hits, walked one and struck out two. ...

As promised, it didn't take too long before Aaron Barrett was brought back from the minors and rejoined the Nationals. Barrett was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse this afternoon, with left-handed reliever Xavier Cedeno being optioned to Syracuse to make room for Barrett on the 25-man roster. The 26-year-old Barrett got off to a great start with the Nats in his first taste of the big leagues, throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks and striking out six. He...

The Orioles made it out of Fenway Park with a split of a four-game series. Now, they've got to figure out a way to win at Rogers Centre, where they've lost every season series since 2005. Remember when they went 1-8 in 2009 and 0-9 in 2010? Good times. The Orioles have won the last two season series against the Blue Jays, going 10-9 last year. So, they have that going for them, which is nice. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey presents a special challenge tonight, but he's 1-3 with a 6.26 ERA in...

After mentioning the Orioles rotation and quality starts in this morning's entry, here is an even closer look at how the club's starting staff is doing so far. Right now, the Orioles are tied for ninth in the American League in average innings pitched per start: 6.3 - Kansas City 6.2 - Los Angeles 6.1 - New York, Oakland 6.0 - Detroit 5.9 - Chicago, Boston, Texas 5.7 - Orioles, Minnesota 5.6 - Tampa Bay 5.5 - Cleveland, Toronto, Seattle, Houston Ranking O's starters by innings per...