The Orioles received a dose of good news and a dose of bad news, so they're playing .500 today. The bad news is related to left-hander Brian Matusz, who fouled a bunted ball off his nose and might miss tomorrow night's start against the Pirates. Matusz was preparing for the next round of interleague games on the road, where the pitcher is required to hit. He was squaring up against a pitching machine, since batting practice was cancelled due to the rain. "It's off the machine," manager...

For the first time since last May 16, Brian Roberts name is atop the Orioles' lineup at second base for tonight's game at Camden Yards against Pittsburgh. While Roberts has not been officially activated yet, he will if the game is played. He's waited a while for this day and noted he now could possibly have to wait yet another day. "Praying the rain goes away," he said during a Camden Yards press conference a few moments ago. "It's been a year test of patience, so why not one more day....

The Nationals announced they have signed 10 of their first 14 picks from last week's First-Year Player draft. They are second baseman Tony Renda (second round), outfielder Brandon Miller (fourth round), catcher Spencer Kieboom (fifth round), center fielder Hayden Jennings (sixth round), right-hander Derek Self (ninth round), catcher Craig Manuel (10th round), right-hander Brian Rauh (11th round), third baseman Carlos Lopez (12th round), left-hander Elliott Waterman (13th round) and right...

Brian Matusz was hit on the nose by a ball while performing a bunting drill, and he may not make tomorrow's start against the Pirates. The Orioles' corresponding 25-man roster move to accommodate Brian Roberts could hinge on Matusz's status. Also, Nolan Reimold likely will go on the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster. He's having another MRI tomorrow. Update: OK, sorry for the short blog entry, but I was racing from the press conference to manager Buck Showalter's...

The Orioles have posted their lineup for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and, weather permitting, Brian Roberts will lead off and play second base. It will be Roberts' first appearance in a major league game since May 16, 2011 in Boston and the culmination of a long recovery from concussion symptoms. No official roster move has been made, so we'll have to wait for the Orioles to accommodate Roberts' return to the 25- and 40-man rosters. It's raining right now at Camden...

The Washington Nationals today announced the signing of 23 players selected in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft: second baseman Anthony Renda (second round), outfielder Brandon Miller (fourth round), catcher Spence Kieboom (fifth round), center fielder Hayden Jennings (sixth round), right-handed pitcher Derek Self (ninth round), catcher Craig Manuel (tenth round), right-handed pitcher Brian Rauh (11th round), third baseman Carlos Lopez (12th round), left-handed pitcher Elliott Waterman (13th...

Some big news at Double-A Harrisburg, as the Senators welcome major league rehabbing players Chris Marrero and Ryan Mattheus, and activate Jeff Kobernus from the disabled list. Marrero went 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles, one homer and four RBIs in six games with low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac. He has recovered from a torn hamstring suffered in winter ball, as well as a sore shoulder and now a bruised thumb. Mattheus has been battling back from a nagging plantar fasciitis...

They say you never forget your first, and I never forgot Dave Boswell, the first major leaguer I ever met and talked with at length. Boswell died yesterday of an apparent heart attack at 67, and a tweet from Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter, followed by a Facebook post from Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven, brought the sad news on an already gloomy morning. I'd spent the past couple of weeks researching Boswell's career - and reminiscing about that long-ago encounter with the...

The Orioles are expected to announce the signings today of between 10 and 12 picks taken last week in the First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have begun contract negotiations with their second-round pick, University of Virginia right-handed pitcher Branden Kline, who I profiled in this story. They hope to begin talks with their top pick, LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman, by late this week. The most recent picks to come to terms with the club are Lex Rutledge, a left-handed pitcher taken in Round 6...

Several days before the 2012 campaign, I wrote a post at The Nats Blog offering five bold predictions on the impending Nationals season. I said at the time that the week before the season was a wonderful time for bloggers because it marked perhaps the only time all year long that we would have yet to be wrong. Well, it's nearly 60 games into the season now, so I went back to see what my preseason predictions were, and unfortunately, I have not fared well so far. Let's review: 5. Adam...