Nothing good happens after a walk. Nothing good happens after two walks. Bad, bad stuff can happen. Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie issued back-to-back walks to Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson with one out in the second inning, and Brett Lawrie followed with a 385-foot shot to left field to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead. In his last start, Guthrie held the Twins to one run over seven innings. He won't be quite that good tonight. Lawrie's blast is the only hit off Guthrie in two...

At his request, short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds pitcher Matt Hobgood was examined today by Orioles orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens and no structural damage was found in his right shoulder and no further exam or MRI is scheduled. For now, rest has been recommended and Hobgood, the club's first-round draft pick in 2009, is expected to miss the remaining few games of the season. The Orioles were hoping to send Hobgood to their instructional league workouts in Sarasota which start Sept....

When the Orioles finished 34-23 under Buck Showalter last year, the starting pitching led the way with an ERA of 3.16 over the 57 games. Now, the Orioles have won six of their last eight games, sweeping the Twins and splitting with New York and, again, the starters have been pretty good. Over the eight games, O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 2.92 with five quality starts. The team ERA is 2.50 in that stretch and the Orioles have out-scored their opponents 43-20 in the eight...

The Arizona Fall League has announced the 2011 roster for the Washington Nationals affiliated Scottsdale Scorpions. Outfielder Bryce Harper, pitcher Sammy Solis and catcher Derek Norris head the roster for the defending champions. It will be Harper's second season with the Scorpions, but his first as a full-time starter. Last year, he was on the taxi squad and was eligible to play only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. George Washington University pitcher Pat Lehman and Rafael Martin from the...

I have a few notes to pass along from manager Buck Showalter's pregame session with the media, beginning with news on left-hander Mark Hendrickson. The Orioles placed Hendrickson on optional waivers today, the same procedure that Troy Patton went through earlier this summer. As I explained back then, it takes two business days to clear and no team will claim him. It's sort of a gentleman's agreement. Happens all the time in baseball. Hendrickson came off the 40-man roster to make room for...

The Orioles aren't making any drastic changes to their lineup, or doing a whole lot of tweaking. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Robert Andino 3B Nolan Reimold LF Ryan Adams 2B Jeremy Guthrie RHP Reliever Jason Berken and his wife, Emily, are the proud parents of a baby girl, Hadley Lane, who was born at 12:04 p.m. Hadley weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces. All are doing well.

While MASN prides itself on giving its loyal viewers the most comprehensive Orioles coverage possible, even our network is subject to Major League Baseball's rules governing game broadcasts. That's why the beginning of tonight's Orioles-Rays game from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., can't be shown. MLB rules reserve the period between 4-7 p.m. on Saturdays for the national broadcast on FOX. The Rays have exercised their option to begin tonight's game at 6:05 p.m. - which, as...

The Orioles announced today that they have reinstated left-hander Troy Patton from the restricted list. The club has also designated left-hander Mark Handrickson for assignment. Patton, 25, has pitched in 11 games for the Orioles, going 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (16.1IP, 7ER). Hendrickson, 37, has appeared in eight games for the Orioles this season, going 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA (11.0IP, 7ER).

The Orioles reinstated left-hander Troy Patton from the restricted list, placing him back on the 25-man and 40-man rosters. Patton left the team over the weekend to attend a hearing yesterday in Houston related to his DWI arrest over the winter. To make room for Patton, the Orioles once again have designated left-hander Mark Hendrickson for assignment. Hendrickson appeared in one game after replacing Patton, allowing one run and two hits in one inning against the Yankees in Game 2 of...

The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds placed pitcher Matt Hobgood on the disabled list today. No official reason for the DL move has yet been announced, but it appears Hobgood's shoulder has become an issue again. Hobgood was on the comeback trail this year from a strained rotator cuff but had struggled with Aberdeen, going 0-6 with an ERA of 10.46. Over 26 2/3 innings, he gave up 41 hits with 23 walks and 13 strikeouts. The Double-A Bowie Baysox have picked a bad time to lose some...