Shortstop Tim Beckham is no longer hitting better than .500 - or even .400. But he's had a pretty special 28-game start to his Orioles career. It is probably not exactly a coincidence either that the Orioles have had a pretty special month of August hitting as a team. Today, Beckham took some time to praise the team's offense while throwing himself under the bus somewhat for his own defense. Beckham is batting .385/.409/.648 for the Orioles with 10 doubles, two triples, six homers and 18...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette continues his search for pitching as the latest trade deadline approaches at midnight. Players must join the organization by the deadline to be eligible for the playoffs, and they first have to clear waivers. "I don't know if anything will come together," Duquette said this afternoon. "We've talked with a number of clubs and we've been active actually all month, but we'll see if we match up with anybody." The Orioles have won seven straight...

MILWAUKEE - Hello from Miller Park, where the roof is open and there's a hint of autumn weather in the air as August comes to an end. The Nationals open a four-game weekend series with the Brewers, who are trying to hang on in the National League Central race while also trying to track down the Rockies for the final wild card berth as an alternative. Gio Gonzalez gets the ball from Dusty Baker for tonight's opener. The lefty pitched well against Milwaukee last month in D.C., allowing two runs...

The catching platoon for the Orioles has been put on hold, with Welington Castillo getting another start tonight against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Castillo is only the second catcher in Orioles history to go 4-for-4 with three or more RBIs, joining Andy Etchebarren on Sept. 28, 1973 against the Indians. Also per Elias, Tim Beckham's 47 hits in August are the second-most in club history for a single month. Cal Ripken Jr. had 53 hits in September...

For the fourth consecutive year, the Orioles will host LUNGevity Foundation's Breathe Deep Baltimore, a 5K walk to raise funds and awareness for lung cancer, which again this year is in memory of Orioles' late Public Relations Director, Monica Pence Barlow, on Saturday, September 16, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The 5K walk will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude on the field. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and fees are $25 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $10 for youth....

Single-A Frederick outfielder Ademar Rifaela has been named the Most Valuable Player in the Carolina League. Rifaela leads the league with 24 homers and ranks among the league leaders in several other categories. The 22-year-old from Willemstad, Curacao, is batting .280/.350/.499 with 21 doubles, a triple, 24 homers, 78 RBIs and an OPS of .849. He becomes just the second player in Frederick's 29-year history to win this award. Brandon Waring was the first in 2009. Rifaela ranks first in the...

In mid-June, the Nationals traveled to New York to face off against the Mets for a four-game series. The Nats were 39-26 and the Mets were 30-34. Sports talk radio in New York was buzzing for a possible four-game Mets sweep. If New York could pull it off, the Nats' lead would be only 4 1/2 games. The Nats went into New York and promptly won three of the four games. With each long road trip or matchup against playoff contending teams, the Nats were subjected to criticism like, "This will be...

Manager: John Gibbons (10th season) Record: 61-72 Last 10 games: 2-8 Who to watch: 1B Justin Smoak (.287 with 36 HR, 84 RBIs); 3B Josh Donaldson (.255 with 23 HR, 58 RBIs); CF Kevin Pillar (.253 with 123 hits); RHP Marcus Stroman (11-6, 3.11 ERA); RHP Roberto Osuna (3.40 ERA, 34 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 3-9 Pitching probables: Aug. 31: RHP Marco Estrada vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson, 7:05 p.m., MASNSep. 1: RHP Joe Biagini vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASNSep. 2: RHP Marcus Stroman vs....

Manager: Craig Counsell (3rd season) Record: 69-64 Last 10 games: 6-4 Who to watch: 3B Travis Shaw (83 RBIs, 27 HR), CF Keon Broxton (20 HR, 19 SB), 1B Eric Thames (28 HR), RF Domingo Santana (22 HR, 66 RBIs), RHP Zach Davies (15-7, 3.91 ERA), RHP Corey Knebel (30 saves) Season series vs. Nationals: 1-2 Pitching probables: Aug. 31: LHP Gio Gonzalez vs. RHP Zach Davies, 8:10 p.m., MASN2 Sept. 1: RHP Tanner Roark vs. RHP Jimmy Nelson, 8:10 p.m., MASN2 Sept. 2: RHP Erick Fedde vs. RHP Brandon...

You can't always outscore a shaky starting rotation, but the Orioles did it twice in their three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners. Wrapped around Dylan Bundy's gem Tuesday night, Chris Tillman gave up six runs in 5 1/3 innings on Monday, but the Orioles won 7-6. Yesterday, Ubaldo Jiménez gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings, but the Orioles won 8-7. As manager Buck Showalter said, to win seven straight, you have to do several things well and sometimes outslugging the other team is one of...