The MRI taken on Wilson Betemit's right wrist this morning revealed a small cartilage tear and a bone bruise. Betemit will receive a cortisone injection later today and fly down to Sarasota tomorrow morning. The Orioles will shut him down for a week before he's cleared to begin baseball activities. Betemit hasn't played since Saturday, making him eligible to come off the disabled list on Aug. 27 - a realistic target date, according to manager Buck Showalter. Joe Mahoney flew into...

Mark Reynolds continues to start at first base, as the Orioles try to complete a three-game sweep of the Red Sox at Camden Yards. The reserves aren't listed on the magnetic board outside the clubhouse, leaving us to guess whether Wilson Betemit is headed to the disabled list. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Nate McLouth LF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Chris Davis DH Mark Reynolds 1B Manny Machado 3B Omar Quintanilla 2B Chris Tillman RHP Update: Joe Mahoney is now listed...

Nationals infielders Danny Espinosa and Steve Lombardozzi have become quite a pair on defense the last two weeks. They have also delivered at the plate, combining for 34 hits. Espinosa said he doesn't even think twice about Lombardozzi at second base. That is the best compliment he could give to his gifted teammate. "Good, it is comfortable," Espinosa said on "Nats Xtra" recently. "I don't even think about it, actually. You just go out there and you know what he can do. I feel 100...

Joe Mahoney started at first base today for Triple-A Norfolk, but he was removed for a pinch hitter before his first at-bat. Jamie Hoffman batted for Mahoney and moved to right field, with Ryan Flaherty going to first base. Wilson Betemit underwent an MRI on his right wrist at 11 a.m., so it's possible that Mahoney is headed to Camden Yards in case the Orioles again need to use the disabled list. Mahoney plays first base, bats from the left side and is on the 40-man roster, which makes him...

Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis, Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, Jason Hammel, Wei Yin Chen - all have been essential to the Orioles' success this year, but as of right now, to this blogger, the most important Oriole is one William Nathaniel Showalter. Honestly, has there been one person that is more responsible for the Orioles' year? Showalter has been the rock, the steady-handed captain of this improbable team. He is calm, cool and clearly in charge. When you look at the team the...

This week, the focus on Stephen Strasburg's innings limit has kicked into a higher gear, and as far as the national media is concerned, Mike Rizzo is the Grinch who stole Strasmas. Most of the stories this week have painted the citizens of Natstown as ignorant little Whos too caught up with the winning to be as enraged as they should be. Let us not hover too long on that tale, but shift instead to a different tale of morality. Instead of casting Rizzo as the mean old Mr. Grinch we will have...

The Nationals come back home from a lengthy 10-game road trip happy to see their families and excited to return to their home clubhouse. No team will ever say it would prefer to play its games on the road. That just won't happen. But the Nats sure play like a team that doesn't mind hitting the road for a while. They're a remarkable 41-23 on the road this season, which already gives them more road victories than the franchise has had in a full season since 1994. They've outscored their...

In an interview with Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette on Wednesday at Camden Yards, Duquette made it clear he is not a fan of young pitchers throwing cut fastballs. The Orioles have forbid their top pitching prospect, Dylan Bundy, from throwing his cutter this year and based on Duquette's comments yesterday, that policy may not be changing anytime soon. "The philosophy of the organization is to encourage pitchers to develop a good delivery, command of...

Triple-A Norfolk manager Ron Johnson called Brian Matusz into his office on Monday and made official the left-hander's move to the bullpen. And so began the next phase of Matusz's professional life. Whether it's a passing phase has yet to be determined. The decision was born after numerous conversations involving Johnson, Orioles manager Buck Showalter, executive vice president Dan Duquette, director of pitching development Rick Peterson and Norfolk pitching coach Mike Griffin. "Buck...

The Orioles went from being no-hit tonight to taking a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. What the heck happened? J.J. Hardy got the first hit off Boston starter Aaron Cook with a single into left field, and the Orioles sent 10 batters to the plate. "J.J. got a pretty good swing on a ball. That's about it," said manager Buck Showalter. "It's one of those things where you've got a pretty good idea of what he's going to do coming in. And he was able to do it because he had that sinker...