J.J. Hardy's home run streak ended at two games last night. So did his streak of two-hit games. Hardy went 1-for-4 to leave his average at .211. He has six hits in his last four games and eight in his last seven. It's not good enough for Hardy, of course. He batted .238 last season and he expects to do better. Hardy has a mild case of tennis elbow, and he received a cortisone injection from Dr. Lewis Yocum Sunday in Anaheim. It's his left elbow, so it doesn't impact his throwing, and...

Before tonight, Brian Matusz had stranded all 26 inherited runners when coming out of the bullpen. The streak ended tonight when Alex Gordon homered off him with a man on in the seventh to tie the game 3-3. But the Orioles untied it on Matt Wieters' RBI double in the eighth to win 4-3 over Kansas City and improve to 20-13. Adam Jones, who drew his sixth walk of the year to lead off the winning rally, said it was another night where the Orioles won as a team. On a rare night when Matusz saw...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter spoke to the media for almost eight minutes following tonight's 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. He naturally spent some time on starter Wei-Yin Chen, who was charged with two runs in 6 1/3 innings, and the 48-minute rain delay that forced the left-hander out of the game in the seventh. "They were hitting some balls," Showalter said. "I think we got one or two strikeouts. We didn't walk anybody, I believe, which was key. As good an offensive team as...

The at-bat lasted through seven pitches. Brian Matusz vs. Alex Gordon, with a runner on first base, two outs and the Orioles holding a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Matusz usually wins these battles, but not tonight. Gordon sent a 2-2 pitch, a 91-mph fastball, over the out-of-town scoreboard in right field to tie the game. Gordon fouled off a nasty slider right before hitting his fourth home run of the season. "The last one I wanted to be away," Matusz said. "I wanted it to...

The Orioles have done this before this season - give up the lead, but still win the game. And they did it tonight at soggy Camden Yards as Matt Wieters knocked in three runs in the Orioles' 4-3 win over Kansas City. Wieters began the evening batting just .197 with an OPS of .572 this season against right-handed pitching, but had a two-run double in the first and a tie-breaking RBI double in the eighth off right-handers. In a 3-3 tie, Adam Jones led off the eighth with a walk and reached...

Umpires halted play in the top of the seventh inning tonight with one out and former Oriole Miguel Tejada on first base. Time was called at 8:56 p.m. The sky just opened up as Elliot Johnson stood at the plate. It went from a light rain to a downpour in the blink of an eye. The Orioles continue to lead 3-1 and it's an official game. If play doesn't resume, it will go down as the Orioles' 20th victory of the season. Wei-Yin Chen is trying to become the third Orioles starter to complete...

After leaving his last start on Friday at Anaheim after six innings and 80 pitches due to a thumb blister, Miguel Gonzalez could have made his next start this Thursday against Kansas City, but now is expected to have it pushed back to Friday or Saturday. Gonzalez said the blister would not allow him to pitch today, but he figures he will be able to take the mound this weekend. "It's way better. Is it pitchable right now? No, it's not. They are probably going to push me back one or two...

Wei-Yin Chen's first pitch came at 7:09 p.m. It's 63 degrees and overcast, but no rain. Alex Gordon singled up the middle on the second pitch, but Alcides Escobar grounded into a double play. Chen threw 10 pitches, seven for strikes, in the first inning. Orioles starters have pitched 185 innings in 32 games before tonight, an average of 5.78 innings per start. Last season, they tossed 937 2/3 innings in 162 games, an average of 5.79 innings per start. Are they really doing that much worse...

Four days after leaving a game with a right knee injury and two days after returning to the lineup, Chris Davis has pronounced himself fine. He is in the lineup tonight and said he is not restricted in any way. Although there were a few moments of concern when he limped off the field Friday at Anaheim. "It was one of those things where you kind of realize you are not invincible," Davis said this afternoon. "I've never had any injuries in my career that caused me to miss some time. But I...

Bryce Harper got word from the Major League Baseball office that he hasn't been fined for Sunday's incident in which he was ejected in the first inning after arguing a call with third base umpire John Hirschbeck. Hirschbeck ejected Harper after he determined that the Nationals' outfielder "slammed" his bat and helmet to the ground. You can see one look at the exchange between Harper and Hirschbeck