NEW YORK - Jimmy Paredes and Alejandro De Aza are providing sharp contrasts in the Orioles' lineup. Paredes is red-hot, hitting his fifth home run of the season today in the top of the third inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Paredes jumped on the first pitch from Yankees starter Chase Whitley, a 90 mph fastball, and launched it into the seats in right field. Whitley struck out four of the first six batters, including Paredes in the opening inning. Before today, Paredes had a...

Braves right-hander Julio Teheran will take his shot at cooling down Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper this afternoon. Over his last two games, Harper is 6-for-8 with five homers, 10 RBIs and five runs scored. In other words, he is zoned in. According to Elias, the only other former No. 1 overall draft picks to hit five bombs in two games are Alex Rodriguez (2002) and Josh Hamilton (2012). Teheran started the crazy game in Atlanta that featured the largest comeback in Nationals' history. He...

While the New York Yankees are surging and have opened a three-game lead atop the American League East, the Orioles need a win today to avoid their second five-game losing streak of the 2015 season. In 2014, the Orioles never lost more than four in a row. Today, the 2015 Orioles try to avoid another five-game losing streak just 28 games into the season. New York has posted 4-3 and 5-4 wins the past two nights over the Orioles. One more win the next two days would give them a series victory over...

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Ryan Flaherty is available this afternoon despite his exclusion from today's lineup. Flaherty experienced some discomfort in his groin last night in his first game after coming off the disabled list. "It's better," Showalter said. "You know, Ryan's never had a leg injury in his whole career. It's kind of like Kevin Gausman yesterday. I think you build up a little bit scar tissue there in two weeks. Straight away, he's fine. He just felt...

NEW YORK - After experiencing some discomfort in his groin last night while running the bases, Ryan Flaherty will not start this afternoon's game against the Yankees. Adam Jones will start in center field and bat third despite crashing into the outfield wall during yesterday's game. Last night was Flaherty's first game back with the Orioles after being reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. He was placed on the DL on April 24, retroactive to April 23. In three rehab games with Double-A...

If I asked you before the season who would be leading the Nationals in homers through the first 30 games, the overwhelming answer would've been Bryce Harper. But if I asked which Nationals player would have the second most, not one single person would've guessed Danny Espinosa. However, that's exactly where the 28-year-old Espinosa stands after belting out his third and fourth long balls, both to the opposite field, in last night's 9-2 rout of the Braves. It's the third time in Espinosa's...

Nationals top prospect right-hander Lucas Giolito made his first start for high Single-A Potomac, going 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision against Frederick. He allowed eight hits, seven of which were singles, and five runs, while striking out five and walking two. Giolito faced 23 batters and got seven groundouts and one flyout with one wild pitch before 5,041 at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. Frederick won the game, 8-7. After the game, he spoke to reporters about finally getting a chance to...

Chris Davis has been striking out a lot. Anyone notice that? Does it come up much? Davis has become the whipping boy for some of you and the guy to blame whenever the Orioles do not score many runs. The more he strikes out, the more venom and snark come with the comments. Some just want him gone and are ready to drive him to the airport. To that last group and those that focus only on the strikeouts, I say this: Production-wise, Davis is having his second-best season as an Oriole so far and...

NEW YORK - If the Orioles take a bite out of the Big Apple, they're liable to find half a worm. The Queens/Bronx excursion has left a bad taste in their mouths. The rotation suddenly can't piece together a quality start, players continue to run into outs and the door to the disabled list has been replaced by a turnstile. On the plus side, no one in the organization is trying to deflate the baseballs. The losing streak has reached four games and the Orioles are three below .500 for the second...

During spring training, ESPN released a poll of major leaguers, naming Bryce Harper as the the game's most overrated player. The world-wide leader might want to call a re-vote after Harper followed Wednesday's three-homer assault by smacking two more bombs tonight to lead the Nationals to a 9-2 win over the Braves. The 22-year-old Harper became the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit five home runs in a two-game span and the first ever do it in the 47-year history of the...