It's only been three innings, but this has already far and away been the most locked in Stephen Strasburg has looked all season. Strasburg is through three innings, having retired all nine Cubs hitters he's faced. He's struck out five (four of which have been swinging) and allowed just one ball to be hit out of the infield. After starting the game with three straight balls to Cubs leadoff hitter David DeJesus, 30 of Strasburg's 35 pitches have been for strikes. He's been pounding the...

Manager Davey Johnson believes the Nationals bullpen is starting to feel more comfortable with its roles and that has contributed to its success the past few weeks. The bullpen has been pretty consistent since April 15, going 2-1 with seven saves and a 1.93 ERA in 23 games, allowing just 12 earned runs in that span. Johnson said rearranging the responsibilities took some time to jell. But that wasn't because the pitchers had lost the belief they could get the job done to start the...

MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles made today's roster move official by optioning reliever Alex Burnett to Triple-A Norfolk and recalling Steve Johnson, who will make tonight's start against the Minnesota Twins. Burnett appeared in one game in his second stint with the club, striking out one in a scoreless inning. Ryan Flaherty is back at second base tonight after Alexi Casilla started last night. Casilla will start Sunday afternoon. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Steve Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned right-hander Alex Burnett to Norfolk. Johnson is scheduled to start tonight's game at Minnesota. Johnson, 25, began the season on the disabled list with a strained right lat. He made three starts for Norfolk and was 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA (16.1IP, 8ER). In four starts for Baltimore in 2012, Johnson was 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA (22.0IP, 7ER) and the Orioles won all four games he...

The Nationals had hoped that Bryce Harper would be able to return to the lineup today after having minor surgery on Thursday night to remove an ingrown toenail. Instead, Harper is out of the Nats' lineup for the second straight game. Manager Davey Johnson said this afternoon that Harper's big toe is still sore after having an ingrown portion of the nail removed two days ago. "Harp's still a little tender," Johnson said. "He wanted to wait until he hit on the field, and if it's that...

The Washington Nationals today recalled outfielder Eury Perez from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed right fielder Jayson Werth on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to May 3, with a right hamstring strain. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Perez joins the Nationals after hitting .346 (37-for-107) with five doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBI, seven stolen bases and 17 runs scored in 23...

Jayson Werth hasn't played since May 2 because of a right hamstring strain, and the Nationals finally needed to make use of his roster spot. The Nats officially placed Werth on the 15-day disabled list today, retroactive to May 3, and called outfielder Eury Perez up from Triple-A Syracuse. Werth is batting .260 with four homers, 10 RBIs and 17 runs in 27 games this season. He'll be eligible to return on May 18. This will be the second stint in the big leagues for the 22-year-old Perez, who...

Not only has Ian Desmond been productive this season, he's also been clutch. According to Elias, all five of Desmond's home runs this season have given the Nationals the lead. Last night, it was a two-run shot in the fourth that broke open a 2-2 tie and led the Nats to a 7-2 win. Desmond now has 19 extra-base hits this season, tops among all major league shortstops. The Yankees' Robinson Cano is the only other middle infielder to match Desmond's number of extra-base knocks. Defensively,...

MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles will make another roster move today to clear room for starter Steve Johnson. Reliever Alex Burnett is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, but we'll have to wait for an announcement. Tommy Hunter has been credited with the win in his last three appearances. He retired all seven batters he faced last night, striking out three, and lowered his ERA to 1.47. Joe Mauer took him deep in the eighth inning - just not deep enough. Adam Jones made the catch on the...

MINNEAPOLIS - Chris Dickerson, who started in right field tonight for the Orioles, has a theory about this club and its ability to overcome deficits and adversity. "I almost think the team enjoys playing from behind, with an attitude that's like, 'OK, we're going to come back,'" Dickerson said. "The team has been so incredibly resilient and everybody just working within the team, putting together good at-bats, playing basically in every facet of the game, minus the defense in the first...