A shaky save would have been better than a blown save, but the O's didn't get one today. Toronto No. 9 hitter Munenori Kawasaki drilled a two-run double on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the last of the ninth as the Blue Jays stunned the Orioles 6-5. Toronto scored four in the ninth off Jim Johnson, who suffered his fourth blown save in his last five chances. The O's went to the bottom of the ninth up 5-2 but Toronto pulled within 5-3 on a J.P. Arencibia RBI single and 5-4 on a Mark DeRosa...

After six more innings of offensive futility, the Nationals have broken open this ballgame with a monster five-run seventh inning that has given them a 5-0 lead and will allow Stephen Strasburg quite a cushion to work with as he takes the mound for the eighth. The Nats had managed just three hits off Cole Hamels entering the seventh inning, but a few well-placed hits and a couple of sub-par defensive plays from the Phillies allowed them to pile it on. Ryan Zimmerman led off the inning with an...

The Orioles haven't had a starter complete six innings in the last four games, including today, when Miguel Gonzalez fell an out short. Gonzalez allowed one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings, with three walks and seven strikeouts. He threw 101 pitches, 58 for strikes. Brian Matusz stranded a runner to end the sixth. Matusz has stranded 18 of 20 inherited runners this season and 32 of 34 since moving to the bullpen last summer. In two starts since coming off the disabled list, Gonzalez has...

The type of battle we're getting between Stephen Strasburg and Cole Hamels could be one we'll see many times for years to come. Strasburg and Hamels have both thrown four scoreless innings today, with each allowing just two hits. Hamels has six strikeouts to this point, while Strasburg has four. Both teams have put two runners in scoring position thus far, but neither has done anything with those opportunities. Bryce Harper reached third with one out in the first inning (and he put his...

Doesn't matter if the roof is open or closed at Rogers Centre. Doesn't matter who's pitching, or whether the game is in Canada or the U.S. Adam Jones just keeps raking against the Blue Jays. His double in the first inning today extended his hitting streak against Toronto to 16 games, tied for the third-longest in franchise history. Al Bumbry hold the record, having hit safely in 20 straight games against Toronto from June 26, 1977-June 30, 1980. Miguel Tejada hit in 18 straight games...

First off, I want to offer my thanks to our nation's veterans who we celebrate today on this Memorial Day. I hope that all Americans remember that we should keep the heroism of our nation's service members in mind on all days, not only today. My late grandfather, Dr. Anthony Launi, was a World War II veteran, and later a catcher in the Washington Senators' minor league system before settling in Bethesda to practice dentistry and raise his family, which included my mother. Today is also a...

It was a little over a year ago that Cole Hamels decided to welcome Bryce Harper to the major leagues in his own special way - by drilling Harper in the back with a 93 mph fastball. Harper took his lumps like a champ, merely turning away and jogging to first base, never turning to look at Hamels, and then responded by stealing home later in the inning. The old pals will be reunited today at Nationals Park, when the Nats and Phillies square off in the rubber game of this three-game set. This...

The Orioles have a chance to win another American League East series today. So far this season, they have won five of seven series within the division. They recently had a five-game AL East losing streak, which included being swept by Tampa Bay. That streak ended when they won the last two games of the Yankees series. Overall, they are 13-11 versus the AL East this year: At Tampa Bay: 2-1 At Boston: 2-1 At New York: 1-2 Vs. Tampa Bay: 2-1 Vs. Toronto: 2-1 Vs. Tampa Bay: 0-3 Vs. New York:...

Outfielder Michael Taylor crushed a batting practice home run in Frederick that hit high off of the left field video scoreboard. That was the start of something for Taylor. In that game, Taylor went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and an RBI. He has had four straight games of at least two hits. When I spoke to high Single-A Potomac Nationals hitting coach Mark Harris prior to Taylor's hot streak, they were working on his approach and getting him to find the setup at the plate that would...

The Orioles complete their four-game series against the Blue Jays today at Rogers Centre. They've gone 11-35 in their last 46 games in Toronto dating to June 8, 2008, but they're 9-10 in the last 19 games. Adam Jones has a 15-game hitting streak against Toronto dating to Aug. 24, 2012, tied for the fourth-longest streak by an Oriole versus the Blue Jays in club history, according to STATS. Al Bumbry hit safely in 20 straight from June 26, 1977-June 30, 1980. Miguel Tejada had a hit in 18...