Nick Markakis began today in a 6-for-33 stretch, without an RBI over his last eight games and with just one over his past 13 contests. But the Orioles right fielder delivered huge hits this afternoon in the eighth and 10th innings as the Orioles beat the Angels 3-2 in 10 innings. The win allowed the Orioles to finish their trip through Toronto, Chicago and Anaheim with a 6-4 record. The last time the Orioles had a winning record on a 10-game trip, they went 6-4 at Toronto, Minnesota and Boston...

Endy Chavez singled and scored the go-ahead run for the Orioles in the top of the eighth inning, using his speed to reward third base coach DeMarlo Hale for the aggressive send. With the score tied in the 10th, Robert Andino drew a leadoff walk against former Orioles reliever Latroy Hawkins and took second on Chavez's sacrifice bunt. Andino moved to third with two outs and scored on another Nick Markakis single. Orioles 3, Angels 2. To review: Chavez made a great running catch in left field...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter came out of the dugout in the sixth inning to protect Nick Markakis, who argued a strike call, and ended up getting tossed for the first time this season and the 20th in his career. Bench coach John Russell has taken over the managerial duties. Showalter isn't far away. He's just not in disguise. Showalter needed to vent. He's been upset with the strike zone at various times during this entire road trip, and especially in this series. He mentioned last...

The Orioles have not put any runs on the board so far today through five innings against Angels right-hander Dan Haren. They trail 1-0 after four and a half innings. The Orioles are just 3-for-17 at bat today with three singles and eight strikeouts and have put just one runner in scoring position. The Orioles' bats have been scuffling a bit since that late-game homer explosion Monday night at Chicago. In the five games since, they have scored just 15 runs on 31 hits with a team average of...

Endy Chavez saved a run in the bottom of the first inning today, and for a team that's been so bad defensively, it's worth pointing out and embracing and asking for a second date. Chavez broke back for the fence and made a running, backhanded catch to rob Albert Pujols with one out and a runner on second base. This isn't an usual occurrence for Chavez. I've seen him race into the gap and to the line to make outstanding catches. He's a plus-defender, which makes him a solid fourth...

There are both positives and negatives that can be taken out of this afternoon's rained-out series finale between the Nationals and Marlins. First, the pluses. Ryan Zimmerman was scheduled to get today off to give his inflamed right shoulder a chance to rest. Now, he'll get that break without needing to miss an additional game. The rainout means Zimmerman will go into Tuesday's series opener in San Diego on three days of rest and having only been out of the Nats' lineup once....

The Orioles have placed left-hander Dontrelle Willis on the restricted list at Triple-A Norfolk. He had been on the minor league seven-day disabled list with a left forearm strain, but was moved to the restricted list Friday. When asked if Willis is healthy enough to pitch now, a club official said, "Yes," but would not comment on exactly why Willis is on the restricted list. I'll make an assumption here that everything is not smooth for some reason right now between Willis and the club...

Nolan Reimold remains out of the lineup today because of neck spasms. He'll get extra rest tomorrow because the Orioles don't have a game scheduled. For the Orioles: Endy Chavez LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Chris Davis 1B Mark Reynolds DH Wilson Betemit 3B Ronny Paulino C Robert Andino 2B Wei-Yin Chen LHP

The rain is falling on the mound, It's falling on the plate, But when the Nats are 12 and 4, The next game's worth the wait. - Ted Leavengood There is nothing cloudy or damp about the superlatives being used to describe the Nationals' pitching staff. However, it is dedicated Nationals fans who are most aware of what it all means as they behold the endless parade of goose eggs, the never-ending lust for just one run, any run, no matter what it takes to make another great pitching...

Courtesy of the Orioles' PR staff: The last time the Orioles went on a 10-game road trip and finished with a record above .500 was Sept. 13-23, 2004, when they took two of three at Toronto and Minnesota and split four in Boston. The Orioles have not allowed a home run in their last 29 innings since Chicago's Alejandro De Aza went deep in the fourth inning Wednesday. It's the longest homerless stretch of the year by Orioles pitching. The Orioles have had consecutive three-error games for...