Chris Tillman is now 2-7 with an ERA of 5.94 and he has already lost one more game this year than he did over 34 starts in 2014. Tillman's current ERA is higher than it was at any point last year, when it got as high as 5.20 on June 5, and it hasn't been this high since April 17, 2013 when Tillman had an ERA of 7.07 after his third start of that season. What is going on with the Orioles' opening day starter from 2014 and 2015? Is he hurt? He said he felt fine physically and mentally after...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter needed one more day before he could pronounce his bullpen rested and recovered from Thursday's doubleheader. Chris Tillman just needed to give him some length in yesterday's start. Tillman lasted only 4 2/3 innings and Showalter used three relievers in a 9-5 loss to the Rays. He also had Brad Brach warm up without coming into the game. Oliver Drake threw 34 pitches in two innings and he has options left, which always makes him a candidate if the Orioles decide...

For the first time in his career, Chris Tillman has a six-game losing streak. He also has an ERA of 5.94, creating some concern about the Orioles' opening day pitcher for the last two years. Tillman gave up nine hits and six runs (five earned) in today's 9-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He threw 93 pitches and falls to 2-7. That is one more loss than he had all of last year. You can rule out a physical issue, said Tillman. I asked him if he is 100 percent. "I feel good, yeah. I do....

Matt Wieters could join the Orioles and serve as the designated hitter Thursday in Houston or catch Friday in Cleveland. Manager Buck Showalter mentioned both possibilities following today's 9-5 loss to the Rays before 36,945 at Camden Yards. Wieters will catch Bud Norris Tuesday at Triple-A Norfolk before the Orioles make a decision. "He's eligible the fourth and if everything goes well ..." Showalter said. "There's a lot of reasons, and also it kind of worked out with Bud, too. I think...

After sprinting through May with baseball's best record, the Nationals stumbled to the finish line, succumbing to a three-game sweep in today's 8-2 loss to the Reds. The normally explosive Nats offense managed just two hits against Reds rookie right-hander Michael Lorenzen - and one of them came from starter Tanner Roark. "A little blip," Nationals manager Matt Williams said to reporters after the loss. "We got two out of three in Chicago and came here and things didn't go our way, but we...

It might have come down to the fifth inning today. The Tampa Bay Rays got runs out of their two-out rally, while the Orioles got none. Tampa Bay scored four times in the inning to break a 2-2 tie and beat the Orioles 9-5 this afternoon in front of 36,945 sun-splashed fans at Camden Yards. The Orioles lost the series, two games to one, and fall to 23-26 for the season. They produced a walk-off win Friday night, but lost the next two days. This ends a stretch where the Orioles played 17 of the...

Tanner Roark held the Reds scoreless through the first three innings, but third baseman Todd Frazier ended the streak in the fourth. Leading off the inning, Frazier belted a fastball deep down the left field line for a solo homer. It's the only hit that Roark has allowed through four innings to go along with two walks and one very important hit batter. When Reds first baseman Joey Votto stepped to the plate in the first, Roark promptly plunked him. The 92 mph fastball aimed at Votto's...

Delmon Young was due. Young hit his first home run today in the bottom of the first inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Young crushed it, the ball landing in the Rays bullpen for his first homer of the regular season since Aug. 29 versus the Twins. Young is 3-for-3 with two home runs lifetime against Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, who offered up an 85 mph cutter on the first pitch of the at-bat. Odorizzi had allowed two home runs in 32 2/3 innings before today. Chris Davis followed with a...

Adam Jones wasn't available to the media again today, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the center fielder's left ankle has improved. The MRI yesterday didn't reveal any structural damage in the ankle, basically confirming the mild sprain shown on an X-ray. Showalter won't say whether Jones is available off the bench, not wanting to give the opposition a competitive advantage. That tells me Jones isn't likey to play. Jones could return to the lineup on Monday in Houston. In the...

The Orioles host the Tampa Rays this afternoon to wrap up an eight-game homestand and a 20-game stretch where the Orioles will have played 17 games at Camden Yards. The Orioles are 4-3 on the homestand and 10-9 in the 20-game stretch that began on May 11 with the Orioles 5 ½ games out of first place. The Orioles are 23-25 overall, 15-11 at home, 15-16 against the American League East, 4-3 on Sundays and 13-15 in May. The Orioles will have a losing month regardless of today's result. A win...