First off, I would like to extend a very happy Father's Day to all dads out there, particularly those currently away from their families serving in the military. For me, the word "dad" conjures up memories of grilling outside, weekend bike rides and, of course, trips to the ballpark. In fact, if not for my dad introducing me to the sport, I'm not sure I would be as passionate about baseball as I am today. This weekend will be no different for a lot of families, as the Battle of the...

WASHINGTON - The Orioles are looking favorably on the MRI result on Jeremy Guthrie's upper back. He's been diagnosed with a mild strain and remains as the listed starter Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. "This was about as good as one could hope," said president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail. "It's good news. He's still in line potentially, no sure thing, to make his next start. We'll just see how he responds the next two days." The Orioles could have officially recalled...

WASHINGTON - An MRI taken on Jeremy Guthrie's back revealed only a minor muscle strain. No word yet on whether he's going on the disabled list, but left-hander Pedro Viola is here. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Luke Scott LF Derrek Lee 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton P UPDATE: The Orioles won't make a roster move today. Guthrie is hoping to make his next start, so he's considered day-to-day.

The Nationals' top prospect, outfielder Bryce Harper, will participate in the home run derby prior to the South Atlantic League All-Star game on Tuesday in Salisbury, Md. The event is billed as the 2011 BB&T All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium and begins at 5:30 p.m. The winner receives $500 courtesy of BB&T. Harper has hit 14 home runs with a .601 slugging percentage during the first half of the season for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. He will be joined by Northern...

Major League Baseball announced the winners of the 2011 "My Dad, My MVP" contest to recognize extraordinary fathers and father figures as part of the MLB Father's Day celebration. The Washington Nationals are proud to announce that Wayne Schlauch, of College Park, Md will be honored as their "MVP Dad." As the Nationals' winner, Wayne will have the unique opportunity to deliver the lineup card during Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles on Father's Day, June 19, 2011. Wayne is a...

When the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds begin a new season tonight in the New York-Penn League, hosting Hudson Valley, right-hander Parker Bridwell be the Birds' starting pitcher. Many fans know his name because Bridwell received the third-largest bonus of any O's draft pick last year behind Manny Machado and Conner Narron. Taken in the ninth round out of Hereford (Texas) High School, Bridwell got a $625,000 bonus, which was more than some players taken in the second round. With...

Single-A Potomac Nationals second baseman Jeff Kobernus has been named to the 2011 Carolina league All-Star team, replacing his teamate, outfielder Destin Hood. Hood was placed on the disabled list Wednesday with a knee injury. Hood has been recovering from a knee issue and needs some rest. Kobernus has gotten hot at the right time, batting .333 (37-for-111) with 18 runs and 12 steals in the last 28 games. He is batting .266 overall, with 13 doubles, two home runs and 24 RBIs. Kobernus leads...

The Orioles' Single-A Delmarva affiliate is getting set to host the South Atlantic League All-Star Game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Perdue Stadium in Salisbury. The Shorebirds last hosted this game in 1999. We will have full coverage from the game Tuesday on MASNsports.com with pregame, in-game and postgame reports. Orioles Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver will headline Fan Fest that day which will take part in the stadium parking lot beginning at 2:30 p.m. Weaver is scheduled to appear at...

As of 1 p.m. today, there is a new system for commenting on my blog and Roch Kubatko's blog. The Nats' reporters have been using the system for a while. We will switch the blog over to Disqus, the popular online commenting system used by CNN, Wired magazine, Fox News, MLB.com, MLB Trade Rumors and others. Chances are, you've probably interacted with it somewhere on the Web, but if not, here's a quick tutorial. You'll comment much in the same way you did before, typing your thoughts in...

The all-time series between the Orioles and Nationals is tied 24-24. The Orioles are 17-10 in Baltimore and 7-14 in Washington. Vladimir Guerrero's sixth-inning double yesterday was the 2,500th hit of his major league career, making him the 94th player to reach that mark and the seventh active player, joining Derek Jeter, Pudge Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and Chipper Jones. Guerrero's 2,501 hits are third-most for a Dominican-born player behind Julio Franco...