Jim Thome received a nice ovation as he walked to the plate with one out in the bottom of the second inning. The cartoon bird looked a bit strange on his helmet, but we'll get used to it. He's worn many hats over the years. In his first at-bat with the Orioles, who completed a trade with the Phillies yesterday that included Single-A pitcher Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino, Thome fell behind 0-2 and sent a hard bouncer off Indians pitcher Justin Masterson's leg. Masterson covered the...

Prior to this year, the Nationals had never had more than two players named to the All-Star team in a single season. This season, three Nationals have been selected to the Mid-summer Classic. And that number can possibly grow to four. Nationals pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez and shortstop Ian Desmond have all been named to the National League All-Star team. This is the first All-Star appearance for both Strasburg and Desmond and marks the second straight year that Gonzalez has...

Three Orioles - and maybe a fourth - will be heading to the All-Star game. Adam Jones, Jim Johnson and Matt Wieters have made the American League squad and Jason Hammel will be in the Final Vote, with one player selected from a group of five. The Orioles have not sent more than one player since Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, Melvin Mora and B.J Ryan went in 2005. Here are what the four players said about playing in the game: Jones talked about Johnson making it and the Orioles having several...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Miguel Gonzalez from Triple-A Norfolk and have optioned outfielder Xavier Avery to Triple-A Norfolk. Gonzalez made his major league debut with the Orioles on May 29 at Toronto and appeared in two games, posting a 2.45 ERA (7.1IP, 2ER). In 14 games for Norfolk (six starts), Gonzalez was 3-2 with a 1.61 ERA (44.2IP, 8ER). In 18 games over two stints with the Orioles this year, Avery batted .222/.300/.361 with five doubles, a...

The Orioles have made two changes to their 25-man roster. Jim Thome is serving as the designated hitter today after being acquired from the Phillies in yesterday's trade, and right-hander Miguel Gonzalez will work out of the bullpen as a long man. Tommy Hunter was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk last night, and outfielder Xavier Avery was optioned this morning after being recalled for a second time on Thursday. Avery's batting .222 with five doubles, a triple, one home run, six RBIs and 10...

Jim Thome will make his Orioles debut today, batting fifth as the designated hitter. Not long after arriving at the ballpark, he talked about joining the Orioles. "I'm excited to be here," Thome said. "These guys have had a great year and done some special things. Hopefully, we can continue to do that." Thome is batting .242 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 62 at-bats on the year. He hit .333 in nine interleague games with four homers and 14 RBIs and had a 1.062 OPS in June. He has 18...

Jim Thome will make his Orioles debut today in the finale of a four-game series against the Indians. He's in the lineup, hitting fifth as the designated hitter. Here's the Orioles lineup for Sunday: Brian Roberts 2B J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Jim Thome DH Wilson Betemit 1B Ryan Flaherty LF Ronny Paulino C Robert Andino 3B Brian Matusz, P Pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is in the clubhouse, but no roster move has been announced to accommodate his placement on the 25-man roster....

Potomac Nationals right-hander Nathan Karns is on the best streak of his career, pitching somewhat under the radar as his team looks to gain momentum in the second half of the season. Karns has posted three consecutive double-digit strikeout performances in three straight victories, two on the road, dating to June 15. During this amazing run, the numbers are close to astounding: 32 strikeouts in three starts over 21 2/3 innings. He allowed just nine hits and two runs with only six walks in...

Davey Johnson has made a few changes to his normal lineup for today's series finale against the Braves. Danny Espinosa will get the day off, with Steve Lombardozzi taking over at second base and hitting out of the leadoff spot. Rick Ankiel starts in center field, moving Bryce Harper over to right and Michael Morse to left. Jhonatan Solano will also get the nod behind the plate, giving Jesus Flores a breather after catching all nine innings in yesterday's brutally hot weather. The...

We've talked about how Davey Johnson's patience with his players, even when they're struggling, is part of what makes him so beloved by the guys he manages. Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse can all attest to that. Yesterday, it was Johnson's lack of patience which showed why he is so highly regarded by the guys in his clubhouse. With the temperature in Atlanta sitting at 104 degrees, Johnson saw that Stephen Strasburg wasn't himself very early on in yesterday's game. He...