The Washington Nationals today claimed shortstop Cesar Izturis off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. The club also placed infielder/outfielder Mark DeRosa on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to August 5, with a left abdominal strain and designated left-handed pitcher Atahualpa Severino for assignment. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. The 32 year-old Izturis is a career .255 (1074-for-4217) hitter with 168...

With Ian Desmond likely out a couple more weeks with an oblique tear and Mark DeRosa battling a left abdominal injury, the Nationals bolstered their middle infield depth today by acquiring Cesar Izturis from the Brewers. The Izturis acquisition was on a straight waiver claim, meaning the Nationals won't be giving up any players in return for the 32-year-old middle infielder. They will be responsible for the remainder of Izturis' $875,000 salary for this season. DeRosa lands on the 15-day...

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on professional contracts with four international free agents: right-handed pitcher Ramses Rosario and outfielders Aldrem Corredor, Darryl Florentino and Luis Guzman. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Nationals Director of International Scouting Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement. Rosario, a 16-year-old righthander from Venezuela, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 175 pounds. He has...

In case you missed my tweet earlier, the Orioles placed Single-A Delmarva infielder Nicky Delmonico on the disabled list with a knee injury. Delmonico initially hurt the knee on June 26 - the diagnosis was a medial meniscus injury - and he re-injured it on Wednesday. He's batting .248 with 22 doubles, 11 homers, 54 RBIs and a .763 OPS in 93 games. Delmonico eventually could undergo surgery on the knee. He's trying to get through the final weeks of the season. First-round pick Kevin Gausman...

A couple of notes from the Orioles minors today: * Dylan Bundy's next start is being moved from tomorrow to Wednesday night at Frederick when the Keys host Lynchburg. There is no hidden reason for doing this, it is simply that all the Keys starters are being pushed back a day due to today's off day. Bundy went past five innings as a pro for the first time in his last start allowing just two hits and one unearned run over 6 2/3 frames against the same Lynchburg club he will face Wednesday...

Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon has been moved from short-season Single-A Auburn back to high Single-A Potomac. Rendon completed his rehab assignment at Auburn by playing 21 innings in the field and nine as the designated hitter in the past four days. Included in that span was a hit by pitch on, of all places, his surgically repaired ankle. But in an example that he is physically ready to handle the rigors of playing evey day, he played the next day and has had no complications. Auburn...

On July 9, the Orioles will host Wei-Yin Chen T-Shirt Thursday. The first 10,000 fans 15 and over attending the Orioles' game against the Kansas City Royals will receive a T-shirt featuring Orioles on the front and Chen's name on the back, both written in Mandarin Chinese. Chen, a native of Taiwan, is in his first season with the Orioles after spending four seasons with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan Central League. Among qualifying rookie pitchers, Chen ranks among the leaders in: games...

I've liked a lot of movies in my life; as an Italian-American, "The Godfather Trilogy" and "Rocky" are both up there. I'd also throw in "Back to the Future," as well as a few others. However, by far my favorite movie of all time will always be "Field of Dreams." That movie uses baseball to tell a story about a father and son righting old wrongs. It also ties together the past and present in an unparalleled manner. This coming weekend, the O's will pay homage to one of the most...

For the four games against the Marlins, Adam LaRoche was 7-for-15 with three home runs and seven RBIs, an amazing offensive display. It has always been said of LaRoche that he is a strong second-half player, but no one could have understood just what others were talking about until this past month. He is hitting .457 for the last two weeks with seven home runs, .337 for the past four. Most fans were content with the first-half numbers that LaRoche put up. He was the mainstay of the Washington...

In his third at-bat yesterday, Bryce Harper struck out swinging at an off-speed pitch for the second time on the day. Clearly frustrated with himself, Harper slammed the barrel of his bat on home plate, breaking the piece of lumber down the middle and causing Marlins catcher John Buck to flinch. When Harper came to the plate for his next at-bat, he quickly apologized to Buck before stepping into the box. "He told me he was really sorry, it was terrible,"