Tommy Hunter held the Royals to two runs over seven innings in his last start, but he's not as sharp tonight. Hunter has allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings, with no walks and three strikeouts. He's thrown 96 pitches, 65 for strikes. This will be the third time in four outings that Hunter has failed to register a quality start. The Orioles gave him a 5-2 lead, but Boston scored three runs in the sixth, beginning with David Ortiz's home run onto Eutaw St. Ortiz took a big swing,...

PHILADELPHIA - Ian Desmond has provided the offense. And despite a quickly rising pitch count, Gio Gonzalez has done the job on the mound. The Nationals have a 2-0 lead after four innings thanks to a solo home run and RBI single by Desmond and a really sharp start by Gonzalez, who has struck out eight Phillies hitters. Desmond is now 5-for-8 with four RBIs since being moved into the No. 5 spot in the Nats order. Gonzalez, meanwhile, has needed 76 pitches to get through four innings, but...

The Orioles tonight are looking for their sixth win over the last seven games, their 14th win in 20 games and to improve to 20-8 over the last 28 games. They used three singles and three Clay Buchholz walks to take a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the third tonight. Buchholz retired the first six batters he faced, but looked more like the pitcher who entered this outing with an ERA of 7.77 in that inning. The crowd is not big tonight and I bet that will be a topic of conversation for some fans. My...

Matt Wieters grounded out to Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks in the second inning. The funk continues. Wieters is 0-for-19 and 4-for-41. Is he banged up from that violent collision at home plate? "No more than usual," manager Buck Showalter said. "We gave him a full day off yesterday. I didn't want to even pinch hit unless we had a chance to win the game. As you've seen, we've tried to back off him as much as possible. Sometimes to a fault. "I think it's part of something we...

PHILADELPHIA - There's a slight drizzle coming down here at Citizens Bank Park, but it looks like we'll likely avoid any heavy stuff and should be able to get tonight's game in. Unless I just jinxed it, and the sky suddenly opens up, which will probably happen. Bryce Harper will get his first taste of Philadelphia tonight, and the Nationals' outfielder says he's legitimately excited to play in this city and this ballpark over the next few days. "It's going to be a great experience,"...

PHILADELPHIA - If Stephen Strasburg taking part in a game of Ultimate Frisbee on the field at Citizens Bank Park wasn't indication enough that the Nationals' ace is feeling just fine health-wise, manager Davey Johnson confirmed today that his ace came out of yesterday's start OK. Johnson said he wasn't really concerned about Strasburg's status, and he doesn't expect there to be any lingering effects from Strasburg's biceps tightness/overall fatigue. "He's going to make his next...

Orioles reliever Matt Lindstrom is eligible to come off the disabled list this Saturday but it could take a little longer than that for his return. Lindstrom has a partial tear in a ligament in the middle finger on his right hand and provided reporters with an update this afternoon. "The latest is that my finger is pain-free," Lindstrom said. "The biggest thing they told me is I need to be careful to let that ligament heal a bit better. Kind of a waiting period right now. I've been doing...

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts hasn't played in a game since May 16, 2011, but he's nearing an injury-rehab assignment in the minors. Roberts and manager Buck Showalter won't reveal an exact date that Roberts would report to an affiliate, but they've got a pretty good idea. "We talk every day," Showalter said. "Probably a little more informed than what Brian is going to talk about publicly. Like I said earlier, it's more a matter of when and not if. "Hopefully, that's...

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NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY APPLICABLE FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED. OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL U.S. RESIDENTS PHYISCALLY LOCATED AND RESIDING IN THE FIFTY (50) UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER. 1. TO ENTER FROM YOUR...