Boy, did they need this. The Nationals' bats exploded in a five-run fifth inning, they got seven scoreless innings from Jordan Zimmermann, and they beat the Twins 7-0 in the first game of today's split doubleheader. Led by Ian Desmond, who had three hits and two RBIs, the Nationals pounded out 14 hits and turned a scoreless game after three innings into a seven-run game after five. Anthony Rendon drove in three, Jeff Kobernus had his first two major league hits, and the top seven starters...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Adam Jones homered in the top of the fourth inning today and Ben Zobrist homered in the bottom half. Jones has 12 homers this season. Zobrist has a man-crush on the Orioles and keeps showing off for them. Jones leads all American League outfielders in voting for the All-Star Game with 1,944,450, passing last week's leader, the Angels' Mike Trout, who's now second with 1,939,486. The Tigers' Torii Hunter is third with 1,067,973 votes. "I heard yesterday through...

I've said numerous times on Birds Watcher that the birth of the current Orioles came on Sept. 28, 2011, when the O's beat Boston on the final day of the season. We all know the story: Robert Andino's RBI double, combined with Evan Longoria's walk-off homer, knocked Boston out of the playoffs that year. The Orioles followed that up with an impromptu playoff birth in 2012, and withstanding this past weekend's series in Tampa, the Orioles are in the hunt again this year. In fact, going into...

Through 4 1/2 innings, the Nationals have had two runners thrown out on the bases, including one that was cut down at home. They've made two more errors, as Anthony Rendon dropped a pop-up that would have been the third out of the third inning and Ryan Zimmerman unleashed his 11th error - 10 of which have been of the throwing variety - in the fifth. Still, despite their repeated miscues, the Nats lead 2-0 as they come to bat in the fifth. A large reason for that is Jordan Zimmermann, who...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore introduced his 91 mph fastball to Manny Machado's right knee in the first inning today, sending the Orioles' third baseman sprawling to the dirt. Shortstop J.J. Hardy let everyone know that Machado's knee was fine. Hardy doubled over the head of Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings, and Machado scored all the way from first base to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Hardy scored on Adam Jones' double, which continued an early theme to this...

Left-hander Ross Detwiler's injury rehab assignment for high Single-A Potomac went well Saturday in Woodbridge, Va. Detwiler went 3 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits and allowing one earned run with no walks and four strikeouts. He tossed 60 pitches, 38 for strikes. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the rehab was a positive step for Detwiler. "Yeah, he felt good during the start and after the start," Rizzo said. "We'll see how he feels today and if all checks out today, he...

Among yesterday's draft picks by the Orioles were two high school pitchers that may be tough to sign. The Orioles like the duo, however, and may even be willing to go over their allocated draft pool money to get them. They are Daniel Ayers, a left-handed pitcher from Columbus, Ind., who was drafted in Round 25, and right-hander Robert Tyler from Cordele, Ga., taken in Round 28. Ayers was taken with the draft's 759th overall selection but was ranked as the nation's 177th-best player by...

Because of a major electrical malfunction in the production truck at Tropicana Field at St. Peterburg, Fla., you might notice a few changes on today's Orioles-Rays broadcast on MASN. While we're working to correct the problem, it's possible we may start today's game by utilizing the FOX feed from SunSports, the Rays network. That means you'll be seeing game coverage with Rays-related graphics on-screen. We're endeavoring to get our broadcast team of play-by-play man Jim Hunter and color...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles pitcher Steve Johnson had an MRI yesterday that showed only a slight strain of his left oblique. Johnson has a three-centimeter tear, which qualifies as a strain. Dylan Bundy will begin his throwing progression on Monday with 25 tosses from 60 feet. He hasn't pitched since spring training because tightness in his right forearm. Jair Jurrjens threw from 90 feet today without experiencing any discomfort in his thumb, though he didn't attempt any breaking...

Having called up Chris Marrero from Triple-A Syracuse to fill the temporary 26th spot on their roster for today's doubleheader, the Nationals will need to drop a player by tomorrow to get back down to the 25-man roster limit. They're not giving any indication yet of who will be sent down, however. "We'll make that decision after the two games today, but the rules allow us to bring a 26th man up," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "And we felt it was the thing to do." The Nats already...