For whatever reason, Edwin Jackson stinks it up in the first inning nearly every time he takes the mound. Then, almost without fail, he gets into a groove and dominates the rest of the way out. That pattern has held true today, as Jackson gave up three Giants runs in the first inning, putting the Nationals in an early 3-0 hole. He has settled into a groove since then, however, facing just one over the minimum from innings 2-4. Jackson now has 9.56 ERA in the first inning this season, and a...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Chris Tillman from Triple-A Norfolk. Tillman has gone 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA (89.1IP, 36ER), 30 walks and 92 strikeouts in 16 games (15 starts) for the Tides. He went 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA (28.2IP, 8ER) in five June starts, recording seven or more strikeouts in four of those outings. He will wear jersey number 30.

Of all the positives to come out of last night's dominating win over the National League West-leading Giants - and there were many to choose from - the thing that Davey Johnson was most pleased with was the performance of his second baseman. Danny Espinosa went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI last night, with all three hits coming from the left side, a troublesome side of the plate for Espinosa this season. "I was really pleased to see Espinosa," Johnson said last night. "He's been...

Don't look now, but after last night's games, the Orioles no longer lead the major leagues in bullpen ERA. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have 'pen ERAs of 2.70 and the Orioles' mark went up to 2.71. That still ranks first in the American League. The Orioles bullpen has now given up runs in eight straight games; before this, five in a row was the longest stretch of the year. Over those eight games, the 'pen ERA is 5.81, raising the season number from 2.30 to that current 2.71. The Orioles...

The Nationals will wear their normal red hats for this afternoon's 11:05 a.m. start, with a patriotic twist: The curly W will be camouflage. Trust me when I say that the special July 4 hats look pretty sweet. Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there. Hope your BBQs are fun, the fireworks shine brightly tonight and we get some good baseball this morning, even if it's far too early for me to be at the stadium. I'll be hitting up the press box coffee machine quite a few times over the...

The Orioles announced after tonight's game that they have optioned right-hander Steve Johnson to Triple-A Norfolk. Johnson was recalled from the Tides on Monday and did not appear in a game with the Orioles in his two days with the team. He was 3-5 with a 2.73 ERA (62.2IP, 19ER) in 14 games (nine starts) for the Tides.

You've heard of good wins. Last night's win was a good one. It helps little old ladies across the street. It picks up your tab. It mows your lawn in the middle of the summer. It raises your allowance. It restores your power. It lets you merge into heavy traffic. It hires Lindsay Lohan to work your next bachelor party. Wei-Yin Chen turned in an inspired performance, carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning before being charged with two runs. Pedro Strop gave up three straight hits in...

A pitcher on a roll takes a perfect game into the seventh inning but doesn't even get a win. A struggling hitter delivers a huge home run. Just another night with the Baltimore Orioles. Wei-Yin Chen lost a perfect game bid when Casper Wells hit a solo homer off him after he had retired the first 19 batters tonight. The O's took a 4-1 lead for Chen into the last of the eighth, but reliever Pedro Strop gave up three singles, hit a batter and issued a bases-loaded walk as the Orioles lost the...

As if the later part of tonight wasn't crazy enough, with an 85-minute rain delay which only saw about 15 minutes of rain and a 12-hour turnaround until first-pitch tomorrow, the Nationals had some theatrics go on before the game, as well. This afternoon, while throwing a bullpen session, Chien-Ming Wang felt a little something in his hip. He was checked out by Nationals' doctors, who determined that Wang had a hip strain and needed to be placed on the disabled list. That meant, in order to...

Manager Davey Johnson had preached just two weeks ago about how he wanted his hitters to be "patiently aggressive at the plate." He sensed the hitters were a little anxious and were trying too hard sometimes to make things happen. From the Orioles series to the first game in Colorado, the Nationals managed just seven runs in four games. But Denver is always a good place to start hitting when you get to swing the bat in Coors Field. And the Nationals did just that. The trend continued in...