For the first time it what seems like April, manager Davey Johnson got to put together a lineup that would make his counterpart in the other dugout pause. With the return of left fielder Bryce Harper from the disabled list, Johnson was able to put together one of the better power and contact combinations in quite a while to open the month of July. Denard Span CF Jayson Werth RF Bryce Harper LF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Adam LaRoche 1B Ian Desmond SS Anthony Rendon 2B Kurt Suzuki C Jordan Zimmermann...

The low Single-A Hagerstown Suns announced that left-hander Matt Purke has been promoted to high Single-A Potomac. Purke made six starts at Hagerstown, going 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA. He had 41 strikeouts to just seven walks, and allowed a total of eight earned runs in 29 innings. His last two starts, in which he went five and six innings, respectively, have been the longest outings of the season. The Nationals have been impressed with the strides Purke has made this past month and a half. The...

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated left fielder Bryce Harper from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned right-handed pitcher Erik Davis to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Harper, who missed the last 31 games with left knee bursitis, is batting .287 with seven doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, 25 walks and two stolen bases in 44...

He's back. The Nationals have activated outfielder Bryce Harper from the 15-day disabled list. To make room for Harper on the active roster, right-hander Erik Davis was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Harper, who missed the last 31 games with left-knee bursitis, is batting .287 with seven doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, 25 walks and two stolen bases in 44 games this season. During his four-game rehab assignment between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg, Harper batted .354...

The Jair Jurrjens transaction is official. And still a bit confusing. The Orioles have officially optioned Jurrjens to Triple-A Norfolk this afternoon after designating him off the 25-man roster yesterday to create a spot for second baseman Brian Roberts, who was activated from the disabled list. Jurrjens has 72 hours to report to Norfolk, which he intends to do. He'll reenter the Tides' rotation and wait for his next opportunity with the Orioles. Jurrjens allowed four runs and nine hits...

When the Orioles announce their minor league player of the month for June, Michael Ohlman should get some strong consideration. The Single-A Frederick catcher batted .356 with five homers, 17 RBIs and an OPS of 1.104 in June. His scorching hot bat finally cooled off during an 0-for-4 day on Sunday. But, in the four games before that, Ohlman went 10-for-15 with four doubles, one homer and eight RBIs. The 22-year-old right-handed hitter has battled some injuries over the years including a right...

If you're still holding a grudge over Jose Bautista's antics after his home run off Orioles reliever Darren O'Day in Toronto, you won't feel any better about him after Major League Baseball announced the latest American League voting results for the 84th All-Star Game. Bautista, a three-time All-Star and fan-elected starter in each of the last two seasons, has totaled 2,679,230 votes to pull in front of Markakis (2,536,864) Also, the Angels' Mike Trout has passed Adam Jones as the leader...

As baseball moves into the third month of the season, here are some things to think about as burgers go on the grill: * If you think the Nationals' first half has been marked by a lack of clutch hitting, check out the Braves: Going into Monday, they have the National League's worst average (.221) with runners in scoring position. The Nats are at .247. Both teams are running on parallel tracks: Each has a strong rotation and bullpen, but no ability to sustain rallies. * It is obvious that...

He did it last season when he burst onto the scene in Los Angeles. Now, 14 months later, coming off an injury to his knee this season, which also ironically happened at Dodger Stadium, he is ready to make his "re-debut" with the Nationals back in D.C. tonight. And similar to that April 28, 2012 moment, Bryce Harper will instantly provide a spark for the Nationals, with his presence alone. Judging from Saturday's rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg at Bowie, Harper looks good to...

If you attended either last night's game against the Yankees, or Saturday night's game, you probably didn't see any noticeable difference between that game and any other run-of-the-mill Orioles game. However, to anyone that watched either or both of those games on television, the difference was more than palpable. On Saturday night, the Orioles were televised nationally by FOX, and last night they were televised nationally on "ESPN Sunday Night Baseball." We're obsessed with the concept...