Dan Haren entered tonight having allowed 12 home runs this season, tying him for the seventh-most surrendered by any pitcher in the majors. After three innings of work, Haren now finds himself tied for the big league lead in homers allowed. The veteran right-hander has served up three longballs in as many innings tonight, including two to former National Marlon Byrd, and the Nats trail the Mets 5-1. At this point in his career, Haren lives and dies by his command. Working in the upper-80s to...

Amid all the negative injury news coming out involving Nationals players lately, there are some positive updates to pass along, as well. Wilson Ramos told me today he will head down to the Nats' minor league complex in Viera, Fla., tonight to continue his rehab as he works back from a left hamstring strain. Ramos will spend around a week in Viera, where he'll take part in a host of baseball activities, including running, hitting and blocking pitches behind home plate. Ramos could take part...

Left-hander Danny Rosenbaum and right-hander Ross Ohlendorf are two solid candidates to take Stephen Strasburg's Saturday start. Strasburg will be placed on the disabled list Wednesday, retroactive to June . He would be eligible to come off the list June 16. The Nationals said they will call up a starter for Saturday, and could even add a reliever for the next three days, but that would mean the reliever would not be available until at least Thursday. The 25-year-old Rosenbaum is a former...

The list of Nationals to hit the disabled list is growing. Stephen Strasburg will be placed on the DL with a strained lat muscle, Nats manager Davey Johnson said today. Strasburg had originally been scheduled to throw a bullpen session today, but those plans were scrapped. Strasburg merely played catch, but he didn't feel completely right, so the Nats will shut him down for now and place him on the DL retroactive to June 1. "He was examined by a doctor and there's still some tenderness...

With Nick Markakis away from the team for the next two games, Steve Pearce is starting in right field tonight against the Houston Astros. J.J. Hardy moves up to third in the order, as manager Buck Showalter breaks out his right-handed lineup. Danny Valencia is serving as the designated hitter, and Alexi Casilla is starting at second base. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C Danny Valencia DH Steve Pearce RF Alexi...

A win tonight in Houston would put the Orioles nine games over .500 for the first time this season. It also would improve their series record to 13-5-2. Once again, they will be facing an Astros pitcher who is new to them - left-hander Dallas Keuchel, 25, who's making his sixth start among 12 appearances. Keuchel is 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA in 47 2/3 innings, with 59 hits, 17 walks and 30 strikeouts. He has a 5.17 ERA as a starter and a 4.96 ERA as a reliever. Keuchel hasn't allowed an earned...

The Nationals don't have to decide between playing Anthony Rendon or Steve Lombardozzi for tonight's game against the Mets. Both are in the lineup. Rendon, recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in yesterday's wave of roster shuffling, makes his first major league start at second base and bats sixth. Lombardozzi, who played second base and delivered a walk-off sac fly last night, shifts to left field and hits seventh. Here is the full lineup for the Nationals CF Denard Span RF Jayson Werth 3B...

Freddy Garcia will try to get the job done again tonight for the Orioles when they play Game 2 of their series at Houston. Over his first three O's starts, the right-hander pitched to an ERA of 5.51. Over his last three starts - against the Yankees, Blue Jays and Nats - he is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.89. Overall, Garcia is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.57 over six starts. He has certainly been a strike-thrower. He has not walked a batter over his last two starts and has walked just six over 35 1/3 since...

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Wilson, recently promoted from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie, is going to enter the Bowie rotation and move into Zach Clark's rotation spot. Clark will continue to work on his new pitch, the knuckleball, in side sessions. Clark was 1-4 with an ERA of 8.59 in five starts since starting to throw a knuckleball. Wilson, the club's 10th-round pick in 2011 out of the University of Virginia, went 1-1 with a 4.48 ERA over 11 starts with Frederick. In 62 1/3...

Following a tremendous result in MLB's initial All-Star Game ballot update that featured seven Orioles as early voting leaders, the Orioles have announced a series of Vote Orange rallies aimed to further boost the efforts of the Vote Orange Campaign launched in April. The Vote Orange Street Team will travel throughout Birdland for the rest of the month, including appearances at the Orioles Fan Zone, presented by Downtown Partnership, at the corner of Pratt and Light Streets on June 10 and at...