A lot has been made of the poor attendance over this current four-game series against the White Sox. Despite being in the heart of a playoff race and playing another first-place team, the Orioles managed to draw fewer than 15,000 fans on all three nights. Today's game, with the 12:35 p.m. start time, promises to be even more sparsely attended. Why? Bloggers and fans have said for years that if the Orioles were winning, the fans would return. The swaths of green seats seen on television...

The Orioles are going with an unusual lineup for an unusual 12:35 p.m. starting time for today's game against the White Sox at Camden Yards. Mark Reynolds is batting cleanup for the first time this season. He's hit fifth in eight games, the highest he's risen in the lineup before today. Manny Machado moves up to seventh despite a 5-for-33 slump. Taylor Teagarden is catching a day game after a night game, which puts Matt Wieters on the bench. The Orioles are facing another left-hander,...

On Sept. 1, 2011 the Boston Red Sox had the best record in the American League, a 1 1/2-game lead over the Yankees for the AL East and a nine-game lead over the Rays for the wild card. On that same date, the Atlanta Braves had a nine-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL wild card. Both teams ended 2011 by missing the playoffs. One year earlier, the Braves entered September with a three-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. That season, the Braves fell into the wild card,...

I'm preparing to leave the house and fight the traffic to Camden Yards, where I hope to make it before the seventh inning stretch. Rush hour mixed with road closures for the Grand Prix figure to complicate my morning. I'm packing a snack in case it takes longer than expected. And a lunch. Anyway, I wanted to pass along an update on Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia, since I've been asked about him frequently on this blog and Twitter. Urrutia is back in Haiti, where he established residency...

It wasn't easy. It also wasn't easy on the blood pressure. Regardless, the Nationals found a way to end their five-game losing streak last night. Let's tuck the panic meter back into the garage for a while. Toss away the stress balls. Pick up the shredded box scores from the last few games that were flung all over the living room floor. The Nationals' 8-4 win over the Marlins (the score makes it seem a whole lot more lopsided than it actually was, doesn't it?) coupled with Atlanta's...

It was his seventh hold of the season. He managed to get three straight outs. Oh, yes, and did I mention the Marlins had two men in scoring position? And it was the eighth inning? And the Nationals had watched their 5-0 lead dwindle away until they led 6-4 as they looked to snap a season-high five-game losing skid? And the heart of the Marlins order was due up, led by the big bat of Carlos Lee? I didn't? Well, I should have. I am talking about closer-turned-eighth-inning-super-saver Drew...

Bryce Harper crushed two home runs tonight and the Nationals pulled out a big 8-4 win over the Marlins to snap a losing skid. Unfortunately, I fear that the one play tonight which will generate much of the national attention was Harper getting ejected in the top of the ninth inning. Harper grounded into a double play with no outs in the ninth, and the play at first was a close one. Harper was ruled out by first base umpire C.B. Bucknor, and as soon as he saw the call, Harper spiked his helmet...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn't going to judge Joe Saunders after one outing. He expects the left-hander to contribute down the stretch. Tonight, Saunders gets a mulligan. "I think he's had eight days off. Probably a little rusty. Then he settled in and pitched pretty well there. Gave up an unearned run," Showalter said following the Orioles' 8-1 loss to the White Sox. "He'll be better. Thought second, third and fourth, you can see what he's capable of. His work day, get back in...

Joe Saunders was excited about getting his chance to join his hometown team and pitch in a pennant race, but the feel good story ended early for him and the Orioles tonight. Saunders, the Falls Church, Virginia native, gave up four runs in the first inning as Chicago beat the Orioles 8-1 in front of 13,098 at Camden Yards. A win would have pulled the Orioles to within 2 1/2 games of first place New York, which lost this afternoon. A win would have also moved the Orioles 15 games over the .500...

The Nationals didn't have a hit off Jacob Turner their first time through the order. The second time through, the Nats did some damage. Finally. The Nats put up a four-spot in the fourth inning, giving Ross Detwiler a 4-0 buffer and finally giving them a lead. Bryce Harper's two-run home run to right (his 13th homer of the season) got the party started, but he wasn't the only guy to hit the ball hard in the fourth. Michael Morse destroyed a ball to center which went for a triple but...