The Boston Red Sox begin the second half tonight as the American League East leader. Tampa Bay is in second place after an impressive run to end the first half. But both clubs begin the second half with challenging schedules as the chase for the AL East resumes. The Red Sox reside atop the division with the best record in the AL at 58-39 and are playing .598 baseball. The Sox lead the division by 2 1/2 games over Tampa Bay, by 4 1/2 over the Orioles and by six games over New York. Those...

The news that Cuban defector Henry Urrutia was joining the Orioles in Texas this weekend came as little surprise for three reasons. He's putting up numbers deserving of a promotion, executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter hinted at it during the last homestand, and Wilson Betemit is a long way from serving as the Orioles' left-handed designated hitter. The Orioles haven't given up on Betemit this season, but his goal of returning immediately after the break has been...

Make that two roster moves for the Orioles this weekend. According to sources, Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia will meet the Orioles in Texas on Friday and be placed on the 24-hour taxi squad. He most likely will have his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk after working out with the team. Urrutia is batting a combined .365/.427/.531 with 20 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 43 RBIs in 52 games at Double-A Bowie 15 games at Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles can use Urrutia as a...

The Orioles are expected to make at least one roster move before resuming their season Friday night in Texas Danny Valencia no longer is with Triple-A Norfolk. I've heard that he's headed to Texas and will officially be recalled before the game. Valencia is batting .230/.277/.508 with five doubles, four homers and eight RBIs in 21 games with the Orioles this season. He's posted a .282/.317/.487 line against left-handed pitchers. Valencia was batting .314/.350/.607 with 18 doubles, 12...

Pitcher Jair Jurrjens cleared waivers today and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. However, he refused the assignment and elected to become a free agent. The Orioles designated Jurrjens for assignment on Friday to make room for reliever Jairo Asencio on the 40-man roster. They were unable to trade him and couldn't get him back in Norfolk's rotation. Jurrjens, 27, has posted a 4.91 ERA in two games with the Orioles, including one start, covering 7 1/3 innings. He went 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA in...

Right fielder Michael Taylor has worked very hard the past year to improve his plate discipline, his approach and his swing control. This season, the high Single-A Potomac outfielder keeps building on that knowledge with experience to get into the best groove of his career. Nationals director of player development Doug Harris said Taylor "made an adjustment in his approach right around the break that is starting to pay off." The numbers don't lie. Taylor went 4-for-4 Wednesday night in...

We've taken a peek back at the Nationals' first 95 games. It might not have been a pleasant experience for you, but we did it. Now, let's look ahead. The Nats have 67 games remaining, 67 chances to chip away at the Braves' six-game lead in the National League East and the five-game deficit for the final Wild Card spot. How tough a road do the Nats have ahead of them? Well, it's not easy, but there are some chances here to get things going in a positive direction. Of the Nats' 67...

The Orioles didn't re-sign outfielder Nate McLouth until the winter meetings, reaching agreement on a one-year, $2 million contract. What approach should they take with him following the 2013 season? Should they wait that long? I spoke with someone in the organization recently who thinks the front office should begin extension talks with McLouth's representative. Don't let him test the market again. Does that idea appeal to McLouth? "Of course I'd be open to it, but it hasn't really...

The Nationals won 98 games last year. They aren't going to cruise to the National League East title this year, and it's going to be a grind just to make October. This time, they have to improve their hitting and get consistent pitching from No. 4 and No. 5 in the rotation. Dan Haren has pitched well in his return from the disabled list, and Ross Detwiler should be back next week. They need to pitch well. The depth is not there. The Nats offense is perplexing. At times, they surge....

If the Orioles are going to play in October for the second consecutive season, the formula is simple: They need a rotation to consistently pitch into the sixth and seventh innings. If that happens, the Orioles have plenty of offense, defense and a good enough bullpen to win the American League East. But as the season resumes Friday in Texas, the Orioles rotation ranks 13th in the AL with a 4.79 ERA, while their bullpen has pitched 306 innings, fourth-most in the league. And the Orioles can't...