PHILADELPHIA - For the last handful of weeks, Jordan Zimmermann has been pitching through some mild stiffness in his neck. After tonight's outing, in which he allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to the Phillies, Zimmermann acknowledged that the neck issue could lead him to skip the All-Star Game, which he was selected to for the first time in his career. "I mean, it's a possibility," Zimmermann said. "I'm not real sure yet about what I'm going to do, but we'll see how the...

Not only did Miguel Gonzalez pitch the Orioles past the Texas Rangers tonight, but it was revealed after the game that he did so about 30 minutes after dealing with some pregame back spasms. "Yeah, it was not that bad, just a little bit," Gonzalez said. "They were a little curious about it, but I told them I was feeling good. I was fine. Treat it real quick and I went out there and wasn't thinking too much about it. "It's new. Just happened today about 30 minutes before the game. As...

Orioles outfielder Chris Dickerson received a cortisone injection in his left shoulder today to speed up his recovery. He took some dry swings and hopes to throw on Friday. Dickerson still isn't scheduled to undergo an MRI and remains available in a limited capacity. Manager Buck Showalter said Dickerson should be "full-go very shortly." "He's had some issues there before that were a lot more of a serious nature, so he's got a pretty good feel for what he's dealing with and he said...

The Orioles didn't give Miguel Gonzalez much offense to work with tonight. With a late assist from the O's bullpen, he made it work. Gonzalez gave up just one run over 6 2/3 innings to pitch the Orioles past Texas 3-1 and to a four-game split of a series where the O's lost the first two nights. Gonzalez has now recorded an Orioles' season-high seven consecutive quality starts, pitching to an ERA of 2.49 in that stretch. He has 12 quality starts on the year in 16 outings. Gonzalez gave...

PHILADELPHIA - The Phillies have committed four errors through five innings of play. Somehow, they've still managed to grab a 1-0 lead. Chase Utley has committed three errors himself, two of which came on one play in the fourth that put Jayson Werth on third with two outs. Michael Young committed a two-base error in the fifth that put Kurt Suzuki in scoring position with no outs. The Nationals converted neither opportunity. As sloppily as the Phillies have played defensively, the Nats...

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis must be feeling better. Or maybe he doesn't have time for the pain. Davis, still playing despite a sinus infection, snapped an 0-for-17 streak with a home run in the second inning to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead over the Rangers. Davis also had been 1-for-24 with 13 strikeouts before the at-bat. His last home run was July 6 off the Yankees' Andy Pettitte. OK, that's not much of a dry spell, but he was struggling at the plate before unloading against...

It was somewhat of a rare sight last night, when an opposing starter ended the first inning and his pitch count was at 31. But that was the number for Texas right-hander Josh Lindblom, who would go on to give up six runs over 5 1/3 innings, throwing 119 pitches. Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley said that was probably more a product of how the O's did on that night against a specific pitcher rather than any directive to try to work the count more. "I think it was the guy on the mound more...

PHILADELPHIA - Droves of Nationals fans went online and took to Twitter to support shortstop Ian Desmond in the National League All-Star Final Vote competition, but it wasn't enough. Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman won the NL Final Vote, receiving a record 19.7 million votes and securing the final spot on the National League All-Star roster. Desmond finished fourth, behind Freeman, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Giants outfielder Hunter Pence. Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez...

The Orioles didn't make any roster moves today. Chris Dickerson avoided the disabled list. No decision has been made whether to option Wei-Yin Chen and give him a start in the minors during the break. And Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia stayed at Triple-A Norfolk. Urrutia started in left field today for the Tides and went 1-for-4 with an RBI single. He's batting .357 in 14 games since his promotion from Double-A Bowie. It doesn't appear that the Orioles have any immediate plans to select his...

Team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens will examine Chris Dickerson's left shoulder later today, but the outfielder isn't expected to need an MRI on Friday. Dickerson is feeling much better and plans to swing a bat. He seems likely to avoid a trip to the disabled list. Steve Johnson (oblique) threw batting practice today in Sarasota. The session went well, which could lead to a simulated game at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Eric Thames, who's been sidelined with a fractured bone in his left...