Coming into tonight, the Orioles were in need of some hits with runners in scoring position and some quality starts. They got both in a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay that evens this series at one win each and pulls the Birds back into a second-place tie with the Rays, 6 1/2 games back of the Yankees. After going 0-for-22 the past two games when batting with RISP, the Orioles went 4-for-9 over the first four innings tonight as they moved out to an early 4-0 lead. Matt Wieters came up with an RBI...

ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - Wei-Yin Chen continued his dominance in the second half, shutting out the Rays on five hits over seven innings and leaving his ERA at 1.95 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break. Chen walked one batter and struck out four. He threw 100 pitches, 73 for strikes. The guy also fields his position. What's not to like? Chen has been a beast on the road. In his last six starts away from home, he's allowed only 11 earned runs in 39 1/3 innings and has gone seven innings...

Jordan Zimmermann came into today having gone at least six innings in all 21 of his outings this season. He had allowed either one or zero earned runs in his last seven starts. He had surrendered five hits or fewer in each of his last five outings. Tonight, with Zimmermann working on six days of rest, all those streaks came to an end. The Nationals righty, who had the best ERA among qualified major league starters coming into tonight's game, allowed five runs (four earned) over five...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - No need to check with Elias. The Orioles' streak of going hitless with runners in scoring position came to a peaceful end tonight. Matt Wieters lined a single into right field with two outs in the top of the first inning to score Nick Markakis and give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. The Orioles had been 0-for-22 with RISP heading into the game, and it didn't take long for the next opportunity to come along. Markakis led off with a walk and took second on Adam Jones' two-out...

The Nationals announced today that they've optioned catcher Sandy Leon to Triple-A Syracuse, making room for Kurt Suzuki on the 25-man roster. Leon batted .250 (7-for-28) with two doubles, two RBI, three walks and two runs scored in 10 games with the Nats this season. Jesus Flores claimed after the second game of last night's doubleheader that he hadn't yet heard about the Nationals acquiring catcher Kurt Suzuki. Today, Flores and manager Davey Johnson had what Johnson described as a long...

As reporters chatted with Kurt Suzuki in the clubhouse this afternoon, the Nationals' new starting catcher learned exactly what type of team he was joining. About 20 feet across the room, Mark DeRosa had grabbed the mic of the new karaoke machine in his locker and was serving as an emcee of sorts, introducing everyone that walked by. He made up a nickname for certain players and gave others a shout out using the college they attended. Then, as Suzuki was in the middle of a sentence about...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette is trying to trade outfielder Endy Chavez, who was designated for assignment today to make room for outfielder Nate McLouth on the 25- and 40-man rosters. "Endy will end up on his feet shortly. I know Dan's going to explore some things with him and we'll go from there," said manager Buck Showalter. "There are still some things that could happen for Endy that would benefit both of us. We'll see." McLouth would have...

Remember that run recently when the Orioles got seven consecutive quality starts from their starting pitchers? It went from July 18-24 and O's starters went 5-1 with an ERA of 2.47 during that stretch, as the team went 5-2. It was the most consecutive quality starts by the club since a stretch of nine in a row that spanned two seasons from Sept. 29, 2010 to April 4, 2011. When the Orioles have gotten a quality start this year (defined as six innings or more allowing three earned runs or...

The Washington Nationals today optioned catcher Sandy Leon to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Leon, 23, played in 10 games for Washington as a true rookie and batted .250 (7-for-28) with two doubles, two RBI, three walks and two runs scored. In Leon's eight starts behind the plate, the Nationals went 6-2. This is the corresponding move as 28 year-old catcher Kurt...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Mate McLouth from Triple-A Norfolk. McLouth batted .244 (44-180) with five doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 29 runs scored and 33 RBI in 47 games for Norfolk after opening the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he batted .140 (8-57) with two doubles, four runs scored and two RBI in 34 games. In 2008, he was a National League All-Star, won a Gold Glove and led the NL with 46 doubles. In 765 major league...