The Nationals have shut down a pitcher for the season. Well, this team only has six games remaining, plus a possible postseason run, but still. After reaching 129 innings between low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac, the Nationals don't want to push it with right-hander Alex Meyer and his season is done. At least with Potomac. Meyer could very easily be selected to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. He told me two weeks ago that his high innings count might be the reason he...

High Single-A Potomac got a big win in North Carolina Tuesday. The squad is now 1-16 in the Tar Heel State this season following a 4-1 win at Carolina. Matt Skole, Adrian Sanchez and Kevin Keyes had two hits apiece. Keyes hit his 20th homer of the season and added a double. Sanchez also had a double and scored two runs. But Skole's two RBIs are notable because he has reached 101 RBIs for the season. Skole joined teammate Jason Martinson (106 RBIs) and Tyler Moore (2010, 111 RBIs) as the only...

It's hard to watch the Orioles' success this year and not hearken back to the well-worn phrase that we, as fans, are fortunate to call our birthright: Orioles Magic. True, it's tinged with nostalgia, coming as it does from a bygone era. And equally true, it's often been uttered with tongue planted firmly in cheek over the past 14 years of losing. But it's a great phrase both because it's ours and because it works. When baseball is as much fun as this, a word like magic doesn't sound...

The Pirates released Erik Bedard today. Adam Jones hit the 100th home run of his major league career tonight, and Chris Tillman improved to 7-2 by shutting out the White Sox on one hit over seven innings. You see where I'm going here. "We're winning, we're playing good baseball," Jones said. "That's the most important part. Individual accolades, they're awesome, but we're winning." Jones mentioned on a postgame show that he was "on vacation." Is he back? "I booked the flight...

Buck Showalter moved above .500 as Orioles manager tonight, and his club moved 14 games above for the first time in seven years. The Orioles have won 16 of their last 22 games and 12 of their last 15 at home. Chris Tillman allowed one hit, the infield variety, over seven innings and improved to 7-2 with a 3.26 ERA. "He was really good," Showalter said after tonight's 6-0 win over the White Sox. "We're kind of getting to know him a little bit, too. Tilly's not conventional all the...

Chris Sale took the mound tonight at Camden Yards with a record of 15-4 and ERA of 2.65. He ranks tied for third in the American League in wins, fourth in ERA and eighth in strikeouts. He looked like he had some dominant stuff early in the game. But that was before Nick Markakis smoked a three-run double to center field in the bottom of the second to propel the red-hot Orioles to another win. They beat Chicago 6-0 in front of 12,814 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are now 14 games over .500 at...

Stephen Strasburg entered tonight's game having not allowed a run to the Marlins in 18 innings this season. He also entered tonight having not allowed a first-inning run in 16 straight starts, which was the longest active streak in the majors, according to Elias. Both of those streaks quickly were rendered moot this evening, as the Marlins jumped on Strasburg for two runs in the first, taking an early 2-0 lead. Justin Ruggiano jumped on the first pitch he saw from Strasburg, the righty's...

Adam Jones struck out looking tonight with J.J. Hardy on first base and one out in the bottom of the first inning. Jones wasn't happy with plate umpire Jordan Baker's call on the third strike. He can't be too pleased with his homerless drought, either. Jones hasn't homered since July 27, a stretch of 109 at-bats that's the longest of his career. He went 108 at-bats without one from May 1 to June 5, 2008. His next homer will be his 25th of the season and the 100th of his career. Chris...

Tonight the Orioles play their second game in a stretch of 11 of 14 against first-place teams Chicago and New York. Last night's 4-3 win got the Orioles off to a good start. Right after that stretch ends on Sept. 9 against the Yankees at Camden Yards, the O's then play six straight against Tampa Bay and Oakland, two other playoff contenders. In other words, if they are still in the race for a playoff spot by mid-September, they will have earned it. After that they end the regular season...

"There are no Cinderellas in baseball. Those pumpkins don't play in this league." - Orioles manager Buck Showalter Veteran left-hander Randy Wolf is headed to Baltimore and is expected to throw here before signing a contract. The Athletics were among the teams that held serious interest in Wolf, but the Orioles apparently have won out. Wolf could pitch in relief or be used as a starter, Showalter said. It sounds like Wolf will be a bullpen guy unless a starter goes down with an...