Dylan Bundy was one of the Orioles' best stories over the first two months of the season. In April and May, the 24-year-old righty made 11 starts and the O's went 7-4 in those games. Bundy pitched 71 2/3 innings, limited opponents to a .240 batting average and recorded a 2.89 ERA over that span. He began the season with eight consecutive quality starts and ten in his first 11. Bundy immediately jumped out as the team's best starter in his first full season in the rotation. It seemed like...

I had a question earlier this week on the Nationals bullpen. It was a simple one: Exactly how many ninth-inning blown saves have they had and where does that compare to the league average? The Nationals have 14 total blown saves, but because a lot of old-timey baseball stats are dumb, that counts a blown lead by a reliever in any inning and not just the ninth. The answer for how many ninth-inning blown saves has to be found by looking at how many times the Nationals had a lead entering the...

The Nationals have announced the signing of 27 international free agents. Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo and vice president of international operations Johnny DiPuglia made the joint announcement. The list includes nine outfielders, three infielders, two shortstops, two catchers and one third baseman. There are nine right-handed pitchers and three left-handers. Seventeen of the players are from the Dominican Republic, seven from Venezuela and one each...

The Nationals and left-hander Seth Romero are expected to finalize a deal before today's 5 p.m. EDT deadline, ensuring the organization's first-round draft pick can begin his professional career in short order. Romero, the 25th overall selection of last month's draft, has - like many first-round picks - delayed signing until deadline day, but he's expected to come to terms on time, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Terms of Romero's expected deal aren't known, but the...

The 3-hour, 5-minute rain delay - or the 3-hour, 5-minute non-rain delay, a more accurate description - was bad enough and will have long-lasting negative ramifications for the Nationals, who mishandled an admittedly tricky situation. The subsequent 5-2 loss to the Braves that required 3 hours, 10 minutes to play and was completed at 1:20 a.m. didn't help matters, though the result of one game shouldn't have long-lasting ramifications. But then throw the loss of Michael A. Taylor to a...

The latest Orioles game just produced more frustration for players and fans alike. Now at 40-45 after falling 6-4 at Minnesota, the Orioles are tied for fourth and fifth in the American League East with Toronto. So that means they are tied for last place. They have lost four in a row and six of seven. They are 18-35 since May 9, when they were 22-10 and had the best record in Major League Baseball. The team since then has seldom looked like a good team, much less a winning team. They are...

MINNESOTA - Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy flew back to Baltimore yesterday morning and will see a hand specialist on Wednesday. Hardy could be cleared to begin light activities as he recovers from a fractured bone in his right wrist. (Why don't you hear about players seeing a wrist specialist?) The Orioles placed Hardy on the disabled list retroactive to June 19, putting his appointment around the three-week mark. He seems to be progressing with no setbacks, though plenty of hurdles remain in...

MINNESOTA - The unraveling happens so quickly and with such force that it creates sparks. Players should be required to wear protective goggles. The Orioles took a two-run lead into the third inning tonight and watched the Twins bat around while scoring six times, and the final series before the All-Star break began with a 6-4 loss before an announced crowd of 19,706 at Target Field. When is it going to get better? Can it get better? The Orioles are a season-worst five games below .500 at...

When the Milwaukee Brewers blanked the Orioles 4-0 last night at Miller Park, they became the fifth team this year to sweep three straight from Baltimore. Tonight the Orioles face one of the previous four. They've also been swept by the Royals, Astros, Yankees and Twins. The Orioles (40-44) begin a four-game series tonight at Minnesota (43-41). It's the final series before the All-Star break. Right-hander Dylan Bundy (8-7, 4.02 ERA) will make his 18th start for the Orioles. After pitching...

MINNESOTA - The Orioles will remove Chris Tillman from the paternity list on Saturday, but manager Buck Showalter could put him in the bullpen before the break. Showalter seems to be leaning toward starting Wade Miley in the third game of the series, keeping the left-hander on his normal turn. Tillman had a work day this afternoon at Double-A Bowie under the guidance of pitching coach Kennie Steenstra. He's been away from the team since Monday for the birth of his daughter Charlotte. "We'll...