Miguel Gonzalez is back from the disabled list, and Jair Jurrjens is one and done - for now. The Orioles announced this afternoon that they have reinstated Gonzalez, who had been dealing with a blister on his right thumb, from the 15-day DL. To clear a spot on the 25-man roster, Jurrjens was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. Gonzalez will start tonight against the Yankees, against whom he is 2-1 with a 2.75 ERA in three regular season starts. Jurrjens pitched Saturday, starting against the Rays...

The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated right-hander Miguel Gonzalez from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Jair Jurrjens to Triple-A Norfolk. Gonzalez, 28, was placed on the DL on May 9, retroactive to May 4, with a right thumb blister. He is 2-2 with a 4.58 ERA (35.1IP, 18ER) in six starts this season and will make tonight's start against New York. Jurrjens, 27, did not receive a decision in his only start for the Birds on May 18 vs. Tampa Bay (5.0IP, 6H,...

Yamaico Navarro is back at second base as the Orioles face the Yankees in the middle game of their three-game set. Chris Dickerson will play center field tonight, with Adam Jones serving as the designated hitter. For the Yankees Brett Gardner CF Robinson Cano 2B Vernon Wells LF Travis Hafner DH Lyle Overbay 1B Curtis Granderson RF David Adams 3B Jayson Nix SS Austin Romine C Phil Hughes RHP For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones DH CHris Davis 1B Matt...

One concern some fans have expressed here is that if Orioles starters continue to struggle to get deep into games, it will eventually have an impact on a bullpen that will have to pitch more innings. Manager Buck Showalter has discounted the notion that the O's bullpen is having to throw too many innings a couple of times during recent days and he feels that is not an issue yet. It certainly may not be, but the bullpen, and not just Jim Johnson, has struggled in recent games. The bullpen...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has another decision to make tonight regarding his starter at second base. Yamaico Navarro started three straight games before stepping aside last night for Alexi Casilla, who made two dazzling plays in the field and also singled and scored from first base on Nick Markakis' double. "Alexi put on a show at second base," Showalter said afterward. "What a game he had. My gosh. He was impressive." Casilla is 0-for-2 against Phil Hughes, who starts tonight for...

Last season, Jim Johnson blew three saves in 54 chances, while this year, he's blown three consecutive opportunities. The Orioles closer is scuffling and the team is stuck in a season-worst six-game losing streak. Johnson has allowed eight earned runs in his last three appearances and has watched his ERA jump from 0.95 to 4.22. Arguably one of the best at his craft a season ago, Johnson is a unique breed of closer. He doesn't overpower hitters or record high strikeout totals; he forces...

The end of a tough road trip may not be the right moment, but the time is coming for the 2013 Nationals to fish or cut bait. The basic facts were laid out in a USA Today article Monday that cited the Nationals' offense as 29th in batting average and OBP, and 27th in runs scored among major league teams. It did not get better last night as another struggling pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, found his A-game against the Nationals, crafting a three-hit shutout over five innings before leaving with a...

The frustration is building. And it's not being put to a productive use. As if yesterday's 8-0 loss wasn't enough, a loss that dropped the Nationals to a 23-22 on the season, manager Davey Johnson told reporters after the beatdown at the hands of the Giants that reliever Ryan Mattheus, one of the Nats' key setup guys, broke his right hand Sunday evening when he punched a locker. Mattheus had allowed five runs in an inning of work Sunday, more than doubling his ERA, sending it to 4.96. He...

Of course, Jim Johnson is going to be the main topic of conversation for Orioles fans today - and he will be in this blog entry, too. But first, a few other points to make. Of the five relievers the Orioles used last night, three gave up runs and a fourth let in an inherited runner. The batters went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. A runner was at second base in the last of the ninth with two outs, but the O's couldn't come up with the hit to produce the walk-off win. The blame...

Sunday's game was pretty ugly. This one rivaled it. The Nationals dropped a 13-4 decision to the Padres on Sunday and followed that up with an 8-0 blowout loss to the Giants tonight in the first game of a three-game set. Zach Duke gets stuck with the loss after allowing four runs over 3 1/3 innings in a spot start, but he was far from the only Nationals player to underperform tonight. Craig Stammen surrendered two runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 frames. Henry Rodriguez gutted his way through...