Bud Norris remains scheduled to start Wednesday at Double-A Bowie while continuing his injury rehab assignment. Norris was a candidate to start one of the games in Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox, but the Orioles want him to remain on his assignment. Norris allowed nine runs and 12 hits over 2 2/3 innings in Friday's game at Triple-A Norfolk. Norris, recovering from bronchitis, said he's feeling much better after losing about 14 pounds. He's never been this sick before and was...

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz has received an eight-game suspension from Major League Baseball for having a foreign substance on his right arm in the 12th inning of Saturday night's game against the Marlins in Miami. The ban was announced this morning by Joe Garagiola, senior vice president of standards and on-field operations for Major League Baseball. The suspension was scheduled to begin this afternoon, when the Orioles open a three-game home series against the Astros, However, Matusz...

The Nationals are flying high, winners of eight straight series, all alone in first place, 2 1/2 games up on the New York Mets in the National League East. But it seems all the fans want to talk about is Stephen Strasburg's pitching troubles. On talk shows, Internet message boards and Facebook groups, there's no shortage of opinions about why Strasburg (3-5, 6.50 ERA) is struggling and what the team should do about it. The main complaint about the first overall pick in the 2009 draft is that...

As the Orioles offense continues to plod along through May, the organization's pitching depth is also being tested. The young arms are passing the exam so far. Over the last week or so, we've seen Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson and Oliver Drake make their major league debuts with the Birds. These are three O's draft picks that aren't nearly as highly touted as the three No. 1 choices that have been ranked at the top of the team's farm system. We're talking, of course, about 2011 pick Dylan...

Chris Davis is out of the Orioles lineup today against Astros left-hander Dallas Keuchel. Steve Pearce is starting at first base and Everth Cabrera is at second base. Davis had played every game since his suspension ended after opening day. Shortstop J.J. Hardy returns to the lineup after being rested yesterday in Miami. For the Orioles Manny Machado 3B Jimmy Paredes DH Adam Jones CF Delmon Young RF Steve Pearce 1B J.J. Hardy SS Caleb Joseph C Everth Cabrera 2B Alejandro De Aza LF Wei-Yin Chen...

It happens to young players looking to prove they belong on the big stage and have the ability to play with the big boys. Steven Souza Jr. did it last season, a sickening collision with the outfield wall in Atlanta. Bryce Harper did it at least twice, once against the Dodgers and once against the Braves. Both went after long fly balls that appeared to be impossible to catch. But they went for it. On all three plays, the player was injured or shook up pretty good. Then on Sunday in Nationals...

We all know the Orioles offense is struggling lately. The O's scored just two runs over the last 23 innings in Miami and have scored two runs or less in seven of their last 13 games. The Orioles are just 1-15 when they fail to score at least four runs. They have scored 10 runs total in their last seven losses. That is not nearly good enough and must improve. But while the Orioles are scoring just 3.3 runs per game in May, the same players for the most part scored a major league-best 5.6 per...

The last-place Marlins are gone. Bring on the first-place Astros. Also, maybe something soothing to coat the stomach. The Astros lead the majors in home runs. The Orioles went 19 innings without scoring before Jimmy Paredes' sacrifice fly. Before you clench too tightly, the Astros also ranked last in batting average at .228 before yesterday and second in strikeouts with 400. The Astros were seventh in team ERA at 3.47. The bullpen ranked second with a 2.14 ERA in 134 2/3 innings and first in...

The Nationals have been sizzling, with a 19-5 record over their last 24 games. Drew Storen has collected saves in nine of those 19 victories and recorded a win in another. He picked up his National League-leading 14th save in yesterday's 4-1 win over the Phillies. Storen has only allowed two earned runs in 19 1/3 innings (0.98 ERA) this season. Jose Lobaton has been behind the plate for five of Storen's 14 saves. He gave the obvious answer when asked about his thoughts when Storen enters the...

A sold-out Nationals Park watched the home team notch its eighth straight series win with today's 4-1 win over the Phillies. The Nationals are on a 19-5 clip over their last 24 games, vaulting them to first place in the National League East, and the fans are responding. 41,044 filled the ball park to see their young, budding superstar Bryce Harper drive in the go-ahead run in the fifth and another in the seventh to reclaim the major league lead with 41 RBIs. "I thrive on big crowds," Harper...