The Washington Nationals today recalled right-handed pitcher Collin Balester from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Balester is 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA in six relief appearances this season with Washington. The 24-year-old went 3-3 with a 5.87 ERA in 35 games/5 starts with the Chiefs, including a 2-0 record and 3.38 ERA in 30 appearances as a reliever.

The Orioles announced that they have recalled RHP Chris Tillman from Triple-A Norfolk. He will start today's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Tillman, 22, went 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA (121.1IP, 45ER) in 21 starts for the Tides this season, including 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA (34.0IP, 12ER) in six starts in August. His ERA was tied for fourth in the International League and he was tied for 5th in the league in wins. Tillman is 1-4 with a 7.92 ERA (25.0IP, 22ER) in six starts over two previous stints...

Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott DH Felix Pie LF Corey Patterson CF Craig Tatum C Cesar Izturis SS Josh Bell 3B Chris Tillman RHP For the Rays: Jaso DH Zobrist 1B Crawford LF Longoria 3B Joyce RF Rodriguez 2B Upton CF Navarro C Bartlett SS Davis RHP Cal Ripken will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to celebrate the 15th anniversary of 2,130. No need to explain the significance of that number. Also, the Brooks Robinson replica jerseys are now available. They...

Tonight's attendance: 18,943. Buck Showalter has won more games as Orioles manager this year (18) than Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel. They don't hand out trophies for that accomplishment, but it's worth noting. Jeremy Guthrie set a season high with seven strikeouts tonight. He matched his season high with 116 pitches. He's gone at least six innings in 10 straight outings, with eight quality starts during that span. Is this the strongest Guthrie has felt this late in a season? "I...

Buck Showalter won his 900th game as manager, a feat that didn't leave a lump in his throat. More like a shrug in his shoulders. "My daughter called me a couple nights ago and left me a message, so she made me aware of it and I'd forgotten it a little bit," he said. "It means I've had some good players and someone's given me an opportunity to do this a long time. That's about the extent of it. I've had a lot of losses, too. You got them?" Yes, 846. "I remember just about every...

The Orioles ended their first three-game losing streak of the Buck Showalter era in resounding fashion tonight. Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven strong innings to gain his 9th win while the O's had 15 hits in an 8-4 win over Tampa. The victory was the 900th of Showalter's managerial career. He becomes the 64th manager in baseball history to reach the 900 mark and is 9th among active managers in wins. The Orioles are 18-13 since Showalter took over on August 3rd. Buck Showalter talks with the...

After finally being taken off the disabled list, Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock guided the Syracuse Chiefs to a victory Friday night, going six innings, scattering four hits, allowing one run with two walks and three strikeouts. "I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders (with Friday's win)," says Mock. "Now, I can prepare for the next one and if another start comes I want to be able to compete for six plus innings." "That is a huge feeling," he added. "I am not on...

Nick Markakis entered tonight's game without an RBI or homer this year vs. Tampa. That first-inning, two-run shot to right took care of both of those. Markakis was 7 for 51 in his first 13 games on the year vs. Tampa. He had a batting average of .137 and slugging percentage of .255 vs. Rays pitchers. But he is 2 for 3 with two RBI so far as the O's lead 7-2 after five innings. Wieters is 2 for 3 and had a two-run double in the third that gave the O's a 5-1 lead. Wieters is now 11 for...

Luke Scott thought he hit a home run in the fifth inning. The umpires ruled that he hit a double. Scott wasn't convinced, and neither was manager Buck Showalter. Instant replay came into play at Camden Yards for the second time this season, and Scott lost his argument. He had to settle for a double on a ball that hit the orange AT&T sign in right-center field, not above it. Scott was circling his arm over his head as he chugged into second base, baseball's universal home run sign. Nice...

That didn't take long. John Jaso, the rare leadoff-hitting catcher, got hold of a 93 mph fastball from Jeremy Guthrie and drove it 436 feet into the seats in right-center field. So much for back-to-back scoreless outings. You'll recall that the Angels couldn't push across a run against Guthrie in 8 1/3 innings. The Rays did it in one batter. Guthrie has posted a 2.51 ERA in nine second-half starts. He's got a 2.79 ERA in three quality starts against the Rays this season, though he's...