For a generation of Orioles fans, watching former O's skipper Earl Weaver throw out of the first pitch at the 2011 home opener at Camden Yards probably wasn't all that nostalgic. After all, do they really remember the fiery manager who routinely won American League pennants and pushed the buttons that allowed the Orioles to reach four World Series during his Hall of Fame tenure? Back in December, no less a journalistic authority than the New York Times mistakenly reported that Weaver had...

Two of the Orioles' top pitching prospects that have yet to pitch in an affiliated game this season, Matt Hobgood and Ryan Berry, will make their season debuts Monday when the Gulf Coast League season begins. Hobgood, who has been rehabbing a strained rotator cuff, and Berry, who has been out with shoulder tendinitis, are both expected to pitch an inning or two Monday. Both have been at extended spring training. Pitcher Matt Bywater, the Orioles' seventh-round pick last year, is also...

Entering the 2011 season, many felt the Nationals dropped the ball over the winter in a rather public attempt to shore up their starting rotation. General manager Mike Rizzo made no secret that he was out to get another major league-level starter, and when he failed to sign even one of his targets, many were worried about the rotation the Nats had to offer. Quite surprisingly, the Nats' starting pitching has actually been a bright point for the club this season, with one of the more...

If you need a distraction from Jeremy Guthrie's MRI today and the possibility that the Orioles will be hit with more bad news, you can ponder how the lineup will look without a designated hitter. The Orioles are heading to their first National League ballpark in 2011 as they begin a three-game series with the Nationals. They've also got three games in Pittsburgh before returning home. Since the moment that the ink dried on Vladimir Guerrero's contract, fans and media have wondered if the...

Orioles rookie left-hander Zach Britton said he understands why his next start was pushed back from Tuesday to tonight against Washington. Manager Buck Showalter said Britton is on a 200-plus innings pace and the club won't allow him to pack on that many innings this year. So there may be more times like this where he gets a start pushed back a few days to spread out the innings and allow Britton to pitch through the entire 162-game schedule. Britton threw 153 innings in the minors last year...

The Nationals were looking good with a 4-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals late Thursday night. In the eighth inning, they called upon their set-up man, Tyler Clippard, to get three outs. But an Albert Pujols' home run cut the lead to 4-3. The Nats still had the lead into the ninth frame. As usual, closer Drew Storen was summoned to finish off another game, as he had done 16 times this season. But, Yadier Molina's home run to lead off the inning changed that plan quickly. So, how big...

The Orioles' offense is struggling. It wasn't supposed to be that way. The O's made offseason additions to address the punchless offense of 2010 thorough both trade and free agency. However, those moves have had mixed results. J.J. Hardy has been a great addition to the lineup. Mark Reynolds, in his own unorthodox way, has actually been a productive hitter, even with a .206 batting average. Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero have been disappointing, to say the least. But it could be worse. Or...

The Nationals are tied with the Phillies for fewest errors in the national league with 33 through 68 games (the Phillies have now played 70). That is a significant step forward for the Nationals team defense after leading the majors, alongside the Pirates, last season with 127 miscues. What might be even more impressive is what the team has done in the first summer month of 2011. The Nationals have the longest current errorless streak in the major leagues at 122 2/3 innings, dating back to...

Here are a couple of notes and stats coming out of today's Orioles win in Toronto while we await the Nats series and the latest O's MRI and injury news, this one involving pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. * The Orioles struggled to hit with runners in scoring position in Toronto, going 1-for-10 today and 3-for-27 in the series. The Orioles are just 5-for-40 (.125) with RISP the last five games. * After being held to just four hits Wednesday night, the Orioles picked up 10 today. It's the fifth time...

Jason Berken picked up his first win of the season with two scoreless innings in relief. He struck out two batters. Welcome back, Jason. The Orioles won in Toronto for the first time since Aug. 7, 2009. The winning pitcher that day was Berken, who started and allowed three runs in six innings before Matt Albers replaced him.