I was looking forward to tomorrow's off-day and a little relaxation, or what qualifies in my life, but now I'll be tracking down the results of Chris Davis' visit to orthopedic specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum. Yes, it's all about me. Davis has a slight tear in his right shoulder and could be facing a shutdown or surgery. If you're Luke Scott or Jake Arrieta, it can turn into both. The Orioles are keeping Yocum on speed-dial. No truth to the rumor that they're thinking of moving the...

Left-hander Brian Matusz followed a scoreless first inning tonight with a messy second that's placed the Orioles in a 3-0 hole. Matusz walked a batter in the first and two more in the second. He gave up an RBI double to Scott Sizemore on an 82 mph changeup, an RBI bloop single to Cliff Pennington on a 76 mph curveball and a bloop RBI double to Jemile Weeks on a 90 mph fastball. Pitching coach Rick Adair visited the mound as Matusz struggled through a 28-pitch inning that raised his total to...

After two starts and 12 runs allowed, there was concern about how far Nationals' right-hander Chien-Ming Wang needed to go to get back to his form from 2006 and 2007. Then came wins over the Chicago Cubs and Tuesday over the Cincinnati Reds, where he surrendered four runs in two starts, showing the potential of Wang in a Nationals uniform. He still has a long ways to go, but to see a positive turn in results, where he was pitching out of bad spots, even without his best stuff, was certainly...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz from Triple-A Norfolk. Matusz will start tonight's game against the Oakland A's. The club has also placed infielder Chris Davis on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 15, with a right shoulder strain. Matusz is 1-4 with an 8.77 ERA (25.2IP, 25 ER) in six starts for the Orioles this season. Davis has batted .241 (28-122) in 38 games between the Orioles and Texas Rangers, including .224 (9-40) in 10...

Pitcher Zach Britton, on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder, allowed one run over five innings in tonight's start for Triple-A Norfolk. Britton gave up three hits to Charlotte, walked one and struck out three. He threw 62 pitches, 39 for strikes, before left-hander Mark Hendrickson replaced him in the top of the sixth. Hendrickson promptly surrendered back-to-back home runs that increased Charlotte's lead to 4-0. Britton fell behind, 1-0, in the first on Dallas McPherson's...

The hits just keep coming for the Orioles, and not the good kind. First baseman Chris Davis was scratched from tonight's lineup because of continuing discomfort in his right shoulder, and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed that the former Ranger has a slight tear. He's scheduled to be examined Thursday by, of course, Dr. Lewis Yocum, who's performed surgery on Jake Arrieta and Dan Klein within the past week. Dr. James Andrews must be seething. Davis will go on the...

Orioles pitching prospect Dan Klein underwent surgery today to repair a small tear in his right labrum and to loosen his shoulder capsule. He'll likely begin a throwing program in mid-December and could begin pitching for an affiliate by June 1. Orthopedic specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum used one anchor to repair the tear. The average amount for a smaller tear is two. "That's good news. There was little damage," said John Stockstill, director of player development. Yocum also loosened the...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson talked about the 40-man roster Tuesday and speculated as to some of the possibilities offensively in September the Nationals might bring up to the big club when rosters can be expanded. Johnson mentioned first baseman Chris Marrero and a name we had not heard before, outfielder Corey Brown. Both are on the 40-man roster. Marrero is batting .309 in 117 games, with 14 homers and 67 RBIs. It is about time he gets a chance to face major league pitching. Brown is...

Chris Davis, who sat out last night's game with a sore right shoulder, is starting at first base tonight. He's avoided the disabled list. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 3B Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Brian Matusz LHP For the Athletics: Weeks 2B Crisp CF Matsui DH Willingham LF Allen 1B Sizemore 3B DeJesus RF Suzuki C Pennington SS Moscoso RHP

It has been a frustrating couple of weeks for veteran Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez as he continues to rehab from a right oblique strain suffered in early July. He had a setback last Wednesday in Harrisburg and has been in Washington ever since. Rodriguez played catch with Livan Hernandez on Tuesday and expects to play catch again Wednesday, but there is not a set timetable as to when he will swing a bat again. Rodriguez met with team doctors prior to Tuesday's game against the...