BOSTON - Manager Buck Showalter hasn't named a starter for Saturday's game against the Phillies, but all signs point to Tommy Hunter. Well, one sign certainly does: He's not starting today for Triple-A Norfolk and he isn't listed among the Tides' probables through the weekend. Hunter was scheduled to start today, but Jason Berken moved up a day and is taking the mound at Rochester. The only other confirmed starter is Jamie Moyer on Saturday. Executive vice president Dan Duquette...

Being as immature as I am, I can't help but chuckle at today's pitching matchup, which features the Nationals' Chien-Ming Wang against the Mets' R.A. Dickey. Wang vs. Dickey. For all the marbles. It was an incredibly low-key morning, as players slowly trickled into the Nats' clubhouse with their suits ready for the road trip which they'll leave for after the game. Tyler Moore has officially been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and Carlos Maldonado was placed on the 15-day DL with a...

With their win last night in Boston, the Orioles moved back into sole possession of first place in the American League East. But while the Orioles own the AL's second-best record at 32-24, they rank just eighth in run differential at a plus-three. Run differential is the amount that a team outscores its opponents by on the year. While Texas is an impressive plus-70 and the Yankees are a plus-33, the Orioles are plus-three. Texas looks much more impressive than the Orioles in that stat, yet...

The Washington Nationals today recalled first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed catcher Carlos Maldonado on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to May 30, with a lower back strain. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Moore has played in 12 games this season with Washington, going 3-for-19 at the plate. The 25-year-old batted .310 with six doubles, one...

The Orioles selected University of Virginia right-handed pitcher Branden Kline in round two of the draft, making him the 65th pick overall. His head coach for the past three years believes the Orioles got a good player and person. Kline went 7-3 with a 3.56 ERA this season with 94 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings and a .241 batting average against. He was rated by Baseball Ameria as the draft's 87th-best prospect. At UVa he was a top closer last season and was moved to the rotation this year....

There's an old adage in baseball that goes, you win 60 and lose 60, it's what you do with the rest that makes or breaks you. While that's not quite an even one-third split, we have reached that point in the season. With last night's 5-3 win over the New York Mets, the Nats have played 54 games, exactly one-third of the season. Hey, I'm all for a little analysis using arbitrary end-points, so here goes. The Nats are 32-22, first in the NL East by two games over the Braves and the Marlins....

For much of the first two months of this season, the Nationals have been working without two of their key power hitters. Now, even though Jayson Werth is still sidelined, they've finally got Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Michael Morse all healthy at the same time. And they know what that can mean for their outlook the rest of this season. "Oh, it's a whole new ballgame," manager Davey Johnson said. Tonight, we got a sample of what Nats fans have been waiting to see out of the middle...

BOSTON - Chris Tillman had another solid outing last night for Triple-A Norfolk, and manager Buck Showalter knew about it before meeting with reporters after the Orioles' 2-1 win over the Red Sox. He immediately checks the box scores and the reports on all of the affiliates. I'm trying to figure out which direction the Orioles are going in regard to their handling of Norfolk's roster. I've decided that it's more than one way. Grow the arms is still a huge part of their philosophy, but...

Manager Davey Johnson said after tonight's game that the Nationals will place catcher Carlos Maldonado on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury and will call up outfielder/first baseman Tyler Moore from Triple-A Syracuse. Maldonado said that he's having an issue with a muscle in the right side of his back, and described the injury as somewhat of a spasm. He has played in four games since getting called up from Syracuse back on May 15, going hitless in nine at-bats with two walks and...

Nationals right-handed starter Edwin Jackson had not recorded a win in more than a month and a half, but he didn't let that frazzle him. On April 14, Jackson through a complete game, two-hitter to subdue the Cincinnati Reds, 4-1. Since then, Jackson threw five straight no decisions, then lost back-to-back games at Philadelphia and at Miami. So Wednesday, when Jackson went seven innings and threw 100 pitches, only allowing two earned runs, the victory tasted even sweeter in a 5-3 dispatch of...