Less than three hours remain before the non-waiver trade deadline and the Orioles' only deal remains minor league infielder Jimmy Parades from the Royals for cash considerations. They're trying to add another piece or two to that haul. Actually, the Orioles really like Paredes. He has two doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in six games with Triple-A Norfolk, and he plays just about every position. We could see him at Camden Yards later this summer. No slight intended. Meanwhile, the...

The non-waiver trade deadline is now less than six hours away. One blockbuster deadline-day deal has already come together today, as the Red Sox have sent Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes to the Athletics for Yoenis Cespedes. Yeah, if that deal doesn't get you excited, I've got nothing for you. Just a monster trade put together by the Sox and A's, and luckily for the Nationals, Lester ends up in the American League, and not slotted into the Dodgers' or Brewers' rotation, two National League...

When it comes to the Nationals front office as run by Mike Rizzo, there are no leaks. Any rumors about the Nationals leading up to this trade deadline have been mere speculation. Danny Espinosa doesn't have an major league-quality bat and with Ryan Zimmerman out for perhaps the rest of the season, the Nats lineup could use an upgrade. That is only marginally true. The Nationals have a record of 39-33 in games Espinosa starts and his 2014 OPS of .624 is right in line with the National League...

Manager: Ryne Sandberg, second year Record: 47-61 Last 10 games: 4-6 Who to watch: RF Marlon Byrd (.270/.318/.477, 22 doubles, 20 HR, 60 RBIs); 2B Chase Utley (.289/.355/.436, 26 doubles, 9 HR, 54 RBIs); LHP Cole Hamels (6-5, 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP); LHP Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.78 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats: 3-6, 29 runs scored, 43 runs allowed Pitching probables July 31: Cliff Lee vs. Gio Gonzalez, 7 p.m., MASN2 HD Aug. 1: Roberto Hernandez vs. Doug Fister, 7 p.m., MASN HD Aug. 2: A.J....

Adam Jones went yard in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Angels. Opposing pitchers would be wise to just pitch around him in the first inning, as 11 of his 21 homers have come in that first frame. He's Major League Baseball's leader in first-inning homers. Jones shows up to the Yard hungry and ready to grind. He has cooled off a bit after slashing .348/.383/.643 in June, but no one can argue his importance to the Orioles this season. He leads the club in WAR at 4.1 via...

Zach Britton got another save for the Orioles last night. It was No. 21 and he is now 3-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 21 saves in 24 chances and a .187 batting average against. Britton said again last night that while the impression may be that he's never thrown a sinker as well as he's throwing it this year, that is just not true. "I felt like when I was healthy in the minors this is kind of what it was doing," he said. "Not at this velocity, but the movement of course. This is probably the best...

Kevin Gausman retired the first 14 batters he faced tonight, but he walked three in a row and they all scored in the top of the fifth. But he was pleased that he rebounded from that poor inning to get Los Angeles out in the sixth and seventh to complete his outing as the Orioles beat the Angels 4-3. "I was pretty mentally drained after that fifth inning," he said. "Just tried to continue to lock in. Dave (Wallace) and everyone on the bench just said try to live pitch by pitch and focus on...

I can see a light at the end of the non-waiver trade deadline tunnel. It's not Jon Lester on an oncoming train. I got the impression early on that executive vice president Dan Duquette was focused more on bullpen help, and that seems to be the case. I'd rank it No. 1 on the list. Specifically, Duquette would like to bring in a left-hander who isn't primarily a specialist. If he wanted one of those, he could purchase Clay Rapada's contract from Triple-A Norfolk. I'll wonder again how...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he wasn't anticipating any trade news later tonight. It's probably safe to go to bed. First baseman Chris Davis showed up at Camden Yards during tonight's game and could return to the lineup on Thursday. He's been sick for the past three days. "We'll see how Chris Davis feels tomorrow," Showalter said following the Orioles' 4-3 win over the Angels at Camden Yards. "The doc checked on him. He's getting there. He's not there yet. I hope tomorrow...

Kevin Gausman pitched six very good innings and one shaky one. The O's offense camp up big early and then got quiet. It still added up to another Orioles victory. Gausman picked up the win and Adam Jones hit another first-inning homer as the Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 at Camden Yards. The Orioles' last five games have all been decided by one run and the O's are 4-1. Los Angeles is 16-7 in its last 23 games, going 1-4 versus the Orioles and 15-3 against everyone else. The Orioles...