Adam Jones is batting third and playing center field tonight after leaving last night's game in the second inning and being transported to a local hospital with shortness of breath and mild chest pains. He was right. It wasn't as bad as it seemed. 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 Andino is batting .333 (12-for-36) during a career-high...

What we saw the last two nights has been pretty rare for about two months now in terms of Orioles' starting pitching. Zach Britton and Alfredo Simon each gave up just one run and it's the first time in more than two months that O's starters gave up one earned run or less in back-to-back starts. If you remember the first four games of the season, O's starters were amazing in giving up just two earned run over 26 innings in the first four games. Since then, eight times between game five and...

Need another excuse to feel old?

When word went out during spring training before the 2009 season that Alfredo Simon was getting a look as an Orioles rotation option, I didn't know who he was and didn't have the highest hopes for the team if a pitcher with a career 5.10 ERA at Triple-A was going to be starting games. Seven earned runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched later, Simon was out for the year with Tommy John surgery. The following year, I more or less forgot that Simon ever existed, which made the ending of the O's April...

Tuesday was no average day in Washington, D.C. Residents, tourists, visitors and members of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals felt a 5.9 jolt from the earth beneath their feet. The tremor was shallow, at just 6 kilometers underground, and was felt from the epicenter in Virginia to a widespread portion of the East Coast. While the earthquake has nothing to do with baseball itself, baseball as a game did play a role in getting D.C. back to its normal pace. The game between the Diamondbacks...

As a friend said yesterday afternoon, a day after Zach Britton and the Orioles beat Minnesota 4-1: "So that's what it looks like to get a well-pitched game." Now, O's fans can say that again this morning. The Orioles beat Minnesota 8-1 last night as Alfredo Simon allowed just three hits and one run in a career-high eight innings with a career-high eight strikeouts. This after Simon pitched to an ERA of 7.47 over his previous three starts. Of course, he had pitched to an ERA of 2.81 over...

Adam Jones was released from the hospital early this morning and tweeted the following: "Back from hospital. Wasn't as serious as it sounded. Glad everything is in order. Appreciate the support and well wishes. Back at it mañana." I'm just disappointed that he wasn't tweeting from the ambulance. We'll find out tomorrow whether Felix Pie cleared waivers and is willing to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk. Pie can choose to become a free agent. The...

The Nationals' top selection in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, third baseman Anthony Rendon, was introduced at a news conference, alongside fellow top picks Brian Goodwin and Alex Meyer, Tuesday at Nationals Park. Baseball America's Jim Callis has called Rendon "the best hitter in college baseball," and his numbers back that claim up. Last season, Rendon had 26 homers and 85 RBIs and was walked an amazing 65 times. This season, despite shoulder woes, Rendon batted .327 with six homers,...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter, interviewed on MASN2 after tonight's 8-1 win over the Twins, said center fielder Adam Jones left the game in the second inning because he felt weak. Doctors couldn't find a specific cause, and Jones was sent to a local hospital for more tests. It's not known whether he'll stay overnight. It doesn't sound too serious, but any trip to the hospital is cause for at least a little concern. Hopefully, Jones will tweet an update on his condition later...

Just when I'm convinced that Alfredo Simon should be used as a power arm in the bullpen, he turns in a start like this one. Simon has held the Twins to one run and three hits over seven innings, his only mistake resulting in Danny Valencia's homer in the third. He's walked one and struck out seven. Simon is nearing the end. He's thrown 103 pitches 68 for strikes. In his last three starts, Simon had allowed 16 runs (13 earned) and 29 hits over 15 2/3 innings, with five walks and four home...