Season opens at Tampa Bay April 2, home opener slated for April 5 vs. Minnesota The Orioles today announced they will open the 2013 season at Tampa Bay before beginning their 22nd season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 5 against the Minnesota Twins in a short three-game homestand. The Orioles will play each of their AL East rivals three times at Oriole Park, with 10 games each against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and nine games each against the Tampa Bay Rays and the...

Major League Baseball will release the Orioles' 2013 schedule at 1 p.m., but a few details have leaked out over the past few weeks. The Orioles definitely will open at Tropicana Field for the third time in four seasons, if my math is correct. They have games against the Rays on April 2-4 before their home-opening series against the Twins on April 5-7. Once again, the local beat crew will drive from Sarasota to St. Petersburg before leaving the state of Florida. According to a few industry...

Another night, another couple games are cut off of the Nationals' magic number. The magic number to clinch the division is now down to 13 after last night's Nats win and another Braves loss. In addition, the Dodgers lost last night, cutting the Nationals' magic number to clinch a playoff spot to seven. The Nats' lead in the NL East is up to 7 1/2 games, meaning the worst-case scenario has them leaving their three-game weekend series in Atlanta still up 3 1/2 games. After a long road...

There's one big problem with the Nationals being as good as they are this season. What's ironic about that problem is that it has nothing to do with baseball and has everything to do with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority closing at midnight. This is a topic of conversation that will continue to come up until the end of the season and will persist until the season officially comes to a close (pending playoff games). I've sounded off regarding my Metro pet peeves before, but...

The Nationals got back on track in New York, winning another series, and beating a pitcher who had been unbeatable most of the season. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, lost for just fifth time in his last 29 starts, allowing a game-changing two-run homer to pinch-hitter Tyler Moore, and the Nationals went on to win 5-3. Dickey, who allowed only three runs in seven innings, said he has not seen anyone else hit like the Nationals have this season. "That is the best lineup I have faced," Dickey...

If there is one thing we should have learned about the 2012 Orioles, probably long before now, is they are amazingly resilient and can bounce back time and time again. They took another hit last night when Jason Hammel limped off the mound injured, just two games after Nick Markakis headed off the field injured. But that didn't keep the Orioles from winning 9-2 over Tampa Bay to start a big three-game series. Six pitchers combined for a five-hitter as the O's, at least last night, overcame...

I'm 100 percent certain that Nate McLouth will bat leadoff again tonight. The Rays are starting a right-hander, Alex Cobb, and it didn't matter yesterday that they sent left-hander Matt Moore to the mound. McLouth had two hits last night and is 2-for-7 with two walks, three runs scored and two stolen bases in two games since replacing Nick Markakis atop the order. Does this mean McLouth will have exclusive rights to the leadoff duties? "We're going to take a look at every pitcher," said...

It was a night where J.J. Hardy let his bat do the talking. The Orioles shortstop, usually reserved in interviews, had few words to say after his two-homer, five-RBI night led the Orioles past Tampa Bay 9-2 for a share of first place in the American League East. "I don't know, I can't explain it," Hardy said. "I got a couple of pitches to hit and didn't miss them. He's a tough pitcher (Matt Moore) and it was nice to see him get out of there early. "Steve Johnson for one came in and...

The Orioles won and the Yankees lost, creating another first-place tie in the American League East. Too bad the Orioles weren't in the mood to celebrate. They're fairly low-key to begin with, and Jason Hammel's early exit with pain in his surgically repaired right knee put a real damper on the night. The Orioles will have their resiliency put to the test again. "I don't ever take it for granted," manager Buck Showalter said following a 9-2 win over the Rays before 23,828 at Camden...

Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel said he felt great and thought he was back on track tonight in his second start since coming off the disabled list. Then he felt something in his right knee again, on the second pitch he threw to Evan Longoria with two outs in the top of the fourth. He went on to walk him and shortly after that, Hammel left the game, injured again. Again, the right knee. The one he had arthroscopic surgery on in July. "It felt exactly the same as it did in the game against...