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...

The closest I ever came to a sense of community as a fan of the Montreal Expos was when I would travel from my home in Johnson, Vt., where I lived after attending college in town, across the border in Richford, Vt., through Canadian farmland and small farming communities to Autoroute des Cantons de L'Est across the Jacques-Cartier Bridge to Rue Notre Dame East, down the Boulevard Pie IX to the Stade Olympique on Rue Pierre de Coubertin. There with the 10,000-15,000 fans who still showed up for...

It's already been a busy day and we're still waiting for the first pitch from Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta to start the home opener against the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles have had runners on base for all five of their home runs in 2013. Last year, 122 of their 214 homers were solo shots (57 percent). Sixty percent of the Orioles' runs this year have come via the long ball. Chris Davis is trying to join Willie Mays (1971), Mark McGwire (1998) and Nelson Cruz (2011) as the only...

Chris Tillman keeps saying the left abdominal strain that forced him to miss some time in spring training is no longer an issue. It is now further in his rear-view mirror and he's ready to come off the disabled list tomorrow night and make his first start of the 2013 season. "Absolutely, I feel great," he said this morning. "I have since the last time I felt it. I've felt pretty good. Can't wait to get out there. First three games were really exciting. "I am definitely ready and not...

The Nationals limited the Marlins to one run in 27 innings over the last four days. Washington outscored Miami 11-1 and held its division rivals to a .167 batting average. After three games against a clearly inferior opponent, the Nats will now get much more of a test. Tonight, they open a three-game set against the Reds, a team that won the NL Central by a whopping nine games last season and posted 97 victories overall. Cincinnati has gotten off to a nice start to the season, taking two of...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled infielder Yamaico Navarro from Triple-A Norfolk and placed infielder Brian Robrts on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. Navarro, 25, was acquired from Pittsburgh on November 30, 2012 in exchange for minor league right-hander Jhondaniel Medina. He batted .276/.417/.379 in 29 spring training at-bats for the Orioles after hitting .279/.366/.491 in 66 games with Triple-A Indianapolis last season and going 8-for-50 with the...

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts suffered a ruptured tendon behind his right knee yesterday while stealing second base at Tropicana Field, and he's expected to miss two to four weeks of the season. Roberts underwent an MRI on his knee this morning in Baltimore, and team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens passed along the results to Orioles officials. Roberts had to be carried off the field in the ninth inning yesterday after hearing a popping sound behind the knee. The Orioles officially...