With three big swings of the bat in the bottom of the fifth tonight, the Orioles got their offense started, took a big step toward a big win and gave a nervous fan base a reason to relax for a bit. They had several more big swings after that and hit seven homers on the night to tie the club record. The Orioles hit seven on Aug. 26, 1985 against the Angels and on May 19, 1967 versus Boston. One night after not scoring any runs, the O's bashed seven homers in a 12-2 romp over the Blue...

PHILADELPHIA - What was a 5-0 lead after the top of the second inning has become a tight ballgame as we go to the eighth. Nothing's been easy for the Nationals this season, has it? The Nats' lead is down to two, as the Phillies have chipped into the Washington advantage with single runs in the third, fourth and seventh innings. Jimmy Rollins' solo homer off Ryan Mattheus made it 5-3, but it's the Nationals' inability to do anything off the Philadelphia bullpen which has let the home...

Forget the Mayans. When Teddy Roosevelt finally wins the Presidents Race, we'll know the world is ending. Everyone's favorite lovable loser has yet to win the Nationals' mid-game ritual and, frankly, it's overdue. But while Teddy still sports a goose egg in the win column, the Nationals are presenting him with some time in the spotlight. The Nationals will dedicate the last homestand of the 2012 regular season to Teddy when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies from Oct. 1-3. Known...

The Orioles were batting .283 in this series before tonight, but only .190 (4-for-21) with runners in scoring position. They were hitting .206 (14-for-68) with RISP over their last eight games. Nate McLouth had the right idea tonight. Just lead off the game with a home run and don't worry about it. McLouth's ninth career leadoff homer, and his second this season, tied the game 1-1 after the Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the first on Edwin Encarnacion's 42nd homer. McLouth's other...

PHILADELPHIA - Because of some late-afternoon rain, batting practice was canceled for the Nationals this afternoon. No matter. Kyle Kendrick is throwing the Nats some impressive BP during tonight's game. Kendrick has surrendered three home runs through his first two innings, and all three were rockets. Bryce Harper crushed a two-run opposite-field shot just six pitches into the game, Ian Desmond led off the second with a line drive home out to left and Kurt Suzuki demolished a Kendrick...

PHILADELPHIA - Recently, Davey Johnson has seen Danny Espinosa trying to do a bit too much. In an effort to nip that in the bud, Johnson is giving his second baseman the night off tonight. "I think he's been pressing a little bit lately," Johnson said. "He's been swinging awfully hard and (I) just wanted to let him sit back and relax a little bit." That, combined with the fact that Espinosa is 3-for-16 with four strikeouts in his career against Kyle Kendrick, who is starting tonight for...

The Orioles just announced that they placed pitcher Randy Wolf on the 60-day disabled list with a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. They purchased the contract of veteran infielder/outfielder Bill Hall. Wolf had an MRI on his left elbow yesterday and consulted last night with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum, who contact team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens this afternoon. Yocum performed ligament-reconstructive surgery on Wolf's elbow five years ago, and the...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Bill Hall. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, LHP Randy Wolf has been placed on the 60-day disabled list with a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. Hall batted .222/.500/.556 in seven games over two stints with the Orioles earlier this season. Wolf appeared in five games for the Orioles, including two starts, going 2-0 with a 5.28 ERA (15.1IP, 9ER).

The Yankees beat the Twins 8-2 today, dropping the Orioles two games back in the American League East. Big start tonight for Miguel Gonzalez. Big game for the Orioles, who have lost three of four. Right? "You can find somebody in the locker room every night to tell you this is a big game," said manager Buck Showalter. "I know who's not going to say that." That would be Showalter. "Believe me, I've got a grip on reality, but what are you going to do? It is what it is," Showalter...

Yes, it is a very, very small sample size, but it's the last four games, and the Orioles' bats that were going good for most of this month have slowed down. We'll see if that small sample size can begin to be forgotten if they get some offense tonight. Over the last four games, the Orioles have scored 10 runs and are batting just .185 (5-for-27) with runners in scoring position. They had few chances, but went 0-for-4 with RISP in being shut out last night. Before this stretch, the Orioles...