Well, that didn't take long. Three batters into Tuesday's series opener, Jayson Werth crushed his fourth homer of the year, a two-out shot to left, to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead in Houston. Werth, serving as the Nats' designated hitter tonight, has tremendous success in his limited time filling that role. In six career appearances as a DH, Werth is now batting .417 (5-for-12) with two homers and five RBIs. His latest blast has given the Nats the early upper hand at Minute Maid...

Bryce Harper underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, and Nationals manager Matt Williams received his first chance to address it before his team's series opener at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Williams isn't sure exactly when Harper will be back, but had only positive news to report about the procedure. "It's hard to tell how much time (he'll miss), but it was successful, doctor reporting that everything went fine and we got a little message from Bryce...

Reliever Ryan Mattheus is back with the Nationals for the first time since the club left Viera, Fla., in March. The Nats called up Mattheus and sent starting pitcher Taylor Jordan to Triple-A Syracuse. Mattheus found out last Thursday that he would be returning to the Nats after he was ejected from a game. Mattheus threw one pitch against Indianapolis in the eighth inning. The ejection came one night after Syracuse and Indianapolis exchanged bean balls with one another. "It caught me a...

The Orioles today announced that they have signed infielder/outfielder Steve Pearce to a major league contract. Pearce, 31, went 1-for-7 in three games with the Orioles earlier this season. He was designated for assignment on April 22 and released on April 27.

The Orioles never posted their lineup today, knowing rain likely would force a postponement as they attempted to re-sign Steve Pearce before activating Manny Machado from the disabled list. Lots of moving parts and balls in the air, as manager Buck Showalter likes to say. Machado eventually will be starting at third base. The weather just needs to cooperate. Will Machado's presence in the lineup provide a spark for a team that lost first baseman Chris Davis to an oblique strain and scored...

The Orioles' roster continues to undergo some major shuffling. Outfielder/first baseman Steve Pearce has agreed to terms with the club, according to an industry source, after electing to become a free agent today. An announcement will be made later tonight. Pearce is the 25th player on the roster and he's eligible to play right away, his signing coming before the Orioles activated third baseman Manny Machado from the disabled list. Machado will come off the disabled list Wednesday if the...

Tonight's game between the Orioles and Pirates at Camden Yards has been postponed due to rain and has been rescheduled for Thursday at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for tonight's game will be honored Thursday. No exchange is necessary and fans should bring their original tickets to the ballpark gates for admission. Eutaw Street gates will open at 5 p.m. Thursday, with remaining ballpark gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Ballpark parking lots open at 3:30 p.m. and prepaid parking permits dated for April 29 are...

Tonight's game between the Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates has been postponed due to rain and will be made up on Thursday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for the April 29 game will be honored for the May 1 7:05 p.m. game. No exchange is necessary, and fans should bring their original tickets to the ballpark gates for admission to Thursday's game. Eutaw Street gates will open at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, with remaining ballpark gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Ballpark parking lots open at 3:30 p.m. and...

The Orioles won't activate third baseman Manny Machado from the disabled list tonight if their game against the Pirates is postponed due to rain. Otherwise, Machado will start at third base. "If we activate Manny tonight," said manager Buck Showalter, "he will play." The lineup hasn't been posted. Showalter is attending another weather meeting and we could have a decision before 5 p.m. If the Orioles attempt to play a doubleheader on Wednesday, left-hander Troy Patton could come off...

Manny Machado is back in the clubhouse today and was going to play third base tonight once again for the Orioles, had there been a game. But right around 5 p.m. the Orioles announced that tonight's game with the Pittsburgh Pirates has been postponed due to rain and will be made up on Thursday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. When Machado does get back on the field, it will be his first Orioles game since last Sept. 23 when he got hurt in St. Petersburg, Fla., running down the first base line against...