Orioles manager Buck Showalter would have signed up for it in blood. Left-hander T.J. McFarland, pulled from the bullpen tonight to make his second major league start, lasted five innings and gave up two runs. Showalter didn't call upon his first reliever until Ryan Webb headed to the mound in the top of the sixth. McFarland had one clean inning, retiring the Rangers in order in the fourth on two strikeouts and a ground ball. Texas was 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and failed to...

One thing is for sure: The Nationals will not have a player start in the 2014 All-Star Game. For the first time since online All-Star balloting began in early June, the Nats do not have a single player in the running for a starting gig on July 15. Bryce Harper, who has consistently appeared among the top-vote getters, was not listed in the most recent results announced on Tuesday. Harper had missed nearly two months recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, but...

For the second night in a row, the Orioles have hit two home runs in the bottom of the first inning. They led the majors with 46 homers in June and they've already got two on the first night in July. Steve Pearce homered twice last night and he hit No. 10 tonight in his first career at-bat against Texas right-hander Nick Martinez. Nelson Cruz launched a ball into the Orioles' bullpen with two outs to increase the lead to 2-0 and tie him with White Sox rookie Jose Abreu for the major league...

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg, as with any starter, pitches better with a lead. But it really seems to help Strasburg, who has had a tendency of giving up early runs, and then never being able to get into a groove. In his last three starts, Strasburg has allowed 14 earned runs. So having his offense give him an early advantage allows him to not have to worry about the game situation and just throw strikes. But on Tuesday, Strasburg was able to exhale early thanks to control issues...

Hard to believe, but three months are now in the books for the 2014 season. There's now three more to go in the regular season for the Orioles. The O's had their best record of any month in June, and their team ERA has gotten better each month: O's in March/April: Went 12-12 on 4.5 runs per game and a 4.49 ERA O's in May: Went 15-15 on 3.9 runs per game and a 4.00 ERA O's in June: Went 16-12 on 4.5 runs per game and a 3.43 ERA Pretty simple formula: Pitch better and win more games. Over...

The Orioles made the expected move this afternoon, reinstating outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list and designating him for assignment. The Orioles now have 10 days to trade, release or waive Reimold. Should Reimold pass through waivers, which isn't expected to happen, he would have to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. Reimold, 30, was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26, following corrective surgery to fuse to vertebrae in his neck....

The Orioles today announced that they reinstated outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list and designated him for assignment. Reimold, 30, was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26, with cervical spine fusion surgery. He was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 7.

Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph does not yet qualify for the American League defensive league leaders. If he did, his caught stealing percentage of 52 percent would be tops in the AL. A player needs to appear in 50 percent of his team's games to qualify. Joseph has played in 33 of 83 Orioles games. The AL leader is Robinson Chirinos of the Texas team the O's face tonight. He has caught 48.8 percent. The Yankees' Brian McCann is second at 45.5 percent. Joseph has thrown out 13 of 25 for the...

Nationals manager Matt Williams' two main topics Tuesday prior to their game against the Rockies dealt with Stephen Strasburg's mechanics and Bryce Harper's comments. Williams said Strasburg worked on his mechanics during his side session this week following his last start June 25 at Milwaukee. In that game, Strasburg allowed seven runs, all earned, on eight hits with three walks over 4 2/3 innings. The seven runs were the most he has allowed this season and the eight hits were tied for...

For 32-year-old right-hander Ramon Ramirez, the last few weeks have been a little crazy. He got released from Seattle's Triple-A team, the Tacoma Rainiers, after pitching just 4 1/3 innings there. In late May, the Orioles agreed with him on a minor league contract. On June 2, he had his O's physical, passed it, was officially signed and then reported to Sarasota, Fla. On June 16, he was pitching at Triple-A Norfolk, and last night he was back in the major leagues, pitching the ninth inning...