If the Orioles were hoping to head into the All-Star break on a high note, this wasn't it. They have now been shut out in back-to-back games and have gone 22 innings without scoring a run. A pitcher with a terrible career ERA shut them out over five innings this afternoon, as the Orioles lost 6-0 to Los Angeles to head into the break with a record of 45-40. The Orioles still do hold the AL's second wild card berth, but now by just a 1/2 game over Tampa Bay and one game over Cleveland With...

The worst part of today's 4-3 loss to the Rockies from Davey Johnson's perspective was that it wasted a fantastic outing from starter Jordan Zimmermann, who allowed just one run over seven innings. Zimmermann lowered his ERA to 2.61 on the season, the ninth-lowest total in the majors among pitchers with at least 15 starts. Despite that low ERA and the fact that Zimmerman has gone at least six innings in all 17 outings, the righty goes into the All-Star break with just five wins. His shot at...

At a time when they are struggling to score runs, the Orioles have fallen behind Los Angeles 5-0 today after four innings in the final game before the All-Star break. For what it is worth, the Orioles are now guaranteed to be holding the American League's second wild card playoff berth at the break. Cleveland could have tied the Orioles today, but gave up three runs in the top of the ninth and lost 7-6 to Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, back in Anaheim, the Angels hit three homers in the first three...

With over 30 percent of major league clubhouses made up of players born outside of the United States, any team that wants lasting success must sign some promising international talent. Orioles vice president Dan Duquette has said he wants to improve the Orioles international efforts. Signing a player that is making a key contribution like Wei-Yin Chen was a nice first step for him. But the team must also make improvements in signing and developing international amateur players as...

When Chris Tillman pitched that great game in Seattle, we later learned that Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson had worked with Tillman in Norfolk in mid-May, which helped lead to some of Tillman's improvements this year. Peterson brought biomechanical analysis to the Orioles when he was hired in January and many of the organization's pitchers took part in that during spring training. After a pitcher's specific delivery gets analyzed by those at the American Sports...

The numbers keep getting more impressive by the day. Ian Desmond is 2-for-2 today, and his two-run home run to the red seats in left-center in the fourth inning has given the Nationals a 2-1 lead over the Rockies. The All-Star shortstop now has 17 home runs and 51 RBIs on the season. A day before the All-Star break. Oh, and he added his 10th stolen base of the season this afternoon, as well. Desmond leads all shortstops in homers, RBIs, doubles and slugging percentage. He's tied for...

Davey Johnson isn't a big fan of team meetings. He doesn't feel he needs to stand up in front of his squad like a football coach and deliver a pep talk. But Johnson did walk around the Nationals clubhouse early this afternoon, talking to each player, giving out handshakes and wishing everyone well over the All-Star break. "I just talked to all the players individually, congratulated them on their first half," Johnson said. "Want them to relax. No horse riding, no jet skiing, no crashes...

Mark Reynolds is back in the lineup today, and Chris Davis is staying in it. Steve Tolleson, recalled yesterday from Triple-A Norfolk, is starting at third base. For the Orioles: Robert Andino 2B J.J. Hardy SS Matt Wieters DH Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 1B Chris Davis RF Steve Pearce LF Steve Tolleson 3B Ronny Paulino C Wei-Yin Chen LHP For the Angels: Mike Trout LF Torii Hunter RF Albert Pujols DH Mark Trumbo 1B Howard Kendrick 2B Erick Aybar SS Peter Bourjos CF Maicer Izturis...

While he'll have to see how things play out in the All-Star Game, Davey Johnson has set what he's calling his probable rotation after the All-Star break. That rotation has Jordan Zimmermann working the first game after the break, which will come Friday in Miami. Zimmermann will be followed by Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler. Johnson said there's "a little better probability than 50 percent" of that rotation coming to fruition. He'll wait to see how much...

As the first half comes to a close today, maybe fans may have some hope to see an improved O's pitching rotation after the All-Star break that, at least initially, will include Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez. Who could have predicted that even as recently as a few weeks ago? But the Orioles' offense also needs to step it up a notch pretty soon. The Orioles have sure seen a steady diet of good starting pitching in recent weeks, and they were shut out last night for the third time in the...