Orioles manager Buck Showalter talked today about the recent lack of playing time for outfielder Nolan Reimold. He did not play in the series with Cincinnati and had just eight at-bats during the recent nine-game road trip. "It's been a challenge. We keep hoping that Luke (Scott) can get it going and we went through a period where there were a lot of left-handed pitchers, so it was pretty easy (to play him). We are going through the opposite now," Showalter said. "On my list of things that...

Alfredo Simon reported to Single-A Frederick today, but manager Buck Showalter told reporters that it's "more likely than less likely" that the reliever is activated from the disabled list before tomorrow night's game against the Cardinals. Showalter said the club will make a decision early tomorrow afternoon whether Simon pitches for the Keys or comes off the disabled list. Look for Simon to join the 25-man roster. The Orioles haven't ruled out making Simon a starter down the road, but...

For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Luke Scott LF Mark Reynolds 3B Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton LHP Lee is two hits shy of 1,900 for his career. He'll become the 315th player in major league history to reach the milestone. The Orioles are the only team in baseball to have 10 or more home runs from their shortstop and third baseman. Reynolds leads all third basemen with 14 homers. Hardy ranks fourth among...

The Nationals are continuing to assemble and coordinate their rosters between Florida and Auburn (and I don't mean the Gators and the Tigers for you southeastern conference fans, although the Florida Gators obviously have some guys to watch in the College World Series). There are several players that have jumped out with their talent in the first few weeks of workouts from the Nationals training facility in Florida and Gulf Coast League competition. Also, a few of the guys are on the roster...

The Orioles have decided not to activate reliever Alfredo Simon from the disabled list, delaying their next roster move for at least 24 hours. It's possible that Simon will return to the 25-man roster before tomorrow night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Camden Yards. Simon is on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He threw two scoreless innings Sunday at Double-A Bowie, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out three. Simon is 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five appearances...

Jeff Tackett lives in Los Angeles now, not Hollywood - an important distinction for a guy who managed to squeeze two cameo appearances in feature films into the four years he served as a backup catcher with the Orioles between 1991-94. A trip back to Baltimore last weekend, a family vacation to help one of his sons scout out potential college choices, reminded Tackett how special his time as an Oriole was. Tackett took time out from visiting college campuses to visit with suiteholders at...

To say that Washington Nationals $126 million man Jayson Werth is struggling would be a dramatic understatement. After last night's 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Werth is hitting a robust .224/.329/.391, all career lows for seasons with more than 300 plate appearances. At the pace he's on, there's no way he'll even come close to his 162-game average of 25 home runs or 83 RBIs. Team officials are quick to assure Nats fans that Werth is just going through a slump, that he'll rebound...

Checking in with some notes on both teams as the Orioles get set to host the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time tonight. * The Orioles lead the American League with 32 homers in June. They hit nine in the Cincinnati series, and the Orioles have homered 13 times in the last seven games and 27 times in the past 17 contests. * Orioles starting pitchers have just one quality start over the last 10 games and an ERA of 5.43 in that stretch. The ERA of the O's starters was 7.63 over the weekend...

He has been a lightning rod for criticism this year by fans on talk shows and message boards, but in the end, will Nick Markakis prove his critics wrong? Will the 27-year-old Orioles outfielder have a big finish to this season and make up for lost time with his stats after a slow start? Right now, it may be heading that way. Markakis' bat is finally hot and he is hitting .405 during a 16-game hitting streak with four doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs during the streak. He is 9-for-19 over the...

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fought off another late-inning comeback attempt by the Nationals, 4-3 in 10 innings at Angels Stadium, spoiling Davey Johnson's debut as manager. With the bases loaded, Maicer Izturis slapped an RBI single up the middle to win it off of Sean Burnett (3-4). Peter Bourjos with a ground-rule double got two runners in scoring position with one out. The Angels pounded out 16 hits for the win. Scott Downs notched the win (5-2). Davey Johnson meets with the media...