A day that featured another Orioles' base-running mistake and a key error in the last of the sixth inning, along with Jeremy Guthrie leaving his start with an injury, still ended in a win for the Orioles today at Toronto. The Orioles scored twice in the top of the ninth to snap a 2-2 tie and beat the Blue Jays 4-3 this afternoon. That ended their 16-game Toronto losing streak. It's the longest road losing streak versus one club in team history. Today marks the first O's win at Rogers Centre...

Derrek Lee was hitting .132 with runners in scoring position before stepping to the plate with no outs in the ninth inning and the potential go-ahead run 90 feet away. Lee hit a slow chopper to third, and Nolan Reimold beat the throw home. Credit Lee with an RBI on a fielder's choice that gives the Orioles a 3-2 lead. OK, so it wasn't the most dramatic at-bat in history. It wasn't the shot heard 'round the world. But the Orioles needed Lee to do something besides strike out or ground into...

Manager Buck Showalter removed Jeremy Guthrie from today's game after five innings. The Blue Jays had only one hit and one walk, and Guthrie's pitch count stood at 64. This is clearly a health issue. Guthrie seemed to be dealing with some tightness in his back. Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells sat next to him in the dugout, and Guthrie was making a motion as if explaining that he felt discomfort when following through on his delivery. Maybe tightness, maybe spasms. Definitely appeared...

J.J Hardy's homer, a solo shot in the sixth, gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead on Toronto today at Rogers Centre. Hardy, who hit 26 homers with Milwaukee in 2007 and 24 in 2008, now has seven homers, or one more than he had all of last year with Minnesota. Hardy homers: 2009: 6 in 340 at bats, 1 every 56.7 at bats 2010: 7 in 142 at bats, 1 every 20.3 at bats Hardy had a slugging percentage of .394 last year and was at .489 before today's game in which he has a bloop double in addition to the...

Am I the only one who thinks a Battle of the Beltways logo would look pretty cool? I don't have an artistic bone in my body, so I'm certainly not the one to design it, but I'm picturing the two highways tangled together, steel entrenched with gridlock traffic popping out all over. Hey, it's just an idea, but for anyone who has to travel along either the Baltimore Beltway or Capital Beltway on a regular basis, you know there's enough congestion and construction to make any decent driver...

Earlier this season I was talking to a writer of a struggling opposing team and I asked him why they were losing. He said it was because they were not being patient at the plate. They were going after the first pitch. They weren't taxing the pitcher. They were going for bad pitches and innings were short and uneventful. While watching the Nationals during this current win streak, you can see one of the reasons the team is playing well. They are waiting for their pitch and fighting through...

Mark Reynolds just got doubled off first base on a routine fly ball to right field. Reynolds singled to lead off the top of the fifth inning, his ground ball sneaking into left field, but he began trotting back to first on Ryan Adams' fly ball to former Oriole Jose Bautista. Then he sped up. Then it was too late. Bautista made the catch and gunned a throw to first. Reynolds made a late slide and was out. Manager Buck Showalter stood motionless in the dugout, his hand resting on his...

The Orioles initially were hopeful that when the Carolina League All-Star break ended and the second half began on June 23rd that Tyler Townsend and Trent Mummey might return to the Frederick Keys lineup. But it looks like neither will be able to be activated then as both players are rehabbing hamstring injuries and are on the disabled list. Both players got hurt in a June 8 game at Potomac. Townsend made the All-Star game but will not be able to play in next Tuesday's game. In 52 Keys...

I'm told that manager Buck Showalter relayed more bad news regarding pitcher Justin Duchscherer. Duchscherer was supposed to go four or five innings in an extended spring training game today, but he didn't make it past the first. He felt more discomfort in his hip while fielding a bunt and came out of the game. Who the heck was bunting on this guy? Apparently, the first batter of the game. Duchscherer's last start at extended ended in the third inning because of spasms. He threw a side...

When the Orioles try to break their 16-game losing streak in Toronto this afternoon, they will face a pitcher making his major league debut. Who knows if 24-year-old, right-hander Zach Stewart will be nervous and struggle or pumped up and blow the Orioles away. Stewart has had decent, but far from great numbers pitching for Double-A New Hampshire this season. He is 4-3 with an ERA of 4.39 in 12 starts. He worked to an ERA of 2.92 over his first four starts, but he has an ERA of 5.20 in the...