Outfielder David Lough makes his Orioles debut tonight. He'll bat second against Boston's John Lackey and play in left field. He said it's pretty clear-cut what his No. 1 job is when batting high in the order like tonight. "Just get on base. I get on base, I score," Lough said. "Look who is hitting behind me. A lot of great hitters. My job in that two hole is to get on base." After being acquired by the Orioles for Danny Valencia in a Dec. 18 trade with Kansas City, Lough was on a big...

Left-hander Johan Santana threw 30 pitches off a full mound yesterday in Saraosta, mixing in everything in his repertoire. "That's progressing well," said manager Buck Showalter. "Don't ask me exactly what's next. I haven't heard anything else. Scotty McGregor updates us every day. "It's encouraging to see that Johan is throwing all his pitches. He's pitching like he's in a five-man rotation. Pitch, work day, pitch." Assistant athletic trainer Chris Correnti, who worked with...

NEW YORK - The injury to Wilson Ramos has at least partly led to a handful of changes to the Nationals lineup. Anthony Rendon, who hit eighth on opening day, will bat second today. Adam LaRoche, who hit seventh in the opener, will hit cleanup today. Ian Desmond will bat seventh. And most surprising of all, Bryce Harper will bat sixth for the Nationals today against Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon. Harper has battled lower than the No. 5 spot in the order just four times - the first four games...

The Washington Nationals today placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to April 1, with a left hamate fracture and recalled catcher Sandy Leon from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ramos, 26, sustained the injury in Monday's season opener at Citi Field. The 25-year-old Leon is a switch-hitting catcher from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He has played in 14 games...

Steve Lombardozzi is starting at second base tonight for the Orioles, while Ryan Flaherty remains at third. Jonathan Scoop takes a seat on the bench. David Lough is in left field and Nelson Cruz is serving as the designated hitter. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF David Lough LF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Nelson Cruz DH Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Ryan Flaherty 3B Steve Lombardozzi 2B Ubaldo Jimenez RHP For the Red Sox Daniel Nava RF Dustin Pedroia 2B David Ortiz DH Mike Napoli 1B Jonny...

NEW YORK - We know now that Wilson Ramos will be out for around four to five weeks after having surgery on his left hand, news that manager Matt Williams confirmed this morning in a weekly appearance on 106.7 The Fan. So where does this leave the Nationals as they wait for their starting catcher to again get back to full health? Backup catcher Jose Lobaton will obviously get bumped up into the starting role, and all indications are that Sandy Leon will get called up from Double-A Harrisburg...

BOWIE, Md. - Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will get the start on opening night Thursday at Prince George's Stadium as the Bowie Baysox begin their 22nd season as the Orioles' Double-A affiliate. The Baysox, managed by Gary Kendall, start the year with a seven-game homestand against Harrisburg and Richmond. Bowie also begins the year with a starting rotation featuring three of the Orioles' top 11 prospects, according to Baseball America. Rodriguez (O's No. 3 prospect) starts Thursday and...

The Orioles announced today that the club will continue the Birdland Passport program, designed to reward fans who visit Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Orioles' local minor league affiliates. All five minor league affiliates - the Norfolk Tides, Bowie Baysox, Frederick Keys, Delmarva Shorebirds, and Aberdeen IronBirds - will continue to participate in the program. "America's most family-friendly and affordable sports entertainment option available today is baseball," said Greg Bader,...

First baseman Adam LaRoche battled through 152 games in 2013 for the Nationals, but would be the first to admit he wasn't 100 percent healthy the entire season. Whether it was his elbow or attempting to maintain his weight, LaRoche struggled with his consistency at the plate. His .237 batting average was the lowest in his career in a season where he played at least 150 games. His previous low was .259 in 141 games for the Braves in 2005. LaRoche went through surgery to remove loose bodies...

It's one thing to watch opening day on your TV or hear play by play on the radio, but there's nothing like taking it in at the yard. On Monday, the Orioles hosted a sellout crowd of 46,685 fans at Camden Yards, as the Birds opened their season against the Red Sox. All of the anticipation built up from a cold winter made for an electric atmosphere that helped propel the the O's to a 2-1 victory. We captured some of the energy from opening day for you to experience in the video below. While...