Second baseman Ryan Flaherty was called into manager Buck Showalter's office after last night's game and given the news. To break out of his season-long slump, he would need to go back down to the minors. Flaherty wasn't exactly floored by the Orioles' decision to option him to Triple-A Norfolk. He was batting .133/.228/.233 with two homers and six RBIs in 30 games. He had 26 strikeouts in 90 at-bats. He had run out of chances. "It was obvious that I was kind of struggling and it could...

Nice homestand, huh? The Orioles have lost all four games and have been outscored 33-22 by San Diego and Tampa Bay. They won nine of their first 12 series this season and now have lost two series in a row. They must try to beat a 7-0 pitcher today in Matt Moore to avoid being swept by a division rival at home. The Orioles now have a losing record at home, with a 9-10 record. Seeing the Orioles lose when they take the lead into the ninth inning is pretty rare. How rare? Last season, they...

Jordan Zimmermann and losses are two things that haven't been paired together too often this year. But on a night when the Nationals right-hander lowered his already-stellar ERA from 1.69 to 1.62, he absorbed just his second loss of the season, snapping a personal four-game winning streak with a 2-1 defeat against the Padres. Zimmermann (7-2) pitched his major league-best third complete game of the year, but was burned by his own error - a pickoff throw that got past first and put speedster...

Jordan Zimmermann has been doing an exceptional job keeping opponents in the ballpark of late, which made Yonder Alonso's blast to start the second so striking. Alonso's fifth homer gave the Padres a 1-0 lead over the Nationals, making him the first player to clear the fence against Zimmermann since April 21. The Nats right-hander pitched 36 2/3 innings and four full starts in between homers allowed. Zimmermann came into the game as hot as can be. Overall, he started the year 7-1 with a...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked again tonight about closer Jim Johnson, who blew his second straight save opportunity in a 10-6 loss to the Rays. "He had little command issues, but he usually works his way through them, like a lot of our pitchers, like all pitchers in the major leagues do at times," Showalter said. Showalter mentioned Desmond Jennings' broken-bat single into left field that loaded the bases with one out and the Orioles clinging to a one-run lead. But it wasn't...

The Orioles announced after tonight's game that they have optioned infielder Ryan Flaherty to Triple-A Norfolk. Flaherty, 26, is batting .133/.228/.233 in 30 games for the Orioles this season. Flaherty played second base in the ninth inning today in a 10-6 loss to the Rays. Yamaico Navarro started for the second consecutive game. A corresponding roster move will be announced on Sunday, and it figures to be another position player. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the club didn't need...

The Orioles announced after tonight's game that they have optioned infielder Ryan Flaherty to Triple-A Norfolk. Flaherty, 26, is batting .133/.228/.233 in 30 games for the Orioles this season. A corresponding roster move will be announced tomorrow.

Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold is hopeful that he can return from the disabled list as soon as he's eligible on May 27, but there's no way to be certain on this day. He's going to continue receiving treatment on his right hamstring and see how it responds. Reimold hasn't played since last Saturday. The Orioles placed him on the 15-day DL today after manager Buck Showalter talked it over with Reimold. "I had those days off where I hadn't played, and then when I did play, I wasn't...

After he suffered back-to-back blown saves and took the loss today against Tampa Bay, Jim Johnson said all the innings that the bullpen is having to pitch lately is not a factor in his form being off the last two outings. "No, that is not an excuse at all," Johnson said. "If you look at the way Buck sets the bullpen up and how he manages the game, not just for that day or the series. He puts guys in the right situations. With the way we used the pen yesterday, we were fine today. "We were...

Things are just not going well in Birdland these days. The Orioles took a 6-4 lead to the top of the ninth this afternoon, but Jim Johnson suffered his second straight blown save after converting 35 straight, as Tampa Bay scored six in the ninth to win 10-6 over the Orioles. With the loss, the Orioles' regular season win streak of 109 straight when leading after the seventh inning has ended. It's their first such loss since Aug. 8, 2011. Today, they led 6-4 after the seventh. Johnson gave...