The Orioles are proud to support Major League Baseball in the PEOPLE Magazine Tribute for Heroes program and are asking fans to nominate a veteran to represent the Baltimore Orioles at the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. Fans may nominate a veteran who has served, or is still serving in the armed forces at www.tributeforheroes.com and are encouraged to include information about the nominee's extraordinary military, community service, personal and professional accomplishments. One veteran or active...

A somewhat surprising move today for the Nationals, as Double-A Harrisburg announced right-hander Trevor Holder has been released. The team has assigned veteran left-hander Bill Bray from extended spring training to Harrisburg. Holder was off to a good start again with the Senators. In seven games, Holder was 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA, allowing just six earned runs, with 13 strikeouts and four walks. On May 4, Holder tossed two innings of shutout baseball. Nationals director of player development...

The Orioles announced today that pitcher Zach Clark has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Bowie. Clark was designated for assignment on Saturday to make room for pitcher Freddy Garcia on the 25- and 40-man rosters. Clark made his major league debut May 1 and allowed three runs and three hits in 1 2/3 innings. Clark (UMBC) was 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA in five starts at Triple-A Norfolk. The Tides rotation is full with Steve Johnson, Jair Jurrjens, Zach Britton, Jake Arrieta and Josh...

The Triple-A Norfolk Tides remain the winningest and also the hottest team in the O's minors right now. The Tides beat Syracuse in 11 innings Sunday to conclude a 7-1 homestand at Harbor Park. Here is a look at each of the O's four full-season clubs: Norfolk is 20-10, tied for first and has won nine of its last 10 games. Double-A Bowie is 13-16 and has lost nine of its last 12. Single-A Frederick is 17-13 and tied for first and has won three in a row and seven of its past nine games....

I'll be as frank and up front as I possibly can in saying this: I'm not a big fan of youth. At 32, some people might ask what I mean by that, given that I'd like to hope that I'm not that old myself. However, when it comes to athletes, I like guys with a bit of experience. I'm not suggesting that the Orioles should nab other teams' good players out from under them as Boston and New York have done for years. What I am saying is that I like players that marinate a bit in the minor leagues...

PITTSBURGH - I've managed to make it through a two-city road trip without losing my cell phone charger, which for me is a remarkable feat. I'm quite proud of myself, if you couldn't already tell. The Nationals have reason to be proud of themselves, as well. They finish this road trip, one which started with two more tough losses to the Braves, by winning four of their last five and scoring at least five runs in consecutive games for the first time since April 10-11. Yup, it had been...

So many moments from yesterday's game jump out at me as I replay it in my head. And the best part is I can mentally fast-forward through the commercials. Jason Hammel throwing 38 pitches in a three-run first inning and still making it through the sixth to improve his record to 5-1. It was a gritty performance. A lot of pitchers would have been gone by the third. J.J. Hardy homering for the second time in two games. He's got four two-hit games since April 26. Maybe his bat is finally heating...

It's not conventional wisdom for a major league team to "get healthy" on the road, and even less conventional for it to happen against a hot team, but that's just what seems to have happened to the Nationals as they wrapped up their 4-3 road trip. In Pittsburgh, where the Nats have not won a series since 2010, the Nats took two games from a Pirates team that had won six of nine, including a series win over St. Louis. And they did it behind several players whose contributions this season...

The Nationals' offense is certainly not where it wants to be. But it is making progress. One way to achieve the consistency it needs for the team to be a contender is for every player in the lineup to be healthy at the same time. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman returned Friday but now right fielder Jayson Werth is suffering from hamstring tightness. Werth hopes to be back in the lineup when the two-game series with the Tigers opens up Tuesday at Nationals Park. But the biggest trend recently...

Dylan Bundy has started his prescribed six weeks of rest after getting a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection last Monday in his right forearm/elbow area from orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla. An MRI on Bundy's right elbow came back clean. PRP is blood plasma that has been enriched with platelets and stimulates the healing of bone and soft tissue. Zach Britton received a PRP injection last spring because of chronic soreness and weakness in his left shoulder. To...