The Orioles' four full-season affiliates went 4-0 last night, as the four clubs combined to score 34 runs. Triple-A Norfolk beat Lehigh Valley 12-7 improving to 27-12 on the year with its 16th win in 19 games. Danny Valencia hit two homers and leads the club with nine. The Tides scored seven runs in the eighth inning to come from 7-5 behind. Valencia and Russ Canzler each extended their hitting streaks to nine games. Through 13 games in May, Norfolk leads the International League with a .308...

Freddy Garcia is starting today for the Orioles against the San Diego Padres, the team that let him go in spring training. Jason Hammel is starting Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, Jair Jurrjens will have his contract selected and start on Saturday, and Chris Tillman will close the series on Sunday. It's assumed that Garcia will take the ball Monday against the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. Don't make any assumptions about Kevin Gausman being in the mix for Tuesday, when the...

It's not often you can put up a crooked number against Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers left-hander came into today with a 1.62 ERA on the season, having allowed more than two earned runs in just two of his eight starts in 2013. The Nationals had a chance to get to Kershaw early on in tonight's game, when they loaded the bases with two outs. Kershaw had already thrown 25 pitches in the first inning by the time Tyler Moore stepped into the batter's box with the sacks packed and two down. The...

After the longest regular season saves streak in Orioles history had come to an end tonight, Jim Johnson said it was pretty simple. It was matter of not executing pitches in the top of the ninth when San Diego scored twice against him to come back and beat the Orioles 3-2. "It was location," Johnson said. "As soon as I got off the field, I went and looked (at the video). Pitches were in different spots than they are normally at. It's about execution. At this level, the talent is too good....

It's not often that manager Buck Showalter sits in the dugout and watches closer Jim Johnson blow a save. Johnson hadn't squandered a lead in the regular season since last July, but the Padres scored twice against him tonight to win 3-2. "They hit some balls hard," Showalter said. "The first ground ball would be about the only one. ... Big double play ball on a ball hit hard and we had a chance to get out of it. You've got to tip your hat to them. They pitched real well tonight. You can...

The Orioles were 18-1 when leading after eight innings this year. Make that 18-2. Jim Johnson's consecutive saves streak ended at 35 tonight when San Diego scored twice off him in the top of the ninth to stun the Orioles 3-2 at Camden Yards. Chris Denorfia and Everth Cabrera came up with RBI singles in the ninth off Johnson, who suffered his first blown save last July 27. He was 15-for-15 this year. The loss spoiled another good outing by Chris Tillman. He pitched seven strong innings...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter brought Alexi Casilla into tonight's game as a pinch-runner with the score tied in the bottom of the eighth inning. Casilla was 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts this season, and 25-for-26 since the start of the 2012 season. Nice weapon to have on the bench, and Showalter picked the right time to use him. Casilla, running for Ryan Flaherty, swiped second base and raced to third on a throwing error by Padres catcher Nick Hundley. Steve Pearce followed with an RBI...

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy extended his hitting streak to 10 games tonight with a single leading off the bottom of the fifth inning. Hardy, who grounded out in his first at-bat, is 13-for-37 (.351) with three homers, seven RBIs and five runs scored during the streak. It's been a slow climb, but Hardy's average is up to .228. Hardy was doubled off first base on Ryan Flaherty's scorching line drive to Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso, who made the leaping catch and stepped on the bag....

Danny Espinosa, Steve Lombardozzi and Roger Bernadina all have something in common - and they shouldn't. Each and every one of them has an under-.300 on-base percentage and all of them have batted second. Overall, Nationals No. 2 hitters are hitting .176/.216/.275. That isn't just bad production, that is horrid. The plan for the Nationals was to have career .267/.361/.460 hitter Jayson Werth in that spot, but that hasn't worked out as Werth moved down in the order when Ryan Zimmerman was...

Jake Arrieta threw 30 fastballs today in a bullpen session at Triple-A Norfolk, and he didn't report any discomfort in his right shoulder. Arrieta will be re-evaluated on Wednesday and the Tides will determine when he's able to make his next start. Arrieta was scratched from Sunday's assignment because of discomfort in his right shoulder that was diagnosed as a strain. Reliever Adam Russell started in his place. Apparently, the discomfort first surfaced during Arrieta's last start, and...