BOSTON - You can point the finger in a lot of different directions when figuring all the ways that the Orioles have bolted to a 16-9 start. The club's bullpen deserves a big hand. Orioles relievers have combined to post a 1.73 ERA heading into Friday night's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the lowest figure in the majors. They've permitted only seven earned runs in their last 53 innings, including a perfect ninth last night from closer Jim Johnson, which largely went unnoticed in...

During the offseason and into spring training, if you asked 100 Nationals fans which middle infielder they would be concerned with having to replace at some point in the 2012 season, I'd venture to guess 98 of them would have replied, "Ian Desmond." Their answer is not without basis. Desmond has had challenges both offensively and defensively as he continues to try to establish himself as a starting shortstop in the major leagues. This season, Desmond, 26, isn't really burning things...

The Orioles began a grueling part of their schedule Monday. It began with the three games they just played in New York to be followed by three games this weekend in Boston. They then return home for four with Texas, three with Tampa Bay and two more with New York. That is a stretch of 15 games against four teams that all could win 90 or more games this year and be playoff teams. Counting the Yankees' record of 12-9 at the start of the series with the Orioles, those four teams have a combined...

Well, for fans of the Orioles, the calendar has flipped from April to May and it has been a surprising season so far. As of this morning, the Orioles are flying high with a 16-9 record, and sit one game behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East standings. There are some very compelling and unexpected storylines in the game today, and the Orioles definitely qualify as of one them. Seriously, I do not think many fans, media or so-called experts thought that this team...

If you're an Orioles fan, you can pinch yourself this morning -but it might hurt, because the Orioles really did win a series in the Bronx by outscoring the Yankees 12-1 the last two nights. They left New York with a record of 16-9, going seven games over .500 for the first time since July 19, 2005. They continued their season-opening run of good baseball and amazing pitching in New York. There are plenty of other stats worth noting after last night's game: * The Yankees entered this...

As Davey Johnson recapped last night's thrilling 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks during his postgame press conference, he started rattling off names of guys who had contributed to the walk-off victory. Johnson touched on starter Edwin Jackson, who didn't have his best stuff but still kept his team in the game. He mentioned Ian Desmond, the hero, whose two-out homer in the ninth set off a wild celebration at home plate. Then, Johnson paused. "And what about the kid?" he said, a smile...

NEW YORK - I'd just like to point out that I've got a 5-2 road record this season. Chicago couldn't take me. Neither could New York. So what have you got, Boston? I'm getting ready to board another train, where I'll spend about four hours blogging, tweeting, reading or sleeping. I may do all four and shoot for the Mount Rushmore of rail travel. The Orioles are off today, but you can bet that Robert Andino will be in Friday's lineup, and he'll be batting ninth again. Manager Buck...

Shortstop Ian Desmond kept going back to belief. It was Tuesday night, after another rough loss where the pitching staff had done their job for the most part, but the Nationals bats had stayed cold. Standing in front of his locker in the Nationals clubhouse, Desmond looked for ways to explain how his team had managed only seven runs in five games. He said that his teammates would not be going 4-for-4 every game or hitting home run after home run. He talked about being surrounded by major...

It's incredibly early. We're just one month into the season, and there are plenty more games to be played. But is it possible that coming off five straight losses, four of which were incredibly close, hard-fought defeats, that the Nationals needed a win like tonight's? Is it reading too much into things to say that after struggling so mightily on offense the last week that the Nats needed this type of performance from their hitters to wake them out of a trance? "Oh, we needed it, no doubt...

NEW YORK - You only had to look 60 feet, 6 inches to find two of the key components in the Orioles' 5-0 victory over the Yankees. Jake Arrieta tore through the Yankees' lineup, shutting them out on five hits over eight innings, walking none and striking out nine. Catcher Matt Wieters guided Arrieta through yet another quality start by the Orioles and added a home run, double, single, walk and two RBIs. "He was great," Wieters said of Arrieta, who hadn't won since Opening Day. "He had a...