WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- Nationals righthander Jordan Zimmermann looked strong in his first rehab start for the Potomac Nationals since Tommy John surgery 318 days ago before a packed house at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia. Zimmermann donned the home white jersey with the dark blue and red trimmed numerals and the #29 instead his usual #27. He threw 25 pitches, 16 for strikes in two innings of work against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He allowed a pair of lead off hits, but no walks, no...

Felix Pie was hit by a pitch in the wrist/forearm area tonight at Double-A Bowie, but he stayed in the game. He's 0-for-2. Disaster averted. Update: Pie is 1-for-3. If you have him in some weird pool...he's 1-for-3. Steve Johnson allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings, but he also walked five Akron batters. Control has never been an issue with him. Maybe the umpires do more squeezing in the Eastern League. Nolan Reimold has suddenly become Triple-A Norfolk's everyday first...

Maybe the Orioles have taken this come-from-behind to win thing too far. They spotted Jon Lester a 4-0 lead after one inning and now trail by that margin in the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Even the most loyal fan must be feeling like this one is lost already. The O's have not beaten Lester, who is 11-0, 2.06 in 14 career starts against them and came into this start having pitched 12 scoreless vs. Baltimore already this year. In six starts vs. the Birds since the start of last season,...

For the Orioles: Corey Patterson LF Miguel Tejada 3B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Jake Fox DH Julio Lugo 2B Cesar Izturis SS Jeremy Guthrie RHP For the Red Sox: Marco Scutaro SS Eric Patterson 2B David Ortiz DH Kevin Youkilis 1B J.D. Drew RF Adrian Beltre 3B Daniel Nava LF Mike Cameron CF Kevin Cash C Jon Lester LHP The Orioles have agreed to terms with 27 of their 49 selections: Trent Mummey (4), Riley Hornback (12), Jeremy Nowak (13), Michael Mosby (14),...

The Orioles named left-hander Zach Britton the organization's Pitcher of the Month for June after he went 3-0 with a 0.66 ERA in four starts with the Baysox. He allowed 19 hits and struck out 25 batters in 27 1/3 innings. Britton was promoted to Triple-A Norfolk and stayed on a roll, tossing six shutout innings in his debut on Thursday. Bowie outfielder Tyler Henson was named Player of the Month after batting .350 with nine doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs in 27 games. Corey Patterson...

*I am pretty sure this is not necessarily true, but the impression out there seems to be that Adam Jones is running the show and not the other way around. We read and hear things like "the O's met with Adam and asked him to play deeper in the field. They asked him to charge the ball more often." First of all you would hope Jones is taking these "suggestions" to heart, because he doesn't want to become known as the first Gold Glove winner to be considered completely mediocre on defense...

I mentioned yesterday that second baseman Brian Roberts, limited to four games because of a herniated disk and an assortment of setbacks that include pneumonia, back tightness and a stomach ailment, has started to take batting practice again in Sarasota. You can decide whether this is an encouraging development or another cruel tease. "We've gotten him up to these situations before and there's been an episode, but his progressions are picking up," said president of baseball operations...

The Orioles have had minor league no-hitters pitched this year by Norfolk's Chris Tillman in April and on Wednesday night by Nate Moreau in his Frederick Keys debut. Friday night, the Aberdeen IronBirds took a no-hitter into the last of the eighth of their game at Hudson Valley, but settled for a one-hitter and 5-0 win over the Renegades. Aberdeen starter Justin Moore, a 20-year-old right-hander, pitched six no-hit innings to get it started. He walked three and fanned two. Then Jason Gurka...

Nationals starter Luis Atilano got to the fourth inning Friday pretty much unscathed. He allowed a first inning hit batter and then a single. A ground out by Ike Davis scored the Mets first run and they led 1-0. But in the fourth, trouble brewed as the first three men got on base. David Wright led off the inning with a double and Atilano struggled with control to the next two hitters, walking both Davis and Jason Bay. With the bases loaded and nobody out, it looked as if Atilano might be...

Michael Gonzalez gave up a home run in his second straight injury rehab game, this time in Double-A Bowie. Gonzalez retired the first Akron batter he faced to end the fifth inning, but he served up a two-out homer in the sixth and came out of the game. He recorded two outs on fly balls and one on a grounder. Gonzalez surrendered a two-run homer against Brooklyn in his most recent appearance with short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Update: Felix Pie went 1-for-4 with a triple, walk and two...