WASHINGTON - Adam Jones extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the first inning with an infield single that scored Xavier Avery for a 1-0 lead. The ball struck Edwin Jackson's foot and caromed so high I thought one of the Nats' infielders would signal for a fair catch. Avery led off with a walk and raced to third on Nick Markakis' double into left-center field. Jones followed with his single, giving the center fielder his third 10-game hitting streak of the season. Jones is the first...

After taking some swings off a tee and doing more throwing from about 50-60 feet today, Michael Morse has taken another step toward participating in games of some kind. Those games might come as soon as Monday. Manager Davey Johnson said today that Morse will head down to the Nationals' complex in Viera, Fla., when the Nats begin their road trip on Monday. Morse will get lots of at-bats in extended spring training games, building up his timing and allowing him to keep working back from the...

Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will once again host "A Night at the Park" on Thursday, June 14 at Nationals Park. The third annual event will feature a special performance by the alternative rock band Guster as well as silent and live auctions. Proceeds from the event will benefit the ziMS Foundation, which is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. For more information, please visit anightatthepark.com.

WASHINGTON - The Orioles have signed outfielder Lew Ford to a minor league deal, and he's starting in center field tonight for Triple-A Norfolk. Ford, 35, hasn't played in the majors since batting .233 in 55 games with the Twins in 2007. He played in Japan in 2008 and Mexico in 2010. He also had three stints with the independent Long Island Ducks, batting .333 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 19 games this season. The Orioles are trying to fill out Norfolk's roster. Infielder Brandon Waring...

Here is a pretty stunning stat: The Orioles have gotten a quality start this year from their pitchers 20 times and they are 19-1 in those games. That is a winning percentage of .950. But lately, Jake Arrieta has struggled to do that for the Birds. If two starts qualifies as a slump, Arrieta may be in one. Since that dominant start May 2 at Yankee Stadium where he pitched eight scoreless against the Yankees, Arrieta did not pitch well against Texas and Tampa Bay. Over those last two starts,...

As a guy who has been around baseball for 50 years, Davey Johnson's always good for a story. Today, he shared a hilarious one. Johnson - who resigned as Orioles manager after the 1997 season - is set to face the O's for the first time in a regular season game, and opened up about his time in Baltimore, both as a player and a skipper. Asked to recount his favorite story from his Orioles days, Johnson chose one that involved one of his former teammates, Frank Robinson. "It was my first...

Starting tonight, the Nationals will play 33 consecutive games against teams from either the American League East or National League East. Good thing none of those teams are any good. Oh, wait... The Nats will face Orioles righty Jake Arrieta today, a guy who has started 2-4 with a 5.21 ERA. Here are the lineups for both teams: For the Nationals SS Ian Desmond LF Roger Bernadina 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche RF Bryce Harper 2B Danny Espinosa CF Rick Ankiel C Jesus Flores P Edwin...

WASHINGTON - Xavier Avery is leading off and playing left field for the Orioles tonight. Wilson Betemit and Chris Davis will handle the infield corners. For the Orioles: Xavier Avery LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Wilson Betemit 3B Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Jake Arrieta RHP For the Nationals: Ian Desmond SS Roger Bernadina LF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Adam LaRoche 1B Bryce Harper RF Danny Espinosa 2B Rick Ankiel CF Jesus Flores C Edwin Jackson RHP

WASHINGTON - Give up? Until tonight, baseball teams from Baltimore and Washington hadn't faced each other with non-losing records in 42 years. On April 16, 1970, the 5-1 Orioles played the 3-3 Senators at Memorial Stadium. The Orioles suffered a rare loss in the rivalry, 4-2, with Frank Howard hitting a two-run homer off Jim Palmer. I'm guessing that Palmer remembers the count and what pitch he threw and where he located it. Ted Williams was managing the Senators that night. You know who...

When the Orioles and Nationals play, no hype for this series is needed for the first time. The teams have taken care of that and both are playing so well that they've turned this into a big series with the winning. The Orioles lead the American League East at 25-14. They have the best record in the AL, are 17-7 over the last 24 games and are 11 games over .500 for the first time since June 24, 2005. The Nationals feature two of the game's best young players in Bryce Harper and Stephen...