The Orioles made two outs at the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning tonight and fell behind in the top of the 11th. You could almost see it coming. Evan Meek, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Norfolk earlier today, allowed an RBI single to pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt with one out to give Oakland a 4-3 lead. Vogt poked his single into left field after shortstop J.J. Hardy committed his fourth error in the last two nights, mishandling Alberto Callaspo's grounder. Hardy glanced at...

Anthony Rendon gave the Nationals an early boost in San Diego by celebrating his 24th birthday in style. The third baseman absolutely crushed a two-run shot to left-center in one of baseball's biggest parks, giving the Nats a 2-0 lead with no outs in the first. Denard Span had drawn a leadoff walk from Padres right-hander Tyson Ross before scoring on Rendon's ninth homer. That continues a power surge for Rendon, who has now homered in four of the last six games, hitting four during that...

The 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft continued with rounds 3-10 Friday afternoon. Here's a look at Washington's seven selections: Jakson Reetz - Catcher - Norris (NE) High School / Firth, NE - 3rdRound (93rd overall) At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Reetz is known as a hard-nosed competitor and a tremendous athlete behind the plate. He was named the 2013-14 Gatorade Nebraska Baseball Player of the Year after hitting .487 with eight home runs, 37 RBI and 37 runs scored in 2014. Reetz was rated...

Ryan Zimmerman's transition to playing left field has been perhaps the most discussed Nationals topic over the last couple of weeks. Zimmerman has played three games in left, recording three putouts in as many chances. Manager Matt Williams spoke extensively about Zimmerman's outfield play, his future defensive position and the possibility of playing third right now to give Anthony Rendon a day off. So how does Williams feel Zimmerman has done in left? "He's fine," Williams said. "I...

Outfielder Nolan Reimold is set to begin his injury rehab assignment Tuesday at Double-A Bowie. Reimold is flying to Baltimore on Monday. He's been playing left field at extended spring training. The Baysox are home against New Hampshire. They will remain at Prince George's Stadium through June 15. The Orioles transferred Reimold to the 60-day disabled list on April 7. He's been recovering from corrective surgery to fuse two vertebrae in his neck. Wei-Yin Chen retired 10 straight...

On the second day of the draft, which covered rounds three through 10, the Nationals added three pitchers, three outfielders, a catcher and a first baseman. In the third round, the Nats selected high school catcher Jakson Reetz. Washington then selected three college right-handers consecutively in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds - Robbie Dickey (Binn College), Drew Van Orden (Duke) and Austen Williams (Texas State). The Nats drafted center fielder D.K. Carey (Miami) in the seventh round,...

The Orioles had to wait a while to make a pick in this year's First-Year Player Draft and went with a high school pitcher with their first pick. Now, they'll likely have to wait a while to see if pitcher Brian Gonzalez can make the major leagues. The O's took the prep lefty with the 16th pick of round No. 3, which was the 90th overall selection. This was the second year in a row and fifth time in six years the O's first pick was a high school player. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Gonzalez went...

The Orioles made eight picks on day two of the 2014 First Year Player Draft on Friday, completing rounds 3-10. After two days of the draft, the Orioles have selected eight players overall, five pitchers and three position players, with seven of the selections being college products. The Orioles selected two right-handed pitchers, three left-handed pitchers, two infielders, and one outfielder. The draft will conclude tomorrow with rounds 11-40. Round, Player, Pos, School, Hometwon, D.O.B,...

Three straight two-out singles by J.J .Hardy, Steve Pearce and Jonathan Schoop in the bottom of the second inning delivered the Orioles' first run and shaved Oakland's lead to 2-1. The real excitement came with two outs in the third inning, when Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson tagged out Manny Machado on a fielder's choice. Donaldson shoved his glove into Machado's chest, causing the young third baseman to fall backward and land on his butt. Machado flipped his helmet toward Donaldson...

Veteran left-hander Johan Santana's 2014 season has ended before he made it back to the majors with the Orioles. In a cruel twist of fate, Santana tore his left Achilles tendon today during his final extended spring training start in Sarasota. An MRI confirmed the extent of the injury, which also could end the career of the two-time Cy Young winner. Santana was hit on the left gluteus by a line drive, and his Achilles tore as he stumbled while chasing the ball. Executive vice president Dan...