The Orioles scored three runs in the fifth inning off Boston starter Josh Beckett, the first on Derrek Lee's leadoff homer. Red Sox 8, Orioles 3. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones had RBI singles, but Vladimir Guerrero stranded two runners by striking out. Dagger. Brad Bergesen was diagnosed with a bruised right forearm. He also took a liner off his arm in an exhibition game this spring. And we'll never forget Billy Butler's shot off his shin on July 30, 2009. His days as a target need to...

Nationals right-handed relief pitcher Cole Kimball is scheduled to undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder Wednesday in New York, performed by Dr. David Altchek. Kimball said it will be a full year of rehabilitation and he hopes to be back to 100 percent during the All-Star break in 2012. Kimball was called up May 14 and pitched very well in 12 appearances, going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. He had 11 strikeouts and 11 walks with only three earned runs allowed. The 11 walks were...

I guess we learned one lesson from the first inning tonight at Fenway Park: Never think it can't get worse. The Orioles entered tonight as a team that had lost nine of the last 10 games and looked that bad and worse in an awful bottom of the first inning tonight. They pitched poorly and fielded worse as Boston batted 13 men, knocked Zach Britton out of the game after 2/3 of an inning and took an 8-0 lead. There was one error scored in the inning, but clearly was at least one more that...

The Orioles are already trailing the Red Sox, 7-0, with two outs in the first inning and Zach Britton is out of the game. Only the circumstances seem to change. Tonight, it was a sharp ground ball that eluded shortstop J.J. Hardy and opened to door for the outburst, and a mental cramp from second baseman Robert Andino that expanded the lead and again turned bad into embarrassment. It didn't take nearly as long tonight. Hardy had a chance to start a double play after back-to-back one-out...

Okay, I know how rough the last few weeks of Orioles baseball have been. But I have found a positive stat that may surprise you. The Orioles actually have a winning record in their last 21 games against Boston, going 11-10. They are 2-3 this year against the Sox and went 9-9 last year. They lost the first two games with Boston then but are 11-10 since. Before this 21-game stretch however, the Orioles lost 25 of the previous 28 games versus Boston. Here are a couple of other stats as the...

I swapped text messages a few minutes ago with outfielder Luke Scott, who was relieved that the MRA taken earlier today didn't reveal a more significant tear in his right shoulder. The Orioles think it's possible that Scott will be ready to come off the disabled list when he's eligible on July 19. The MRA is similar to an MRI, except dye is injected into the shoulder. Scott went on the disabled list retroactive to Monday when the Orioles needed to clear room on the 25-man roster for...

As he had said before, Nationals manager Davey Johnson has complete confidence in left-hander Sean Burnett, despite his recent struggles. Thursday, Burnett allowed a game-tying two-run shot to the Cubs' Carlos Pena after inheriting a man on first with the Nationals leading 8-6 in the seventh inning. Burnett has now allowed four earned runs and seven hits in his last four appearances, and was pretty hard on himself last night, saying he has been struggling with all of his pitches since the...

Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan has yet to sign his first-round pick, pitcher Dylan Bundy, or second-round pick, Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito, but he has agreed to terms with 15 draft picks so far. He has signed six of his top 10 picks, all pitchers, including Mike Wright (round 3), Kyle Simon (round 4), Matt Taylor (round 5), Trent Howard (round 7), Devin Jones (round 9) and Tyler Wilson (round 10). "It's going fine," Jordan said of the progress of the signings. "We've...

It's the history of the game of baseball that has always attracted me to the sport. Growing up, I would listen to the stories from my parents about the Orioles of the 1960's and 70's and the childhood icons they watched on the diamond nearly 50 years ago. It's the history of baseball which is unlike any other in professional sports. Baseball has been around the longest, with origins dating well back into the 19th century. Through the years, despite the finer tweaks and tuneups, the game...

No surprises in tonight's lineup. Felix Pie gets the start in left field against Boston right-hander Josh Beckett. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Felix Pie LF Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton LHP In his only start against the Red Sox on April 26 in Baltimore, Britton picked up the win by holding them to one run and five hits, with two walks, over six innings. The Orioles are batting .111...