The Orioles were expected to option third catcher Luis Exposito to make room for a reliever, but baseball can be unpredictable. Exposito is now the second catcher. Ronny Paulino, who won the backup job in spring training while Taylor Teagarden dealt with a lower-back injury, will be the primary starter at Triple-A Norfolk. Didn't see that one coming. "They both had options," manager Buck Showalter said. "Ronny, we just want to get him catching for a period of time, get him back there...

Pitcher Stu Pomeranz seemed pretty low-key today when talking about his fast rise this season - from a pitcher with Double-A Bowie that just got to Triple-A about 10 days ago and now is with the Orioles and has been activated today. When he gets into his first Orioles game, he will make his major league debut at 27. He had some personal issues and some injuries in recent years and admitted this afternoon there were plenty of times when he figured he would never make it onto a major league...

Manager Buck Showalter hasn't named a replacement for Tommy Hunter in the Orioles' rotation. He told reporters today that Jason Berken is a possibility. The club could call up a starter from the minors. That decision is pending. Hunter must stay with Triple-A Norfolk for a minimum of 10 days unless he's recalled to replace an injured player. To recap: Hunter and Ronny Paulino were optioned to Norfolk. Berken was recalled, and Stu Pomeranz had his contract purchased. The Orioles have a...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Jason Berken, selected the contract of right-hander Stu Pomeranz from Triple-A Norfolk, and optioned catcher Ronny Paulino and right-hander Tommy Hunter to the Tides. left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Pomeranz on the 40-man roster. Berken, 28, is being recalled for the second time this season (also April 25-27). He has pitched to a 1.23 ERA (22.0IP, 3ER) in five starts...

Jayson Werth, who suffered a broken left wrist while diving for a ball in last night's loss to the Phillies, was set to have surgery today, an industry source confirmed this afternoon. The surgery is expected to keep Werth out somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 weeks, which means the Nationals right fielder is not expected to return until August. Werth was examined by a specialist today, and was expected to consult with the Mayo Clinic. The 32-year-old Werth had played in all but one game...

With the media crowd that was gathered around Chris Davis' locker a few minutes, you had to figure he must have done something big lately. "I had about 60 texts after the game from people just giving me a hard time, (saying) I should have been pitching this whole time and the usual stuff. But everyone said they were proud of the way I hung in there and proud of the way the team has been playing," Davis said a day after his two-inning scoreless outing at Boston. "It was a lot of fun. In...

The Orioles are making room for reliever Jason Berken by optioning starter Tommy Hunter to Triple-A Norfolk. Hunter is 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA. He lasted only 4 1/3 innings yesterday in Boston, allowing five runs and eight hits, walking one and striking out two. He's allowed nine home runs in 36 innings. Hunter said his toe and back are fine. His issues aren't related to his health. He just needs to pitch better. Catcher Luis Exposito is in tonight's lineup, so he hasn't been optioned. It...

The Orioles apparently will make two roster moves today. Jason Berken is running sprints in the outfield with Stu Pomeranz before batting practice at Camden Yards. It looks like he's being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, though we're still waiting for the Orioles to send out a news release. They're most likely going to wait until closer to the first pitch to make sure the weather doesn't interrupt their plans. I think they're safe, but they're usually cautious when it comes to...

I swear, this is my last entry on the Cole Hamels/Bryce Harper plunking and subsequent stealing of home. Well, that is until someone else steps in and tosses more fuel on the fire and makes this an even bigger deal. Hey, it could happen. This story has taken on a life of its own over the last 14 hours or so, after Hamels admitted that he hit Harper on purpose because he wanted to carry on the "old school" way of handling things and then Nationals GM Mike Rizzo called out Hamels, telling the...

A week ago, before the awakening of his bat this weekend in Boston, I was despairing about Mark Reynolds, his lack of hitting and his woeful glove. I wondered how bad he really was and hypothesized that he must be the worst player in baseball based on his simultaneous poor performances in the field and at the plate. I went to Fangraphs.com and sorted all batters in terms of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) which puts value on players while incorporating thier offense and defense. I was pleasantly...