Catcher Steve Clevenger, the Baltimore native acquired from the Cubs with Scott Feldman for pitchers Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop, played in his first game today since recovering from a strained oblique. Clevenger was behind the plate for the Gulf Coast League Orioles and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being replaced. He had been rehabbing at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Clevenger was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk, but didn't report because of the injury. Chris Snyder and...

Davey Johnson had joked in recent weeks that he was waiting to getting ejected for the first time this season. He wanted to pick a good spot, but figured his time was coming soon. It happened today. Johnson was ejected in the fifth inning of today's game for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Mike Winters. It's the third time Johnson has been ejected as Nationals manager. Johnson came out to argue a called third strike to Ian Desmond, a call that left Desmond furious and...

The Ryan Braun situation is a mess. Mostly because of the player himself. He accepts a suspension from Major League Baseball, yet doesn't admit to using performance-enhancing drugs. He has yet to answer any questions about his suspension. He issued a statement and ran for the hills, I guess. Here is why the Braun suspension will not be a deterrent for most players moving forward. Starting in 2014, Braun is due to make $113 million over the next seven seasons. While he will lose out on about...

The Nationals seemingly hadn't gotten a break in weeks. They seemingly hadn't gotten a hit with a runner in scoring position in weeks, either. They got both of those things in the first inning of today's game, and both the breaks and the hits came in rapid-fire succession. The Pirates made three errors in the first inning, two of which allowed runs to score. Third baseman Pedro Alvarez dropped a throw when the Pirates had Bryce Harper caught in a rundown, allowing Harper to score the...

There's no arguing that Drew Storen is a very talented pitcher who possesses great stuff. You don't save 43 games in a season and post a 2.96 ERA over your first 164 major league games without having elite ability. But during a couple stretches this season, one of which has lasted over the last three weeks, Storen has really struggled. The 25-year-old has allowed either an earned run or an inherited runner to score in each of his last three outings. Over his last 10 appearances, spanning...

Bryce Harper is back in the Nationals' lineup today after getting yesterday off to rest his left knee, which he received treatment on recently. Ian Desmond, however, is not in the Nats' lineup for the second straight day. Desmond had hoped to receive a special patch today that he could put on top of the blister that's on his left palm, but the patch wasn't able to arrive this morning. As a result, Desmond will sit out another game and manager Davey Johnson hopes to have his shortstop back...

There's little doubt to any Orioles fan about who the leader of the team is. Since Adam Jones arrived in Baltimore prior to the 2008 season, fans have slowly fallen in love with the outspoken center fielder. When Andy MacPhail pulled off the trade to acquire Jones from the Seattle Mariners, I'd guess that few predicted the impact that he could have on the organization. That impact is growing deeper each day, and it's something that could put him in a class few have joined. Jones went...

Every weekend from April through the end of July, I play softball in a co-ed league in Glover Park, and every weekend between those months, the Nationals comes up in conversation. It's the usual fare of "Were you at that game?" or "Did you see that play?" But last weekend, my first base coach shared a thought with me that I hadn't considered yet this season: The Nationals aren't getting angry enough about the fact that they're on a legitimate skid right now. After wasting yet another...

Let's get the blown-call quotes out of the way early in this entry. Hey, Wilson Ramos, did Neil Walker tag you before flipping to first for what second base umpire Laz Diaz ruled was a game-ending double play? "Nope. Not even close," Ramos said. "He never tagged me." What did Diaz tell you when you argued the call, Wilson? "He told me, 'He tagged you. I don't hear, but I saw it,' " Ramos said. "I said, 'Sure, you didn't see anything. Not even close.' But I don't know, maybe...

If you live near Baltimore and want to see a bunch of 2013 Orioles draft picks play, go check out the short-season, Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds at Ripken Stadium. When pitcher Eric Green joined the team this week he became the 15th member of the O's June draft class to be added to the roster. Many of the players, all drafted from the college ranks, are doing quite well for the 17-17 IronBirds, who are looking for their first-ever playoff berth in their 12th season. Two of the position...