The Orioles today announced that they have recalled catcher Luis Exposito from Triple-A Norfolk and placed catcher Taylor Teagarden on the 15-day disabled list with a dislocated left thumb. Exposito, 26, has played in 16 games for the Tides this season, batting .218/.254/.273 in 59 plate appearances. He made his major league debut last season for the Orioles and picked up his first major league hit on May 10. Teagarden, 29, has appeared in four games for the Orioles this season, going...

Mired in an 0-for-22 slump, Adam LaRoche has been dropped to sixth in the Nationals' batting order. In an attempt to get his first baseman going, manager Davey Johnson has bumped LaRoche down a spot in the lineup and moved Ian Desmond up to the five-hole. This is the first time LaRoche has hit as low as sixth in the order since April 11 of last year. Typically a slow starter (he's just a .215 career hitter in March/April), LaRoche is really off to a rough 2013, batting just .143 through 21...

The Orioles placed backup catcher Taylor Teagarden on the 15-day disabled list today with a dislocated left thumb and recalled catcher Luis Exposito from Triple-A Norfolk. Exposito, 26, is batting .218/.254/.273 in 16 games and 59 plate appearances with Norfolk. He's 1-for-15 throwing out runners attempting to steal. The Orioles also transferred catcher Luis Martinez from Double-A Bowie to Norfolk. The Orioles' game notes say Monday's starter "is expected to be LH Zach...

Veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia remains listed as today's starter for Triple-A Norfolk. If he takes the mound, he won't be taking a flight to Seattle. Left-hander Zach Britton remains the favorite to start Monday for the Orioles. He hasn't pitched in the first three games in Oakland and it's doubtful that he would be needed today in relief, considering that Tommy Hunter and T.J. McFarland are well-rested and available out of the bullpen. Hunter hasn't pitched in four days. McFarland...

A year ago today, Bryce Harper threw on a Nationals jersey for the first time. The then-19-year-old started his big league career by going 1-for-3 with a rocket of a double, tossing his helmet to the Dodger Stadium dirt as he made a violent turn around first base and sprinted for second. Since his highly-anticipated debut, Harper has played 162 games. His numbers look more like what you expect out of an eight-year veteran than a first-year player who can't legally buy a beer. Harper has hit...

Manager Davey Johnson has an early season philosophy of not riding his starters too long in games. His reasoning includes wanting the rotation to be fresher as the season goes on, the ability to get the starters ramped up as each start passes and protection for the bullpen after some shaky outings to start the season. But if the starter can pitch well enough into the late innings and keep his pitch count down, Johnson will go with you, especially if in the past the starter has shown the...

Double-A Bowie's Caleb Joseph began this year as the Baysox's third catcher and as a player that was expected to get most of his at-bats between designated hitter, first base and left field. But Joseph's hot start at the plate had the Orioles re-evaluating a few things. Joseph is back catching almost full time for now and expected to get the bulk of the catcher innings at Bowie beginning immediately. After going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles while catching last night, the 26-year-old...

The Orioles will place backup catcher Taylor Teagarden on the disabled list today with a dislocated left thumb. They're not going to make an announcement until his replacement gets to Oakland. The corresponding move would figure to involve Triple-A Norfolk's Luis Exposito, who's on the 40-man roster. Chris Robinson is not, and he caught last night for the Tides. He probably would have been scratched if the Orioles intended to select his contract. Caleb Joseph was behind the plate last...

In his postgame interview today on MASN, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told Gary Thorne that Taylor Teagarden is likely headed for a stint on the disabled list. Teagarden left today's game when he took a foul ball that dislocated his left thumb in the last of the sixth inning. Teagarden quickly removed his mitt and headed toward the O's dugout. "It is just a matter of when the soreness and the swelling abates and it gets down to a point where he can catch," Showalter said. "He's going...

In Oakland today, the Orioles lost a catcher, but won another game. Taylor Teagarden suffered a dislocated thumb on his left hand in the sixth inning and exited the Orioles' 7-3 win over Oakland. It is possible that Teagarden will now head to the disabled list and that Luis Exposito, who is on the 40-man roster, could be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. Meanwhile, with today's win, the Orioles have now won four games in a row at Oakland (counting the last one last year) for the first time...