For a while, the Orioles bullpen had the best ERA in the majors and/or the American League. Yesterday, before the game, the Orioles' bullpen ERA of 2.87 ranked second-best in the AL, but after giving up 12 runs in the 19-7 loss at Minnesota, the Orioles' bullpen ERA is up to 3.16 and they have fallen all the way to fifth in AL. 2.75 - Oakland 3.04 - Boston 3.13 - Seattle 3.14 - Kansas City 3.16 - Orioles In four games since the All-Star break, Orioles starters have pitched just 15 1/3...

The Orioles need a second baseman, and since they have a fondness for signing veterans to Triple-A contracts, I'm recommending Rich Dauer, Billy Smith, Lenn Sakata or Davey Johnson - if he tires of that managing gig down the road. RIP Alan Wiggins. Brian Roberts remains on the disabled list and is facing the very real possibilty that he'll need surgery to repair a labral tear in his right hip. Robert Andino is going on the DL today with a strained left shoulder that's expected to keep him...

Think the Nationals will be happy to be done with the Marlins for a while? They've averaged just 2.8 runs per game against the Marlins this season and 4.3 runs per game against everyone else. They're 4-5 against Miami and 47-30 against everyone else. They're 2-5 at Marlins Park and 25-18 at every other road ballpark. Yeah, it'll be nice not to see Ozzie Guillen and his boys for a couple of weeks. The Marlins, on the other hand, have a .555 winning percentage against the Nats, and a...

High Single-A Potomac's Nathan Karns continues to put together a season that is grabbing the attention of the parent franchise. Karns fired six scoreless innings as the P-Nats dropped Lynchburg 14-0 at Pfitzner Stadium. The Hillcats managed just one hit against Potomac pitching and it was the Nationals' fourth shutout of the season. Karns improved to 5-2 by allowing just that one hit with two walks and six strikeouts. He has won five consecutive starts. His ERA is 2.12 and he has struck...

Left-hander John Lannan started off slowly at Triple-A Syracuse but then got into a nice rhythm, compiling six wins. Before the season started, Lannan sent out an email requesting a trade, following his demotion to Triple-A. He has been waiting for his shot back with the Nationals or to pitch well enough to get another team's attention, or both. The Nationals have a couple of doubleheaders coming up on the schedule where Lannan could get the opportunity to showcase his talents again with the...

Ryan Zimmerman is 3-for-3 with a single, a home run and a double. Danny Espinosa is 3-for-3 with a triple, a single and a double. The two guys are each a knock away from recording the cycle, and they've combined to drive in two of the Nationals' three runs so far tonight. The only problem is the Nats still trail 4-3 entering the seventh. Edwin Jackson wasn't his sharpest tonight, and a four-run Marlins third inning has then up entering the late-innings. Miami got on the board on Carlos...

Chris Tillman will fail again to win back-to-back decisions in the majors. That's because he failed to get out of the first inning tonight. The best he can hope for is a no-decision, and it's going to take one heck of a rally from the Orioles. Tillman lasted only two-thirds of an inning, the shortest outing of his career. He faced 10 batters and gave up seven runs and five hits, walked two and struck out one. Only one run was earned after Mark Reynolds failed to backhand Ryan Doumit's...

As the Orioles try to get some wins after a stretch where they have gone just 7-15 over their past 22 games, tonight they begin a four-game series with the team with the worst record in the American League. The Twins are 36-52 and have lost five in a row. They are just 5-12 this year against the AL East, 17-28 at home and 4-7 in July. Over the weekend, they were swept by Oakland in a three-game series and allowed nine homers to the A's, including eight in the past two games. The Orioles...

As the trade season hits full throttle before the non-waiver July 31 deadline, the Orioles say they are looking for a batter that can pump life into the top of the order and improve their on-base percentage (.302), which ranks 13th in the American League. Another on-base guy would be perfect for the Orioles, but the question is: What would the Orioles have to pay to get it done? Can they make a trade without giving up blue-chip prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado? Minnesota's Denard Span...

Chris Tillman has made 37 starts in the majors, but he has never won consecutive decisions. He's got a shot at it tonight at Target Field. Tillman won his first start with the Orioles this season, allowing two unearned runs in a career-high 8 1/3 innings on July 4 in Seattle. The Orioles optioned him to Double-A Bowie so he could pitch again during the All-Star break, and recalled him earlier today. Tillman threw 125 pitches in Seattle. According to the Orioles' PR staff, that's the...