Taylor Teagarden played in his first game with the Orioles yesterday. He hit his first home run, and the first walk-off shot of his career. Today, he gets to start his first game behind the plate. For the Orioles: Nick Markakis RF J.J. Hardy SS Jim Thome DH Adam Jones CF Chris Davis LF Wilson Betemit 3B Mark Reynolds 1B Taylor Teagarden C Robert Andino 2B Miguel Gonzalez RHP For the Tigers: Jackson CF Berry LF Cabrera 3B Fielder 1B Boesch DH Peralta SS Avila C Santiago 2B Kelly...

You could hardly blame Jim Johnson for his blown save Saturday. Not that giving up four hits and three runs in one inning is ever a good thing, but Johnson also was hurt by a key error on third baseman Ryan Flaherty in that inning. Also, Johnson has been near-perfect in closing games for the Orioles this year and that was just his second blown save in 28 chances. Johnson saved his first 17 in a row before a blown save June 5 at Boston. He then saved nine in a row before Saturday's...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter used six relievers last night after starter Jason Hammel exited in the fourth inning with a knee injury. He used seven relievers tonight because the game lasted 13 innings. Needing a fresh arm for the bullpen, the Orioles will recall Steve Johnson from Triple-A Norfolk and get him to Camden Yards in time for tomorrow afternoon's series finale against the Tigers that also concludes a brief homestand. Johnson qualifies as a fresh arm. He hasn't pitched since...

Taylor Teagarden hadn't hit a home run in the major leagues since Aug. 18, 2010. He hadn't played in a major league game since Aug 20, 2011. Of course, Teagarden homered tonight to break a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the 13th inning and give the Orioles a rousing 8-6 win over the Tigers before 43,215 at Camden Yards. The Orioles blew a 4-1 lead in the ninth. They overcame a 5-4 deficit in the 11th. They overcame a 6-5 deficit in the 13th. Manager Buck Showalter referred to the Orioles as a...

Taylor Teagarden was the last hero of the day for the Orioles in his first game for the club. But it also had to be a nice sight for O's fans to see J.J. Hardy tie the game with a homer in the bottom of the 13th, setting the stage for Teagarden's game-winner. Hardy had just one homer in his last 28 games and was in an 0-for-28 drought. He had just nine hits over his last 94 at-bats when he came to the plate in the 13th. His solo shot off Joaquin Benoit tied the game, 6-6. "It's a rough...

Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel said he's "leaning toward" having surgery to remove a piece of loose cartilage from his right knee. Hammel is expected to be placed on the disabled list tomorrow, and he could make his decision before leaving Camden Yards. Hammel said the MRI taken today didn't reveal any new damage, but the cartilage has floated to a location where it's pressing against a nerve whenever he bends the knee. Manager Buck Showalter suggested that Hammel could return by early...

Davey Johnson typically isn't a huge fan of giving away outs by sacrificing and relying on the small-ball game. Tonight, Ozzie Guillen's Marlins have done just that. And they have two big runs on the board as a result. In the fourth, Jose Reyes reached on a leadoff single and was immediately moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Omar Infante. One batter later, Reyes came around to notch the game's first run on an RBI single to right-center off the bat of Carlos Lee. The Nationals tied...

Well, that was not just another game. In his first game and just his second at-bat with the Orioles, Taylor Teagarden hit his first career walk-off homer. His two-run shot to right was two batters after J.J. Hardy's game-tying shot to left and gave the Orioles a remarkable and exhausting 8-6 win in 13 innings over the Tigers. The Orioles earlier had blown a 4-1 lead in the top of the ninth, and each team scored one run in the 11th. The Tigers took a 6-5 lead to the last of the 13th before...

Winless since June 17, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is pitching today like the Orioles' staff ace. He pretty much inherited the title, since he's the only one left from the opening day rotation who hasn't been demoted or injured. Chen is on his game today, retiring 13 Tigers in a row as we head to the bottom of the fifth. He's allowed one hit, Prince Fielder's RBI double with two outs in the first. He's walked one and struck out five, including Jhonny Peralta and Gerald Laird in the top of...

The Orioles today outrighted catcher Ronny Paulino to Triple-A to make roster room for the addition of catcher Taylor Teagarden. Paulino could refuse the assignment and become a free agent. "I have a couple of days to decide what I'm going to do," he said this afternoon in the O's clubhouse. "It's tough because you want to be here in the big leagues. But I'm not playing much here so, if you have to go down somewhere and play to get more at-bats, you definitely have to think about...