Saying "rest assured we have wrestled with the decision," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said today on 105.7 FM The Fan that he believes there is a better than 50-50 percent chance that outfielder Adam Jones is still an Oriole after Tuesday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline. "I do. I believe he'll be an Oriole on Wednesday," Duquette said. "These veteran players, it's a tough, tough decision. Rest assured that we have wrestled with that decision...

MIAMI - Mark Reynolds has played more games in his career at third base than any other position, but the vast majority of those games came early in his career with the Diamondbacks and Orioles, a full decade ago. Reynolds didn't spend a moment at third base in either 2016 or 2017 with the Rockies, and whatever playing time he has received with the Nationals this season has almost exclusively come at first base. Until this weekend. With Anthony Rendon away from the club for the entire series...

The Orioles wrap up their four-game series against the Rays today by keeping Joey Rickard in right field. Thirteen of Rickard's 18 RBIs this season have come against the Rays and he's 8-for-19 with three doubles and three home runs against them this season. Rickard's eight RBIs in the last two nights are the most in back-to-back games in his career. Adam Jones is in center field. He hasn't been traded despite internet rumors this morning to the contrary. Jace Peterson is at third base and...

MIAMI - Is it actually possible that the fate of the Nationals' season comes down to one game on July 29 at Marlins Park? If they win today's series finale, they'll reach the trade deadline with a winning record and be either five or six games back in the division. If they lose, they'll reach the trade deadline with a losing record and be either six or seven games back in the division. In reality, that's not a significant difference. In the perception of the people who must decide whether...

MIAMI - Lost amid the hubbub over the way Saturday night's game at Marlins Park ended was the way Gio Gonzalez pitched to ensure the outcome was still undecided in the final innings. The Nationals ultimately lost to the Marlins 2-1 in 10 innings, but not because of a poor start by their left-hander. Gonzalez authored one of his best outings of the season, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings and matching his season-high with 114 pitches thrown. "Progress," Gonzalez said. "It's...

The Orioles have scored 26 runs in back-to-back games for the first time April 26 and April 29, 2015. They beat Tampa Bay 15-5 on Friday night and 11-2 last night. They've posted 30 hits in those games, added five doubles and four homers, and have gone 13-for-26 with runners in scoring position. After struggling much of this year when batting with RISP, the Orioles are 17-for-36 (.472) over the last four games, scoring 36 runs, and 22-for-62 (.355) in the last eight games, scoring 51 runs. The...

Here are a few more quotes from Saturday's "State of the Orioles" address when season plan holders posed questions to executive vice president Dan Duquette and Orioles manager Buck Showalter. Some of the key topics were covered in this entry yesterday. Showalter talked about Triple-A outfielder Cedric Mullins: "The one thing that is a constant is his ability to impact the game defensively. He's actually an old school bunter, too. You don't see it much anymore. They let the ball travel and...

MIAMI - They could have made it all moot had they simply scored at any point during the first eight innings of tonight's game, or added the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth after tying things up with an impressive rally, despite that runner standing only 90 feet away with one out. But the Nationals did none of that, and so they left themselves in a position where an odd - and ultimately controversial - bottom of the 10th proved the difference between a potentially uplifting win and yet...

The days are melting away before the non-waiver trade deadline that usually creates a late flurry of moves. I'll always liken it to Sugar Ray Leonard peeking at his corner while in a clinch, waiting for the signal that 10 seconds remained before the bell so he could rain punches on Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Steal a round in boxing, try to steal a prospect in a rebuild. The rumor mill is churning at a feverish pace. There's a perception in the industry that the Orioles are "listening on"...

MIAMI - The Nationals have proven they can win in blowout fashion, having done it each of the previous three days. It's the close games they're still having trouble with, and tonight was merely the latest example ... with a twist. With an opportunity to extend their winning streak to four games and potentially pick up ground again on both the Phillies and Braves, the Nationals pulled off a top-of-the-ninth rally to tie the Marlins and send the game into extra innings, only to then lose in the...