Tim Beckham underwent core muscle surgery today in Philadelphia and he's projected to be out for six to seven weeks, leaving the Orioles without half of their starting infield. Beckham is expected back at Camden Yards on Friday to begin rehabbing. He'll walk with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel and gradually increase activities. Manager Buck Showalter said Beckham had surgery "on both sides." "He's resting as comfortably as he can be," Showalter said. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop will...

Jace Peterson is playing second base and batting second tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Rays. Peterson took ground balls at third base earlier today. Danny Valencia remains at third base with Tim Beckham on the disabled list. Caleb Joseph is catching. Adam Jones has collected seven doubles in the last six games. Jones has 556 extra-base hits with the Orioles, one shy of tying Boog Powell for fifth in club history. Anthony Santander is 2-for-26 at home this season. He's...

Truth is often stranger than fiction which is why history novels are so fun to read. That is the case with "The Taking of K-129." K-129 was a Russian sub lost at sea and found by the U.S. The CIA decided it was worth trying to bring the sub up to find its secrets - but how? That is the subject matter of this book. As is said, "You couldn't make this up." Josh Dean is a writer who has previously published and written articles for many leading magazines. He was deputy editor of "Men's...

The Orioles are having a miserable April, and while they are going to spend the next five months digging out, there's a chance - a slim one - that they could make the postseason or at least be a wild card contender. It's been done before. Check out Dan Duquette's 1996 Boston Red Sox, who started by losing 15 of 18 to bring newspaper headlines that compared them to the 1932 Red Sox, losers of 111 games. It might have been the earliest in a season Red Sox fans worried about the Curse of the...

In celebration of Major League Baseball's annual Play Ball Weekend, the Orioles will host a variety of clinics, events, and ceremonies at Oriole Park and in the community between Friday, April 27, and Sunday, April 29, to encourage youth to "Play Ball." Orioles players will wear Play Ball t-shirts during batting practice throughout the weekend and pregame on Sunday during the Youth Baseball & Softball Day Parade presented by Maryland 529. In support of the program, the Orioles today...

One of the strengths of Nationals left-handed reliever Sammy Solís' work on the mound is his ability to speed up the game. His tempo, when contrasted with a starter that might have had a more methodical pace, makes it very difficult for the opposing hitter to get into a rhythm, see which pitches he is throwing and decipher Solís' game plan. Before the hitter knows what's going on, he has struck out or grounded weakly to an infielder. That is what Solís is always trying to do: make...

Well, at least the Orioles didn't score three runs or less for the 17th time. They got four last night, but it wasn't nearly enough in an 8-4 loss to Tampa Bay. The Orioles have lost four in a row, 10 of 11 and 12 of their past 14 games. Their miserable start now has them 12 games under the .500 mark at 6-18. The Orioles got only five hits last night and the team average is just .169 (26-for-154) during what is so far a 1-4 homestand. They've scored 11 runs in five games on the homestand...

The versatility that Jace Peterson brings to the Orioles extends further than your typical utility player. He can start at any position except catcher and also blitz the opposing pitcher if given the signal. Steal a base, sack a starter. Just turn him loose. He'll figure it out. Baseball wasn't the extent of Peterson's athletic prowess at McNeese State. Besides setting the school record for stolen bases with 78 in three seasons, he also was a defensive back/linebacker on the football...

For the first time as an Oriole, right-hander Alex Cobb made it through the fourth inning. But in his third start with his new team, he didn't make it through the fifth. Cobb was hit hard in the fifth when he allowed four runs as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Orioles 8-4 at Camden Yards. While the Rays have won five straight, the Orioles fall to 6-18 with their latest defeat. The Orioles have lost four in a row, 10 of 11 and 12 of their last 14 games. They are 3-8 at home and 4-7 versus American...

We'll never know how Alex Cobb would have responded this year to a normal spring training. To the usual progression from bullpens to exhibition games to opening day if he hadn't waited until March 21 to sign with the Orioles. Cobb's third start tonight had a rough beginning and finish, the end coming with two outs in the top of the fifth inning and a lead up in smoke as a light rain fell at Camden Yards. The Rays scored four runs off Cobb before Miguel Castro replaced him, and Jace...