U.S. Futures All-Stars blasted the Worlds Futures All-Stars 10-1 at the SiriusXM Futures Game Sunday. Nationals prospect Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell each contributed two RBIs, and the U.S. tallied five runs early and then five more runs in the sixth inning to put the game away. Turner went 2-for-2 with the two RBIs, including a double. But his biggest highlight might have come before the game began. J.J. Cooper, managing editor of Baseball America, was there and explained: "When...

The Orioles won't strand any runners in scoring position tonight. They won't lose more ground in the American League East. They won't break your hearts or cause you to smash your fine china on the floor. You should get a reprieve unless you have serious coin riding on the Home Run Derby. The Orioles lost 10 of their last 13 games and are a .500 team for the first time since June 14. The Yankees won yesterday, leaving the Orioles four games back in the American League East. This is now a...

Adam Jones is headed to the All-Star Game for the fifth time and Darren O'Day for the first. But both are thrilled to join Zach Britton and Manny Machado to represent the Orioles tonight in Cincinnati. O'Day was a manager's selection after a first half where he went 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA in 35 games. "The initial shock and excitement was pretty cool. I'm excited to represent the Orioles and excited to be an All-Star for sure," O'Day said at Camden Yards over the weekend. "It is real...

Pat Connaughton is currently playing basketball for the Portland Trail Blazers summer league team. While he is trying to make that team's roster for the coming NBA season, the Orioles still hold out hope that one day he will be pitching in the major leagues for them. They seem to feel Connaughton has a better future in baseball and the door remains open for him to return. The Orioles drafted Connaughton out of Notre Dame in the fourth round last summer. He then pitched 14 2/3 innings to an ERA...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette feels the countdown this month to the non-waiver trade deadline could and should be active throughout baseball with plenty of trade discussions that will include the O's pursuing one or more deals to fortify their team for the stretch run. "Our team is in contention and there are a lot of teams in contention, so there is going to be a robust trade market," Duquette said. "But it is going to be a seller's market because there are so many teams...

After winning 96 games and a division title last year, a .500 finish for the 2015 Orioles would surely be seen as extremely disappointing by players and fans alike, not to mention team management. A .500 record will not be good enough. But while we have all been focusing on an offense that recently is underperforming, there may be a bigger issue holding this team back. But first ... since you have heard this theory 1,000 times, let's make it 1,001. The Orioles didn't do enough this offseason;...

BALTIMORE - When the Nationals return to play after the All-Star break on Friday, only two weeks will remain before the July 31 trade deadline for making non-waiver trades. General manager Mike Rizzo has shown his willingness to participate frequently in the wheeling and dealing in the past. Last year, Rizzo acquired infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Indians for infielder Zach Walters at the deadline. Cabrera contributed more than his .229 batting average suggests, and his ability to play...

My MASN broadcast partner, Mike Bordick, is a history fan and was good enough to join us for this edition of Hitting the Books with a classic. "The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan is recognized as the book on the D-Day invasion that began, at great human cost, the beginning of the end of World War II. "Without a doubt, this is the Gold Standard of books about June 6 1944, D-Day," wrote BlogKitch in 2013. Ryan was a World War II reporter, actively involved in battlefront coverage, including...

BALTIMORE - Max Scherzer bypassed an opportunity to start for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game, opting instead to take the mound for this afternoon's series finale against the Orioles. The much belabored decision turned out to be bad news for Baltimore as Scherzer yielded only two solo homers to fellow All-Star Adam Jones and the Nationals went on to take the series with a 3-2 win. Jones' second home run cut the Nats' lead to one with two outs in the bottom of the ninth,...

The Orioles reach the All-Star break at 44-44 after today's 3-2 loss to the Nationals, their 10th loss in the last 13 games. Several players took time to reflect on the first half and look ahead in the clubhouse after today's game: Adam Jones on moving past Frank Robinson for eighth on the O's all-time homer list: "Anytime you do anything and you mention his name, this is pretty cool. He did that in six years here and it took me eight. He's a little better. Being in any conversation with...