For the second day in a row, the Orioles fell behind in the game at Kansas City. But, for the second day in a row, the Orioles won. The Birds beat the Royals 5-3 today as they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to sweep the brief two-game series. The Orioles, who began the day tied for first with Tampa Bay at 24-14, have now won three in a row, five of seven and 11 of their past 16 games. The Orioles are now 17-7 over the last 24 games. At 25-14, the Orioles are 11 games over the .500 mark for the...

Jordan Zimmermann is on the mound tonight for the Nationals, who are looking to sweep the brief two-game series from Pittsburgh. Zimmermann is seeking his second victory in a row after dropping his previous two starts. For the Nationals: Ian Desmond SS Roger Bernadina LF Ryan Zimmerman 3B Adam LaRoche 1B Bryce Harper RF Danny Espinosa 2B Rick Ankiel CF Jesus Flores C Jordan Zimmermann RHP For the Pirates: Jose Tabata LF Neil Walker 2B Andrew McCutchen CF Pedro Alvarez 3B Garrett Jones...

The Yankees have claimed infielder Matt Antonelli off waivers from the Orioles, who designated him for assignment last week to make room for outfielder Xavier Avery on the 40-man roster. The writing was on the wall for Antonelli when the Orioles bypassed him twice at Triple-A Norfolk for non-roster players Steve Tolleson and Bill Hall. Antonelli, signed as a minor league free agent Nov. 21, batted .204/.351/.280 with four doubles, one homer and seven RBIs in 29 games with the Tides. Antonelli...

Brian Matusz retired the first six batters he faced today in Kansas City. The first three batters in the third inning conspired to create a 2-0 deficit for him and the Orioles. Alcides Escobar reached on an infield hit, Irving Falu singled and Humberto Quintero doubled over center fielder Adam Jones' head to score two runs. Escobar, Falu and Quintero. Not exactly Murderers' Row, but they killed any chance Matusz had of taking a shutout into the fourth. Quintero took third on the throw,...

You look at Xavier Nady's season numbers, and they're still less than ideal. Far less than ideal. Nady is batting just .147, has a .489 OPS and has driven in only four runs in 68 at-bats. But if you look at the last few games, you'll see that perhaps the Nationals' veteran outfielder is slowly starting to trend upward. Nady now has home runs in each of his last two games and has driven in a run in three of his last five contests. His average - down to .119 on May 6 - has jumped nearly 30...

To say the least, it has been a strange year for Kansas City right-hander Luke Hochevar. He enters today's start against the Orioles with a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 7.20. On the stat sheet, it looks like the O's have a great chance to score a bunch of runs today. Yet, in four of his seven starts, Hochevar has allowed two earned runs or less and he pitched seven scoreless his last time out against the White Sox. In the two games before that start against Chicago, he gave up 19 hits and 16...

Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty is starting at third base today, as the Orioles go for the two-game sweep in Kansas City. And while attempting to do so in fewer than 20 innings. Matt Wieters gets the day off after catching 15 innings last night. For the Orioles: Xavier Avery LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Wilson Betemit DH Chris Davis 1B Robert Andino 2B Ryan Flaherty 3B Luis Exposito C Brian Matusz LHP For the Royals: Jarrod Dyson CF Johnny Giavotella DH Billy Butler...

The Orioles are fast approaching the quarter-pole of the 2012 season, and I'm sure many fans are asking themselves these questions: Are the Orioles for real? Can they keep this up? Or are they pulling the wool over our eyes, and will the team that we've seen for the last 14 years make an appearance? Right now, I'd say they are for real. I am still having a hard time believing it. The Orioles are winning games that would not have won in the past, plus they are getting excellent starting...

So far this season, a lot of things have gone right for the Nationals. The starting pitching has been phenomenal. The relievers, for the most part, have been very strong, as well, despite missing their two best closer options to injury most of the season. And the hitting - well, it looks like it might be coming around. Actually, they've been pretty good all season getting runners on base; it's been getting 'em in that's been the problem most nights. As the weather starts to heat up though,...

What is it about Adam Jones and extra-inning homers? He bashed the three-run shot in the 17th at Fenway Park and hit the solo blast in the 15th inning that just landed somewhere in Kansas City last night. According to Elias, Jones is first player to hit two game-winning homers in the 15th inning or later in the same season since Mark McGwire in 1988. In 38 games, Jones is now batting .295 with 12 homers, 24 RBIs, a .590 slugging percentage and .931 OPS. Jones has hit nine of his 12 homers...