Mesa fell to Surprise 4-2 on Tuesday in Arizona Fall League play. The Solar Sox had an early 1-0 lead, and held that advantage until the bottom of the sixth, when the Saguaros tied the game. Mesa then retook the lead 2-1 in the seventh, and Surprise had a surprise waiting for Mesa in the bottom of the inning (you knew I had to try it sometime during the season) by scoring three runs off the bullpen to win the game 4-2. Omar Dunn blew the save, allowing three runs in 2/3 of an...

In March, the Orioles hired former major leaguer Nelson Norman to serve as the director of baseball operations in the Dominican Republic. Norman oversees all aspects of the organization's Dominican program and managed one of its two teams this year in the Dominican Summer League. A former major league infielder born in San Pedro de Macoris, Norman, 54, has more than two decades of experience in player development in both the United States and the Dominican Republic with Montreal, Atlanta,...

Rich Dubee interviewed yesterday for the position of Orioles pitching coach. Carl Willis will meet today with a group that includes manager Buck Showalter, executive vice president Dan Duquette and vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson. Who's got next? Rangers bullpen coach Andy Hawkins and Braves minor league pitching coordinator Dave Wallace also will interview. Those are the four confirmed outside candidates. "Whoever they pick will probably be overqualified for the...

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez made his third start today for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, allowing one run and one hit in three innings. He walked two, struck out three and threw 27 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Rodriguez, 20, has permitted four runs and seven hits in 8 2/3 innings for a 4.15 ERA, with five walks and eight strikeouts. Orioles manager Buck Showalter spent a few days watching the Saguaros before flying back to Dallas, and director of player development...

Another candidate for the Nationals' managerial job has emerged, as the team recently interviewed Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale, a source familiar with the situation confirmed this afternoon. Hale joins Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams and Padres executive Brad Ausmus as external candidates to have interviewed for the Nationals' managerial opening. Nats bench coach Randy Knorr and third base coach Trent Jewett are the two clear candidates from within the organization. Hale...

Mesa snapped its two-game skid with a 9-6 win over Surprise behind the pitching of Sammy Solis and big hits from Devon Tarvis and former Nationals prospect David Freitas in Arizona Fall League play. Solis went five innings and scattered six hits, allowing one run, one walk and striking out four. He is now 3-0 in three starts and has a 1.42 ERA. Solis tossed 73 pitches, 47 for strikes. He induced seven groundouts and two flyouts. Travis Shaw had a double, but every other hit Solis allowed was...

Yesterday was a pretty big day across the Major League Baseball managerial landscape, with Tigers manager Jim Leyland announcing his retirement, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly publicly pressing for a multi-year contract and the Reds reportedly getting set to hire former pitching coach Bryan Price as their new skipper. Leyland's announcement was a bit of a surprise, but now opens up another managerial gig that arguably rivals the Nationals' in terms of attractiveness. The Tigers have loads of...

For a few wonderful days early last season, Zach Clark reached his major league goal. He was an Oriole for four days and even pitched in a May 1 game against Seattle. But a few days later, he was designated for assignment, and the right-hander's future was uncertain. His career then took a major turn when he agreed to begin throwing a knuckleball and to try to work his way back to the Orioles that way. What a 2013 season the UMBC product experienced. He started with Triple-A Norfolk and then...

The Orioles will crank up the interview process for finding a new pitching coach today by bringing in Rich Dubee, who spent the past nine seasons on the job with the Phillies. Dubee, who turned 56 on Saturday, already has a few points in his favor. He worked in the Expos farm system while executive vice president Dan Duquette was in the front office. He's a native of Brockton, Mass., not far from Duquette's hometown. He lives in Sarasota, where the Orioles hold spring training. The job...

Jim Leyland announced his retirement today as manager of the Detroit Tigers, leaving behind an impressive legacy and a lot of second-hand smoke. Leyland ranked first among active managers with 1,769 victories, placing him 15th on baseball's all-time list. The top three leaders among active managers no longer hold down jobs. The Reds fired Dusty Baker (1,671) after losing to the Pirates in the National League wild card game, and Davey Johnson (1,372) retired after the Nationals failed to make...