Still waiting for the Orioles to announce their roster moves today. Still waiting for their lineup. Michael Saunders, who came off the disabled list yesterday and homered on Zach Britton's second pitch, is back in the leadoff spot for the Mariners. For the Mariners Michael Saunders CF Kyle Seager 3B Kendrys Morales DH Michael Morse RF Jason Bay LF Justin Smoak 1B Dustin Ackley 2B Kelly Shoppach C Brendan Ryan SS Brandon Maurer RHP None of the Orioles have faced Maurer. He'll be a total...

ATLANTA - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo alleviated some concerns about Stephen Strasburg's arm today. Via text message, Rizzo said Strasburg is doing fine and is expected to make his next start. Doctors gave good reports on Strasburg's arm after the right-hander experienced forearm tightness during his start Monday. This news confirms an earlier Washington Post report.

ATLANTA - The Nationals are 11-1 when scoring first this season. That's pretty good. When their opponents score first, the Nats have gone just 2-12. That's not as good. In their 13 losses this season, the Nats have scored a measly 1.5 runs per game. In their 13 wins, they've put up a more robust 5.8 runs per contest. The lesson here: If you score more runs, you're more likely to win games. That stat about teams scoring first usually is more relevant in football, where a team taking a...

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (hamstring) is expected to make a rehab appearance tonight for high Single-A Potomac. The first game of the doubleheader is set to begin at 6 p.m. Zimmerman would most likely just play the first game and try to get a least three at-bats. He will wear jersey No. 33. * Hagerstown Suns right-hander Ivan Pineyro put in a gem of a start last weekend with 12 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over the Hickory Crawdads. Pineyro went six innings, allowed three hits, no...

What T.J. McFarland is trying to do is certainly not easy. He is trying to stay in the major leagues with the Orioles as a Rule 5 pick and do so with just 17 career starts at the Triple-A level under his belt. The Orioles felt McFarland had a decent chance to make the opening day roster when they selected him from the Cleveland Indians' organization at December's winter meetings. Now, here he is with an 0-0 record and 2.38 ERA after five games. Over 11 1/3 innings, McFarland has allowed 12...

The Orioles are continuing to make roster moves today, and the latest one has a nice local flavor. Besides needing to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for new backup catcher Chris Snyder, they also have summoned pitcher Zach Clark from Triple-A Norfolk. Clark is flying to Seattle today and could provide another arm in the bullpen. The Orioles are expected to officially recall Clark, 29, later today, but will wait until his arrival. Clark (UMBC) will be making his major league debut if...

ATLANTA - And so we wait. The Nationals didn't provide much firm information last night on the status of Stephen Strasburg, who manager Davey Johnson said was dealing with some forearm tightness following his start against the Braves. They'll need to monitor Strasburg this afternoon and in the days ahead before really knowing where things stand and how to handle any health issues involving the 24-year-old right-hander. Strasburg said multiple times last night that he felt good on the...

Kevin Gausman's first five starts in 2013 have absolutely captivated the baseball world. Some prospect experts love talking about his smooth upper-90s fastball while others highlight his quick work on the mound or his ability work out of jams. For me, I'm most impressed with Gausman's command, which is highlighted by his incredible 29-to-1 K/BB ratio. In 28 2/3 innings pitched, Gausman has surrendered just one free pass and struck out 29. To give you some perspective, only one big leaguer...

Should Orioles fans be concerned about J.J. Hardy? Maybe a little. He is batting just .192 with one multi-hit effort through 26 games after going 0-for-3 last night. His on-base percentage is just .236 and his OPS is only .559. Hardy is batting .162 against right-handed pitching and his average has been over .200 after only six of the team's 26 games. Plus, this continues a run of Hardy's stats trending downward since his first season with the club in 2011. Starting then, his average has...

The Orioles will face right-handers in five of the final six games on this West Coast trip, and you know what that means. Nate McLouth will be in the starting lineup in five of the final six games on this West Coast trip. McLouth is pretty much in a platoon situation despite his red-hot bat. Nolan Reimold has been starting in left field against southpaws, with Steve Pearce serving as the designated hitter. Before last night, McLouth had reached base safely in 22 of his last 36 plate...