It was a strange sight at Camden Yards this afternoon - Orioles pitcher Pedro Strop, who went on the disabled list Saturday with a lower back strain, fielding ground balls at shortstop and making throws to first base. It turns out J.J Hardy has nothing to worry about. Strop, who was an infielder from 2005-08 in the Colorado organization, is not going back to the dirt. But when he gets back on the mound, the Orioles want him to throw more strikes and today was one step in the process of helping...

Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold worked with a physical therapist while the team was in Toronto and continues to do exercises for his strained right hamstring. "I've been rehabbing, working out, getting kind of like active rest, strengthening and getting the flexibility back in my hammy," said Reimold, who hasn't played since May 11. "That's the program for now." Reimold took his rehab to Johns Hopkins Hospital during the Orioles' last road trip and has been working out at Camden...

Reliever Pedro Strop, on the disabled list with a lower-back strain, did some early work at shortstop today as part of a throwing drill incorporated by pitching coach Rick Adair. He isn't changing positions. The drill is supposed to aid a pitcher in refining and repeating his throwing motion. "We can't sneak anything by you all," said manager Buck Showalter. Strop also threw off a mound today for the first time since going on the disabled list on Saturday. Triple-A infielder Jonathan...

In a bit of a surprise, Ryan Flaherty returned to the Orioles today. He will bat eighth and start at second base tonight against the Nationals. He got the phone call from Norfolk manager Ron Johnson to head to the airport and here he is, already back at Camden Yards. Flaherty was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk while Yamaico Navarro was optioned back to the Tides. Flaherty was sent to the minors following the game on May 18. In eight Triple-A games, he batted .265 with two homers and five RBIs....

BALTIMORE - After sitting for a week with a broken bone in his right wrist, Danny Espinosa will return to the Nats lineup tonight, facing right-hander Chris Tillman. He'll bat ninth, with Chad Tracy picking up DH duties. Once again, Bryce Harper will be on the bench, battling bursitis in his left knee. For the Nats CF Denard Span RF Roger Bernadina 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond LF Tyler Moore DH Chad Tracy C Kurt Suzuki 2B Danny Espinosa RHP Jordan...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled infielder Ryan Flaherty from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned infielder Yamaico Navarro to the Tides. Flaherty, 26, batted .265/.286/.471 with two home runs, five RBI and four multi-hit efforts in eight games with the Tides after being optioned following the Orioles-Rays game on May 18. He batted .133/.228/.233 in 30 games for the Orioles earlier this season. Navarro, 25, has batted .286/.333/.357 in eight games over two stints with the...

The Orioles made a roster move today, optioning infielder Yamaico Navarro to Triple-A Norfolk and recalling infielder Ryan Flaherty. Flaherty was batting .265 with one double, two homers, five RBIs and four multi-hit games in eight games with the Tides. He was optioned on May 18 after batting .133 in 30 games with the Orioles. Navarro batted .286 with two RBIs in eight games with the Orioles. His defense was inconsistent at second base. Flaherty is starting tonight against the...

Unless Orioles manager Buck Showalter changes his mind later this week, Kevin Gausman will make his third major league start on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. His home debut will follow a disappointing outing last night in Washington, where he allowed seven runs and eight hits - including three home runs - in four innings. Catcher Matt Wieters shared his thoughts on Gausman after last night's 9-3 loss to the Nationals. Here's a sampling, which may be used today as leftovers for lunch....

Baseball is always looking to innovate. Most baseball fans' bookshelves include books like Moneyball and The Extra 2 Percent - books about how the A's and Rays innovated in order to win at baseball despite not having the money to win the way everyone else did. This desire to find advantages is nothing new to baseball and wasn't always about statistical analysis. Candy Cummings was a major league pitcher from 1872-77 and is in the Hall of Fame as the pitcher credited with inventing the...

Timely piece of work on Tuesday from SI's Tom Verducci about struggling closers around MLB, with our own Jim Johnson starring as co-Exhibit A with Fernando Rodney of the Rays. It's worth a read, but here's the salient point: It's not a surprise that Johnson, 29, and Rodney, 36, are struggling, especially given their age and workload last season. The surprise would have been if they pitched as well this year as they did last year. I'm on record as one who argues against statistics...