Succumbing to the recommendation of undergoing hamstring surgery was made a little easier for Orioles reliever Darren O'Day because he no longer should live in fear of a reoccurrence of the injury. Get it done and get on with the rest of his professional career. O'Day said he'll have the procedure "as soon as possible" in Baltimore, the location a necessity because his leg will be immobilized with the knee bent for an extended period of time. Traveling in the position would be nearly...

PHILADELPHIA - Some 12 hours after explaining Daniel Murphy was available only in an emergency, Davey Martinez wrote out a lineup card that included Murphy as his starting second baseman for the first time this season. What changed from Saturday night to Sunday morning? The two principals offered up their explanations today as the Nationals prepared to face the Phillies for the seventh time in the last 10 days, seeking only their third head-to-head win. The process began Thursday, when Murphy...

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop didn't lobby to be included in today's lineup because he already knew the plan. Manager Buck Showalter talked to Schoop, whose average is down to .197, about sitting out a few games and getting an additional break with Monday's off-day. Schoop will play Tuesday night in Philadelphia. "We had a long conversation yesterday about what he and I ... he always has input on it," Showalter said. "Jon's not going anywhere. He's going to figure this out and...

Jonathan Schoop is out of the Orioles lineup again today, but manager Buck Showalter said the second baseman will start Tuesday night's series opener in Philadelphia. Rookie Steve Wilkerson gets another start at second base. Outfielder Colby Rasmus is out of the lineup due to illness. Reliever Darren O'Day said he'll undergo surgery on his left hamstring "as soon as possible" in Baltimore. Making his third injury rehab start last night, Chris Tillman allowed five runs and eight hits with...

After finishing the month of June with just one home win and no wins versus any American League teams, the Orioles begin July today looking to avoid being swept in three straight by the Los Angeles Angels. The Orioles (23-59) went 6-20 in June, which included a 1-12 home record and 0-15 mark versus AL teams. The Orioles have lost 7-1 and 6-2 games in this series. They took a 2-1 lead to the eighth yesterday, but allowed five runs in that inning to fall to 0-5 this year versus the Angels and...

PHILADELPHIA - As is the case across much of the country today, it is blazing hot here in Philly. Temperatures are expected to approach triple digits this afternoon, making for quite an uncomfortable setting at Citizens Bank Park as the Nationals wrap up their four-game series with the Phillies and try to get July off to a positive start after a bad June. There are some interesting nuggets in today's lineup. Bryce Harper and Juan Soto have essentially swapped swaps, with Soto batting third and...

Dave Sims is the television voice of the Seattle Mariners. He has been so for a dozen years. Our friendship goes back to our days in New York when he was doing an NBC nightly sports talk show and I was doing the Mets and New Jersey Devils. I am very happy it is a friendship that has endured. When in Baltimore recently, he graciously offered us comments on his favorite book, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris. Sims is a long time consistent reader, particularly history. We spent...

"The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham was published in 1944 and sold over 3 million copies, remaining on the best seller list for a year and a half. Many consider this to be Maugham at his best. Maugham moved from fact to fiction in his stories effortlessly. So many of his works carry pieces of himself. That may be true for all writers, but Maugham is more forward in these presentations than most. He wrote in 1938: "Fact and fiction are so intermingled in my work that now, looking back...

PHILADELPHIA - June has come to an end, and not soon enough for a Nationals club that just went 9-16 in the last month. The calendar change also coincides with the halfway point of the regular season. Yes, the Nats have played 81 games now. And I'm not sure anyone expected their record at this juncture to be 42-39. That's simply not going to cut it. Eighty-four wins almost certainly isn't getting them into the playoffs. To get to 90, they'll have to play .593 ball the rest of the way, which...

They were on competing teams in the College World Series finals, which ended Thursday night. But very soon, Oregon State shortstop Cadyn Grenier and right-handed pitcher Blaine Knight of Arkansas will be on the same team. They will be Orioles and start their pro careers on the O's farm. The Orioles have reached an agreement on a signing bonus with Grenier. He was their second draft pick, taken No. 37 overall in Competitive Balance Round A. The slot value for that pick is $1,923,500. The...