The Orioles have dropped three straight and fallen below .500 at 7-8 after Wednesday night's 4-2 loss in Toronto. They're 1-3 against the Blue Jays this season and 2-4 on their current road trip with Chris Tillman going tonight in the finale. The Birds have been outscored 24-9 during their current three-game skid and have committed eight errors over their last five contests. O's starters have gone 5 1/3 innings or less in their last six games. Are you panicked yet? Have I gotten you all...

In the long term, there is no reason to be concerned over a 7-8 record for the Orioles right now. No one is red-hot in the division, and the Orioles are certainly OK in the standings with so much baseball remaining. But in the short term, their play has been poor and they've made some physical and mental mistakes that were not often seen during last year's 96-win season, a year that ended one step short of the World Series. These numbers have led to losses: * The Orioles have made six errors...

Manager: Mike Redmond (3rd year) Record: 5-11 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: 2B Dee Gordon (.348/.361/.435 with 9 RBIs, 9 stolen bases), RF Giancarlo Stanton (4 HR, 14 RBIs), 1B Michael Morse (2 HR, 7 RBIs), SS Adeiny Hechavarria (.311/.338/.410 with 1 HR, 10 RBIs), RHP Dan Haren (1-1, 3.32 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting of 2015; 6-13 in 2014 Pitching probables: April 24 - RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Mat Latos, 7:10 p.m., MASN2 April 25 - RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Tom...

It's still very early in the baseball season, too early to count any team out or call into question anyone's spring training predictions, but the Marlins have the worst record in baseball and could be on the verge of changing managers. One of the main reasons for this is that Marlins starting pitching is not very good. They came into Wednesday's action sporting a 5.30 ERA, with Dan Haren their best starting pitcher so far. If people weren't so enamored with the Marlins outfield and paid...

The Orioles and Blue Jays played nine innings last night without any casualties. That's a win for both sides. Can they repeat it? The harsh feelings haven't disappeared, they've just been put on hold. The bad blood runs deep. Two major issues with the Orioles these days involve a rotation that's gone 3 2/3, 5 1/3, five, 4 1/3, 2 1/3 and five innings on this road trip, and a complete breakdown in fundamentals that will push manager Buck Showalter to the edge. Showalter can't keep going to...

This time, there was no arguing among players or anything close to a benches-clearing incident. The Orioles and Blue Jays played without the emotional outbursts we saw last night. But there was still plenty of frustration for the Orioles, who could not take advantage of a wild starting pitcher and lost again to Toronto, this time by a 4-2 score at Rogers Centre. The Orioles are 1-4 against Toronto this year and fall to 7-8 for the season with their first three-game losing streak. The game...

The Orioles and Blue Jays have completed four innings tonight without the benches and bullpens emptying. No one has taken a fastball in the ribs. No one has gotten involved in a heated exchange. All I'm saying is they're giving peace a chance. One pitch from Blue Jays starter Alex Sanchez sailed over Caleb Joseph's head in the third inning, but it didn't appear to be intentional and Joseph didn't seem to take exception to it. He eventually walked and scored on Jimmy Paredes' first home...

Nationals right-hander Doug Fister had never given up a leadoff home run in his previous 154 career starts. That streak ended tonight when Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter launched a Fister offering over the right field wall to give the Cardinals a quick 1-0 lead. The Nats got a two-out double from left fielder Jayson Werth in the second, but Cardinals starter John Lackey struck out right fielder Bryce Harper to end the first. Harper's strikeouts continue to pile up, as that was his 21st...

The Nationals have recalled lefty Matt Grace from Triple-A Syracuse and placed left-hander Felipe Rivero on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 18, with a gastrointentinal bleed. Grace, 26, is set to become the third Nats reliever to make his major league debut this season, following right-hander Rafael Martin and Rivero. He was one of the final cuts this spring after not allowing a run in 7 1/3 innings. "He's got a good sinker, good changeup and working on a slider, but the ball...

The Washington Nationals recalled left-handed pitcher Matt Grace from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday and placed left-handed pitcher Felipe Rivero on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 18, with a GI bleed. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Grace joins the Nationals for the first Major League assignment of his career. The 26-year-old, who utilizes a heavy fastball/slider combination to help him induce ground balls at a high rate,...