Red Sox manager Terry Francona called upon closer Jonathan Papelbon to get a five-out save tonight. He got a blown save instead. Robert Andino lined a three-run double into the right field corner with two outs and the count full to give the Orioles a 7-5 lead in the eighth inning. Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds singled off Daniel Bard. Francona brought in Papelbon with one out, and the right-hander responded by getting a called third strike on Chris Davis. Plate umpire Mark Wegner's...

Rick VandenHurk's second start with the Orioles this month didn't do much to enhance his standing within the organization. VandenHurk couldn't record an out in the fourth inning and he couldn't hold a 4-1 lead. Jo-Jo Reyes replaced him with runners on first and second, no outs and the Orioles ahead, 4-3. Jacoby Ellsbury singled to load the bases. Reyes struck out Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez appeared to bounce into a 3-6-3 double play, but first baseman Mark Reynolds missed catcher...

Nice move by Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Only a few hours before Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park, Johnson decided to switch the starters for each game. Tommy Milone pitched the opener and tossed six innings of shutout ball. Ross Detwiler took the nightcap. Did he ever. The Nationals swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies behind a career night from Detwiler in a 3-0 nightcap victory. Davey Johnson talks to Debbi Taylor after the Nationals' shutout...

It's tough to get a group of sportswriters and broadcasters to agree on anything, but I don't recall many divided opinions in the Most Valuable Oriole voting that takes place during the final month of every season. The second- and third-place finishers can bring a heated debate, but the winner usually takes the honor by a fairly wide margin. Luke Scott was the overwhelming choice last year, though at least two voters refused to pick him. Something about his .214 average with runners in...

Two Orioles made the list of the top 20 prospects in the Gulf Coast League as selected by Baseball America, which released the list today. Outfielder Roderick Bernadina was ranked 12th and pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez 18th. Both were international signings. Bernadina, who turned 19 on Aug. 10, is from Curacao and the 18-year-old Rodriguez is from Venezuela. Bernardina hit .239 in 51 games for the GCL Orioles with 14 doubles, three triples, four homers and 28 RBIs. He had an OPS of...

Rick VandenHurk fell behind, 1-0, tonight after facing three Red Sox batters. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez in the first inning gave Boston an early lead. Gonzalez is 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run lifetime against VandenHurk, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 10 in Toronto. That's what you would call extended rest. VandenHurk lasted only 2 1/3 innings in his last start, allowing three runs and three hits - including two home runs - and walking...

Adam Jones is starting in center field tonight and Mark Reynolds is back at first base. The lineup looks fairly normal again. Jones hasn't started since Sept. 9 because of a sprained right thumb. For the Orioles: Robert Andino 2B J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 1B Chris Davis 3B Nolan Reimold LF Rick VandenHurk RHP VandenHurk hasn't pitched since Sept. 10 in Toronto, when he allowed three runs and three hits, including two...

Checking in with some stats and notes before the Orioles and Red Sox meet in Game 3 of their series tonight. * Over his last six games, Chris Davis is 9-for-24 (.375) with a homer and four RBIs. Over his last 10 games, Davis is batting .395 (15-for-38) with six doubles, a homer, seven RBIs and five multi-hit games. * Vlad Guerrero is batting .406 (13-for-32) during an eight-game batting streak. Over his past 14 games, Guerrero is 25-for-58 for an average of .431 with five doubles, one triple,...

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg may not have to wrap his season up with Friday's scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. Many believed that might be Strasburg's final start of the 2011 season. But according to MASN television announcer Bob Carpenter during Tuesday's Game 1 of the Phillies series, Strasburg could get the call in the Nationals' final game of the season Sept. 28 at Florida. Carpenter said he talked to general manager Mike Rizzo prior to...

The Nationals reinstated right-handed pitcher Ryan Mattheus from the 15-day disabled list before their scheduled doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Mattheus said Saturday his simulated game went well. He threw 25 pitches to a pair of hitters and said he expected to get in back in a regulation game very soon. That could happen earlier than might have been expected, as Mattheus will be available today. Mattheus has been out since Aug. 26 with a right shoulder strain....