Seldom has a player appreciated getting a shaving cream pie in the face so much. Brian Roberts seemed to be soaking everything in yesterday and appreciating all of it. For more than a year, he didn't take the field for the Orioles, and never knew for sure if he'd return to the team and get his career back. Last night, he did and the whole night was amazing. It was one thing to see him come back and play so well but yet another to be a part of an important win. And still another to see the...

Truly, there is nothing else like baseball. Countless sporting trends have risen and fallen since this game arrived in our popular culture. Boxing and horse racing, once huge, today fade even from the margins. Auto racing comes and goes in various forms. Tennis had a moment but can't really make a dent anymore despite the fact that three of the greatest players of all time currently ply their trade. Anyone want to take bets on skateboarding or motocross? Through it all, there has been...

A day without an Orioles roster move is like a day without sunshine. Second baseman Brian Roberts was activated from the 60-day disabled list yesterday, with Steve Tolleson being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk and Nolan Reimold being transferred to the 60-day disabled list. That's three in one press release. Endy Chavez limped off the field last night after straining his right hamstring. Brian Matusz avoided the DL, but Chavez could be headed to it. Hamstring strains don't usually go away...

The Orioles already were listing their Thursday starter as TBA. Now they've got the same uncertainty with tomorrow's pitcher. Brian Matusz was scheduled to start before being hit in the nose by a bunted ball during an afternoon drill. X-rays were negative, but the Orioles could push back Matusz until perhaps Friday in Atlanta to give him a little more time to heal. "For me, I'm mentally prepared to pitch tomorrow and I'm ready to go, but with the nose being something that could swell up,...

Brian Roberts had bad dreams last night, the kind that shook him out of a sound sleep and made him stare at the ceiling. In none of them did he collect three hits and drive in a run in his first game back in the majors in more than a year. "I had to wake up and cross some stuff out of my mind," he said, smiling. "I have no idea why. But I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't expecting three hits. I was just trying to go out there and, as cliche as it sounds, try to have good at-bats and...

Kevin Gregg made things interesting in the ninth inning after surrendering a two-run homer to Neil Walker, but Jim Johnson picked up his 19th save in 20 tries to preserve the Orioles' 8-6 victory over the Pirates before 15,618 at Camden Yards. Gregg had posted a 1.32 ERA in his last 12 appearances before tonight. The biggest story, of course, was Brian Roberts' three-hit, one-RBI return to the lineup. His last single came from the right side of the plate. "Oh, it was great," said manager...

Brian Roberts returned to the Orioles' lineup tonight and went 3-for-4 with an RBI as Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 8-6 in Game 1 of a three-game series at Camden Yards. Roberts singled in the first, struck out in the third, singled in the fourth, hit a sac fly to right in the sixth and singled in the eighth. It was his first major league game since May 16, 2011. Mark Reynolds hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the second. Adam Jones had three hits,...

And the beat goes on. The Nationals just keep rolling over American League East teams, and they're up over the Blue Jays 4-2 tonight thanks to homers from Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa. Harper's blast was a solo shot in the third that was absolutely demolished, bouncing off the Blackberry sign in the second deck in right-center. It was Harper's seventh homer on the season, and his average now is above .300. Espinosa's blast came an inning later. It was a two-run shot to center that...

I couldn't come up with a "walk the plank" joke, and nothing about an eye patch or a parrot or a hook hand struck me as particularly funny, so I played the headline straight. Mark Reynolds began tonight's game batting .348/.419/.661 in 112 career at-bats against the Pirates, with seven doubles, two triples, eight homers and 21 RBIs. You know what happened tonight. He hit a two-run homer off Brad Lincoln in the second inning to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. Reynolds is 1-for-2 tonight...

After spending most of last year, and all of this one up until now, with Robert Andino as his double-play partner for the most part, Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy has Brian Roberts to his left tonight against Pittsburgh. He was asked what Roberts' return means to the Orioles. "A lot," Hardy said. "I mean other than the fact that he is a great player, there's the leadership. He's been around our clubhouse, even though he hasn't been able to play. Just going to be nice to have him back on...