It's football weather here at Camden Yards, but the Orioles played inspired baseball in the second inning. They sent nine batters to the plate. They collected six hits. They kept taking extra bases. And they scored five runs to build a nice lead for Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. Adam Jones, Wilson Betemit, Chris Davis and Ronny Paulino strung together singles before Oakland starter Tyson Ross recorded his first out. Davis' single brought home one run. Paulino's delivered two...

Frank Robinson had a busy afternoon at Camden Yards. Between the unveiling of his statue in left-center field today and before an on-field ceremony before tonight's game he spent some time at a press conference and talked about today's honor. "Since this is going to be a lifetime thing as far as the statue is concerned, it ranks right up there with the Hall of Fame," Robinson said. "It is a tremendous honor, it's something you don't think about and when you hear about it and that they...

Bryce Harper, the 2010 No. 1 pick, will make his major league debut. Stephen Strasburg, the 2009 No. 1 pick, will be on the mound. Matt Kemp, who leads the universe in hitting with a .452 average and 10 home runs, will hit third for Los Angeles. The Nationals and Dodgers are both in first place in their respective divisions. Is this just about as exciting as an April baseball game can get, or what? The eyes of a large part of the baseball world will be on the Nats-Dodgers game tonight, as...

Here are some excerpts from an Orioles press release with comments from the other National Baseball Hall of Famers from the club on Frank Robinson: Brooks Robinson: "I am thrilled that Frank is being honored today with this statue. He was a fantastic player. His arrival put us over the hump and turned us into a championship team. He has also had numerous accomplishments after his playing days including being named the first African-American manager in Major League history. His work in the...

The grounds crew is peeling the tarp off the field. I guess that's a good sign, though the forecast is pretty bad, from what I've been told. One of the loudest ovations during today's ceremony for the unveiling of Frank Robinson's statue came when the Hall of Famer proclaimed that "The Oriole Way was the correct way." You don't have to convince manager Buck Showalter, who has long admired Robinson and stays in contact with him. Showalter attended today's ceremony, along with first...

He was the first Oriole to have his number retired and today Frank Robinson was the first to have his statue unveiled in the picnic area in left center field at Camden Yards. Here are some of Robinson's comments during that ceremony: "When I came over here, I was one person, one man. But I did say this was a good team before I got here. With these guys, they made it easy. We had fun playing the game. We played the game the Oriole Way and the Oriole Way is the correct way of playing the...

I'm not going to lie, it was a little strange typing Bryce Harper into the lineup that you see below. I'm still not used to the 19-year-old phenom being in the Nationals' batting order, and I'm probably not the only one. Harper will bat seventh and play left field in his major league debut tonight, and he'll take his hacks off Dodgers righty Chad Billingsley, who is 2-0 with a 3.04 ERA so far this season. The Nationals will send Stephen Strasburg to the hill, as he looks to notch his...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter had to piece together his lineup tonight while taking into account all the injuries and illnesses that are picking apart his team. Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis are experiencing the same flu-like symptoms that have swept through the clubhouse. Wieters was going to rest tomorrow, but Showalter chose to sit him tonight because of the cold and rainy conditions. Wieters will catch tomorrow. Markakis is being kept out of right field for the same reason, making him...

The Washington Nationals today recalled outfielder Bryce Harper from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to April 21, with right shoulder inflammation. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. The 19-year-old Harper is expected to make his debut during tonight's game in Los Angeles-NL. The first-overall selection in the 2010...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is breaking out an interesting lineup tonight, with Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty making his first major league start in right field and Nick Markakis serving as the designated hitter. Ronny Paulino is starting behind the plate, with Matt Wieters listed among the reserves. For the Orioles: Nolan Reimold LF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis DH Adam Jones CF Wilson Betemit 3B Chris Davis 1B Ronny Paulino C Ryan Flaherty RF Robert Andino 2B Wei-Yin Chen LHP