MINNEAPOLIS - The Orioles aren't afraid to experiment. They will lower a pitcher's arm slot or turn him into a knuckleballer. They will turn a Double-A shortstop into a major league third baseman. And they will talk a switch-hitter into batting exclusively from one side of the plate. Second baseman Alexi Casilla said he will bat from the left side tonight against Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey, but he's been taking batting practice from the right side against right-handers at the...

With Jayson Werth heading to the disabled list and Bryce Harper out after having minor surgery to get rid of an ingrown toenail, the Nationals are two outfielders short tonight. That will leave Roger Bernadina starting in right field and Tyler Moore starting in left. Bernadina is hitting .129 on the season. Moore is batting .163. Ryan Zimmerman will move back up to his familiar No. 3 spot in the order with Harper out, Adam LaRoche will hit cleanup and Ian Desmond will bat fifth. Davey...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson announced before Friday's game against the Cubs that outfielder Jayson Werth had a setback in his recovery from a sore hamstring and if placed on the disabled list, it is likely that either infielder/outfielder Jeff Kobernus or outfielder Eury Perez will get the call up. Both have been scorching the baseball. Perez has an eight-game hitting streak and Kobernus has just one hit in his past six games. Kobernus, who is listed as a second baseman, has played...

It looks like Jayson Werth will need to land on the disabled list, after all. Werth hasn't played since May 2 against the Braves because of a tight right hamstring, and all along, the Nationals have felt that Werth would need just a few days off and then would be able to return to the lineup. The veteran outfielder suffered a bit of a setback today, however, as his hamstring went into spasm while doing leg curls. Manager Davey Johnson said that the leg curls are a part of Werth's standard...

MINNEAPOLIS - Nine of Nate McLouth's 11 stolen bases this season have come with Manny Machado at the plate. They're batting first and second again tonight. Why mess with a good thing? Orioles second baseman Alexi Casilla is getting a rare start against a right handed pitcher, and Nick Markakis is again serving as the designated hitter. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis DH Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Matt Wieters C J.J. Hardy SS Chris Dickerson RF Alexi Casilla...

MINNEAPOLIS - Jason Hammel goes for his sixth win tonight, as the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Twins at Target Field. Then it's back home. Not worth unpacking the suitcase. Only three other pitchers have six wins in 2013: Clay Buchholz, Matt Moore and Jordan Zimmermann. All five of Hammel's wins have come on the road. According to STATS, Hammel is the fifth Orioles pitcher to win each of his first five road starts in a season since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954....

This might surprise you, but the Minnesota Twins, a team that has lost 99 and 96 games the last two seasons, are 5-2 this season against the American League East. The Twins host the Orioles for three games over the weekend beginning tonight at Target Field. The Twins took two of three in Baltimore in the second series of the year and they just took three of four at Fenway Park, winning the last three in that series by scores of 6-1, 15-8 and 5-3. Minnesota is 16-15 on the season, 7-6 at home...

The Nationals' No. 4 and 5 hitters are starting to put it together. Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-4 with an RBI yesterday, bumping his average up to .239 on the season. Adam LaRoche added two hits and an RBI yesterday, as well, and he's now getting closer to the Mendoza line, hitting .196 on the season. Over his last six games, LaRoche is 9-for-17 (.529) with a .625 on-base percentage. The power isn't there from these two Nats sluggers yet - they've combined for just four home runs and 22...

The Orioles enter the weekend with a 21-14 record, in a three-way tie for first place in the American League East with the Red Sox and Yankees. If you've followed baseball long enough, you've likely developed the reserved reflex that is so common to the sport. It's the one that produces programmed responses to good news, led by the many variations of "it's early." We're not supposed to get excited about individual efforts yet because of sample size, and as for teams, well, "It's a...

If you just look at the stat sheet, you can't help but be impressed by Double-A Bowie outfielder Henry Urrutia. The Cuban defector signed by the Orioles last July is swinging a good bat for the Baysox during his first 15 games in the Orioles organization. The 26-year-old Urrutia is batting .317 with eight doubles, two homers, 15 RBIs, a .550 slugging percentage and .929 OPS. Urrutia is 7-for-19 (.368) with runners in scoring position and has six multi-hit games. But the Orioles realize that,...