The Orioles have made a trade 24 hours before the deadline for adding players who may be included on the playoff roster, acquiring outfielder Alejandro De Aza from the White Sox for minor league pitchers Miguel Chalas and Mark Blackmar. De Aza, 30, batted .243/.309/.354 (96-for-395) with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 122 games for the White Sox. He's a career .268/.331/.398 hitter in 545 major league games. De Aza, a left-handed hitter, plays all three outfield positions and...

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder Alejandra De Aza from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league right-handers Miguel Chalas and Mark Blackmar. De Aza, 30, batted .243/.309/.354 (96-395) with five home runs, 31 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 122 games for the White Sox in 2014. In 545 career major league games, De Aza is a .268/.331/.398 hitter. De Aza has a .986 career fielding percentage in the major leagues and has seen action at all three outfield...

Stephen Strasburg's numbers this season are noticeably different when Wilson Ramos and Jose Lobaton are behind the plate this season. In 14 starts throwing to Ramos, Strasburg has a 3.30 ERA. In 11 starts with Lobaton at catcher, Strasburg has posted a 2.94 ERA. So as the Nationals right-hander takes the mound tonight in Seattle, he's again paired with the backstop with which he's had the most success - Lobaton. This marks Strasburg's fourth consecutive start with Lobaton serving as...

Orioles starter Chris Tillman has thrown 38 pitches tonight in two scoreless innings, stranding three runners along the way. The first two Twins reached in the first before Tillman struck out Joe Mauer on a 91 mph fastball and retired Kennys Vargas on a grounder and Oswaldo Arcia on a fly ball. Kurt Suzuki doubled with one out in the second, but Tillman fanned Eduardo Escobar and Jordan Schafer. Tillman had allowed 19 runs in first inning this season and 17 in the second. He got away clean...

In case you missed it, the Yankees lost to the Blue Jays 2-0 this afternoon in Toronto. The Orioles' lead in the American League East has grown to 7 1/2 games. Chris Davis and Nelson Cruz each have hit two grand slams this season. The last player to hit three or more is Chris Hoiles (three) in 1998. The bullpen has registered a 1.57 ERA - 18 earned runs, 23 walks and 103 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings - over the last 33 games since July 24. With his next save, Zach Britton will become the 10th...

SEATTLE - Fresh off his two-homer night, Wilson Ramos is back in the Nationals lineup. So is Jose Lobaton. How is this possible? Ramos is serving as the Nats' designated hitter, a role he's manned only once in 298 career games. His hot bat stays in the lineup and the Nats get to take advantage of starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg's 2.94 ERA with Lobaton behind the plate. For the Nationals CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond LF Bryce Harper DH...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was hit with another rotation question today, causing him to shake his head and chuckle. Yes, it's still Wei-Yin Chen on Sunday and Kevin Gausman on Monday to close out the Twins series. Chen was in the Orioles clubhouse today after spending a few days in Sarasota. Gausman also is back in Baltimore. Showalter expressed relief that Steve Pearce's MRI didn't reveal anything more serious than a strained right abdominal muscle, though he didn't guarantee that the...

The Orioles continue to tinker with the 40-man roster. This afternoon, they outrighted infielder Cord Phelps and left-hander Suk-min Yoon off the 40-man and assigned them to Triple-A Norfolk, opening up two spots. Phelps, who was designated for assignment earlier this week when the Orioles recalled Miguel Gonzalez, hit .258 with seven homers and 49 RBIs in 97 games at Norfolk. He was 0-for-3 as a pinch-hitter with the Orioles. The Orioles signed Yoon to a three-year, $5.575 million deal in...

One night after making his Orioles debut, Jimmy Paredes is receiving his first start for them. Paredes is playing third base and batting seventh tonight while Chris Davis moves across the diamond. Steve Pearce is out of the lineup with a strained right abdominal muscle. Paredes replaced him last night. Nick Hundley is behind the plate for the Orioles, who are attempting to move a season-high 22 games above .500. For the TwinsDanny Santana CFBrian Dozier 2BJoe Mauer DHKennys Vargas 1BOswaldo...

I'm told that the MRI on Steve Pearce this morning didn't reveal an injury to his oblique or intercostal. The original diagnosis of a strained right abdominal muscle stands after a long review. The Orioles won't protest it. Pearce is considered day-to-day for now. Manager Buck Showalter will provide more information later today when he meets with reporters, but the news appears to be favorable. The Orioles already lost catcher Matt Wieters and third baseman Manny Machado to season-ending...