The Orioles tried to get back into tonight's game. Too bad they tried to pitch to Josh Hamilton again in the seventh inning. With his team trailing, 5-1, manager Buck Showalter removed Jake Arrieta and brought in left-hander Zach Phillips to pitch to Hamilton with one on and one out. Hamilton promptly launched his third home run of the night, giving him six RBIs and giving the Rangers a 7-1 lead. Left-handed batters were 2-for-20 against Phillips last season, but Hamilton must not have read...

Outside of the two long solo homers allowed by Edwin Jackson tonight, he really delivered a strong outing. The Nationals starter went seven innings, allowing just the two solo shots to Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones in the fourth inning. He gave up just three Pirates hits, walked one and struck out five. The pitches to McCutchen and Jones were both demolished, but little else tonight was hit hard by Pirates hitters. Unfortunately for Jackson, he finds himself in a tie game as he watches...

Well, that didn't take long. Jake Arrieta, who tossed eight scoreless innings in his last start in New York, served up a two-run homer to Josh Hamilton in the top of the first. Rangers 2, Orioles 0. The big mistake was walking Elvis Andrus with one out. Hamilton followed with his 11th homer, the ball eluding Adam Jones' leaping attempt and clearing the center field fence. The Orioles stranded two runners in the bottom of the first, but they worked Rangers starter Neftali Feliz for 27...

Lefty pitcher Zach Phillips was back in the Orioles clubhouse today. After being among the last roster cuts at the very end of spring training, Phillips has been activated tonight and recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in time for the game versus Texas with Jason Berken returning to Triple-A Norfolk. Phillips was acquired by the Orioles last July for minor leaguer Nick Green and pitched to an ERA of 1.13 in ten games last year. The 25-year-old had no record with an ERA of 4.15 and three saves...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled LHP Zach Phillips and optioned RHP Jason Berken to Triple-A Norfolk. Phillips, 25, has recorded three saves and pitched to a 4.15 ERA (13.0IP, 6ER) in nine games for the Tides this season. He pitched to a 1.13 ERA (8.0IP, ER) for the Orioles in 10 games last season after being acquired from Texas on July 19. Berken, 28, allowed seven runs (two earned) in one inning of work last night in his first appearance of the season for the Orioles

Miguel Tejada signed his minor league deal with the Orioles today and served as the designated hitter in an extended spring training game. That's all I know. I'd pass along his stats if I had them. Manager Buck Showalter hasn't said much about Tejada, who contacted the Orioles seeking a tryout after being unable to land a major league deal. "You can talk to Dan (Duquette)," Showalter said. "I know Dan was dealing with Miguel and his agent. He told me about it over in Boston. I know...

How's this for a Mother's Day present? The Nationals and Major League Baseball have announced that Laurie Jo Neary, a mother of three who was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in 2008, is the winner of the team's Honorary Bat Girl program. The program recognizes baseball fans who have been affected by breast cancer and have demonstrated a commitment to "Going to Bat" in the fight against the deadly disease. Neary was diagnosed with the breast cancer four years ago and has since undergone...

Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold has been on the disabled list since May 4 (retroactive to May 1) with a herniated disk in his cervical spine. He is eligible to come off the DL on May 16 and will likely play in some minor league games before his return to the active roster. "Right now, I feel alright," Reimold said this afternoon. "As far as all this goes, the top of my forearm is still numb and my thumb is numb. Other than that, just some aches in the shoulder area. I took a dosepak and...

The Nationals are bringing on another Scott Boras client. Michael Gonzalez, a left-handed reliever who has spent nine seasons in the big leagues, has agreed to a minor league deal with the Nats, the team announced. Gonzalez will report to the Nationals' Viera, Fla., complex. He has previously spent time with the Rangers, Orioles, Braves and Pirates, posting a career line of 17-21 with a 2.94 ERA and 56 saves. Two of the last three seasons, however, Gonzalez's ERA has been above...

After a stretch where he has just one hit over his last four games and 17 at-bats, Nick Markakis is now batting .230 on the year with three homers, 11 RBIs and an OPS of .687 in 29 games. After driving in 60 runs in 2010 and 73 last year, Markakis has just three RBIs over his last 13 games and is not giving the Orioles your standard three-spot batting order production right now. But manager Buck Showalter said today he is not considering moving Markakis to another spot in the lineup at this...