So the Orioles still have the chance for a 7-3 homestand. But they'll need to win the next two games against Minnesota. That means they also have the chance to have a 5-5 homestand. When they started the homestand going 4-0, 7-3 or less doesn't sound as good. They've lost three of four games after giving up three in the eighth inning to lose last night. The Twins are 5-0 against the Orioles and they have outscored the Birds 36-13 in those games. The O's have hit just .229 in the season...

With no consistent threats surrounding Bryce Harper in the lineup, the Nationals slugger doesn't get many opportunities to show his power these days. Boosted by a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning last night, Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson challenged with a first-pitch heater and Harper walloped it deep over the right-center field wall for his National League-leading 31st homer. Harper's home run drew the Nats within three momentarily, but that's as close as they got as Milwaukee answered with five...

While the Orioles are continuing their home series tonight against the Twins, trying to figure out a way to beat them in 2015, Steve Pearce will be slipping on a Bowie Baysox uniform and checking out Eastern League pitching. The Baysox are hosting the Altoona Curve, and Pearce is expected to start at first base after playing left and right field yesterday for the Gulf Coast League team. He may continue to occupy the leadoff spot to receive extra at-bats. Pearce could be activated from the...

This was not the start the Nationals were looking for to begin a crucial nine-game homestand. After traveling all night back to D.C. following Thursday's loss in Denver, the Nats appeared to sleepwalk through much of tonight's 10-3 blowout at the hands of Brewers. The Nationals pointed to this run of games in front of their home crowd as a chance to make a move on the Mets in the National League East. Instead they find themselves five games behind New York, the furthest the Nats have been out...

Shortstop Trea Turner made his major league debut Friday in the Nationals' 10-3 loss to the Brewers. Turner went 0-for-2 with a couple of groundouts after arriving in the top of the seventh during a double switch. Maybe not the debut the rookie would have wanted? On the contrary, said Turner. "Every debut is good, I would like to say," Turner said. "Can't necessarily have a bad debut, no matter how you play, results whatever. It was just fun to be out there. I'm excited to go back out...

This time Orioles right-hander Darren O'Day could not pull off the magic act of getting out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam. The Minnesota Twins scored three runs off him in the eighth inning tonight to beat the Orioles 4-3 at Camden Yards. The Orioles lost for just the second time all year when leading after seven innings. They are now 51-2. A walk, a bloop hit and a hit by pitch loaded the bases and the Twins plated all three runners to come from behind and get their fifth win in five games...

The Orioles had lost only once in 52 games before tonight when carrying a lead into the eighth inning. They were ahead by two runs and they had Darren O'Day on the mound. In most cases, O'Day preserves the lead and Zach Britton closes it out, but the Twins rewrote the script. O'Day surrendered three runs and the Orioles lost again to the Twins, 4-3, before 32,025 at Camden Yards. O'Day ranked third in the majors among relievers with a 1.15 ERA, allowing six earned runs in 47 innings, but he...

From time to time, in my library roaming, I like to pick a book off the shelves that I know nothing about. I read the front and back leaf, and if it strikes me as a book of potential interest, out of the library we go together. Such is the case with " A Stranger in the Kingdom" by Howard Frank Mosher. I knew nothing of the book or the author, but my Maine history and his story setting in the "north country," in this case Vermont, caught my eye. Later, I discovered this from the Oct. 2, 1997...

Six outs away from an important win over the Minnesota Twins, things unraveled for the Orioles tonight amid a few bloop hits and other miscues in the top of the eighth inning. Trailing by two runs at the start of the inning, Minnesota scored three runs off Darren O'Day in that frame to come from behind and beat the Orioles 4-3 in front of 32,025 at Camden Yards. The Twins have taken the first two games of this series and are 5-0 versus the Orioles this year, outscoring them 36-13. Miguel Sano...

The move to call up top prospect Trea Turner garnered all of the attention earlier today. As part of the announcement, the Nationals placed Tyler Moore on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left ankle and transferred right-hander Aaron Barrett to the 60-day DL with a right elbow sprain. Barrett made his second trip to the DL this season on Aug. 8, two days after the Nationals optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse. Barrett indicated he was pitching in pain before the Nats sent him down. "For...