Happy July 4! While teams trot out those patriotic stars-and-stripes uniforms for the Independence Day holiday, we here at Orioles Buzz renew our heartfelt belief that every major league club should play (preferably a single-admission doubleheader) on each of the holidays that falls during the sport's six-month regular season - Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day. You'd think you'd always get every team in action on those days, but that's not always the case - though all 30 teams are playing...

As All-Star roster selection time approaches, the Nationals' Tyler Clippard and the Orioles' Jim Johnson are in the usual predicament for pitchers that act as the bridge between starter and closer: They have dazzling statistics, but not much hope of making an All-Star roster for the July 12 game in Arizona. "Setup pitchers don't always get the credit they are due,'' Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said. "It would be hard to imagine where a team would be without good middle...

Balloting for the All-Star Game continues through 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Thursday, and it's not too late to help Orioles outfielder Adam Jones - a MASNsports.com blogger, in case you didn't know - in his push to Phoenix for the July 12 Midsummer Classic. The latest results for the American League's outfield should be particularly troubling to O's fans. It's not that there isn't an Oriole in the top five in any position. It's not even that Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista, an ex-Oriole,...

There are two days left in June, and for the entire month, there has been exactly one game when the starting pitcher for the Orioles pitched at least seven innings. That game was June 10, when Jake Arrieta pitched seven innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. That's it. Since his disappointing return from the disabled list, Brian Matusz is averaging less than 4.5 innings per game. Since joining the rotation, Chris Jakubauskas has pitched 20 1/3 innings in four starts. Rookie Zach Britton is...

So the Washington Nationals lose two in a row and folks are ready to run Davey Johnson out on a rail? A quick look this morning at different social media indicates just how fickle this fan base is. Comments such as "the old man doesn't know how to manage a pitching staff" and "I stayed up to watch that?" are prevalent. All of a sudden, the Nats have lost three of four and the walls are crumbling down. People, Rome wasn't built in a day. The Nats' remarkable winning streak over the last...

It hasn't become as rare as, say, seeing a pitcher throw a complete game anymore, but it still seems pretty rare in baseball these days. That is, seeing a relief pitcher pitch not one, but two innings, in an outing. It doesn't seem like that would be asking too much, but managers are always thinking ahead and know that a two-inning outing for a top reliever today could mean he can't be used tomorrow. In the last week or so, we have seen Buck Showalter use both Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara,...

J.J. Hardy has now homered in nine consecutive series and reached base in 31 of 34 games since May 21. Does missing a month with an oblique injury deny him an All-Star berth? He sure looks like a deserving candidate. Not much information came out of yesterday's pregame session with manager Buck Showalter. It wasn't his fault. It was just a slow day. I did find it interesting that Showalter admitted to having some concerns about the lack of production from the cleanup spot. And those...

Luke Scott is hoping that he'll remain in the lineup tomorrow night after slamming his right knee against the left field fence, but he can't be certain until he wakes up in the morning. Luke Scott talks about his knee injury following the O's 6-2 loss to the Cardinals "We'll see how it is," he said. "Contusions, or when you get hit by something, it varies on the swelling. The knee is a tough place. You've got to have your knees underneath you to do anything. It all depends on tonight...

Manager Buck Showalter reminded reporters tonight that we're not looking "at the finished body" when Zach Britton takes the mound. Britton is a rookie with limited experience above the Double-A level. He's also 6-6 with a 3.38 ERA after allowing four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings in tonight's 6-2 loss to the Cardinals. Britton has one victory in his last 10 starts. Buck Showalter meets with the media after the O's 6-2 loss to the Cardinals "This is a 23-year-old young man...

Luke Scott left tonight's game with a bruised right knee. He'll be reevaluated tomorrow. Scott slammed against the fence while robbing Matt Holliday of a home run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. He limped back to the dugout and wasn't able to put a lot of weight on the knee. Showalter told reporters after the Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Cardinals that Scott didn't sustain any structural damage. Scott wanted to bat in the bottom of the ninth, but Showalter sent Blake Davis to...