Not surprisingly, Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals' lineup the day after crashing face-first into the right field wall at Dodger Stadium, a collision that left him with a bruised knee and shoulder, as well as 11 stitches in his chin. Harper will miss his third game in the last five days. He sat out last Friday and Saturday's games against the Cubs after having surgery to remove an ingrown toenail. That procedure surely hurt (I had an ingrown toenail removed a handful of years ago, and...

During a live video chat this afternoon here on MASNsports.com, a fan asked Adam Jones about Manny Machado and how well he is playing right now. In 38 games, the 20-year-old Machado is batting .331 with five homers, 24 RBIs and an .891 OPS. "This kid is special, to be honest with you," Jones said. "He fouled that ball off his ankle the other day in Minnesota. He crushed himself. But the kid is tough. He shows up every day ready to play and he's only 20. That is the remarkable part about...

Miguel Gonzalez played catch on flat ground today and is scheduled for a bullpen session Wednesday. Gonzalez threw his breaking ball today, but he continued to wear a bandage to cover the blister on his right thumb. He will remove it Wednesday for the bullpen session. Gonzalez could be sent out on an injury-rehab assignment Thursday, and it's possible that the Orioles start him Tuesday night against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said Kevin...

To take the roster spots of Mike Belfiore, who was optioned to Triple-A yesterday, and Wei-Yin Chen, who was placed on the disabled list today, the Orioles recalled pitcher Alex Burnett and infielder Yamaico Navarro from Norfolk. Both players have been on the O's roster already this season, twice before in the case of Burnett. The 25-year-old Navarro, who returns for a second stint, was with the Orioles from April 5-6 but did not see game action. In 34 games with Norfolk, Navarro was batting...

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen said he is "very disappointed" that he's been diagnosed with a strained right oblique that forced him to go on the 15-day disabled list today. "I really wanted to help the team win and hoped the result was just a cramp, but things went in a different direction. I hurt myself and I hope I can get well sooner," Chen said through his interpreter. "The only thing I can do is heal very fast and just come back sooner and help the team. I hope my oblique can heal up...

That blister on the right thumb of Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is finally healing. The Orioles are hopeful he can pitch in a minor league game, perhaps as soon as Thursday, which could line him up for a return to the rotation next Monday or Tuesday against the Yankees. Manager Buck Showalter said today that Gonzalez might not even need to throw six or seven innings in what could be one rehab start and could just throw between two and five innings. But Gonzalez, who is eligible to return...

The Orioles today announced that they have placed left-hander Wei-Yin Chen on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 13, with a right oblique strain. The club has also recalled right-hander Alex Burnett and infielder Yamaico Navarro from Triple-A Norfolk. Chen was injured during his Sunday start at Minnesota in which he picked up his third win of the year with five scoreless innings. Chen is 3-3 with a 3.04 ERA (47.1IP,16ER) in eight starts for the Orioles. Chen led the Orioles with 32...

Alex Burnett isn't the only new arrival in the clubhouse. The Orioles have also recalled infielder Yamaico Navarro, adding a bench player to their 25-man roster. Burnett replaces Wei-Yin Chen, who went on the disabled list, while Navarro takes the place of reliever Mike Belfiore, who was sent back to Triple-A Norfolk yesterday. Here are tonight's lineups for the opener of a two-game interleague series against the San Diego Padres: For the Padres Everth Cabrera SS Will Venable RF Chase...

It was difficult to watch the replays of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper crashing into the outfield wall and fence at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, and then to see him go down to the ground. The jammed shoulder and 11 stitches under his chin are an example of how hard he went into the wall, and what the phenom will do to try to record an out at all costs. It is important for Harper to be careful in those situations, but it also a part of his go-all-out mentality, which is one of the...

The Orioles will recall reliever Alex Burnett from Triple-A Norfolk today for a third time this season. In this instance, Burnett will replace starter Wei-Yin Chen on the 25-man roster. Chen will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique. Burnett was optioned over the weekend to make room for Steve Johnson, who later was optioned to make room for reliever Mike Belfiore, who was optioned yesterday. Got all that? Burnett appeared in one game for the Orioles, striking...