Chris Davis said he is now aware of the elite company he joined today as he became the fourth player in major league history to homer in each of his team's first four games of a season. "They told me. It's pretty cool," he said simply. "I saw something last year where Larry Bird was talking about individual statistics and records and people come along and break them. The biggest is championships, division titles, World Series. They can't take that away from you." Not only did Davis...

Different town, almost the same result for Chris Davis. The red-hot Oriole brought his act to Camden Yards today and didn't disappoint. After driving in four runs each of the last two games and 11 in the season's first three games, he knocked in five today as the Orioles beat Minnesota 9-5 in front of a sellout crowd of 46,653. Yes, this is unbelievable. Davis hit a grand slam in the last of the eighth to become the first Oriole to ever homer in the season's first four games and just the...

This has gotten ridiculous. And historic. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Chris Davis swung at the first pitch from Twins reliever Tyler Robertson and hit a grand slam to give the Orioles a 9-5 lead. Davis reached out and lifted the ball over the fence in left field, and Camden Yards erupted. He came out for a curtain call after Robertson's first pitch to Matt Wieters. Davis is the fourth player in major league history to homer in the first four games...

Did anyone notice the new warning track at Camden Yards? Orioles manager Buck Showalter is pleased that the Orioles replaced their synthetic track with a natural surface. "I know it's a lot safer," he said. "I really applaud our ownership for it, because somebody had to pay for it, and it was huge. "I know our outfielders are very excited about it. They came out with this zone rating for defense and they kept coming back about Orioles outfielders, and a couple spots they were short in...

The Orioles acknowledged the Ravens' Super Bowl victory with a video tribute during today's pregame ceremony. "I'm a big fan of them and the way they do things," manager Buck Showalter said during his session with the media. "I know Ozzie Newsome, being an Alabama guy. I got to spend some time with him. I liked to see how they did things, and I spent some time with coach Harbaugh and Ozzie, toured their facility. "The more you're around things like that, you see things don't happen...

As he tries to prove he's a better pitcher than the one that carried a 6.20 ERA last year, Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta is going to need to limit the big inning better than he was able to today in the top of the fourth. The Twins scored four times - on two singles, a double, a triple and a walk - to take a 4-1 lead. Arrieta had allowed just two hits on 47 pitches over the first three innings, but the Twins broke through in the fourth. Brian Dozier's two-run triple keyed the inning as...

In an earlier blog entry, I noted how 14 of the Orioles' 20 runs this season have scored with two outs. Apparently, it's not just a dome thing. Nate McLouth singled with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, stole second base and raced home on Manny Machado's single up the middle. Nick Markakis had the Orioles' only hit, a single in the first inning, before McLouth ignited the rally. Jake Arrieta came within an out of escaping another jam in the fourth, but the odds caught up to...

The Nationals open a three-game weekend series in Cincinnati tonight, with right-hander Dan Haren taking the hill and making his first regular season start in a Washington uniform. After all those two-hour bus rides to Jupiter, Fla., in spring training, the flight to Cincy must have seemed like a snap. Here's the Nationals lineup for tonight's 7 p.m. game: CF Denard Span RF Jayson Werth LF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa C Kurt Suzuki RHP Dan...

Second baseman Tony Renda has moved his way up from short-season Single-A Auburn to Single-A Hagerstown and is the leadoff hitter for the Suns. The second-round 2012 selection (80th overall) says manager Gary Cathcart was instrumental in his improvement and experience for the Doubledays. "Auburn was a great experience for me," Renda said. "I got to play for a great manager in Gary Cathcart. I got to learn how to become a professional, how to go about your business in a professional way....

When the Orioles picked up Alexi Casilla off waivers from Minnesota in November he was a player that added some infield depth who could also be a second base option if Brian Roberts needed to start the season on the disabled list. Well, Roberts was placed on the DL today, after the third game, and Casilla, one of the club's backup plans, now could get more playing time while Roberts is out. Ryan Flaherty is starting this afternoon, but Casilla said he's ready for anything the club...