Bud Norris is the latest Orioles starter to have a bad outing, as he gave up nine hits and five runs over five innings this afternoon in Detroit, leaving with his team behind 5-1. Brian Matusz came on to pitch in the last of the sixth. Norris' day started real well, as he rolled through the first two innings on 25 pitches. But that roll didn't last. He allowed three singles to load the bases in the third and Torii Hunter unloaded them with a three-run double. Two innings later, it was Hunter...

Bryce Harper returns to the No. 2 position in the Nationals batting order for tonight's game against the Braves at Nationals Park. The matchup between Atlanta's Julio Teheran and Washington's Stephen Strasburg should be a good one. Here's the Nationals lineup: CF Denard Span LF Bryce Harper RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche 3B Ryan Zimmerman SS Ian Desmond 2B Anthony Rendon C Jose Lobaton RHP Stephen Strasburg

A Chris Davis RBI single in the top of the first has given the Orioles the early 1-0 lead today. It was Davis' third RBI of the series and season. David Lough drew a leadoff walk from Rick Porcello and stole second on the first pitch to Nelson Cruz. Lough is now 2-for-2 on steal attempts. Davis then dumped a single into left along the line and was thrown out trying to stretch that into a double after Lough scored. After the O's scored first, Bud Norris achieved an O's pitching first for this...

Even though it was exciting to watch the Nationals sweep the Mets in New York, there's nothing like baseball being played in the nation's capital. Yesterday, the Nats hosted the Braves for their home opener in front of 42,834 fans at Nationals Park. The stadium was alive as James Brown announced the starting lineup, the boys ran out on the red carpet and the flag was unfurled in the outfield. We captured some of that electric atmosphere in the video below. While you take a look back at the...

J.J. Hardy's lower back spasms are no longer an issue, and he's in the Orioles lineup for today's game at Comerica Park against the Tigers. With Hardy in, Ryan Flaherty takes a seat, no real surprise considering he's 0-for-15 with seven strikeouts. Nick Markakis is today's DH, batting fifth. For the Orioles David Lough LF Nelson Cruz RF Chris Davis 1B Adam Jones CF Nick Markakis DH J.J. Hardy SS Matt Wieters C Steve Lombardozzi 2B Jonathan Schoop 3B Bud Norris RHP For the Tigers Ian...

I bet online dictionaries saw a pretty good spike in web traffic among D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents yesterday. There must have been quite a few searches for the word "lodged" after Justin Upton failed to make a play on the ball that ended up under the padding of the left field wall. The point made by manager Matt Williams after the game seemingly is a valid one - why, if the ball was lodged under the padding, was it so easy for Upton to then pick it up and throw it back into the...

The Orioles have scored 11 runs in their first four games, including a pair yesterday in the ninth inning. The starters have posted a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings. Where are you most concerned? I'm going out on a limb and saying the offense erupts this afternoon against Tigers starter Rick Porcello, who's carrying a career 6.58 ERA in 23 games in March/April and is 1-5 with a 5.14 ERA in seven starts against the Orioles. He's allowed 24 runs and 56 hits in 42 innings. (By the way, Porcello's...

Well, let's start on a positive note this morning, and it comes from last night on the Orioles farm, where pitchers Kevin Gausman, Tyler Wilson and Hunter Harvey combined to pitch 16 2/3 shutout innings. At Triple-A Norfolk, Gausman went 4 2/3 innings before leaving due to his pitch count reaching 71. He gave up three hits and two walks and had six strikeouts. Left-handed batters were just 1-for-10 with five strikeouts against Gausman, who now has put together a 13 2/3-inning shutout streak...

I've noticed that lots of fans are clamoring for the Orioles to recall Kevin Gausman from Triple-A Norfolk just four games into the 2014 season. Actually, his name came up before the Orioles left Baltimore, but the demands for his services are louder and more pronounced. Gausman will pitch at Camden Yards this year. He may do it this month. But the Orioles aren't looking to make changes to their rotation during the first week of the season. Sorry folks, but they're not going to react that...

Today's home opener didn't go the Nationals' way in the win/loss column. It didn't go their way when it came to the review in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ian Desmond's bizarre inside-the-park homer was ruled a ground rule double. It didn't go their way when it came to having three runners thrown out on the basepaths. The little things add up in games between the Nationals and Braves, and they did today in Washington's 2-1 loss. One thing that the Nats can come away from today...