Right-hander Chris Tillman turned in his best season on the mound in 2014, recording a 3.34 ERA (4.01 FIP) over 207.1 innings pitched for the Orioles. However, 2015 was a season that he probably hopes to forget, as he posted a 4.99 ERA (4.45 FIP) over 173 innings. Buck Showalter still showed faith in his starter, as he gave Tillman the opening day nod this season, and the 28-year-old right-hander has bounced back pretty nicely over his first six starts: April 4 vs Minnesota Twins - 2 IP, 0 ER,...

Ben Revere had his longest rehab outing this season Tuesday, going 1-for-5 with a single, in Triple-A Syracuse's 8-3 win over Rochester. The nine innings by Revere were more than he had played since joining the Chiefs. Revere had played several games of five or seven innings as he attempts to return from a strained right oblique suffered in the opening game of the season at Atlanta. Revere has gone 3-for-16 (.188) with a walk and a stolen base in five starts for the Chiefs. Manager Dusty...

KANSAS CITY - Let's get this out of the way, because it needs to be said right off the bat: Bryce Harper is going to start hitting again, and most likely sometime soon. He's going to start hitting like the menace to opposing pitchers he has been for the vast majority of the last two seasons. That said, he sure isn't hitting like that guy right now. With another feeble performance at the plate last night - 0-for-5 with three strikeouts - Harper's sudden and dramatic slump continued. He's...

On Monday an Oriole player picked up the American League Player of the Month award for the first time since Chris Davis was honored in April of 2013. Manny Machado took the award for April after a month where he batted .344 (33-for-96) with 20 runs scored, 10 doubles, seven home runs and 16 RBIs over 23 games. It is his first AL monthly honor, but probably not his last. Among AL leaders in April with a minimum of 70 at-bats, the 23-year-old Machado finished first in hits, batting average and...

KANSAS CITY - Because he had been quite effective at his job, successfully recording saves in nine of his first 10 opportunities this season, the Nationals had been able to overlook the other red flags attached to Jonathan Papelbon's name. But on nights when Papelbon isn't effective - and he certainly wasn't tonight in blowing a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and sending the Nationals to a disheartening, 7-6 loss to the Royals - it becomes much easier to point out his flaws. And...

The Orioles are back in first place and they hold a 6 ½-game lead over the last-place Yankees in the American League East. No one knows how long it's going to last. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride. The Orioles have won six consecutive games against the Yankees dating back to Sept. 8, 2015, their longest streak since taking eight in a row from Sept. 19, 1996-Sept. 6, 1997. The club record for most victories in a row against the Yankees is nine from Aug. 15, 1967-May 22, 1968. Chris Tillman...

KANSAS CITY - They did everything right yet again, getting power and clutch hits from their lineup, a quality start from their hurler and effective work from their setup men. But when Jonathan Papelbon couldn't seal the deal in the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals saw their perfect road trip come to an ignominious end. Papelbon blew a two-run lead, giving up four singles and then Lorenzo Cain's game-winning drive past a diving Michael A. Taylor in left-center, turning a 6-4 lead into a 7-6,...

The Orioles have now won six in a row against the New York Yankees dating to the end of last season. The club record for most consecutive wins against New York is nine in a row from Aug. 15, 1967 to May 22, 1968. The Yankees fell to 8-16 tonight and have lost six in a row, being outscored 37-13. When asked tonight if the Orioles should try and get the Yankees while they are down, outfielder Mark Trumbo said yes. "I think so," Trumbo said. "Unfortunately, I've been on teams that are down and...

Much of the winter chatter regarding the Orioles rotation centered on the importance of bounceback seasons from Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez. Few phrases gained more traction. Gonzo is gone, having been released and now pitching at Triple-A Charlotte. Tillman, meanwhile, has lowered his ERA to 2.81 in 32 innings. He's got that ace look again. Tillman turned in his third consecutive quality start tonight, working around lapses in control to hold the Yankees to one run over seven innings in...

Orioles right fielder Mark Trumbo had hit just one homer this year at Camden Yards. He doubled that total tonight as Trumbo's two-homer game led the Orioles past the Yankees 4-1 in the opener of a three-game series. With the victory, the Orioles have won six in a row against the Yankees for the first time since an eight-game win streak from Sept. 19, 1996 to Sept. 6, 1997. The Orioles improved to 15-10 on the season, 10-3 at home and 8-4 in games against the American League East. They are 15-4...