After making a strong first impression last night by smacking a pinch hit, opposite-field double in his first major league at-bat, Jhonatan Solano will get another first tonight: he'll make his first big league start behind the plate. Solano will catch Chien-Ming Wang and hit eighth for manager Davey Johnson. Perhaps because of his past success against Marlins starter Josh Johnson, Roger Bernadina will get his first start since May 19 and will play right field, while Bryce Harper will move...

As expected, Nick Markakis will sit out tonight's game while nursing a sore right wrist. Endy Chavez will play left field and Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty will start in right. Chris Davis will bat third, as Markakis vacates the lineup for the first time this season. For the Orioles: Endy Chavez LF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis DH Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Wilson Betemit 3B Ryan Flaherty RF Robert Andino 2B Jason Hammel RHP For the Blue Jays: Yunel Escobar SS Colby Rasmus...

Last night, the Nationals squared off against Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez, who still has never lost to the Nats in what's now 19 career starts. Who do the Nats face tonight as they look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Fish? None other than Josh Johnson, who has never lost to the Nationals in 14 career starts. Fantastic. Johnson has gone 7-0 with a 3.14 ERA in his career against Washington, striking out 82 Nats over 83 innings pitched. The righty's 2012 numbers have been...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed in a text message today that right fielder Nick Markakis is scheduled to have his right wrist examined by a hand specialist tomorrow in Sarasota during the club's off day. X-rays taken on Markakis' wrist came back negative. Markakis' status for tonight's series finale in Toronto remains unknown. Manager Buck Showalter won't post his lineup until later this afternoon. Markakis has started all 50 games this season - 48 in right field...

Left-hander Matt Purke made his professional debut Wednesday at Greensboro for the low Single-A Hagerstown Suns. Purke allowed a controversial two-run homer that appeared foul, and an RBI double, leaving after five innings with the Suns down 5-3. He finished scattering seven hits, allowing five runs, five walks and struck out one on an estimated 83 pitches. The home run appeared close to being or could have been a foul ball, according to a club source. Manager Brian Daubach argued the...

When it comes to projecting what might happen in the First-Year Player Draft, few are more clued in and informed then Jim Callis of Baseball America. With the first-round of the draft set for Monday night, Callis is projecting that the Orioles will wind up with a college pitcher with the fourth pick in round one. "So much can change between now and the draft," Callis said. "But I still think Mark Appel, the Stanford right-hander, is going one (to Houston). Still think Byron Buxton the...

It's kind of hard to believe, given his impressive 3.17 ERA and six quality starts in 10 outings, but Edwin Jackson still has just one win on the season. Over his last five starts, Jackson has allowed just 10 earned runs in 33 2/3 innings (a 2.67 ERA) with a .212 batting average against, a 0.96 WHIP and a 24/7 strikeout to walk ratio. He's 0-2 in that five-game span. The poor guy can't buy a victory. Jackson had another shot at one last night, leading 1-0 in the sixth inning, but allowed...

There was a time back in 2005 when I worked at a Major League Baseball team apparel store for extra money before leaving for college. This store specialized in Chicago Cubs gear, but it was that store that garnered my appreciation for team logos and memorabilia from the past. Numerous retailers attempt to recreate some of the most unique logos in baseball history on caps, t-shirts, jerseys, plaques, and just about anything you can think of - and the novelty to that is the fact that baseball is...

At the moment, all is not well in Birdland. Four straight losses, seven losses in 10, three straight dropped series. Starting pitching - the bedrock of early success - suddenly seems quite vulnerable. The great unmeasurable of clutch performance feels measurable in the wrong way. And yet, all is good. I promise it is. Cast your memory to the preseason and recall that most analysts predicted a dismal campaign. Some even went so far as to say that the Orioles would lose 100 games. Even the...

The Orioles are still tied for first place in the American League East. They lost last night, Tampa Bay lost last night and no ground was lost. That's the good news. There isn't much of it to pass along these days. I'll give Jake Arrieta credit for not blaming plate umpire Doug Eddings for last night's terrible outing. Interviewed on MASN after the Orioles' 8-6 loss, Arrieta credited Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Romero for adjusting to Eddings' lousy strike zone and not letting it...