The Cardinals didn't help the Nationals out any last night, falling to the Reds to push the Nats a full seven games back of Cincinnati in the wild card chase. Twenty-three games to go with a seven-game deficit to overcome. Have at it, Nats. See what you can do. Over the last couple months, the Nats have seen their relief corps - a group that for the most part was pretty solid in the first half of the season - start to falter. Rafael Soriano went through a stretch where he was incredibly...

For the short-season, Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds, it was one of their biggest homers of the season. Last Sunday at Brooklyn, the IronBirds trailed the Cyclones 1-0 in the eighth inning. They needed to beat their division rival to stay ahead of them for first place. Conor Bierfeldt took a swing and drove a ball estimated around 425 feet out to center field to tie the game. "Our whole bench erupted and about 6,500 people just sat down in their seats," Aberdeen manager Matt Merullo...

While wondering whether the Ravens will ask to borrow the Orioles' defense... I'm going to make a bold prediction here, so stay with me. The Orioles will not rely on home runs for all of their scoring in their remaining 23 games. A single might do the trick. Maybe a double. Heck, they may bring back the sacrifice fly that was all the rage for two nights. The Orioles are on pace to hit 219 home runs, the second-highest total in club history. They belted 257 in 1996. This year's club is...

Each year, MASN gives fans the opportunity to challenge Adam Jones to a competition of their choice. After receiving all of the submissions, Jones hand picks three challenges for fans to vote on. This year, fans voted for 7-year old Parker Duke, as he challenged the O's outfielder to a donut-eating contest. The stage was set. With a dozen donuts in hand, Adam greeted Parker in the Orioles dugout. When it was all said and done, it was less about the competition and more about the experience...

When the game was over, Adam Jones was more interested that the Orioles got the win than any personal milestones, but he did hit his 30th homer tonight to drive in his 100th run. Jones became the seventh Oriole to reach the 30-homer mark in back-to-back seasons and first outfielder since Frank Robinson hit 49 in 1966 and 30 a year later. He also reached 100 RBIs for the first time. "Cool feat," Jones said. "You play the game for team success but individual success comes with that. That is...

Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez looked like a different pitcher tonight than the one who lasted only four innings in New York. What made the difference? "I wish I had the answers every time," said manager Buck Showalter. "Obviously, I don't." Showalter did his best to come up with some answers following the Orioles' 3-1 win over the White Sox at Camden Yards. "I thought he was commanding the ball down in the zone consistently," Showalter said. "A lot of counts in his favor. The...

Badly needing a win after a 3-6 road trip, the Orioles will take runs any way they get them right now. Homer or no homer. Tonight they got them the way they often do - via a longball - hitting three homers to back Miguel Gonzalez in a 3-1 over Chicago to start an eight-game homestand. The Orioles have now scored their last 14 runs on homers. Tonight's attendance was 17,383 which put the Orioles over the two million mark for the second year in a row and the 24th time in club history. Adam...

The Orioles have hit three home runs tonight, which is pretty much the norm these days. No small ball. Not a lot of production with runners in scoring position. Just aim for the seats. Shortstop J.J. Hardy led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his 25th home run to break a 1-1 tie, and Brian Roberts added a solo shot with two outs. All 10 runs scored by the Orioles in the last three games have come via the long ball, and their last 14 runs overall. During their nine-game road trip,...

Adam Jones did more than give the Orioles a 1-0 lead tonight in the first inning. He rounded off a few key numbers. Jones hit his 30th home run, a line drive to left field off White Sox starter Jose Quintana. It also produced his 100th RBI, a career high for the Orioles' center fielder. Jones and Chris Davis are the first pair of Orioles to drive in 100 runs in the same season since Aubrey Huff (108) and Melvin Mora (104) in 2008. This is the 10th time in club history that the Orioles have...

Coming off one of the worst starts of his career, Miguel Gonzalez looks to rebound from that outing tonight in the opener of an eight-game homestand, when he faces the Chicago White Sox at Camden Yards. Gonzalez gave up six hits and seven runs in four-plus innings last Friday at New York. He sailed through the first three innings on just 30 pitches. In six games in August, Gonzalez went 0-2 with a 5.25 ERA. He has an ERA of 5.77 since the All-Star break. Lefty Jose Quintana pitches for...