ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Nick Markakis doubled off the top of the fence in left field tonight leading off the sixth inning, giving him 1,455 career hits to tie Ken Singleton for sixth place on the Orioles' all-time list. Once Markakis passes Singleton, he can take aim at Boog Powell, who ranks fifth with 1,574 hits. Brady Anderson is fourth with 1,614. Markakis is 4-for-6 lifetime against Rays starter Jake Odorizzi. Markakis came close to breaking up Odorizzi's shutout bid with a home run....

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Yunel Escobar homered off Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen in the bottom of the first inning tonight to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. Escobar was 1-for-12 lifetime against Chen. The Orioles have allowed only two home runs in the last 70 innings. David Lough drew an 11-pitch walk off Rays starter Jake Odorizzi with two outs in the second after J.J. Hardy reached on an infield hit, but Ryan Flaherty struck out. In the latest round of American League All-Star voting, Nelson...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed today that catcher Matt Wieters will undergo season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Here's more from Showalter: "With a catcher/position player you're talking about nine months. I'm pretty sure that's from being able to play in a major league game, as far as the regular season. We're hopeful he's ready to start the year next year. "His facial (expressions), body...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles received the anticipated news today on catcher Matt Wieters. They must proceed through the rest of the 2014 season without him. Wieters will undergo ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow at noon Tuesday in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Dr. James Andrews will handle the procedure after examining the elbow again this afternoon. Manager Buck Showalter said today's MRI revealed a little more damage than the one taken last month while the Orioles were in St....

The Orioles are beginning a six-game road trip and maybe that is good news. The club has won more and scored more runs this year away from Camden Yards. The Orioles are 16-17 at home, averaging 3.18 runs per game. They are 19-16 on the road, scoring 5.09 runs per game. The Orioles send Wei-Yin Chen (7-2, 3.76 ERA) to the mound tonight in St. Petersburg against right-hander Jake Odorizzi (2-7, 4.85 ERA). Chen is 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA and .203 average against over his last three starts with just...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Adam Jones received a phone call early this morning with the news he had been dreading. Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn passed away after a courageous battle with salivary gland cancer, the disease taking him at age 54. The call came from Gwynn's son-in law, former Orioles farmhand Kennard Jones, who played at Single-A Frederick in 2007 and Double-A Bowie in 2008. All of baseball is mourning Gwynn's loss today, but it especially hits close to home for Adam Jones,...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Chris Davis returns to the Orioles lineup tonight after getting a "mental break" yesterday at Camden Yards. David Lough is in left field and Ryan Flaherty is at second base. Caleb Joseph is behind the plate after sitting out the past two games. For the Orioles Nick Markakis RF Manny Machado 3B Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Nelson Cruz DH J.J. Hardy SS David Lough LF Ryan Flaherty 2B Caleb Joseph C Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Rays Desmond Jennings CF Yunel Escobar...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A few of the Orioles are working on their bunting today as part of their early batting practice session at Tropicana Field. The group includes Jonathan Schoop, David Lough and Ryan Flaherty. Small ball may be in order if the Orioles are going to offer more run support for their pitchers. The Orioles have allowed only 14 runs in the last seven games, with 13 of those scoring in the last four days. Their 1.86 ERA over 63 innings since last Monday ranks second in the...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The baseball world mourns the loss of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who died today at age 54 following a courageous battle with cancer. Gwynn was inducted on the same day as Cal Ripken Jr. in 2007. "This is an extraordinarily sad day," Ripken said in a statement. "Tony was a Hall of Fame ballplayer, but more importantly he was a wonderful man. Tony always had a big smile on his face and was one of the warmest and most genuine people I have ever had the honor of knowing....

Music fans of a certain age are mourning the death on Sunday of long-time radio host Casey Kasem. Long before the days of podcasts, teenagers and young adults would ritually tune in each week, usually on Sundays, to hear the genial Kasem count down the top 40 songs in the nation. Nationals fans, meanwhile, are grieving after a road trip that started with promise and excitement, ended in a season-long four-game skid. After watching their team take three of four in San Francisco from the...