In baseball, they say speed doesn't go into a slump, and it's good to see the Orioles using some speed today and in recent games with callups like Matt Angle and Kyle Hudson. Hudson dropped a beautiful bunt toward third base and made second on a throwing error in the second inning this afternoon. Pedro Florimon was called out when he followed with another bunt. The Orioles have 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts in September, their third-best month this season for steals. They stole 15 bases in...

The Orioles did some two-out damage in the top of the first inning, stringing together three straight singles by Nick Markakis, Vladimir Guerrero and Chris Davis to take a 1-0 lead. It didn't last long. Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give Toronto a 2-1 lead. Rick VandenHurk got ahead of Bautista 1-2 but couldn't put him away. And the former Oriole put the ball in the second deck for his 41st homer. He's also got 96 RBIs. VandenHurk is getting ahead of...

Adam Jones was scratched from the lineup with a sore ankle. He fouled a ball off it last night. Nick Markakis is back in right field, with Matt Angle moving to center. Josh Bell is playing third base and Chris Davis has moved to first. For the Orioles: Matt Angle CF Robert Andino 2B Nick Markakis RF Vladimir Guerrero DH Chris Davis 1B Josh Bell 3B Kyle Hudson LF Pedro Florimon SS Craig Tatum C Rick VandenHurk RHP As a reader pointed out this morning, the Orioles' three-game winning...

Former Orioles pitcher Jesse Jefferson has died of prostate cancer. He was 62, and lived in his hometown of Midlothian, Va. The O's made Jefferson a fourth-round pick in the 1968 amateur draft and the right-hander reached the majors in 1973. He spend three of his nine big league seasons in Baltimore, going 7-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 42 games, 17 as a starter. When he started, he usually finished, recording 12 complete games in orange and black from 1973-75. Jefferson was traded to the Chicago...

As his first full season as a pro ballplayer winds down, Manny Machado feels pretty good about how it has gone. He began the year as an 18-year-old in the South Atlantic League. Now, five months later, he'll end it as a 19-year-old in the Carolina League. In between, the Orioles' 2010 first-round pick got off to a blazing hot start at the plate, dealt with a knee injury, played in an All-Star game and learned how to handle struggling at the bat for the first time in his life. In the...

Managers always warn us not to fall in love with spring training or September stats. I have a man crush on Pedro Strop's pitching line. Strop blanked the Blue Jays in the eighth inning last night to pass a 2-0 lead to Jim Johnson, who recorded the save. He's allowed one hit over 4 1/3 scoreless innings since the Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Texas Rangers. With Johnson moving into the closer's role for one night, the Orioles needed somebody to be the set-up man in the eighth....

Washington Nationals Observe 9/11 Remembrance Day Fans should expect enhanced security procedures throughout the weekend Due to heightened security precautions surrounding 9/11 Remembrance Day, the Washington Nationals encourage fans to arrive earlier than normal and leave backpacks, bags and extra items at home throughout the weekend. Enhanced security procedures at Nationals Park may slow entry into the ballpark on both Saturday and Sunday. Fans should prepare for the following safety...

The 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, is coming up this weekend and the Washington Nationals are making sure their fans are safe with increased security around the stadium. The Nationals are taking the following measures this weekend: Due to heightened security precautions surrounding 9/11 Remembrance Day, the Washington Nationals encourage fans to arrive earlier than normal and leave backpacks, bags and extra items at home throughout the weekend. Enhanced security procedures at Nationals...

Reversing a recent stretch where he had not pitched that well, Jeremy Guthrie shut down the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in the Orioles 2-0 win at Rogers Centre in game one of the three-game weekend series. Guthrie had given up seven runs in his last start against Tampa Bay and worked to an ERA of 5.50 in his last six starts. But tonight, he pitched seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball with three walks and five strikeouts. He threw 104 pitches and is now 7-17 with an ERA of 4.29. When he...

This is why I can't give a firm answer on whether Jeremy Guthrie will lose 20 games this season. Guthrie has shut out the Blue Jays through four innings tonight. That screams quality start and victory. Except Toronto left-hander Brett Cecil has shut out the Orioles through five innings. And so it goes ... Guthrie can bring his 'A' game and still lose. The last time we saw Guthrie, he was body-slamming a water cooler in the visiting dugout at Tropicana Field. He didn't yell or wear a...