Nationals senior advisor to the general manager Davey Johnson has been working diligently on next week's First-Year Player Draft and watching a lot of baseball at low Single-A Hagerstown this season. Johnson will attend this year's draft and put in his two cents' worth in on players the Nationals might consider. Washington holds picks No. 6, 23 and 34 to start the June 6 draft. Meanwhile, Johnson said the Suns have a very talented squad up and down the roster and the pitching has been...

Adam Jones has returned to the lineup tonight after being restricted to pinch-running duty yesterday because of a sore right shoulder. He'll face former Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard. They crossed paths in a certain trade back in February 2008. For the Orioles: Robert Andino 2B Adam Jones CF Nick Markakis RF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 3B Luke Scott 1B Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Jeremy Guthrie RHP

The May 17 Nationals-Pirates game at Nationals Park has been rescheduled as part of a traditional, single-admission doubleheader on Saturday, July 2, with the first game beginning at 3:35 p.m. The second game will follow at 7:05 p.m. or later, depending on when the first game is completed. Season tickets and individual game tickets for the postponed May 17 game can be exchanged at the Nationals Park Box Office for seats of equal or lesser value for the July 2 doubleheader or any remaining...

The Nationals have confirmed that third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will be playing in his first game at extended spring training in Viera, Fla., on Wednesday. Zimmerman continues rehabilitation from abdominal surgery in early May. The original timetable had Zimmerman, who has been sidelined since April 9, returning in mid to late June. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said today that Zimmerman is progressing. "The one thing that was not coming along as quickly as some other stuff about his...

In addition to a current losing streak of four games and inconsistent play, the Orioles have another problem that is contributing a lot to some of their losses: They can't seem to get out of the gate well. The Orioles have been outscored by their opponents 252-212 on the year. That is a run differential of minus-40. Most of that has come over the first two innings of games, where the Orioles have been outscored by 34 runs. In the first inning this year, the O's have been outscored 26-9 and...

For years, the Washington Nationals have dreamed of building a youth baseball academy in the District of Columbia. They battled through multiple layers of government, pledged $3.5 million dollars to the project, studied Harlem RBI and other programs, and finally broke ground today on the new facility. The Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy will conduct after-school and summer programs that integrate baseball, academics and the value of teamwork for youths 8 to 18 living in...

The Orioles have collected just three extra-base hits - two doubles and a home run - over 36 innings in the four games of this current road trip. In those four games, the Orioles have drawn 16 walks, but only two of those runners have scored. Mark Reynolds' home run yesterday was the first for the Orioles in 38 2/3 innings since the second inning of a May 26 game. Four of the Orioles' regulars have combined for nine doubles and no homers in their last 245 at-bats. Matt Wieters has three...

With the advent of blogs such as my own and those that belong to the other fine writers taking up this space, there is more being written about, well, everything. In our case, it's the Baltimore Orioles. From the traditional media to those of us who have our own platforms online to the masses on Twitter who take to the Internet daily, it's mind-boggling just how much is being said about the Orioles on a daily basis. Because the Orioles are a losing team, and have been for so long, this...

Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan has taken four high school players and two collegians with his six first-round picks since he was named to that post in November of 2004. Right now, he is in the final days of his preparation for another draft and the Orioles have the fourth pick in Round 1 next Monday night. There are several draft projections and predictions that have the Orioles taking Oklahoma right-handed high school pitcher Dylan Bundy with that pick. There is also a segment of fans...

The Washington Nationals are struggling. Like, really struggling. After Monday's 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, they have lost their last three games - all by one run. They have lost eight of their last nine, 10 of 12 and 13 of 17. The Nats are losing close games (5-12 in one-run games in 2011) and blowouts (1-6 when the game is decided by five or more runs). After 53 games, nearly a third of the season, they are 22-31, a .415 winning percentage. Over a 162-game schedule, that works...