Tonight begins a stretch where the Orioles play seven straight games and 11 of the next 14 against the White Sox and Yankees, a pair of division leaders. Chicago comes to town tonight leading the AL Central by 2 1/2 games over Detroit with a record of 71-55 and six wins in a row. The Chisox just swept the Yankees and Seattle, and are 16 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 7, 2010. Chicago's last four wins have all been by one run and the White Sox are 15-4 in their last 19 one-run...

Manager Buck Showalter fielded a variety of topics during today's pregame media session. Showalter spent part of the afternoon watching Jason Hammel's simulated game. "Things went well for Ham today," Showalter said. "He was up throwing. What did he have, 58? He took a few more fielding his position, so he had a little over 60. Three-plus innings. We'll see how he is tomorrow, and if things go well, we'll see him pitching on a rehab assignment on the first, and that would probably be a...

In Jake Arrieta's last two starts at Triple-A Norfolk, he pitched 12 2/3 innings and gave up just four hits and four runs with seven walks and 16 strikeouts. Coming off those two outings with a better focus on every pitch and adjusted mental outlook, Arrieta is back with the Orioles and, for now, pitching out of the bullpen. He last pitched in an Orioles game on July 5. "Real, real happy to be here," Arrieta said today. "Not necessarily the way I envisioned the year panning out up to this...

Joe Saunders is traveling to Baltimore and is expected to arrive tonight. He will be in uniform on Tuesday and most likely start on Wednesday against the White Sox. Saunders did some throwing before leaving Arizona and is "excited" to come here, said manager Buck Showalter. The Orioles are expected to announce a corresponding roster move following tonight's game. Showalter said left-hander Zach Britton will "probably" start Wednesday or Thursday - whichever game Saunders doesn't...

Lew Ford gets the start at designated hitter tonight, as manager Buck Showalter breaks out the first of his three right-handed lineups for this series. Left fielder Nate McLouth drops to seventh in the order, with Adam Jones moving from cleanup to third. Also, the Orioles won't add pitcher Joe Saunders to the 25-man roster until Tuesday. No roster move today. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Lew Ford DH Mark Reynolds 1B Nate McLouth LF Manny...

John Lannan is starting to heat up at the right time. The expected replacement for Stephen Strasburg in the Nationals rotation (once Strasburg is shut down) was named the International League Player of the Week for August 20-26. Lannan, who has spent nearly this entire season with Triple-A Syracuse, threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout Saturday in a 1-0 win over Gwinnett. The left-hander threw just 87 pitches, walked one and struck out two. Over his last four starts for Syracuse, Lannan...

With the Orioles on the road lsat week, I took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite places, and one of the jewels of our home region: the Delmarva shore. For the record, the seashore is one of the few places on earth that rivals a ballpark for my attention. There's nothing like braving the surf during the day, and then quite literally sittin' on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away as you watch Orioles baseball outdoors at dockside restaurants. During my time at the shore,...

The month of August - and July before it - have been the two best months in the history of the Nationals franchise. The Nationals have a winning record for every month of this season. But so far they are a combined 33-18 for these past two months, even after the weekend disaster in Philadelphia. In 2005, there was the magical month of June when the team went 20-6. But what followed - a 9-18 July - was misery. It is important to remember the history of the franchise in order to gain some...

One reason for the Nationals' four-game losing streak is the bullpen's inability to hold the game at one or two runs. In every one of the four games the Nationals have lost since Wednesday, relievers have allowed at least one run. On Thursday, the Braves scored three runs in the ninth to extend a 2-1 lead to 5-1. Atlanta won the game by that score. On Friday, the Phillies tallied a crucial run in the eighth after the Nats had pulled with 3-2 on a Tyler Moore two-run homer just an inning...

If it's not too painful, let's take a little time to nibble on some leftovers from this weekend's three-game sweep in Philadelphia. Settle in. Grab some coffee. There are a few topics to discuss. Topic No. 1: Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson met after yesterday's game and Johnson was heard getting a bit heated during the discussion in his office, shouting, "You come down and manage the team!" Yes, this happened. Is this a big deal? Is it a sign of the team morale deteriorating or an...