I've been saving that one. Willie Eyre made his Orioles debut tonight, relieving left-hander Troy Patton with two runners on base and one out in the top of the eighth. The Tigers were looking to build on their 5-4 lead. Eyre was looking to make a good first impression. He made a great one. Eyre kept pumping four-seam fastballs, and he escaped the jam by striking out Magglio Ordonez and retiring Miguel Cabrera on a fly ball to center field. Eyre's fastball hit 93 mph on three occasions. He...

Shortstop J.J. Hardy has produced his third multi-homer game of the season and the seventh of his career. Bat him first. Bat him second. Just keep him in the lineup. Hardy took Tigers starter Brad Penny deep again in the bottom of the fifth inning to reduce Detroit's lead to 4-3. Adam Jones doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Vladimir Guerrero, who produced his first RBI since Aug. 3. Hardy also homered twice on July 26 and July 28 in Toronto. In between, he went 0-for-4 with...

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Nationals right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg looked stronger in his second rehab outing. He threw only 33 pitches, 26 strikes, in three innings of shutout work, allowing just two infield singles, no walks, and striking out five. His fastball was lethal again, consistently hitting 98 mph, and touching 99 mph in the second inning. After catching a grounder and throwing to first to end the third, Strasburg came off to a round of applause from the sold out crowd at Pfitzner...

Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta underwent successful surgery today to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. Orthopedic specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum handled the procedure in California. A team official said Arrieta is expected to be full-go for spring training, which is why it made sense for the pitcher to undergo surgery now instead of waiting until after the season or relying on cortisone injections and treatments. Arrieta will return to Baltimore before the season ends. Meanwhile, Tigers No....

Alfredo Simon did not get his start tonight off to a promising start. The right-hander gave up single runs in the first two innings against Detroit on five singles and two walks. Simon enters with a record of 3-5 and 4.08 ERA and has never made a start against Detroit. The Orioles are once again in need of a good starting pitching performance. Chris Tillman went just 2 2/3 last night and O's starters pitched just 13 1/3 innings in the four-game series with Chicago, allowing 20 hits and 14...

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg was on target again in his second rehab start, this time for the Single-A Potomac Nationals at a sold out Pfitzner Stadium. Strasburg consistently hit 98 mph on the stadium radar gun, and touched 99 mph. He threw just 33 pitches, 26 for strikes, allowed two infield singles and no walks. Strasburg struck out five Pelicans. He needed only eight pitches for a 1-2-3 third frame, striking out two batters in that inning. He struck out the...

Last night, the Chicago White Sox began their assault on Orioles starter Chris Tillman in the first inning by stringing together a single, home run, double, double and double. Tillman was behind, 4-0, before recording his first out. One night later, Orioles starter Alfredo Simon retired the first Detroit Tigers batter he faced before issuing a walk and allowing three consecutive singles. Fortunately for Simon, the Tigers managed only one run, on Miguel Cabrera's single into left field....

The Orioles have teamed up with Nickelodeon to bring SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer to Camden Yards for "Nickelodeon Day at Oriole Park." On Sunday, Aug. 14 when the Orioles take on the Detroit Tigers, the two characters will be on site for a variety of activities including Bird Baseball with the Oriole Bird, greeting fans and posing for photographs. SpongeBob and Dora will also be on-field following the game for the exclusive Dugout Club Members-only Kids Run the Bases. As part...

The only times this year that Vlad Guerrero did not bat fourth for the Orioles were when he pinch hit in interleague games in the ninth spot in the batting order and on July 24 when he played for Double-A Bowie and batted second in the order. Tonight, Guerrero will bat fifth after Adam Jones and before Mark Reynolds, as he tries to snap a 1-for-22 slump over his last six games that has seen his average drop from .285 to .271. He has gone seven games without an RBI. Meanwhile, Reynolds, who...

A line drive from Robert Andino in batting practice struck Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque in the head, creating a frightening scene here at Camden Yards. Alburquerque went down hard and was kicking his legs while players from both teams and members of the Tigers training staff gathered around him. Alburquerque left the field on a cart and was taken to a nearby hospital for a CT scan. A photographer in the press box identified Alburquerque as the stricken player. I'll pass along any updates...