We've seen more power from Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs first baseman Matt Skole. The 26-year-old Skole hit two homers, with four RBIs, in a Syracuse 7-1 dispatch of Buffalo. The Chiefs hit three homers off of Bison starter Todd Redmond. They blew it open in the seventh. Up 2-0, Skole launched a solo homer. Kevin Keyes then cranked one over the fence in left field to make it 4-0. Caleb Ramsey added a triple. Later, Steve Lerud dropped in a double and Syracuse was up 5-0. Syracuse pounded out 15...

ST. LOUIS - For the past few weeks, the question has lingered of how many innings rookie Joe Ross has left this season. On Tuesday night, that issue didn't even get pressed as Ross departed after 2 2/3 innings, battling major command concerns. "He had problems holding it and feeling it and throwing it over the plate," manager Matt Williams said. "No issues physically. Just couldn't command it." The game time temperature was 89 degrees at a humid Busch Stadium as Ross retired the side in...

ST. LOUIS - The replay of the walk-off homer he surrendered had stopped playing several minutes before, but Casey Janssen still sat staring blankly at the monitor screen. When the veteran reliever finally made his way to his locker, he stood for the second consecutive night trying to explain how the Nationals let another late lead slip away. "These are two big losses and I had my hand in both of them," Janssen said. Janssen took over the in the ninth with the scored tied 5-5 and promptly...

As the Orioles' free fall continues, I read some comments here on the blog where fans say they knew this was coming and that this was always a flawed team. I see that as bravado in some cases and venting in others. I wonder if some fans are truly being honest here. If they are, then great. You called it. But, less than two weeks ago on Aug. 19, Henry Urrutia hit a walk-off homer in the ninth and the Orioles beat the Mets 5-4. At that point, they were 5-1 on a 10-game homestand. They had won 16...

The Orioles truly believe they're going to get on a roll this month. Hope arrives with each new day. The rotation will need to perform better. The offense will need to perform better. Runners on base will need to exhibit better judgment. That's a good starting point. Mike Wright allowed two hits over six scoreless innings last night at Triple-A Norfolk and could soon return to the Orioles. They're going to have an open spot in the rotation with Miguel Gonzalez unable to pitch due to...

It was another night where the Orioles lost and outfielder Adam Jones was pretty much a spokesman for the clubhouse, trying to provide insight into why the Orioles are struggling so badly right now and explain what they will try to do to reverse the trend. Jones was asked if he could pinpoint the issue. "Nothing to pinpoint," he said. "If you pinpoint something, that means you are blaming somebody. If you are blaming somebody, you need to blame yourself. Anytime you blame somebody, you need...

Kevin Gausman is the confirmed starter for Wednesday night's series finale against the Rays that also closes the abbreviated homestand. Manager Buck Showalter said he may adjust the rotation Saturday night in Toronto. The Orioles still prefer to have Wei-Yin Chen pitch in New York. "Yeah, Kevin's going to start tomorrow," Showalter said. "Like I said before, let's see how we come through tonight's game. If we had gotten a little longer start, we might have done something...

During an awful stretch of baseball in which the Orioles' offense and pitching have both struggled, the O's saw both trends continue tonight. Chris Tillman allowed seven runs over 4 2/3 innings as the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Orioles 11-2 at Camden Yards. At least the pregame ceremonies involving Cal Ripken Jr. were entertaining because that all changed once the game started. In losing for the sixth time in a row and 12th time in the past 13 games, the Orioles fall to 63-69. That ties the...

ST. LOUIS - Cardinals rookie left-hander Marco Gonzales' first start of the season didn't last too long. Joe Ross and Jayson Werth delivered consecutive singles to start the third. After bunting Gonzales' first pitch foul, Anthony Rendon roped a double to right-center, scoring Ross and Werth to put the Nationals on the scoreboard. Rendon advanced to third on the play and then scored on Bryce Harper's sacrifice fly to center. A red-hot Ryan Zimmerman followed with a deep blast to center. The...

If you're used to what I write on Birds Watcher and for that matter even here on MASN, a lot of what you read here today might come as a surprise. For the most part, I feel that writers should remain above the fray of the fan on the street when writing about the team. So most of what I try to put out there is analytical as opposed to emotional in nature. But some events rock the world. The career of the great Cal Ripken Jr. spanned my entire childhood, adolescence and into early adulthood....