In recognition of the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first African-American player in Major League Baseball, the Orioles will honor a Jackie Robinson Foundation scholar in a special pre-game ceremony before their game this evening against the Tampa Bay Rays. Brittany Thomas, a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Public Health Studies and Global Environmental Change and Sustainability, will be presented with a #42 jersey by Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and will...

Teams are scrambling as a slew of big-name players wind up on the disabled list. The Blue Jays lost shortstop Jose Reyes with an injury to his left ankle, and the Dodgers will be without pitcher Zack Greinke because of a broken collarbone suffered in a fight with the Padres' Carlos Quentin. The Angels are without pitcher Jered Weaver because of a broken left elbow. The Nationals lost catcher Wilson Ramos. Oakland is without outfielder Yeonis Cespedes, and the Reds, after not having an injury...

Baseball has a way of evening out the numbers over time. For the past few seasons, Jordan Zimmermann has been known as a hard-luck pitcher, the kind who cannot buy a run when he needs it, whose run support every time he takes the mound seems to be wanting. Or at least that is the way it used to be. In 2011, he was the best pitcher in the Washington rotation with an ERA of 3.18, but he had a losing record, only eight wins against 11 defeats. His 2012 statistics suggest a pitcher who should...

After struggling as a starting pitcher last season, the Orioles moved Tommy Hunter to the bullpen where he proved to be a successful, power right-handed reliever. Hunter appeared in 13 games in relief in 2012, pitching 17 innings with a 3.71 ERA and impressive 4.00 K/BB ratio. He also showed the Orioles that, in small doses, he could crank up his velocity to triple digits. Hunter is back in the bullpen this season and he brought his velocity with him. In four appearances in 2013, he's peaked...

Here are the latest updates on pitching prospects Sammy Solis (Tommy John) and Matt Purke (shoulder). Each are continuing to rehab in Florida and are making their mound progressions. These are rough estimates, but the Nationals are hoping for a mid-May return for Solis and a late May return for Purke. These estimates can change, depending on how both progress this month, but this gives us a general idea. There also was a good number of adjustments on every level because of injuries in the...

There's never a bad time for a 10-3 victory. Any team out there will take such a ballgame on opening day, in September, when it's hot, cold, or when that team is in the middle of a lengthy winning streak. But there's got to be something a little extra satisfying about bashing an opponent by seven runs after just coming off of a three-game sweep at the hands of a division rival. The Nationals went into Miami after a rough weekend series against the Braves, and they got back on track...

Buck Showalter often talks about playing the game 90 feet at a time. Try not to give up the extra base with mistakes in the field and advance runners and get that extra base when you can when batting. In one aspect of the game, the Orioles are doing very well at this early stage. They rank first in the American League in caught stealing percentage and the O's are second in stolen base percentage. AL leaders in caught stealing percentage as of Monday: .833 - Orioles (5-for-6) .500 - Texas...

The Orioles are preparing for only their fourth home game of the 2013 season. They can be excused if they accidentally head to the visiting clubhouse and wait to take batting practice after their opponent. The Tampa Bay Rays were able to fly out of Boston last night following the bombings that killed at least three people and injured several more, another senseless act of violence that peels away the layers of comfort and security in our daily lives. Rays manager Joe Maddon sent the following...

Six batters into tonight's game, Marlins starter Wade LeBlanc had yet to retire a Nationals hitter. Five hits - four singles and a double - and a walk led to four Nats runs, and just like that, Washington has a nice 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning. Nothing like a three-game set against the Marlins to get the Nats back on track after a rough sweep at the hands of the Braves over the weekend. Denard Span and Jayson Werth led off the ballgame with singles, and after a Bryce Harper...

I couldn't resist filing a blog entry today that didn't include a dateline. It's good to be home. Conor Jackson's contract has been placed on Triple-A Norfolk's restricted list pending receipt of a letter stating that the first baseman/outfielder desires to voluntarily retire, according to executive vice president Dan Duquette. Yesterday, Jackson informed Tides manager Ron Johnson of his decision to retire. Johnson texted Orioles manager Buck Showalter with the news. The Orioles...