The Nationals have announced tonight that they've signed Mike Rizzo to a long-term contract extension and promoted Rizzo to the position of president of baseball operations and general manager. "Upon purchasing the Nationals, Mike Rizzo was our first hire and he has performed brilliantly," owner Theodore N. Lerner said in a statement. "We started with an idea about how baseball teams should be built and he translated it into a reality far faster than many could have imagined. "He knows...

The Washington Nationals today announced that Mike Rizzo has signed a new, long-term contract with the team and has been promoted to the position of President of Baseball Operations and General Manager. Managing Principal Owner, Theodore N. Lerner, issued the statement. Rizzo, who was appointed General Manager in 2009 after serving as Assistant GM since 2006, is widely credited with building one of the strongest scouting operations in baseball and engineered a player development system...

Outfielder LJ Hoes collected his first major league hit tonight off right-hander Bud Norris. Who knew that it would happen with Hoes playing for the Astros and Norris making his debut with the Orioles? Baseball is a funny game. Hoes lined a two-out single into right field in the top of the third inning after grounding out in his first at-bat. Norris gave up a home run to Brett Wallace leading off the second, giving Houston a 1-0 lead. Wallace jumped on a 93 mph fastball in his first career...

It's probably going to feel very strange for Bud Norris when he takes the mound for the first time as an Oriole tonight. Not only will he be trying to make a strong first impression for his new team, but he'll try to do it against his old team. The 28-year-old Norris was drafted by Houston in round six of 2006. Since 2009, he has made 118 starts for the Astros. Tonight he tries to beat them. Norris has allowed 16 runs and 21 hits in 17 innings over his last three starts. Maybe the constant...

It's been a crazy few days for LJ Hoes. He was recalled by the Orioles from Triple-A Sunday and started that day against Jon Lester. Yesterday he was scheduled to start for the Orioles, then was traded and wound up switching clubhouses and starting for Houston. He is still catching his breath a bit after the whirlwind of activity and emotions from yesterday. He said today he has begun to settle in with his new team. After he and Dan Duquette didn't connect on the phone yesterday, Hoes said...

Infielder Wilson Betemit is scheduled to begin an injury-rehab assignment on Aug. 6 with the Gulf Coast League Orioles in Sarasota, according to manager Buck Showalter. Betemit hasn't played since tearing the PCL in his right knee during an exhibition game at Ed Smith Stadium. His recovery has been slow, considering that he had hoped to come off the disabled list shortly after the All-Star break. "We'll kind of test drive it a little bit to make sure everything's all right before we take...

Matt Wieters will catch Bud Norris for the first time tonight. He said you can't really learn that much about working with a new pitcher until you get a few games catching him under your belt. You don't see O's pitchers shake off Wieters very much, but he said it could happen several times tonight and that would be totally fine if and when it does. "It is something I would actually welcome early on," Wieters said. "Because we might not quite be on the same page yet. But I try to take...

Bud Norris will be working on seven days rest when he makes his Orioles debut tonight against his former team, the Houston Astros, at Camden Yards. Norris is 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 15 career starts with six-plus days of rest. Bud Norris will be the 14th pitcher to start for the Orioles this season. There have been only three others with more than 14, topping out at 19 in 1955. Henry Urrutia is serving as the designated hitter tonight. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick...

Right-hander A.J. Cole has now had two positive starts in a row for Double-A Harrisburg. Cole went six innings in a 5-3 Senators win at Trenton. Cole allowed four hits, one unearned run, three walks struck out six for his second straight win. Nationals director of player development Doug Harris is happy with Cole and his progress at Double-A. "Absolutely, he has gone up there and competed very well," Harris said. "He has thrown a lot of strikes and been very aggressive. We are very pleased...

The Orioles today announced the launch of the O's Birds Nest rewards program, a new interactive fan-engagement program. Through the free program, fans can earn points and have the opportunity to win unique prizes by supporting and utilizing the club's digital programs and platforms, and by interacting on the club's official website at www.orioles.com and on the Orioles official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. "The O's Birds Nest rewards program will enable the team to further...