The Orioles were trailing, 5-0, after two innings tonight. They took a 6-5 lead in the fifth. They fell behind by two runs in the sixth. Fans booed, fans cheered, fans booed again. Miguel Socolovich replaced Zach Britton with a runner on first and one out in the sixth. He walked two batters to load the bases, and pinch-hitter Seth Smith cleared them with a double into left-center field. Hence, the latest round of booing. Britton is charged with six runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He...

Chris Davis hit a solo homer tonight in the last of the second. His liner to right got out of here in a hurry and was his 17th homer of the year and second in two games. Davis leads the Orioles in home runs at home. That was No. 12 for him. He began today batting .277 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in 41 home games. He has a slugging percentage of .552 and OPS of .877 at home, compared to one of .662 in road games. Here are the O's leaders in home homers: 12 - Chris Davis 9 - J.J. Hardy & Adam...

Forget what I wrote earlier about Robert Andino beginning his injury-rehab assignment next week at Double-A Bowie. The Orioles have decided to get him started earlier and at a higher level. The team announced that Andino will play at Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday and Monday. He's eligible to come off the disabled list on Tuesday and could join the team in New York. Andino is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a strained left shoulder. He fielded ground balls during batting practice today...

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy is back in the lineup tonight, set to make his 97th start of the year, despite getting hit in the ribcage yesterday in the fifth inning by Tampa Bay's James Shields. Hardy had X-rays taken, which were negative. "I'm not anticipating any problems," he said today. "It is sore to the touch, but I'm not worried about swinging or throwing. I haven't tested it yet, but I don't think it will be a problem. "It got better as the game went on. But for that next...

Orioles lefty Dana Eveland is packing his bags. Again. For the third time this year, he has been designated for assignment. It happened again today so the Orioles could add Miguel Socolovich back to the active roster. Eveland was added to the O's roster just yesterday and was here this time for just one game that he never pitched in. "I didn't know what was going to happen," Eveland said this afternoon. "I was happy when I found out I was coming up yesterday. I wasn't sure if I'd be...

Second baseman Robert Andino, on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder, is scheduled to begin an injury-rehab assignment Tuesday at Double-A Bowie. Andino is expected to play three games for the Baysox before being activated next Friday, when the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. The original plan called for Andino to fly down to Sarasota, but it's no longer deemed necessary. Manager Buck Showalter is hoping that catcher Matt Wieters'...

The Nationals have announced the unconditional release of outfielder Rick Ankiel. The 33-year-old was designated for assignment last week. He cleared waivers, but was unclaimed, and now becomes a free agent. The center fielder was batting .228/.282/.411 on the season for the Nats, with five home runs and 15 RBIs. Meanwhile, the Nats are set to face the Brewers after taking the first game of the four-game set last night 8-2. Sandy Leon will be behind the plate, as Ross Detwiler looks to lead...

Mired in a 1-for-30 slump, some might say Matt Wieters has a sore bat. Now, he has a tight right bicep to match. He is not in tonight's lineup because of that. He felt some discomfort during yesterday's game. "I took a few swings yesterday where I got a little tight with the right bicep, and we just want to make sure we can get that full go," Wieters said. "If we take a day off today, we should be good to go tomorrow. Don't want to turn a one-day tightness into something more, that's...

One of the younger prospects displaying his talent early is draft pick Mike McQuillan, a left-handed second baseman out of the University of Iowa, who is getting noticed for his nice start at short-season Single-A Auburn. McQuillan is hitting .293 with two doubles, two triples, one homer and five RBIs in 13 games for Auburn. Don't remember seeing McQuillan on the depth chart? McQuillan was selected in the 33rd round as pick No. 1,014. The Nationals selected only eight players after...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Miguel Socolovich from Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Dana Eveland has been designated for assignment to make room for Socolovich on the 25-man roster. Socolovich made his major league debut on July 14 vs. Detroit after having his contract selected earlier in the day and pitched to a 9.00 ERA (4.0IP, 4ER) in two appearances with the Orioles. He is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA (49.1IP, 11ER) in 26 games for the Tides this season and was...