Jason Hammel was on the ropes in the second inning, and the Blue Jays decided to ring the bell for him before the round ended. How nice. Brett Lawrie tried unsuccessfully to steal home with the bases loaded, two outs and an 0-2 count on Jose Bautista, who's led the American League in home runs the last two seasons. Hammel stepped off the rubber and fired the ball home, where Matt Wieters applied the tag after blocking the plate. Hammel's throw was high, but Wieters provided the usual...

The Double-A Bowie Baysox are playing this afternoon and, at least check, lead Erie 10-5 in the seventh inning. Tyler Townsend has two hits, including his fourth homer. Hot-hitting Buck Britton is 2-for-3 and is now batting .361. Brandon Waring is 3-for-4 with a three-run homer. Antoan Richardson has hit a three-run homer as well for Bowie, which began today with a record of 3-6. Update: Bowie blew the five-run lead and lost 11-10 at Erie in ten innings as the Baysox gave up four runs in the...

Zach Britton has played catch for three consecutive days and noted that his left arm is regaining the strength that it lost after undergoing a procedure to eliminate the inflammation in his shoulder. "I'm just getting my arm used to throwing again," said Britton, who received two Platelet Rich Plasma injections March 21. "I'm getting my arm going and it feels pretty good." Britton said he's increased the distance each day to around 90 feet. He'll take Sunday off before meeting with...

Davey Johnson has been in baseball more than 50 years. He's played with some of the best, and managed some exceptional players and teams, as well. And of all the infields the Nationals' 69-year-old manager has seen in his time in professional baseball, he says the best defensive unit he's even been around is the one he's writing onto lineup cards this season. "I've never had an infield this talented," Johnson said. "Now, I've had Hall of Famers at different positions, but as a...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson has felt since the beginning of spring training that Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores would share catching responsibilities. Ramos would get the lion's share of the starts, but Flores would also play more than on a token basis. The Ramos/Flores catching depth is a big strength for the Nationals this season. Both players are healthy and both are capable of breaking out a little bit. Both are capable of hitting home runs. Both call great games and have excellent...

Rick Ankiel will make his 2012 debut this afternoon against the Reds after missing the first eight games of the season due to a left quad injury. The 32-year-old will bat seventh today and play center field after hitting .400 with three home runs during his rehab assignment. Ankiel said the quad is feeling good and he's ready to get back out and rejoin his teammates at the major league level. "The last few days, the first time I played nine, I felt like I was 100 percent then, so every day...

The Washington Nationals today returned from rehab and reinstated center fielder Rick Ankiel from the 15-Day Disabled List and designated outfielder Brett Carroll for assignment. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Ankiel, 32, was originally placed on the 15-Day Disabled List (left quad) on April 3, retroactive to March 28. In eight games during his rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg (four games), Single-A...

Mark Reynolds is serving as the designated hitter again today in Toronto. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Wilson Betemit 3B Mark Reynolds DH Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Jason Hammel RHP For the Jays: Escobar SS Johnson 2B Bautista RF Lind 1B Encarnacion DH Thames LF Lawrie 3B Rasmus CF Arencibia C Alvarez RHP Tommy Hunter allowed four home runs last night, marking the 33rd time in franchise history an...

Adam Jones may have had another of what Buck Showalter calls "emotional at-bats" last night. After failing to produce the winning hit in the ninth inning Wednesday against New York, he came up in a key spot in the top of the eighth last night. The Orioles were trailing Toronto by a run at the time and had runners on first and third with one out. Jones struck out on a pitch down and in against Darren Oliver. He tried to stop his swing but couldn't and went down with on a strikeout with a...

The last six outs Craig Stammen have recorded go down in the scorebook as such: strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging, strikeout swinging. "I kind of messed up," manager Davey Johnson said last night. "I should have brought in Stammen earlier because he seems to make things happen when he comes in." Stammen has been absolutely filthy in his last two outings, having struck out the side against the Reds in consecutive games. And...