With the Red Sox losing this afternoon, the Orioles already gained a half-game in the division race to leave them 7 1/2 back as they get ready to finish their series against the Rangers. They're also 3 1/2 behind in the wild card chase, but manager Buck Showalter isn't interested. Showalter makes it appear that he's not even a casual observer. "I haven't (looked) in about three or four weeks," he said. Told that his club was four games below .500, Showalter replied, "I didn't know that,...

The Orioles started the second half and lost three straight to the Cubs and were outscored 27-11. They've now won three straight against Texas and outscored the Rangers 25-4. Tonight, the O's and Texas play the fourth game of this series and they bring identical 45-49 records into the finale. The Orioles last swept four straight from the Rangers at home on June 30-July 3, 2014. After winning 3-1 over the Rangers on Monday night, the Orioles have won 12-1 and 10-2 the past two nights. They've...

Manager: A.J. Hinch (3rd season) Record: 63-32 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 2B Jose Altuve (.353/.420/.556, 19 stolen bases), CF George Springer (.307/.384/.597, 27 home runs, 66 RBIs), 1B Yuli Gurriel (.292/.320/.479, 47 RBIs) RHP Collin McHugh (13-10, 4.34 ERA in 2016), Lance McCullers Jr. (7-2, 3.28 ERA), Ken Giles (.331 ERA, 20 saves) Season series vs. Orioles: 3-0 Pitching probables: July 21: RHP Mike Fiers vs. RHP Ubaldo Jiménez, 7:05 p.m., MASN July 22: RHP Collin McHugh vs. RHP...

The Orioles are skipping batting practice today due to the heat index. They're taking their hitting act indoors. "It didn't make a whole lot of sense," said manager Buck Showalter. "Hoping it clears." The offense already is hot with 25 runs scored in the first three games of the series. The Orioles hit 2,490 home runs at Memorial Stadium from 1954-1991. They've hit 2,490 at Camden Yards since it opened in 1992. Rule 5 pick Anthony Santander, who's been rehabbing his right forearm down...

The Orioles are rapidly approaching their 10,000th home run as a professional ballclub. To date, the Orioles have hit 9,976 regular season home runs, just 24 shy of the mark. To celebrate this impressive upcoming milestone, the Orioles have decided to hold a unique contest for fans encouraging them to predict which player will hit the 10,000th home run in franchise history, how many men will be on base and which inning the moonshot will come in. Each person who correctly selects the home run...

Welington Castillo is behind the plate tonight and Joey Rickard remains in right field, as the Orioles attempt to complete a four-games sweep of the Rangers. Adam Jones' 15 home runs against the Rangers are his highest total against a team outside the American League East. Jonathan Schoop's next double will be the 100th of his career. Caleb Joseph is batting .307 (23-for-75) in 28 home games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Orioles were batting .203 with the bases loaded before last...

The Orioles are moving one of their best prospects up a level and he is moving positions as well. Up until now exclusively a shortstop, 20-year-old infielder Ryan Mountcastle has been promoted from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie and will start at third base for the Baysox at home tonight. The 36th overall pick in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Fla., Mountcastle has had a big year at the plate at Frederick. Over 88 games, he is batting .314/.343/.542...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - It's part of any manager's job, trying to compensate for injuries, but the challenge for Dusty Baker over the last several weeks has been amplified. Baker already lost leadoff man Adam Eaton to a torn ACL at the end of April. Then he lost No. 2 hitter Jayson Werth to a significant bone bruise and slight fracture of his left foot in early June. Then he lost another top-of-the-order bat, Trea Turner, to a fractured wrist at the end of June. In the wake of all that, Baker has...

I couldn't tell whether Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was kidding or serious, but this is what he said when a reporter pointed out that his three hits last night all went to the opposite field. "I was late (on the swing). I was late, trying to pull it. I was late, just trying to hit the ball hard anywhere it goes. I don't care, line-to-line," he said. Just being honest, I guess. Hey, all hits count and Jones went 3-for-5 in the Orioles' 10-2 win over the Rangers. He is 5-for-9 in the...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Alex Meyer's name doesn't garner much reaction from most current members of the Nationals or most members of a fan base that barely remembers the club using a first-round pick on the big right-hander way back in 2011. The handful of players who spent time with Meyer in the low minor leagues for one season, though, have fond memories of him. And the 6-foot-9 hurler, whose career hasn't panned out quite as he once hoped, still has kind words to say about the franchise that...