Here is the question a lot of fans have been asking lately: Will the Orioles have enough starting pitching to continue their good season, to stay in contention to the end? Despite the O's pitching back-to-back shutouts over the weekend in Atlanta, their rotation ERA of 4.54 ranks just 10th in the AL and is behind the league average of 4.35. The Orioles got off to an excellent start with their starters this year and on May 5, they were 18-9 with a rotation ERA of 3.38. But in the 41 games...

Every year, as the trade deadline approaches, fans who are fortunate enough to find their team in contention get the luxury of engaging in a fun debate: Should our team be buyers? Should they, in other words, make a play for one or more guys who might take a group from pretty good to very good, possibly playoff good? Or should they stick with what they have and hope it's enough? As Orioles fans, we typically sit this out and instead engage in some deadline variation of "sell or do...

You've seen the quotes from the Rays' side about the Joel Peralta ejection due to illegal use of pine tar, courtesy of MASNsports.com's Pete Kerzel. Now let's hear from the Nationals. Manager Davey Johnson said postgame that he had gotten word from people within the organization that Peralta (who pitched for the Nats in 2010) is fond of putting pine tar in his glove, which can help create a better grip on the baseball during a hot night like tonight. "He pitched here. I don't think...

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon opened his postgame session with reporters after Tuesday night's 5-4 Rays victory over the Nationals - a game in which one of his relief pitchers, ex-Nat Joel Peralta, was ejected after umpires discovered pine tar in his glove - with a zinger that was equal parts tone-setter and a no-doubt-about-it retaliatory verbal punch at the losing team for what Maddon perceived as a breach of baseball etiquette. "Heads up," he warned reporters, wiping a clearly clean spot...

The Nationals have more left-handers in their bullpen than right-handers. The southpaws: Sean Burnett, Ross Detwiler, Michael Gonzalez and Tom Gorzelanny build a bond as many left-handers do, comparing pitches and game strategies. Detwiler came into a tough situation Tuesday. With starter Chien-Ming Wang struggling from the first three batters on, Detwiler and Gonzalez got the feeling they could be called upon earlier than usual. Although Detwiler has been a starter for most of his career,...

I've got plenty on the whole bizarre Joel Peralta pine tar incident coming up in a bit, with reactions from both the Nationals and the Rays. First, let's get to Chien-Ming Wang, who delivered another poor outing tonight and has a 6.62 ERA and 2.26 WHIP since joining the rotation. Wang has now made four starts this season. None have been all that impressive, and often, they've featured Wang struggling with his mechanics. That was true tonight, as well. "He's been having some problems...

I'm detecting a pattern with the Orioles. They're going to shut out their opponent or be shut out. Those are the two choices. Can they extend their streak to five straight games tonight? And which side will they occupy? One of my Twitter followers asked me last night whether the rotation will undergo any changes after the All-Star break. I replied that it might not take that long. Jamie Moyer is scheduled to make his third start tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, and executive vice president...

Every year as the trade deadline approaches, fans who are fortunate enough to find their team in contention get the luxury of engaging in a fun debate: should our team be buyers? Should they, in other words, make a play for one or more guys who might take a group from pretty good to very good, possibly playoff good? Or should they stick with what they have and hope it's enough? As Orioles fans, we typically sit this out and instead engage in some deadline variation of "sell or do...

Weird, wild stuff is happening here in D.C. as we get ready to start the eighth inning of a 5-4 ballgame. Rays reliever Joel Peralta, who pitched for the Nationals during the 2010 season, was ejected for having an "illegal substance" on or in his glove. The ejection happened before Peralta threw a single pitch in the eighth inning. All four umpires came out to the mound, as did the entire Rays infield and manager Joe Maddon. The umpires, including crew chief and home plate umpire Tim...

Frustration is now setting in for the Orioles' hitters and their fans. The Orioles were shut out for the second night in a row, as they lost 5-0 to the Mets tonight at Citi Field. This is the first interleague series the O's have lost after winning their first four. The Orioles have not scored in their last 21 innings, dating to Sunday at Atlanta. Mets starter Johan Santana, who had allowed 10 runs in 10 innings since pitching a no-hitter, pitched six shutout innings on four hits tonight,...