The dog days of summer are upon us. Pennant races are heating up. Contenders are separating themselves from the pretenders, and unfortunately that means another finish in the bottom half of the division for the Washington Nationals. The Nationals are 56-60 and 20.5 games out of first place; anyone who thinks this team has a miracle run to the playoffs in them is downright crazy. This reality raises a simple question that may be hard for some to answer - why do you continue to watch the...

Of all the ways a team can win a ballgame, a walk-off homer has to rank right up there. Nolan Reimold's two-run homer to win the game in the 10th against Chicago last night was certainly exciting. The longball is fun and the Orioles are hitting their fair share. Consider these numbers: * The Orioles have now hit 134 homers on the year and that is one more than last year's team hit all season. They are on a pace to hit 190 homers, which would be the most by an Orioles team since the 1997...

Single-A Potomac Nationals left-hander Sammy Solis had a fairly good game against Salem Aug. 2. He went seven innings and allowed three hits with two solo homers in taking the loss, 3-0. But toward the end of the game, Solis felt pain in his elbow and got it immediately checked out by the team's medical personnel. The diagnosis was left elbow inflammation and tendinitis. The MRI came back negative. Solis has still been solid in his six high Single-A starts, going 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA, 33...

Nolan Reimold hadn't homered since July 26 before tonight's big swing off White Sox reliever Jason Frasor. Reimold was hitless in four at-bats tonight before stepping to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning. He ended up with a pretty sweet 1-for-5. "I was just trying to be relaxed," he said. "I was 0-for-4 at that point. Just relax and not be tense. I got a pitch to hit, my first pitch, so I didn't take it. I jumped on it and was happy to come through." After getting pied in the...

Nolan Reimold ended tonight's game with one out in the 10th inning by launching a ball 430 feet into the visiting bullpen. "Good for Nolan," manager Buck Showalter said after the Orioles' 6-4 win. "Put a good swing on it. You could tell he had little approach there, what he was looking for, and he didn't miss it. "I think he just missed a ball earlier, too. Nolan's a strong guy with a lot of skills. Not very often do the waters part and there's just an open-end ticket. He's got...

The first 10,000 fans 15 and older who attend tonight's game will receive a Jake Arrieta T-shirt. Yes, I know, a Brian Matusz bobblehead and a Jake Arrieta T-shirt. I can't wait for Jake Fox Photo Night. Before you ask, the Arrieta bobblehead doesn't come with a little bone spur or a sling or a tiny Dr. Yocum. I've heard 'em all. Well, feel free to add your own, but I've probably heard it. Arrieta underwent a CT scan and MRI on his right elbow yesterday - taking the advice of agent...

Shortstop J.J. Hardy hit his 21st home run in the first inning to break a tie with Adam Jones for second place on the team behind Mark Reynolds (26). Jones homered in the fifth to create another tie. Talk about a short-lived lead. At least the Orioles have held one since the first inning. Jones' homer, measured at 405 feet, increased the Orioles' lead to 4-0 and gave him a career-high 71 RBIs. Tommy Hunter retired nine in a row before Alex Rios led off the fifth with a double. He set...

The Orioles are all but assured of a losing record for the 14th straight season. But it's even worse than that. The Orioles are likely not to reach the 70 win plateau for the fifth straight season. That's really bad and it's pretty hard to do. How hard? Here is the short list of teams who have won less than 70 games for five or more straight seasons since the advent of the 162-game schedule in 1961. New York Mets 6 1962-1967* San Diego Padres 6 1969-1974* Tampa Bay Devil Rays...

J.J. Hardy is batting second tonight. He's mostly been leading off. He'd move down to ninth if manager Buck Showalter preferred it. Hardy doesn't care where he hits. The results are pretty much the same anyway. Hardy homered again tonight, connecting off White Sox starter Philip Humber with one out and the count full in the first inning. The ball traveled an estimated distance of 382 feet and gave the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead. Hardy has 21 home runs in 84 games. Remember that he missed...

Baseball America reporter Aaron Fitt, via Twitter, wrote that he expects the Orioles to soon sign sixth-round draft pick Nick Delmonico, a high school third baseman from Knoxville, Tenn. Here is a tweet filed earlier. He later clarified that he meant close to signing with the Orioles and not Georgia, where he has a college commitment. To this point, we have not heard any comment on this report from the Orioles or anyone representing Delmonico. One source told me earlier that Delmonico was...