Jason Hammel took a Robinson Cano line drive off his right elbow in the top of the fourth inning, bringing the sounds of silence from a sellout crowd, along with manager Buck Showalter and assistant athletic trainer Brian Ebel from the dugout. As if the Orioles need another starter to go down with an injury. The ball caromed off Hammel's elbow and rolled into left field. Hammel shook his arm and paced behind the mound before Showalter and Ebel reached him. Hammel squeezed Ebel's hand and...

Some mid-game notes after the four-run first had Camden Yards rocking about as loudly as anyone here could remember. Is the sink back on Jason Hammel's fastball? Did it ever go away? No, but Hammel's ground-to-air out ratio did decrease during this season from 1.95 in April to 1.32 in May, 1.33 in June and 1.21 in July. But Hammel got the first five Yankees out tonight on groundballs and then fanned Curtis Granderson to end the top of the second. He needed just 22 pitches over the first...

"Being an Oriole is also about playing meaningful games in September." - Cal Ripken Jr. "The Streak didn't define Junior. Junior defined what The Streak was about." - Billy Ripken Outstanding ceremony for Cal Ripken Jr. earlier today, as his statue - depicting him fielding - was unveiled in the old picnic area. Current Orioles in attendance included Adam Jones, Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis. Manager Buck Showalter and executive vice president Dan Duquette also were...

There were several interesting moments during today's statue ceremony for Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. Among the most memorable was when Cal's brother, Bill Ripken, spoke and gave a passionate defense of Ripken's consecutive games streak. "There were some doubters and haters that along the way blamed Junior for any of the Orioles' problems," Bill Ripken said. "He was selfish. For those people, I don't get you at all. "The streak was about giving us the best chance to win every...

Sean Burnett is making slow progress in his rehab from what manager Davey Johnson says is an inflamed nerve in his elbow, but it's progress nonetheless. Burnett is scheduled to play catch Saturday and if all goes well in that session, he could be on track to return as early as Monday. Johnson said that the elbow issue which Burnett has battled since prior to the All-Star break is just a nerve issue and nothing muscular, which is good news. Burnett told me yesterday that he was feeling...

Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is attempting to join teammates Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg with double figure wins if he can down the Chicago Cubs Thursday night. Gonzalez picked up his 18th win Wednesday with a 9-1 win over the Cubs. Strasburg takes his 15 wins into his final home start Friday against the Marlins, facing Jacob Turner, who comes in with a 6.55 ERA. Lefty Ross Detwiler now has a career-high nine wins, so he could hit 10 if he takes care of the Marlins Saturday...

Though Jake Arrieta is here, he won't officially be recalled from Triple-A Norfolk until Friday. He wouldn't be available to pitch tonight anyway. Manager Buck Showalter said again today that Arrieta is a candidate to pitch in relief or to start. Chris Tillman is being examined today by team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens. He could be cleared to play catch today or Friday. Tillman said his right elbow feels good, but he could be skipped a full turn in the rotation. Troy Patton will test...

With a big series against the Yankees now hours away, Adam Jones said the Orioles are confident that they can beat the Yankees. "We believe we can play with them," Jones said. "Not looking at the jerseys. You know who is over there and there are superstars. When I first got called up I was like, 'There's Alex Rodriguez, he seems like he's 7-5.' "But over the years, you learn, you can play with these guys. They have been the elite of the game. But you can play with them. You wouldn't...

After being given Wednesday off, Jayson Werth is back in the Nationals' lineup, leading off tonight's series finale against the Cubs. Jordan Zimmermann is taking the mound, as the Nats shoot for their fifth straight victory. Zimmermann, however, hasn't had the decisions going his way of late. He's been stuck on nine wins since Aug. 9, going 0-2 with a 7.91 ERA over his last four starts. Perhaps he gets on track tonight. For the Nationals: RF Jayson Werth CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan...

The Orioles today announced that they have reinstated RHP Jason Hammel from the 15-day disabled list. In 18 starts for the Orioles, Hammel is 8-6 with a 3.54 ERA (109.1IP, 43ER) this season. He made one rehab appearance with Class-A Frederick (5.0IP, 3H, BB, 7K). Hammel is scheduled to start tonight's game against New York.