Hey, Orioles fans. Welcome to another edition of Yard Work. On this episode... What a difference three weeks makes. Following their series finale against the Cubs, the Orioles were seven games under .500 and the future of the team -- from a poor starting rotation to an inconsistent offense -- looked bleak. But, that's the beauty of the trade deadline. They may not have been the flashiest moves made, but the Orioles added assets on both sides of the ball, acquiring shortstop Tim Beckham from...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - In a pitcher's duel Tuesday night the Orioles lost to one of their former players. They had some big chances to score on offense but the key hit that came on Monday night didn't arrive last night. One night after getting back to the .500 mark, the Orioles are one game under again after Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Right-hander Parker Bridwell, the Orioles ninth-round pick in the 2010 draft, held Baltimore to six hits and one run over seven innings. Bridwell...

The mailbag is loaded down with questions, though pretty much the same five or six. They just get repeated a lot and I can't stop it from happening. This is my little attempt. Answer them here and see if that satisfies the masses. Perhaps the responses won't get lost in the social media shuffle. I did lighten the load by removing all the ones that begin with "How do you keep your job?" and "How do you sleep at night?" Also, I remain undecided whether a hot dog is a sandwich, though I lean...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It came without much warning. Orioles right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, in his second start for the club, seemed to be rolling. He struck out six of the last seven batters to face him as he took the mound for the last of the seventh tonight. The game was tied 1-1. But Hellickson's effectiveness ended there. The Angels started the inning with four straight hits and went on to score twice to break the tie and post a 3-2 win over the Orioles tonight. The Orioles' three-game win...

The Nationals have been able to withstand the long-term injuries to lineup regulars by getting contributions from a number of backups. And in some cases, even the backups to the backups. But they do need to start seeing those regulars come back from the disabled list, and in the process allow those backups to slide back into the roles for which they were intended all along. There is some good news in that regard: Michael A. Taylor last night played his seventh rehab game, and launched a...

The additions of three newcomers in the bullpen in Brandon Kintzler, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson has helped the Nats bullpen get back on track and establish a new identity. Left-hander Matt Grace said the mindset the newly shaped bullpen exudes rubs off on the other guys that are still here. "I think so. I think if everyone is pitching well in a bullpen it lends yourself to better situations. That first and foremost sets guys up in better roles and more familiar roles," Grace said. "So,...

Had things gone as originally planned, Vance Worley most likely would have started tonight's game at Nationals Park, not for the visiting club for the home squad. The Nationals signed Worley to a minor league contract last winter and offered him an invitation to big league camp. It was a non-guaranteed deal, but given the right-hander's track record and versatility, he looked like a strong bet to make the opening day roster and serve as both a long man in the bullpen and emergency starter if...

Injuries to the offense continue to mount up for the first place Nationals. Manager Dusty Baker confirmed that second baseman Daniel Murphy did not start Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Marlins because of a sore hip. Left fielder Howie Kendrick already missed the game because of a tender back. The club has also been playing without starters Trea Turner, Jayson Werth and Michael A. Taylor. Then Tuesday night watching right-hander A.J. Cole battle the Marlins, Baker deferred to pitching coach Mike...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It is a storyline that comes up it seems every August. Right about the time that the Little League World Series begins in Williamsport, Pa. Someone will interview Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop about the time his team won the championship. Schoop and the kids from the tiny island nation of Curacao played in the LLWS not once, but twice. They had a strong showing in 2003. They won the championship in 2004. Schoop began that final game batting third and playing...

The second A.J. Cole-Vance Worley matchup in a week didn't go any better for the Nationals than it did the first time. In a rematch of Wednesday night's blowout loss in Miami, Worley once again handcuffed the Nationals lineup while Cole served up a couple of towering home runs to the Marlins during a 7-3 loss that looked all too familiar. Worley, the journeyman long reliever/spot starter who dominated the Nationals during seven scoreless innings six days ago at Marlins Park, wasn't quite as...