BOSTON - Manager Buck Showalter joked today about all the attention given to the number of players that the Orioles have claimed off revocable waivers, noting that the Red Sox and plenty of other teams in baseball have been just as busy. Does he like that the front office is working hard to bring in another bat? "Everybody is," Showalter replied. "That's why the 'trade deadline' is not really a pure deadline. But everybody is. People who don't see themselves as part of it are trying...

BOWIE, Md. - Jason Hammel will make a major league rehab start tonight for the Double-A Bowie Baysox against the Binghamton Mets at 7:05 p.m. in the final home game of the regular season at Prince George's Stadium. Hammel last pitched for the Orioles when he went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs July 28 versus Boston. He has been on the disabled list with a right flexor mass strain. He is expected to go three innings tonight. If he still needs to reach his 45-to-50 pitch limit after three...

BOSTON - Danny Valencia will serve as the designated hitter for the Orioles tonight against Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester. Valencia will bat eighth, one spot after right fielder Nick Markakis, who is hitting seventh. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Danny Valencia DH Brian Roberts 2B Chris Tillman RHP For the Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury CF Shane Victorino RF Dustin Pedroia 2B David Ortiz DH Daniel...

The Nationals are fielding the same lineup for tonight's series finale against the Marlins with one exception. Anthony Rendon is back at second base instead of Steve Lombardozzi. Rendon has struggled of late, going 5-for-29 (.179) over his last nine games after recording hits in 13 of his previous 14 contests. Gio Gonzalez is on the mound looking to rebound from one of his worst starts of the season. The Nats lefty allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings on Friday in Kansas...

BOSTON - Chris Tillman will make his fifth attempt at his 15th victory tonight, and the Orioles will try to avoid being swept by the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Tillman is 0-1 in his last four starts, but he left two of the three no-decisions with a lead. The other game was tied. Tillman is 7-1 with a 2.97 ERA and seven quality starts in his 11 road outings this season. He's 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in eight career starts against the Red Sox. Tillman doesn't have a decision in three career starts...

Mark Sept. 9 on your calendars - that's the day we'll get an indication about how serious officials from Lee County and Fort Myers, Fla., are about courting the Nationals across the state to conduct spring training. According to Spring Training Online, that's the day the Nationals will meet in D.C. with representatives of Rockford Construction, a developer interested in building a mixed-use development that would have City of Palms Park as its centerpiece and also include retail and office...

After a huge Nationals win, MASN will show you postgame interviews with players, in which reporters ask about a big inning or a huge home run. Following a loss, you will hear players being asked some tough questions, maybe about pitch selection or a costly error. Either way, you often hear players answering serious, game-related inquiries. However, we know that you have other burning questions for the players. Maybe you were curious about which National was the best golfer. Have you ever...

BOSTON - Executive vice president Dan Duquette is serious about adding a right-handed bat as the deadline approaches for teams to set their playoff rosters. The Orioles made a waiver claim yesterday on Minnesota outfielder Josh Willingham, and they did the same today with Seattle first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse, according to an industry source. Maybe it's an ex-Nats thing. Or an injured slugger thing. Morse has appeared in only 76 games since the Mariners acquired him from the...

So which Orioles minor league pitcher has the most strikeouts this year? You might guess Mike Wright or Eduardo Rodriguez, Zach Davies or maybe Kevin Gausman. But the correct answer is Single-A Delmarva right-hander Parker Bridwell, who has fanned 141 in 138 2/3 innings. Bridwell, who just turned 22 on Aug. 2, was drafted by the Orioles in the ninth round out of Hereford (Tex.) High School in 2010. Three starts ago, on Aug. 16 against Lakewood at Salisbury's Perdue Stadium, Bridwell...

The Orioles are going to have a couple of interesting decisions to make going into the offseason. I'm not for a second proclaiming the Birds out of the running for a postseason berth, but whether there is October baseball in Baltimore or not, the offseason will come about. The lineup seems pretty set for this team going into 2014. Aside from finding an everyday designated hitter (if that's something the team wants to do), only two positions are really up in the air - left field and second...