Norfolk first baseman Travis Ishikawa filed official paperwork over the weekend to opt out of his contract with the Orioles. At some point Tuesday, that was supposed to make him a free agent, but it appears the O's will not let that happen as they are planning to call up Ishikawa from Triple-A. Ishikawa has hit .316 in 49 Norfolk games with seven homers, 31 RBIs, a .413 OBP and a .939 OPS. Against right-handed pitching, he is batting .331 with an OPS of 1.002. The 29-year-old left-handed...

PHILADELPHIA - Regardless of whether you're watching a baseball game from your couch, the press box or the dugout, when a team hits a game-tying home run with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning, you expect that team to go on to win. Maybe it's the number of highlight reels we've seen, where the clip of the game-tying homer is quickly followed by the same team notching the game-winner later on. Maybe it's the Hollywood effect thanks to countless based-on-a-true-story movies. When...

Tonight, for just the second time this season, the Nationals entered the ninth inning trailing and were able to tie the score or take the lead. Chad Tracy's solo homer off Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth turned what looked like another frustrating loss into a big momentum booster. Then, it became a frustrating loss yet again. Domonic Brown's two-out, two-strike RBI single off Nats left-hander Fernando Abad scored Ben Revere from...

Chad Tracy is "Mr. Clutch" for the Nationals this season. He has only two hits in his last 10 games, but both were home runs to tie games in the late-going. He also hit the first pinch-hit home run of the season in San Diego. Each home run felt, at the time, that it might be one of those hits that could change the season. It felt like that Monday in Philadelphia when, in the top of the ninth, Tracy crushed an 0-2 fastball by Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon down the right field line and...

At this point it, must sound like a broken record when Jake Arrieta hears how he has great stuff. His latest subpar outing came last night in the loss against Detroit. The Orioles can't unlock the key to success for Jake. Arrieta can't do it, either. I've come to think that the constant talk about how good Arrieta can be has become almost a burden for him. There is potential and there are expectations he can't meet. Since his first year in the majors in 2010, his ERA has risen each year...

Jake Arrieta started last night for the Orioles. Zach Britton will start tonight. Chris Tillman will start Wednesday. Brian Matusz is in the bullpen. Not too long ago, they were viewed as four-fifths of the Orioles rotation for years to come. Not sure who was supposed to round out the staff. Brad Bergesen? Anyway, Arrieta was optioned after last night's 5-1 loss to the Tigers, creating a spot for Britton in the rotation and on the 25-man roster. Not like he would have been available to...

Jake Arrieta's return to the Orioles rotation lasted one night. The Orioles announced after tonight's game that they've optioned Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk. The move was made to create room on the 25-man roster for left-hander Zach Britton, who will start Tuesday night against the Tigers at Comerica Park. The Orioles won't announce the corresponding move until Tuesday. They also can make a second move to replace Miguel Gonzalez, who left the team to be with his wife for the birth of...

He was pitching for the first time in a big league game since April 21, but for struggling right-hander Jake Arrieta, the results were too similar to his first four starts of 2013 as Detroit beat the Orioles 5-1 at Comerica Park. He had an ERA of 6.63 in those April outings for the Orioles and tonight Arrieta allowed 10 hits and five runs over 4 2/3 innings to fall to 1-2 with a 7.23 ERA. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer to right in the first and Austin Jackson's RBI single made it 3-1 in...

The Orioles have reached agreement tonight with their fourth-round draft pick, catcher Jonah Heim from Amherst (N.Y.) High School. It is believed he agreed to the slot money signing bonus of $389,700 as the 129th pick overall in the draft. Heim, who will turn 18 on June 27, is a switch-hitter. He batted .522 as a senior with two homers and 24 RBIs and just three strikeouts in 21 games. He was rated as the 170th-best prospect by Baseball America. He still needs to pass his physical and...

PHILADELPHIA - Dan Haren had a 1-2-3 first inning, retiring Ben Revere, Michael Young and Jimmy Rollins in order to get his night started on a positive note. Over his next two innings of work, Haren allowed seven of the 12 hitters he faced to reach base. The right-hander served up five hits (three of which were for extra bases) and two walks, and three of those baserunners came around to score. Ryan Howard crushed a solo homer off Haren in the second, marking the 18th home run allowed by...