For Matt Wieters, it had been a while between home runs. It had been a while between extra-base hits. Wieters homered off Roberto Hernandez leading off the last of the second tonight to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead at the time. It was his second homer of the season. His first had come in the first inning of the first game when he took David Price deep for a two-run shot on April 2 at Tropicana Field. That was the last game where Wieters, who entered tonight batting .200, had an extra-base hit...

One pitch from Jake Arrieta tonight, and the Orioles were losing to the Tampa Bay Rays. Desmond Jennings hit his fifth career leadoff homer, launching a 94-mph fastball into the left field seats. Yes, it escalated quickly. Arrieta struck out the next batter, Kelly Johnson, but the at-bat lasted 13 pitches. I guess it's going to be a night of extremes. Ben Zobrist flied to left and Evan Longoria flied to right, and Arrieta was back in the dugout at 19 pitches. Arrieta is looking for his...

The news of yesterday's explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon may have affected Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty more than anyone else inside the clubhouse. Flaherty is a native of Portland, Maine, and he has a deep appreciation for Patriots' Day, which always includes the marathon. He sat quietly in his Baltimore apartment yesterday, staring at the horrific images flashing on his television screen that will stay with him for a very long time. "In New England, Patriots' Day...

Before the Orioles played the Yankees, New York had scored 32 runs in its previous three games. Tampa Bay has scored three runs in its previous three heading into the series beginning tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles held New York to 11 runs and we're about to see how they fare against a badly struggling Tampa Bay offense. The Rays left Boston Monday after getting swept by scores of 2-1, 5-0 and 3-2. In 12 games so far, Tampa Bay has a team average of just .205 to go with a slugging...

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts hasn't been cleared for baseball activities, and he won't be ready to come off the disabled list when eligible on Saturday. It was considered a long shot anyway after an MRI revealed a ruptured tendon behind Roberts' right knee. He sustained the injury on April 4. "He's feeling a little better each day," said manager Buck Showalter. "Still not doing baseball activities, though, so I would think the 20th isn't going to be an option for us." Steve...

Even though he was hitless on Sunday night against Hiroki Kuroda - like most of his teammates - Orioles leadoff man Nate McLouth feels his swing is pretty solid right now as the Orioles host Tampa Bay tonight to begin a nine-game homestand. "I feel good about it. I'm happy with my at-bats. Maybe don't have a ton to show for it yet, but feel like I've been pretty decent so far this season and yeah, I feel good," said McLouth, who is batting .263 in 10 games. The Orioles got shut out in...

Many around minor league baseball, and scouts I talk to, believe high Single-A Potomac Nationals shortstop Jason Martinson deserves to be playing in Double-A. This week he demonstrated he certainly deserves attention for his play at Potomac, earning Carolina League Player of the Week honors. Martinson started the season hitting .303 (10-for-33), with a .429 on-base percentage and a .788 slugging percentage through nine games. The 24-year-old Texas State product had a pair of doubles, one...

Davey Johnson is using this series against the Marlins as a chance to get his bench guys into the mix. After resting Adam LaRoche yesterday and starting Tyler Moore at first base, Johnson has opted to give Bryce Harper and Denard Span their first days off of the season tonight. Harper has struggled over the last few games, going 0-for-13. Moore will play left field tonight, while Roger Bernadina will get the start in center. With Span out, Jayson Werth will return to the leadoff spot in the...

Back home for just their fourth game at Camden Yards this season, the Orioles are using a pretty familiar lineup - the very same one they employed in each of their last two contests. Nate McLouth is in left and leading off for the third straight game. Nolan Reimold is at designated hitter and Ryan Flaherty is playing second. The rest of the usuals are in their normal spots for the series opener against the Rays. For the Orioles Nate McLouth LF Manny Machado 3B Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones...

We're only 13 games into the regular season, so we all need to be careful not to read too much into a starting pitcher's numbers just yet. Teams are not even three turns through the rotation at this point, after all. That said, we've seen some very encouraging signs from both Jordan Zimmermann and Ross Detwiler early in the 2013 campaign. Zimmermann made his third start of the season last night, throwing the first nine-inning complete game in his career, and now has three quality starts...