Nationals right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang tossed four scoreless innings for the Single-A Potomac Nationals against Wilmington in his second rehab start Saturday night in Woodbridge, Va. Wang, continuing recovery from major shoulder surgery, tossed 38 pitches with 24 for strikes. He allowed two hits, two walks, no runs and struck out two batters. According to reports from the field, all seven of his pitches in first inning were strikes. He was tested in the second frame with 17 pitches,...

Orioles third base prospect Josh Bell left Game One of Triple-A Norfolk's doubleheader tonight with a left knee injury. He had just one at-bat in the Tides' 4-2 loss to Charlotte. Bell is leading all O's minor leaguers in home runs. On the year he is batting .256 with nine doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 36 RBIs and an OPS of .733. A club official did not know the severity of the injury yet but initially thought it was likely that Bell would not need to go on the minor league seven-day...

The Nationals dropped the doubleheader opener to the Pirates, 5-3, on a pair of home runs in the late innings that broke open a close contest. Livan Hernandez had kept the Nationals close, but unlike Friday, it was Pittsburgh that had the late game heroics. Manager Davey Johnson was pleased with the way Hernandez stayed in the game. He was able to get to the eighth inning, but Sean Burnett allowed two home runs that ended up deciding the game. "(Hernandez) battled them," Johnson said. "I...

As Jake Arrieta takes the mound tonight at Atlanta, here is an interesting Arrieta stat. He is the toughest Orioles' starter to get a base hit off of. Opponent batters hit just .233 off Arrieta while that number is .251 against Zach Britton and .263 against Jeremy Guthrie. There are some observers that feel Arrieta has the best "stuff" on the staff. He has a fastball that hits the mid-90s and a nasty slider. But he struggles with command and control and that is often a battle for him. If...

I'm going to make another attempt to go off campus and watch the Orioles-Braves game, though I'm packing up the laptop in case of baseball emergency. Before I head out, I want to pass along three injury updates that manager Buck Showalter relayed to reporters in Hot-lanta. Brian Roberts could start swinging a bat early next week. He's had two good days in a row, getting through his conditioning work and limited baseball activities without headaches or dizziness. Showalter confirmed in his...

Double-A Harrisburg reliever Hassan Pena has been added to the Western Division roster for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star game, July 13. Pena has a record of 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA, five saves, 29 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings for the Senators. Pena replaces Brad Peacock, who will be in uniform, but will not pitch because of his participation in the XM Futures Game July 10 in Phoenix, Ariz. Peacock leads the league in several categories including strikeouts (120),...

I know this will be an unpopular lineup with most of you, because Nolan Reimold isn't in it. Does it help that Blake Davis is starting at second base? For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Luke Scott LF, Mark Reynolds 3B Blake Davis 2B Jake Arrieta RHP For the Braves: Jordan Schafer CF Alex Gonzalez SS Jason Heyward RF Chipper Jones 3B Freddie Freeman 1B Dan Uggla 2B Nate McLouth LF David Ross C Tim Hudson RHP

When the All-Star game reserves are announced on Sunday, my guess is that Adam Jones will be selected to the American League team for the second time. He would be my pick and, in my opinion, has been the Orioles' best player this year. Until I looked it up, I almost forgot he hit just .218 in April. But in May and June, Jones hit .313 with an OPS around .850. On the year, in 78 games, he is batting .286 with 15 doubles, 13 homers, 46 RBIs and an .801 OPS. Sure he could still draw more...

Nationals manager Davey Johnson pinch hit for shortstop Ian Desmond in the ninth inning of Friday night's 2-1 victory in the home series opener versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Johnson said he told Desmond before the switch that he expected his young infielder "to get hot so this doesn't happen again." Pinch hitter Matt Stairs smacked an RBI single off the right field wall to plate the game winner. Saturday, Johnson said he believes Desmond has all the tools to be a great player on this...

Think the Orioles had problems at the plate last night? Now they have to deal with Braves right-hander Tim Hudson, who's 9-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 11 career starts against them. Hudson's allowed 64 hits in 74 2/3 innings, with 19 walks and 45 strikeouts. The Orioles are hitting .232 against him. This season, Hudson is 6-6 with a 3.51 ERA, 24 walks and 70 strikeouts. Hudson hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts covering 14 innings, with four walks and 16 strikeouts. He's...