When a couple of reporters approached catcher Caleb Joseph at his locker today, he knew what the line of questions would be. He knew we wanted to ask him about what he called his "epic fall" last night. It was in the top of the fifth inning when Joseph chased a foul pop near the Orioles dugout. He slipped on the on-deck circle and went down hard. It sure could have turned out worse, but he did not get hurt. "I'm fine. Bruised ego mainly," Joseph said this afternoon. "I saw the ball a...

First baseman Steve Pearce is hoping to get back into the Orioles lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Pearce was scheduled to hit off a tee today and take batting practice on Friday. Manager Buck Showalter confirmed that Pearce could be "a player" by Saturday. Reliever Andrew Miller remains day-to-day after tweaking his left leg in the eighth inning of Monday's game against the Twins. Miller's condition is improving and he's slated to throw off...

Here's a roundup of the Nationals' minor league playoff summaries from Wednesday: Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs: Syracuse lost its first game of the International League Governor's Cup semifinals Wednesday, 2-1 in 10 innings to Pawtucket. Syracuse and Pawtucket play the second game of the series tonight in Rhode Island at 7:05 p.m. Chiefs right-hander Scott McGregor will start against Red Sox right-hander Matt Barnes. Syracuse has not won a playoff game since 1994. High Single-A Potomac...

With a victory tonight, the Orioles will clinch their third consecutive winning season for the first time since 1992-94. The Orioles are 11-8 in interleague games, including a 7-2 record at home. Their 11 wins tie the club record for the sixth time. Kelly Johnson remains at third base tonight as the Orioles go for the sweep over the Reds. Alejandro De Aza is batting second and playing left field. Jonathan Schoop will attempt to homer in three straight games. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF...

The Orioles today announced the winners of their player development and scouting awards for 2014, including infielder Christian Walker as the club's top minor league player and right-hander Tyler Wilson as the club's top minor league pitcher. The winners will be honored in an on-field ceremony before tonight's game against the Cincinnati Reds, with awards presented by Director of Player Development Brian Graham and Director of Minor League Operations Kent Qualls. Walker, the Brooks Robinson...

The Orioles have chosen first baseman Christian Walker as the organization's minor league Player of the Year and right-hander Tyler Wilson as the Pitcher of the Year for 2014. Walker receives an award named after Brooks Robinson, while Wilson takes home an award that honors Jim Palmer. The Orioles will introduce them to fans at Camden Yards during tonight's game against the Reds. An award named after Brooks Robinson and the Reds are in town? Sound about right to me. Director of player...

The fun part about the Most Valuable Player award is that it isn't about trying to figure out who the best player . It's about trying to figure out what crazy voters are going to do. Most of the inane arguments about the MVP award center around the word "valuable" and what the true essence of a valuable player is. One of the central beliefs of the voters is that a valuable player can't possibly play on a losing team and if they were truly valuable they would play for a winning team. This...

Every once in a while, I make awesomely accurate predictions. Back in June, I boldly (and annoyingly) proclaimed to everyone I know that "Guardians of the Galaxy" would be the best movie of the summer. It's grossed nearly $300 million at the box office, partially due to the fact that I've seen it three times and would gladly go again if I could just convince someone to join me. It's arguably Marvel's best movie to date. Told you guys. Other times, I make horribly inaccurate (and equally...

Hello, East Coast. Nice to see you again. The Nationals are back from their second-to-last road trip of the season, and boy, will they enjoy this day off. A cross-country flight after a 14-inning game meant an arrival in D.C. after 4 a.m., so the chance to rest up is much needed. I believe, in fact, that this is the Nats' first off-day at home since the All-Star break. Players know the tough schedule comes with the job, but it certainly isn't easy as we get into the season's final...

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop didn't exactly tear it up at bat in the month of August. But it was the best month of his rookie season and perhaps showed that he is starting to improve as a big league hitter. We saw further examples the last two nights when he hit nearly 900 feet worth of homers at Camden Yards against Cincinnati. In 24 games during August, Schoop hit .241 with seven doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs. His .481 slugging percentage and OPS of .749 were easily his best for...