Summer isn't complete without Orioles baseball, and the team's new Birdland Summer 6-Pack ticket offer gives fans the opportunity to watch the Birds take on a variety of opponents, including the Yankees and Red Sox, at a discounted rate over the remaining months of the season. For as little as $54, fans will select tickets to six Orioles home games, including two prime games, all at the non-prime game price. Fans will be able to choose from 20 prime games and 41 non-prime games. The...

With the Yankees' loss to Seattle while the Orioles were off last night, the idle Birds moved to within 1 1/2 games of first in the AL East. They are in third place in the standings, and they were in first after they had played 40 games last year. AL East after 40 games in 2012: Baltimore: 26-14 Tampa Bay: 24-16, 2 GB Toronto: 22-18, 4 GB New York: 21-18, 4.5 GB Boston: 18-21, 7.5 GB AL East after 40 games in 2013: New York: 25-16 Boston: 24-17, 1 GB Baltimore: 23-17, 1.5 GB Tampa Bay:...

Outfielder Jayson Werth was expected to play in his second rehab game Thursday night in Potomac. Instead, the veteran right fielder has had a setback to his sore left hamstring. Werth will not be activated off of the 15-day disabled list Saturday, as was previously anticipated. On Wednesday night, Werth went 1-for-2, ran the bases and made a few defensive plays, showing no ill effects from his ailing hamstring. Afterwards, he said the hamstring felt "pretty good." But manager Davey Johnson...

The Orioles, in partnership with Majestic, have announced a special opportunity for fans to play catch on the field for the first time on Father's Day, Sunday, June 16, prior to their game against the Boston Red Sox. Fans may purchase one of two ticket packages that include a pair of tickets for the 1:35 p.m. game and a 25-minute pre-game session of catch on the Oriole Park field. A portion of the proceeds will benefit OriolesREACH and the Baltimore Orioles Charitable Foundation. The...

Jim Johnson's consecutive saves streak ended at 35 games Tuesday night in a 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. Johnson's streak was one better than Randy Myers' previous Orioles record of 34 and one worse than Mariano Rivera's personal best of 36. Eric Gagne is in a world all his own with his major league record of 84 consecutive saves for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While it's interesting to see how Johnson's run stacks up to those of other great relievers, the more remarkable context is...

Walter Johnson was born in Humboldt, Kan., in November 1887. In 1905, the future Washington Senator and his family lived in southern California, where, as Los Angeles Times writer Chris Dufresne noted in a 2008 article, the Fullerton Union High Indians pitcher first made a name for himself. "Johnson attended Fullerton Union High long enough to have, in 1905, struck out 27 batters in a 15-inning game against Santa Ana High," Dufresne wrote. Two years later, after he'd moved to Idaho and been...

The Nationals' offense came alive in the first game of their series in San Diego. Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper crushed home runs, while Steve Lombardozzi and Ryan Zimmerman offered clutch hits in a 6-2 victory over the Padres. It was just the third time in the past seven games that the Nationals had scored at least six runs, all wins. LaRoche now has a 13-game hit streak, the longest of his career. He has home runs in back-to-back games. To see Harper return after Monday's scary collision...

Returning to his comfort zone, right-hander Stephen Strasburg was consistent in his first start in his hometown of San Diego. He notched the win with another first - the first time he finished eight innings in a major league start - as the Nationals snapped a modest two-game skid with a 6-2 win over the Padres. Strasburg (2-5) allowed just two runs over those eight innings, only one of which was earned. "I think the last time I did it was 2009 in college," Strasburg told MASN's Julie...

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg got behind a couple of hitters early on, but looks to be focused and is gradually locating his fastball very well in the series opener against the Padres. Padres right-hander Edinson Volquez walked three of the first five batters he faced, but the Nationals could not score in first three innings. The Nationals' best chance early was in the second inning when Volquez was wild again, walking Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche to begin the frame. But...

During my phone conversation yesterday with Triple-A Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin, I asked him about left-hander Zach Britton and the physical issues that have contributed to his struggles with the Tides. Britton's first start on April 7 ended after two innings because of a blister on the side of his left thumbnail. It first developed while he threw at Twin Lakes Park on the day that the Orioles broke camp. Jake Arrieta and Kevin Gausman also developed blisters on their pitching...