Zach Britton is trying to make it four straight quality starts for the Orioles' pitching staff tonight against the Angels. Over the last three games Alfredo Simon, Jeremy Guthrie and Tommy Hunter have worked to a combined ERA of 1.71. They have pitched a total of 21 innings giving up 16 hits and four runs with seven walks and 24 strikeouts. So far, Britton has blanked the Angels through three innings on 52 pitches. He threw 17 in the first, 10 in the second and 25 in the third when he...

So much for playing small ball. The Orioles tried it in the third inning last night, scored twice, and decided to go back to mashing tonight. J.J. Hardy's two-run shot in the first inning gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead against Angels starter Ervin Santana, and gave Hardy a career-high 27 home runs. Mark Reynolds hit his 34th homer later in the inning, a three-run shot that increased the lead to 5-0. Reynolds ties Miguel Tejada (2004) for the most home runs by an Oriole in a single season in...

The Orioles have four sacrifice bunts in the entire month of September and Matt Angle has two of them. He also had a bunt single and double in Wednesday's win over Tampa Bay and is 6-for-7 stealing bases for the Orioles. While Angle is hitting just .173, at 9-for-52 in 19 major league games, he has made a positive impact on this team with his speed and defense. "Power has never been a huge part of my game at any level so I've had to try and adapt. Use speed and use it any way I can,...

Manager Buck Showalter fielded a variety of questions during his pregame session with the media, beginning with the latest on center fielder Adam Jones. I'll pass along a few of his quotes. "Adam had an MRI at 2:30 and I have not heard the results of that," Showalter said. "I don't think he's here yet, so who knows? That lineup could change back to him being in it. I don't know. "We could have pushed it. Different situation, he'd probably try to play through it, but I do think the...

Here are the lineups for tonight's game with Stephen Strasburg making his third start of the season, as the Nationals entertain the Florida Marlins: Marlins: Bonifacio - SS Infante - 2B Stanton - RF Morrison - LF Sanchez - 1B Petersen - CF Buck - C Dominguez - 3B Volstad - P Nationals: Desmond - SS Bernadina - RF Zimmerman - 3B Morse - LF Werth - CF Espinosa - 2B Marrero - 1B Ramos - C Strasburg - P

Nationals manager Davey Johnson said before Game Two against Florida Saturday that he will release some of the pitching restrictions the team has had on starter Stephen Strasburg in his first two starts this season as he returns from Tommy John surgery. "I have got a much longer leash," Johnson said. "I will probably let him get over 70 (pitches). It just depends on what I am seeing. I was more worried the first two times out in the big leagues with the pressure of all the publicity coming...

Buck Showalter mentioned the Single-A Frederick Keys in his postgame comments last night and he spent some time today talking about the new Carolina League champions, who wrapped up their series with Kinston winning 11-3 last night. Showalter had praise for the talented 19-year-old, middle infield duo of shortstop Manny Machado and second baseman Jonathan Schoop. "I was thinking today about Machado and Schoop, They have probably played close to 150 games counting the playoffs," Showalter...

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz is scheduled to start Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Jeremy Guthrie will start Game 1. Matusz hasn't pitched since allowing five runs and five hits in 1 1/3 innings in a Sept. 5 game at Yankee Stadium. He's 1-7 with a 9.84 ERA in 43 innings, with 68 hits, 19 walks, 33 strikeouts and a 2.02 WHIP. He's allowed five earned runs or more in his last six starts, and six earned runs or more in four of six. Matusz has...

Adam Jones isn't in tonight's lineup. He's having an MRI on his right thumb today. Matt Angle gets the start in center field. Nolan Reimold is starting in left. For the Orioles: Matt Angle CF J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 3B Mark Reynolds 1B Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton LHP

If you're not familiar with Gar Ryness by name, you're probably at least familiar with his work. The YouTube sensation, better know as Batting Stance Guy, has created a niche with his spot-on mimicry of the batting stances of major leaguers past and present. Go ahead and admit it - you wished you'd have thought of it first, especially since you probably did the same thing as you were growing up in the pre-YouTube (and Internet, computer and pretty much all technology) days. Whether you...