Nationals reliever Ryan Mattheus won't need surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand, but he will likely miss around six weeks as he recovers from the injury, according to a team source. Mattheus broke his right (pitching) hand after a rough appearance against the Padres on Sunday when he punched a locker in frustration. He told reporters he wasn't aware the hand was broken until the next day, when the hand started swelling after Mattheus played catch. The 29-year-old reliever then...

I can't watch the Orioles play in Toronto without thinking of my trips to see games there in its pre-2005 SkyDome days. Both of those visits were memorable in their own right - I'm sure I'm not the only one who has neglected to convert kilometers to miles upon first driving into Canada. However, it was the latter adventure some nine years ago that nearly landed me in a Major League Baseball video. The purpose of my trip to the Great White North was to attend an academic conference. I was a...

A little over 12 hours after touching down in D.C. following a lengthy 10-day road trip out west, the bulk of the Nationals' players and coaches made their way to Nationals Park last night, not for a game but to support their teammate and a great cause. Ryan Zimmerman's fourth annual "A Night At The Park" was held at Nats Park last night, with nearly 2,000 fans joining a number of D.C. sports celebrities to enjoy some music, food and a good time, all benefiting Zimmerman's ziMS...

During a recent visit to Bowie's Prince George's Stadium to cover a Baysox game, I noticed some stat sheets taped to the home clubhouse wall. They were stats for Baysox players, but also a variety of team stats for each club in the O's organization. They went beyond just some of the basic stats and the sheets were put there by Mike Boulanger, the Orioles second-year minor league hitting coordinator. I asked Boulanger what this was all about. "Part of it is peer pressure," he said....

Jim Johnson's slumps are the most noticeable in the Orioles' bullpen because he's the closer. Leads and games are usually lost if he surrenders a run or more. He's not looking for company in the misery department, but he's got it. Troy Patton replaced starter Kevin Gausman last night and issued back-to-back walks, including one to the Blue Jays' No. 9 hitter, Munenori Kawasaki, that started the trouble. He was charged with two runs when Pedro Strop served up Edwin Encarnacion's grand...

For a while it looked like this could be a real feel good evening for the Orioles. They gave Kevin Gausman an early 3-0 lead in his major league debut and Gausman kept Toronto off the board in the first three innings on just two singles. But the Blue Jays got to the 22-year-old right-hander for four runs over the fourth and fifth innings and then Edwin Encarnacion blasted a grand slam in the sixth off Pedro Strop as Toronto beat the Orioles 12-6. The O's fall to 25-22 in losing for the...

The Orioles used four pitchers tonight at Rogers Centre, and they each issued two walks. My math is poor, but that adds up to eight free passes. Not good. The Orioles also committed two errors, by first baseman Chris Davis and shortstop J.J. Hardy, and catcher Matt Wieters had a passed ball in the Orioles' 12-6 loss to the Blue Jays. Factor in the 11 hits that Toronto accumulated tonight, and it's no wonder that the Orioles dropped the first game of the series. Edwin Encarnacion's grand...

Kevin Gausman's first major league pitch tonight was a 96 mph fastball that Toronto's Melky Cabrera took for a ball. His first strike came on the next pitch, a 95 mph heater. The first hit that he allowed was Cabrera's single up the middle on a 98 mph fastball. The first out came against the next batter, Jose Bautista, who flied to center on an 84 mph changeup. The first strikeout came against the next batter, Edwin Encarnacion, on a 97 mph fastball. Adam Lind struck out on an 85 mph...

The Orioles made two roster moves today to accommodate pitcher Kevin Gausman, who had his contract selected from Double-A Bowie and will make his major league debut tonight in Toronto. Pitcher Jake Arrieta was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to create room on the 25-man roster, and reliever Alex Burnett was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster. Arrieta didn't pitch for the Orioles after being recalled on May 18 as an extra bullpen arm. He was a candidate to start...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of RHP Kevin Gausman from Double-A Bowie and optioned RHP Jake Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk. To make room for Gausman on the 40-man roster, RHP Alex Burnett has been designated for assignment. Gausman, 22, was the Orioles' 1st round selection (#4 overall) in the 2012 First Year Player Draft out of Louisiana State University. He is scheduled to make tonight's start in Toronto and will become the third member of his draft class...