Get your finger off the panic button. The Orioles are only seven games into the 2013 season. You're not allowed to worry yet. The old cliche saying goes, "a baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint," and right now the Orioles just finished mile one of 26.2. If this were a movie, we'd be halfway through the opening credits. If it were a football season, we'd be in the third quarter of week one. Sure, three-game losing streaks are nothing to be happy about and Orioles fans haven't seen...

BOSTON - If you think the Orioles have hit a rough patch, consider what's happening at Triple-A Norfolk. The Tides gave up three touchdowns last night and lost to Charlotte 21-4. Outfielder Jason Pridie, pitching for the first time since high school, threw two fastballs and recorded the final out. Pridie tweeted that his two-seamer had some nice movement. Good to know, just in case the Orioles get lured into another 17-inning marathon. The Orioles are off today, and center fielder Adam...

We already know that Manny Machado is a very talented young player. But a conversation I had with him in the clubhouse Sunday morning provided further proof that the kid is a very smart and savvy player also. Machado never batted second in the minors for the Orioles. But he's batting second now for the big club. I wanted to know if batting second means he goes into games with a certain approach or outlook to his at-bats in mind. Does he go in with a specific game plan? "It just all depends...

BOSTON - The Orioles are below .500 for the first time since 2011. They've lost three games in a row. Adam Jones isn't concerned and he wonders why anyone would be at this early stage of the season. "Seven games into the season," he said. "I mean, seven games into the season. No one's concerned." Are the Orioles badly in need of Tuesday's off day after losing their last three games? Jones had a little fun with that one. "We might spend it all day tomorrow crying as a team, holding...

BOSTON - The Orioles wasted a solid outing from left-hander Wei-Yin Chen today in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Chen took a shutout into the seventh inning before Dustin Pedroia reached on an infield hit up the middle, Mike Napoli doubled on a towering fly ball to left-center field and Daniel Nava launched a fastball over the Green Monster in left. Ballgame. "He was great," said manager Buck Showalter. "One mistake. We didn't do much offensively and both guys pitched really well up...

The Nationals' home opener in 2012 was against the Cincinnati Reds. They won three of the first four at Nationals Park to set up a truly successful first month and got the season rolling toward 98 wins. The Reds didn't like that movie and let Washington know they will be playing a very different role this year. The Reds had the second best record in the National League last year, winning 97 games. With Shin-Soo Choo at the top of their order, they are going to be even better. Choo's...

Last season, the Orioles never once fell under the .500 mark on their way to 93 wins and the playoffs. They won't be able to say that about this year. The Orioles are now 3-4 and lost their third straight game today as Boston won its home opener 3-1 over the Orioles at Fenway Park. It's the first three-game losing streak for the O's since last July 23-25. The Orioles, who scored 29 runs in their first four games, had gone 15 consecutive innings without a run until Adam Jones' solo homer...

BOSTON - Wei-Yin Chen carried a shutout into the seventh inning today, but the weight of it eventually brought him down. Dustin Pedroia led off the bottom of the seventh inning by reaching on an infield hit, Mike Napolis doubled to left-center field to put two runners in scoring position, and Daniel Nava launched a 1-1 pitch over the Green Monster in left. Shutout gone. Winless streak alive. Chen hasn't posted a victory in nine consecutive regular-season starts. The Orioles have scored 15...

BOSTON - Orioles first baseman Chris Davis has been named the American League's Player of the Week, an honor that seemed destined to be bestowed upon him after his historic home run and RBI binge. Davis batted .455/.500/1.136 with three doubles, four homers, 17 RBIs and five runs scored in the Orioles' first six games. He went 0-for-4 yesterday to end his streak of five consecutive games with at least one RBI to start the season, falling one shy of the club record shared by Mike Devereaux...

BOSTON - Orioles left fielder Nate McLouth was stranded in the first inning today after a leadoff single, and Chris Davis was stranded in the second after a leadoff walk. Manny Machado and Nick Markakis singled with two outs in the third, but Adam Jones took a called third strike. Davis drew another walk leading off the top of the fourth, but Matt Wieters grounded into a force - Davis appeared to beat the throw - and J.J. Hardy hit into a double play. The game is scoreless, but not because...