Think about it for a second. So far this season, Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond have all spent time on the disabled list and have battled an injury for a fairly lengthy period of time. That's nearly every member of the middle of the Nationals' projected batting order. While his cohorts have been dinged up and out of the lineup, Adam LaRoche has quietly plugged away. He's consistently raked at the plate, hitting big home runs, plating baserunners and providing...

Although it might've been uncomfortable and difficult, Cal Ripken Jr. spent Friday morning doing something he felt was quite necessary. First, the Orioles legend appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America." Then, he held a news conference on the sixth floor of the B&O Warehouse to discuss his mother's abduction from her Aberdeen home July 24, and also make a plea for the public's help in the search for the suspect. At one point, Ripken stifled tears when recalling what transpired the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Buck Showalter officially took the helm of the Orioles on Aug. 2, 2010, two years and one day ago today. We couldn't celebrate his anniversary on an off-day. He's got the Orioles five games above .500 and only 1 1/2 back in the wild card chase, which may come as a surprise to the folks who predicted his club would lose 100 this year. And there were lots and lots of them, both locally and nationally. The clock was supposed to be turned back to 1988. I've fielded the...

It looks like Jordan Zimmermann's teammates - along with the rest of the baseball world - are finally starting to appreciate him. Of all the moves Davey Johnson has made this season, the best may have been resetting his pitching rotation after the All-Star break with the 26-year-old right-hander at the top. Zimmermann has been the team's most consistent pitcher all season, with an major league-leading 19 quality starts in 21 outings. In fact, he has never pitched fewer than six innings - one...

Think about big-budget baseball teams that have been a disappointment this season. Which teams come to mind, and how do you feel about them? The Philadelphia Phillies stand out to me. The Phillies have baseball's second-largest payroll at $175 million and are in last place in the NL East with a 47-58 record. I'd also have the Miami Marlins in the conversation. They're just ahead of the Phillies in the standings, and five slots below them in payroll. The Marlins own a 48-56 record despite...

A very good showing for right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (hip) Thursday in a no-decision for Double-A Harrisburg in a 4-3, 12-inning loss to the Binghamton Mets. Wang went 6 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits, three runs, a solo homer, only one walk (which was intentional) and two strikeouts. Pitching coach Paul Menhart always monitors the groundouts for his pitchers, and Wang netted 12 grounders for outs plus four flyouts. He threw 99 pitches, 65 for strikes. The Mets scored one run in the...

In his first game in nearly three months, Jayson Werth went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a nice running catch in center field. "Like I never missed a step, really," Werth said of his return to the majors. "It was good." Werth broke his left wrist in a game against the Phillies back on May 6, an injury which required surgery, months of rehab and nine games on a minor league rehab assignment. On Thursday, he was finally back in the big leagues. Werth ripped a single to left field in his first...

Stephen Strasburg (April), Gio Gonzalez (May) and Jordan Zimmermann (July) have all now been named National League Pitcher of the Month this season. That leaves Ross Detwiler and Edwin Jackson as the only two Nationals starters yet to win the award. "I've got to beat Edwin to the punch, then," Detwiler said after tonight's 3-0 win over the Phillies. It'd be fair to say he's off to a good start in August. Detwiler worked seven scoreless innings tonight, allowing just three hits and two...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jake Arrieta allowed one run tonight for Triple-A Norfolk. That's a good thing. Arrieta failed to complete six innings again because of his high pitch count. That's a bad thing. Greg Burke replaced Arrieta with the bases loaded and two outs, and he walked Columbus' Matt Pagnozzi to force in a run. Arrieta is charged with two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings, with four walks, five strikeouts, a wild pitch and a hit batter. He threw 116 pitches, 64 for strikes. The...

Tom Winegardner was not selected by any team in the 2011 draft, but the Orioles signed him as a middle infielder after the draft. He went to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League and short-season Single-A Aberdeen and combined to hit .188 in 45 games. This year, the 22-year-old Winegardner was batting .174 in 28 games with Single-A Delmarva and .207 in eight games at Aberdeen. It was pretty clear that he was going to have a hard time making it as an infielder with such a low batting average. But...