The Orioles grabbed a 1-0 lead against the Blue Jays in the bottom of the second inning on consecutive one-out doubles by Vladimir Guerrero and Matt Wieters. It lasted three batters. Orioles starter Tommy Hunter walked No. 9 hitter Mike McCoy, who eventually scored after Yunel Escobar's double and Eric Thames' ground ball. Not satisfied with a tie, the Blue Jays pushed across the go-ahead run on Jose Bautista's single. Remember how Toronto rookie Henderson Alvarez recorded 22 of his 24...

Let's get the important stuff out of the way first. Rick VandenHurk is wearing No. 54. Kyle Hudson is wearing No. 51. VandenHurk was 9-13 with a 4.43 ERA in 26 starts with Triple-A Norfolk. He's 8-10 with a 5.86 ERA in 42 major league games, including 33 starts, with the Marlins and Orioles. VandenHurk was outrighted during spring training because he was still challenged to throw strikes. The Orioles officially purchased his contract today after he walked 40 and struck out 108 in 154 1/3...

It's not often you hear a player with major league experience say going back to Triple-A was a good move for them, but pitcher

For the Orioles: Robert Andino 3B J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Mark Reynolds 1B Nolan Reimold LF Ryan Adams 2B

Kyle Hudson was open at his locker, but the Orioles couldn't get him the ball.A few players were tossing around a football in the clubhouse this morning, which brought a smile to Hudson's face. He spent three seasons as a receiver on the University of Illinois football team. Jason Berken was a quarterback on his high school team, and a pretty good

It's going to be a long wait. I'm told that the manager's office is empty, though I haven't gone downstairs. That's because I just got here after leaving my Sykesville house at 8:25 a.m. I'm counting five people in the press box. The first guy arrived about 15 minutes ago - 45 minutes after the clubhouse opened to the media. Players will have major problems getting to Camden Yards. It's total gridlock downtown and in the surrounding areas. Has a game ever been postponed because of...

With the arrival of "The Calvary," there was to be an influx of young arms in the Orioles rotation and it was thought that some would seize starting jobs and not let them go. I thought that the starting rotation for the 2012 Orioles would be in much sharper focus by the end of this season. I was wrong. Due to injuries, general ineffectiveness and the rise of some unlikely candidates, figuring out who will be in the 2012 Baltimore rotation has gotten much harder to figure. Jeremy Guthrie:...

Last night's 13-0 blowout loss to Toronto was the seventh time this year the Orioles were shut out. They were blanked four times before the All-Star break and now three times in the second half. For a while there, the Orioles' bats seemed to be picking up, but now the club has been held to three runs or less in four of its last five games. In those five games, the Orioles have scored 13 total runs with a team batting average of .215 and an average with runners in scoring position of just...

He's baaack! Stephen Strasburg will be making his 2011 debut Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This will mark his first major league appearance since last Aug. 21. I can't say I'm surprised by the announcement, but a part of me was convinced he would sit out the remainder of the season. All of a sudden, we find ourselves in a situation similar to June 8, 2010, with a week of anticipation that sees ticket sales jump and Nationals baseball dominate D.C. sports talk radio. Whether you...

The Orioles will fill up their 40-man roster tomorrow by purchasing outfielder Kyle Hudson's contract from Triple-A Norfolk. Hudson went 1-for-2 with a walk, run scored and two stolen bases tonight while leading off for the Tides in their 2-1 victory over Gwinnett. He's batting .297 with seven doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs and 26 steals in 68 games. It's been quite a climb for Hudson this season. He played in 23 games at Single-A Frederick this season, and 28 at Double-A Bowie, before...