Orioles pitchers Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez are appealing their suspensions handed down today by Major League Baseball for their actions in the Boston series. Gregg was suspended for four games with the suspension scheduled to begin today. Gonzalez was suspended for three games, which was scheduled to begin on Monday, the day the O's begin a series with Boston. Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez talk about the suspensions they received from MLB "They handed down the suspension today, I...

The Orioles have posted their lineup for Thursday's opener of a four-game series with the Cleveland Indians, and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero isn't in it. Instead, Matt Wieters will serve as the DH with Craig Tatum catching. Here's the Orioles lineup: SS - Hardy RF - Markakis CF - Jones DH - Wieters 1B - Lee LF - Pie 3B - Reynolds 2B - Davis C - Tatum RHP - Guthrie

Major League Baseball has handed down suspensions and fines related to the ejection-filled series between the Orioles and Red Sox at Fenway Park. Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg and Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz received four-game suspensions and undisclosed fines. Gregg's punishment was scheduled to begin tonight, but he will appeal the ban. Gregg and Ortiz threw punches Friday night, and both dugouts and bullpens emptied, after Gregg pitched inside to Ortiz and then shouted to him as...

The Orioles have promoted right-handed pitcher Oliver Drake from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie and he will start for the Baysox tonight. Drake, a 43rd-round draft pick in 2008, was 8-3 with a 2.14 ERA for Frederick with a WHIP of 0.99 and groundout-to-flyout ratio of 2.18. This will be another crack at Double-A for the 24-year-old righty, who allowed 11 runs over four innings in two April starts for the Baysox. Orioles minor league pitchers Matt Hobgood and Ryan Berry have now joined...

The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms with four players selected in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft: right-handed pitchers Taylor Hill (6th round), Greg Holt (8th round) and Dixon Anderson (9th round) and left-handed pitcher Nicholas Lee (18th round). To date, the Nationals have now agreed to terms with 22 players from this year's Draft. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager & Vice President of...

Earlier today, I posted an entry about the Orioles' starting pitching struggles. They have been significant and probably the biggest reason for the club's 6-21 record over the past 27 games. But the O's inconsistent offense has been just that recently as well. During that 27-game stretch, the O's are batting just .195 (43-for-221) with runners in scoring position. The Orioles have had just one game with 10 or more hits over the last seven contests and scored just 33 runs on the 10-game...

My biggest fear today is I'll plop down on my couch, grab the remote, turn on MASN for the Orioles-Indians game and realize it's being played at Camden Yards. Or I'll order a dirty martini, ask the bartender to turn on the Orioles-Indians game and ... see above. The Orioles haven't been home since June 30, and they turned their fans into road worriers with that 1-9 trip that dropped them 16 games below .500. So why do we still care about the 2011 season? Well, it doesn't end this...

Too bad a baseball season is not like a Saturday round of golf with your friends. Maybe the Orioles could take a mulligan on their first half, when they went 36-52. Over the last few weeks, each time I thought things could not get worse for the team, they did. That said, I am almost afraid to say that, in losing 12 of 13 to end the first half, that the O's hit rock bottom. It would be hard to imagine the starting pitching getting worse than it was in recent weeks. Here are some stats. *...

I was told last week that second baseman Brian Roberts would be re-examined by concussion specialist Dr. Michael Collins today in Pittsburgh, but his appointment is now set for tomorrow. Roberts' most recent appointment was June 21. He wasn't cleared to begin full baseball activities, but he's been swinging a bat, playing catch and tracking pop ups. Roberts hasn't played since May 16 in Boston. The headaches and dizzy spells aren't as frequent, but he won't be allowed to do full...

Nationals right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang will now make his fourth rehab start on Thursday for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, confirmed a team source. Wang was scheduled to pitch Wednesday night for the Single-A Potomac Nationals, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather in Woodbridge, Va. Wang has looked very good so far as he recovers from a right shoulder surgery in July 2009. Wang has gone 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings, allowing two earned runs, two walks and...