Last year, Angels center field Mike Trout scaled the fence in right-center field - see what I did there? - to rob Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy of a home run in the first inning. Tonight, Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos scaled the fence in center field to rob Hardy of a home run in the first inning. Hardy might want to try pulling the ball or aiming at the out-of-town scoreboard in right. Hardy almost gave Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez a 2-0 lead, but Bourjos brought back an apparent...

The Orioles and their fans are hoping Pedro Strop will soon show a return to the form he showed much of last season when he had an ERA of 1.43 in late August. A pitcher with a history of some control issues, Strop walked 5.0 batters per every nine innings last season and that figure is up to 6.8 this year. He just came off the disabled list on Saturday and pitched a scoreless inning on just 12 pitches in the game that day against Tampa Bay. He said the DL stint provided him time to work on...

The Nationals added some bullpen depth today, signing veteran right-handed reliever Mark Lowe to a minor league deal. The team announced that Lowe has been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. Lowe started this season with the Angels, posting a 9.26 ERA in 11 2/3 innings. He allowed 11 hits, walked 11 and struck out seven in his 11 appearances with the Angels. Over his eight-year big league career, the 30-year-old Lowe has a 4.17 ERA. He's coming off a fairly strong 2012 season, in which he...

Orioles closer Jim Johnson has converted seven consecutive save opportunities since the meltdown in Toronto on May 26, when he fumbled a three-run lead on the artificial surface at Rogers Centre. He hasn't permitted a run during the current stretch. So, what's the difference now? "Results," said manager Buck Showalter. "Jimmy lives in results. Not nearly as much difference as people may think. It's that job. I can rattle off four or five other guys who are having... Jered Weaver threw a...

American League pitchers take note. Chris Davis' bat may have cooled off for now. How long that lasts, we'll see. Davis is in an 0-for-16 drought and is hitless over his last four games, his longest hitless stretch since June 15-24, 2012, when he went eight straight games without a base hit for an 0-for-28 stretch. "I think I am missing pitches that I was hitting earlier," Davis said this afternoon in the Orioles clubhouse. "There was a time I was seeing a lot of off-speed and pitches...

Alexi Casilla attempted to play catch today, made one throw and gave up. Casilla remains day-to-day after jamming his right index finger while attempting to steal second base during Sunday's game at Tropicana Field. He didn't try to throw the ball yesterday and ended his scheduled session early today. "Hopefully, I'll be good to go for tomorrow," said Casilla, who still has a bandage wrapped around the finger. "I just need the swelling to go down completely." X-rays came back...

Left-hander Sammy Solis was placed on the disabled list Monday with "shoulder fatigue," according to Nationals director of player development Doug Harris. Solis is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals. He has thrown 16 innings and allowed 15 hits, six earned runs, five walks and nine strikeouts. In a text message, Harris said Solis' injury "does not appear significant at this point. He's been working very hard and will benefit from a few days off. We...

The Orioles are trying to move nine games above .500 for the first time this season. They're facing a pitcher, Angels left-hander Jason Vargas, who shut them out on three hits back on May 3. Miguel Gonzalez will be leaving the team soon to join his wife for the birth of their first child. But first, he faces the Angels tonight. Gonzalez has allowed four runs and nine hits in 13 innings in two career starts against them, with two walks and 11 strikeouts. The Orioles will use the following...

Major League Baseball and People magazine today announced the 90 finalists (three per MLB Club) for the "Tribute for Heroes" campaign, a national initiative that recognizes veterans and military service members and builds upon MLB and People magazine's commitment to honoring our country's heroes. The Washington Nationals are proud to announce the three finalists selected to represent the team: John Belcher, Lori Kelly and Julie Weckerlein. Fans are encouraged to visit...

Asked recently whether he's more comfortable with the current makeup of the Nationals bullpen than he was earlier in the season, manager Davey Johnson responded with a fairly resounding, "Yeah." A large part of that is due to the presence of two guys who many Nats fans had never heard of coming into this season - Fernando Abad and Ian Krol. The two left-handers haven't been on the Nats' major league roster for too long, but they've already made a fairly significant impact. Abad (a...