NEW YORK - Most of the blame for the Orioles' 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees tonight will be laid upon the shoulders of center fielder Adam Jones, whose dropped fly ball in the seventh inning let three runs score. However, other aspects of the club's performance can't be overlooked or easily excused. Let's start with the 4-6-5-6-5-3-4 triple play that the Yankees turned in the eighth. Manny Machado was tagged out at second to end the inning after second baseman Robinson Cano fielded his...

NEW YORK - Adam Jones returned to his locker tonight, fully dressed and fully prepared to discuss his drop in center field in the seventh inning that cost the Orioles three runs in a 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees. "Missed it," he said. "Trust me. Wish I could do it again, but hey, I missed it." It was pointed out that somebody on the team thought Jones stepped on the edge of the warning track and momentarily lost his footing as he reached for Vernon Wells' fly ball with the bases...

Well this didn't go as planned. After Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen each struggled in relief and contributed to the Nationals blowing a 4-1 lead, Craig Stammen surrendered a two-run homer to Ramiro Pena in the top of the 10th, giving the Braves a 6-4 lead. In 327 career at-bats, this was just Pena's third home run. And boy, was it a big one. The ball landed towards the back of the Nationals' bullpen, and a handful of Braves fans sprinkled throughout the stands exploded in cheers. The...

A 2-2 tie turned into a 5-2 Orioles loss tonight at New York. Within a few minutes of one another, Adam Jones dropped a fly ball that cost the team three runs and the O's hit into a triple play to end a promising rally. The Yankees took advantage of the three unearned runs in the last of the seventh to pick up a three-run win in game one of this weekend series. It's New York's fourth straight win to get 5-4 and the O's fall to 5-5. The New York seventh began when Miguel Gonzalez walked...

NEW YORK - Adam Jones reached up to catch Vernon Wells' fly ball to the warning track in center field with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. It landed in his glove - and popped out of it. All three Yankees runners scored, and we're no longer tied. Yankees 5, Orioles 2. The runs are unearned, and the Yankees collected all of them without a hit. A leadoff walk to Francisco Cervelli in the seventh ended Miguel Gonzalez's night. Left-hander Troy Patton retired the...

Yeah, I love alliteration. What of it? Ross Detwiler is completely locked in tonight against the Braves, having thrown six scoreless innings on just 79 pitches. Detwiler has allowed just three hits, walked two and struck out three. He's held the potent top five hitters in the Braves' order to a 2-for-14 line with two Ks. Only once has Atlanta put a runner in scoring position tonight; that came when Justin Upton doubled off the very top of the wall in right-center with two outs in the...

NEW YORK - Lots and lots of good seats remain for tonight's game, so if you're near Yankee Stadium, stop by and take in the ambiance. Steve Pearce stepped to the plate in the second inning with two runners on base and two outs in a scoreless game. He struck out. Pearce is 0-for-11 this season, and Orioles designated hitters are 1-for-31. Nolan Reimold has the only hit. Reimold singled tonight before Pearce batted, but he's starting in left field. Chris Davis also singled in the inning,...

OK, Bryce Harper is red-hot anywhere he hits. But at Nationals Park, Harper is really crushing the ball. Harper smoked an opposite-field, two-run shot in the first inning off Braves starter Julio Teheran, giving the Nats an early 2-0 lead over their division rivals. The homer came on a 2-1 fastball, and it left the yard in a hurry. It's Harper's fifth homer of the season. The Nats have played just 10 games. Decent homer-to-game ratio, I guess. Teheran's pitch wasn't a bad one; he...

The New York Yankees' offense will provide a real challenge tonight for Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, pitching for the first time since he allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings April 4 against Tampa Bay. The Yankees have scored 32 runs in winning their last three games before they were slowed down not by pitching, but by rainouts the past two days. In Tuesday's win at Cleveland, the Yankees recorded season highs in runs (14), hits (18), homers (5) and extra-base hits (11). That was...

There's been a lot of buzz around the clubhouse about the bench-clearing brawl in Thursday's Padres vs. Dodgers game at San Diego's Petco Park. Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin charged the mound and tackled Dodgers starter Zack Greinke after getting hit by a pitch. Greinke was injured during the melee, suffering a fractured left collarbone. Greinke is out until June. No suspensions have been announced. Manager Davey Johnson said hitting a batter was never a part of his direction, but he...