What would you rather have first, the good news or the bad news? Let's start with the positive stuff, just to kick the morning off right. Making his third rehab start since suffering a left hamstring injury back in spring training, Chien-Ming Wang went seven innings yesterday for Triple-A Syracuse, allowing two runs on eight hits and earning the win. Wang walked one, struck out one and threw 89 pitches, 61 for strikes. The good news ends there. Here comes the bad. The Nationals struck...

As we are seven weeks into the 2012 season, the Orioles are flying high with a 19-11 record, and are a half-game out of first in the American League East. Baltimore's fast start has given players like Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and Chris Davis some national attention. However, one name that I don't see mentioned a lot happens to be right-fielder Nick Markakis. It's almost like he has become an afterthought at this point. Now, Markakis did win a Gold Glove last season, and has always been...

I'm going to test your memories, which might seem unfair at this early hour. Remember when the Orioles were set in left field? Nolan Reimold was going to be the regular and get enough at-bats for the Orioles to properly evaluate him. Endy Chavez was going to spell him - making sure to put the E before the I - and give the club good defense. That plan has been put on hold. Reimold is on the disabled list with a herniated disk in his neck. Chavez is expected to join him today with a sore...

You'd think the Nationals caught a break when Pirates starter Erik Bedard, who entered the game with a 2.65 ERA, was pulled after just an inning-plus due to a back injury. That left the Nats eight innings to battle against Pittsburgh's bullpen. You'd think the Nats would have a decent shot at tying the game when they loaded the bases with just one out in the eighth, trailing 3-2. You'd think that if a Washington starter (Ross Detwiler, for example) allowed three runs in six innings - a...

We had a strikeout of the pitcher, who then reached on a wild pitch. We had a ball deflect off Ross Detwiler and go for a single. We had a 5-2-6 putout in which a runner was tagged out trying to score. We had a runner score from second on an infield single. Yeah, it was a strange bottom of the third inning. The Pirates lead 3-0 after three, and despite the fact that Pittsburgh starter Erik Bedard was pulled in the top of the second inning due to an apparent injury, the Nats still don't...

Tonight's game between the Orioles and Texas Rangers has been postponed due to rain. The teams will play a single-admission doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 4:05 p.m., with all gates opening at 3:00 p.m. The second game won't start before 7:05 p.m. Tickets for tonight's game may be exchanged for seats of equal value for tomorrow's doubleheader or any remaining non-prime home game during the 2012 season, subject to availability. Ticket exchanges must be made by June 30. The Oriole Park...

The tarp's on the field, it's pouring rain and the forecast is dismal. We won't start on time. Endy Chavez continues to receive treatment for a sore intercostal muscle, and it's quite possible that he goes on the disabled list. "Last night before the game, he said it was the best he's felt, but the last at-bat he felt it a little bit," manager Buck Showalter said. Showalter never confirms whether a player is unavailable because he wants the opposing manager to think he's operating...

The big question is: Can the Orioles slow down the Texas Rangers offense today when the teams play a doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m.? It has been a while since the Orioles have done that. They have lost seven in a row against the Rangers and have been outscored 70-18 in those games, giving up 13 runs or more four times. In that stretch, Texas has 101 hits, including 23 doubles and 16 homers, along with a team batting average of .378 against O's pitching. In the two games of this series,...

Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel is optimistic that he can avoid the disabled list if his next start is pushed back a few days. Hammel won't make tomorrow's scheduled start because of a sore right knee. An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage, but there's fluid in the knee that's required treatment. "Two or three starts, each start it's gotten progressively worse - more just fluid in my knee where it's stiff," Hammel said. "I can't really drive off my back leg. It was getting worse...

Former Oriole Brandon Snyder, now with Texas after being sold to that club by the Orioles in a cash transaction in January, had a good view of Josh Hamilton's historic four-homer game here on Tuesday night. "It was awesome," Snyder said. "I got to the see the first two from the dugout and actually the last two from the bullpen. We were sitting there saying 'wouldn't it be cool if he hit three.' Then he hit four. It was unbelievable. "He's one of the best players in this game for a...