Triple-A Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin found a few reasons to be encouraged today by Tsuyoshi Wada's four-inning start against Lehigh Valley. Wada allowed four runs (three earned) and three hits, with two walks and five strikeouts. He served up two home runs in the fourth and came out of the game after 78 pitches. Wada was making his first injury rehab start. "I know he's been throwing in a couple games at extended spring training, but this was his first outing in front of people...

The Nationals begin a four-game set in San Diego against the Padres tonight with Stephen Strasburg (1-5, 3.10 ERA) making his hometown debut. The Padres counter with right-hander Edinson Volquez (3-3, 5.15). Bryce Harper returns to Nationals lineup for first time since Monday. Carlos Quentin is not in the Padres lineup. The Nationals are 1-2 on their 10-game West Coast road trip and have lost four of their last five. The Padres have won nine of their last 10 at home and have won 13 of their...

Back in his home town of San Diego, seeking his first win since April 1, right-hander Stephen Strasburg should shine like no other time this season. Strasburg will be surrounded by family and friends, including his high school baseball coach, Scott Hopgood, who will be in attendance for the first time at one of the right-hander's major league starts. What a better place than Petco Park for Strasburg to showcase his talents? That is certainly what Padres fans had hoped for back when it was...

When guys get a stint in the big leagues and then head back to the minors, it's easy to forget about them. You don't see a guy every day, don't get a chance to watch him perform, you lose track of him a bit. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Anthony Rendon is playing well enough back at Double-A Harrisburg that it's worth discussing how he's performed. Since returning to Harrisburg after a brief stint in the majors, Rendon has played 12 games. In that time, he's 18-for-44 with three...

Tsuyoshi Wada has allowed an unearned run and one hit in three innings today in his initial injury-rehab start at Triple-A Norfolk. He's walked one, struck out four and thrown a wild pitch. Wada threw 27 pitches in the first inning, 17 in the second and 14 in the third to leave his count at 58, including 33 strikes. The run is unearned because of an error on shortstop Zelous Wheeler, who was promoted from Double-A Bowie earlier in the day. The Orioles most likely will keep Wada on his...

After this past weekend's series loss to one of the worst teams in baseball and a pair of losses in Los Angeles this week, the Nationals continue to battle in their pursuit of meeting the expectations imposed upon them. But here's the thing: For all the hiccups this team has encountered, they're still just one game behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. To me, this season is all about perspective for the Nationals and their fans. Who could have ever predicted the...

Just as Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth appear to be closing in on a return to action, the Nationals have to deal with two more players making their way into the training room. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters last night that catcher Wilson Ramos reinjured his left hamstring in the Nats' 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, and left-hander Ross Detwiler had back spasms knock him out of yesterday's game after just three innings. Ramos' injury appears to be the more serious of the two, according to...

Wilson Ramos is heading back to the disabled list yet again. Manager Davey Johnson told reporters in Los Angeles that Ramos injured his left hamstring in tonight's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, the same hamstring that Ramos strained back in April. The Nationals' opening day catcher missed 15 games with the hamstring injury the first time around. He returned to action April 30 in Atlanta but played in just eight contests before injuring the hamstring again. This time, he'll likely be out a...

The Nationals have lost both members of their battery to apparent injuries in the fourth inning. Wilson Ramos came out after singling with two outs in the top of the fourth. Ross Detwiler also made his way down into the Nats' clubhouse with a trainer by his side, his night done after just three innings of work. I'll start the injury-filled blog with notes on Ramos, who just cannot seem to catch a break. After smoking the ball twice in two at-bats tonight, resulting in two hits, Ramos left...

He is one of baseball's best pitching prospects. He is a pitcher the Orioles like a lot. He has an ERA of 1.85 over his last four Double-A starts. Despite all that, the message the Orioles seemed to be sending this week was that Kevin Gausman may make the O's roster this year, but not in the very near future. The Orioles rotation is springing some leaks right now and two members of that rotation, Wei-Yin-Chen and Miguel Gonzalez, are currently on the DL, but it's not Gausman's time yet,...