Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Kevin Gausman from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned left-hander Wei-Yin Chen to the GCL Orioles. Gausman, 22, is 1-2 with a 4.04 ERA (35.2IP, 16ER), nine walks and 33 strikeouts in eight games (seven starts) for the Tides. He went 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA (18.0IP, 2ER), four walks and 17 strikeouts in four starts in August. In nine games (five starts) with the Orioles this season, Gausman is 1-3 with a 6.21 ERA (33.1IP, 23ER). Chen, 28, is...

Steve Lombardozzi gets the start at second base tonight for game two of this three-game set against the Marlins, with Anthony Rendon getting a day off. Stephen Strasburg (6-9, 3.00 ERA) will get the start for the Nationals tonight, opposing Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarez (2-3, 3.86 ERA) The 23-year-old Alvarez came to the Marlins in the monster trade with the Blue Jays this winter, and while he's been pretty impressive this season, he has allowed at least four earned runs in each of...

BOSTON - Pitcher Kevin Gausman has joined the Orioles and is currently at Fenway Park. The Orioles haven't announced a roster move. They could option left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who started last night, and bring him back in a few days. Gausman is 1-2 with a 4.04 ERA in eight games at Triple-A Norfolk, including seven starts. He was 1-3 with a 6.21 ERA in nine games with the Orioles, including five starts. Gausman provides an extra bullpen arm after the Orioles lost to the Red Sox, 13-2, last...

BOSTON - Wilson Betemit is expected to make his first start tonight with the Orioles facing right-hander John Lackey at Fenway Park. Betemit replaced Chris Davis at first base last night and had one at-bat, resulting in a ground ball to second that completed a 13-2 loss to the Red Sox. Betemit is 1-for-8 with a double and three strikeouts lifetime against Lackey. In a strange twist, left-handers are batting .232 against Lackey this season, while right-handers are batting .275. Trust me,...

As the season's final month arrives, the looming question remains: Who has a better chance of returning to the postseason, the Orioles or the Nationals? The Orioles are chasing two pitching-rich teams - the Red Sox and Rays - in their own division and another, Cleveland, that can't hit. The Nationals are at point where they need a winning streak and a collapse from one of the three contenders in the National League Central. We will know more soon about who the Nationals will be chasing....

The deficit is down to seven. It's at six in the loss column. The Nationals' hottest stretch of the season has gotten them back on the fringe of the playoff conversation. They've won 12 of their last 17, and coupled with the Reds now having lost five of their last eight, the Nats are finding a way to close ground in the race for the final wild card spot. All the TVs in the Nationals clubhouse were tuned to the Reds-Cardinals game last night after the Nats' 2-1 win over the Marlins. By no...

Last night was the first Nationals game I watched since Thursday, and that isn't because I have been so frustrated by the season I've given up on baseball. It is because I spent the last five days on a whirlwind tour of minor league ballparks. This trip was to include two of the Nationals affiliates, but short-season Single-A Auburn was rained out. Luckily for us, it was called early enough that it gave us time to make it to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in time for the second inning of the second...

If given the choice, how would you want to fail? Failing miserably - which is to say not even being in the mix for whatever you're after - sucks. On balance, though, it's better than coming up just short. Failure itself is absolute. The final marker is always either "you did" or "you didn't." Within that construct, however, there exists a hierarchy. One that has little bearing on the end results but plays a major role in how we feel about them. Coming close hurts because it teases...

BOSTON - Call it a cliche or a tired expression or the foundation of winning teams, but it all starts with starting pitching. Again last night, an Orioles starter fell short as the club fell further behind in the wild card race. The Orioles' rotation has posted a 4.65 ERA this season, ranking 27th in the majors. Only the Astros (4.67), Blue Jays (5.05) and Twins (5.11) are worse. Last season, the Orioles' starters posted a 4.42 ERA that ranked 21st. Honestly, how many of you assumed that...

The Orioles' eighth-round draft pick, Notre Dame first baseman Trey Mancini, is having an excellent season for short-season Single-A Aberdeen. It is a carryover from the end of his junior season, when he batted .486 over his last 25 games for the Fighting Irish to end the year batting .389. He needed just three more hits and he would have hit .400. The strong finish in college and solid debut pro season with Aberdeen came about, Mancini said, more due to his attitude than anything he really...