Left-hander Sammy Solis (Tommy John) and left-hander Matt Purke (shoulder) continue their mound progressions in Florida as they work their way back from surgeries. Solis threw a few innings in extended spring training last week and looked good, according to club source. Updating his return, another source reports Solis is still "several weeks" from returning to games, and it appears that will take place in the "second half of May." Meanwhile, Purke is a "tick behind the Solis timeline."...

He brought a flair for playing the game and some big time talent to the team for three seasons, and today Roberto Alomar has been elected to the Orioles' Hall of Fame. "It was a great time with the Orioles," Alomar said on a media conference call this afternoon. "There were great fans, and I got to meet some great people. We had some great years and went to the playoffs. Wish we could have brought the World Series to Baltimore. We came short, but I've got some great memories. "I heard...

ATLANTA - Danny Espinosa struggled offensively during the month of April, batting .173 with a .212 on-base percentage. When the Nationals open their May schedule tonight against the Braves, Steve Lombardozzi will be their starting second baseman and Espinosa will be on the bench. Nats manager Davey Johnson said during an appearance on 106.7 The Fan this morning that he plans to start Lombardozzi at second base for the final two games of the Nationals' series against the...

ATLANTA - The good news for the Nationals, maybe some of the only good news they've got going right now, is that Jordan Zimmermann will be taking the ball tonight as the Nats look to finally pick up a win over the Braves and snap a three-game losing streak. Is there anyone else the Nats would rather have on the mound right now than Zimmermann, who is 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA and is coming off a one-hit shutout his last time out? Ross Detwiler has pitched really well this season, but with...

Let's get this much out of the way early: Dylan Bundy is probably going to need surgery. Maybe not right now. It's possible that the current injury is a minor one and that the platelet-rich plasma injection will do the trick. Given his legendary dedication to fitness, he might not even miss much time. But let's be realistic. Tommy John surgery is an increasingly common occurrence among young pitchers, particularly the kinds of young pitchers who throw as hard as Bundy does. A 2003 USA...

Former Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar has been elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame, the team announced today. Former Orioles scout and baseball operations executive Don Pries will be inducted as this year's Herb Armstrong Award winner. Alomar and Pries will be honored at a luncheon at Oriole Park sponsored by the Oriole Advocates, founders of the Orioles Hall of Fame, on Friday, August 2. The induction ceremony will take place prior to the Orioles' game against the Seattle Mariners...

They are two good-looking, young left-handed pitchers off to good starts at Single-A Frederick. One was an international amateur signing, and the other was a 50th-round draft pick. Eduardo Rodriguez and Tim Berry have both had some impressive moments already during the Keys' season. The O's selected Berry in 2009 in the last round of the draft - Round 50 doesn't even exist anymore - from San Marcos High School in California. Berry, who turned 22 in March, is the current Carolina League...

I can still feel the Sarasota sun beating down on me as Orioles manager Buck Showalter revealed the last few names in his rotation during a late spring training batting practice. He confirmed that Jake Arrieta would be the No. 4 starter rather than No. 5, and that Chris Tillman would be the fifth starter after coming off the disabled list. It seemed simple enough, except that the order is pretty twisted now and Arrieta is no longer in it. Arrieta was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after four...

Held to two runs Monday night, the Orioles doubled that before the game's second out was recorded Tuesday and beat Seattle 7-2 to even this three-game series at a win each. The Orioles scored four runs in the first inning against rookie right-hander Brandon Maurer, who entered this start with an ERA of 15.43 in the first inning this year. It started with a leadoff homer to right by Nate McLouth. It was his second homer of the year and his 11th career leadoff homer. It was also his 16th hit...

Chris Dickerson was 1-for-8 as an Oriole before manager Buck Showalter decided to give him the start in right field tonight. He hadn't started since April 20. Showalter must have played a hunch. He may want to swing by Atlantic City on his way back to Baltimore. Dickerson is 3-for-3 tonight, and his two-run single in the sixth inning increased the Orioles' lead to 6-0. Dickerson isn't tearing the cover off the ball. The "damage" includes a bunt single and a bloop into center field, but...