Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said the club has spent time this week working on trying to get its first-round draft pick, LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman, to agree to a contract. The deadline to sign this year's draft picks comes up Friday. The Orioles have agreed to terms with eight of their top 10 picks with only Gausman and their fifth-round pick, high school pitcher Colin Poche, still to get in the fold. "We are working on that this week," Duquette said of the...

For the last couple months, Davey Johnson has gone with a platoon at the leadoff spot. Danny Espinosa gets the start atop the order against left-handed starters, as is the case tonight with the Nationals facing Rockies lefty Drew Pomeranz, while Steve Lombardozzi hits first when the Nationals are facing a righty. Once Jayson Werth returns, however, Johnson will need to switch things up. Werth will take over in right field, moving Michael Morse to left and cutting down on Lombardozzi's...

How will the Nationals prepare for the heat and humidity which figures to affect their starters to at least some extent over the next couple days? Manager Davey Johnson said - apparently half-joking, half-serious - that the fire department is on site at Nationals Park tonight. "We're contemplating IVs today," Johnson said. "Stay tuned." Braves starter Tim Hudson normally gets a bag of IV fluids on the day that he starts in order to fend off dehydration, something which Johnson was...

One of the injured Orioles is in tonight's lineup. Mark Reynolds, who was hit on the left hand last night, is starting at first base and batting sixth against Angels southpaw C.J. Wilson. However, Chris Davis is on the bench again after being a late scratch last night because of a strained right trapezius muscle. Only three games remain before the All-Star break, and the Orioles currently have a 24-man roster after optioning pitcher Jake Arrieta following last night's 9-7 loss. No...

Right fielder Nick Markakis isn't in Double-A Bowie's lineup tonight. He's expected to begin his injury-rehab assignment tomorrow at Prince George's County Stadium. Catcher Taylor Teagarden, who hasn't played for the Orioles this year, is behind the plate and batting third tonight for the Baysox after moving up from the Gulf Coast League. The Orioles could activate Teagarden from the disabled list after the All-Star break, which would remove backup Ronny Paulino from the 25-man...

Stephen Strasburg will oppose Drew Pomeranz tonight at Nationals Park in the opener of a three-game set between the Nats and Rockies. Pomeranz hasn't notched a win in six major league outings this season, but he did deliver a strong start his last time out, allowing just an unearned run on two hits over six innings. That was his first start back in the big leagues after a stint at Triple-A. They're calling for 97-degree temperatures at first pitch tonight, so it will be interesting to see...

The Orioles need to upgrade their pitching. They need to tighten up their defense. It's not the same set of issues I remember them having when I was a kid. They can still hit the longball, which Earl Weaver would appreciate. Their 105 home runs rank third in the majors behind the Yankees (126) and Blue Jays (122). They clubbed three last night in the first four innings against the Angels, who were begging to be beaten. A 7-3 lead disappeared before the Orioles stepped to the plate again...

As Giants first baseman Brandon Belt failed to secure a low, skipping throw and Adam LaRoche crossed first base safely in the ninth inning of last night's game, plating the game-winning run for the Nationals, a group of ballplayers about 650 miles away let out a frustrated groan. According to reporters in Atlanta, Braves players watching the end of last night's Nationals game on a clubhouse TV made a loud, exasperated noise and dropped a few expletives when it became clear the Nats had...

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said that the Orioles have been involved in some recent trade discussions, but that any talks are in the very early stages right now. "We've talked to a number of teams, probably over half the teams," Duquette said. "Some teams are still trying to decide what they are going to do. I think it's still early and so many teams are still in contention." Is he confident the Orioles will be involved in one or more trades by...

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg faces off against the Colorado Rockies Friday, looking to rebound from just three innings in the sweltering heat in Atlanta last week. His next start will likely be scheduled for Sunday, July 15 in Miami, following the All-Star game in Kansas City. If Strasburg averages six innings per outing, he will be at 99 innings after tonight and 105 frames following July 15. That would mathematically put him in for nine or 10 more starts the rest of the way,...