The Orioles swept Oakland by scores of 4-2, 4-0 and 3-2. According to Elias, it's the first time in nine years that they won three straight despite scoring four runs or fewer in each game. The three starting pitchers back in 2002 were Travis Driskill, Jason Johnson and Sidney Ponson. You can look it up. Update: The A's fired manager Bob Geren this morning and replaced him with former Orioles catcher Bob Melvin. A nine-game losing streak will do that to you. It might not have gained much...

I no longer live in a major league town. Having moved to North Carolina a few years ago, I don't have the luxury I enjoyed for many years in Baltimore of catching a big league game on a moment's notice. It's one of many taken-for-granted things I miss now that I'm away from the place I'll always consider home. These days I find that I'm not breaking old habits so much as I'm finding replacements for them. So I still make regular ballpark visits during the summer; they just happen to be...

It's not the most reliable of sources, but Bleacher Report had Bryce Harper kiss situation. While the unwritten rule of respecting one's opposition by not showing them up was clearly broken, Bleacher Report is under the impression that this is a rule that should be broken. Why? Because people want to be entertained while watching a game. In today's 24-hour news cycle and constant state of connectivity, the attention span of the average person has dwindled to dust. It's like Ellen...

If you read the entry I wrote last night with Baseball America's Jim Callis, you know he is pretty high on the Orioles draft. He called it a "very good draft" for the Orioles and said it had the "makings of a terrific draft." He took some time with me to go over some of the Orioles' picks made after they tabbed Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall selection. Here are his comments on some of the picks. 2nd-round pick, third baseman Jason Esposito from Vanderbilt: "Jason Esposito in the...

If it's Thursday, the Orioles must be off. It happens three times on that day until we move to a new month. Today's open date either was planned or it melted off the schedule from the heat. The temperature for last night's first pitch was 96 degrees. That's just wrong. The Orioles have won three in a row and four of five. They lost five straight on the West Coast before returning home. They won five straight before making that trip. They had lost four in a row before getting hot....

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg talked about the positive impression right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang made on him as they both worked out in Viera, Fla., last month. Strasburg said Wang gave him advice on rehabilitating from injuries and what it takes to get better but not push it when you are anxious or frustrated. Wang should know. His recovery from a football-like shoulder injury has been long and strenuous. But it appears the light at the end of the tunnel may be approaching...

Even though they won their eighth game in a row on Wednesday night, the Frederick Keys were not in a mood to celebrate much after their game at Potomac. Two of their key players, first baseman Tyler Townsend and outfielder Trent Mummey both left the game with hamstring injuries within minutes of each other in the fifth inning of a 6-4 win. Mummey's hamstring appears to be the more serious of the two at this point. Mummey, playing center field, was running into the gap in right center...

Left-handed starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny went through a bullpen session and simulated game action under the watchful eye of Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams this week at Pfitzner Stadium. Williams believes Gorzelanny is good to go for a Monday start for the Single-A Potomac Nationals as he rehabilitates from elbow discomfort suffered in Milwaukee back in late May. He was eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but will instead have a rehab start in Woodbridge to...

Here are some quotes that flowed in the Orioles' clubhouse tonight and splattered on my laptop: Zach Britton talked about his outing: "I thought it was pretty good, obviously better than the previous couple outings. It felt good to kind of get back in a groove and make some good pitches, especially after they gave us some runs. I was a little frustrated that I gave up some more hits right there, started falling behind guys, but to get out of that inning was big for me." On listening to...

The Orioles swept the Athletics in a three-game series for the first time since Aug. 15-17, 2005. They hadn't swept the A's in a three-game series in Baltimore since July 21-23, 1998. Didn't the A's sweep the Orioles in Oakland two weeks ago? Yes, they did, but they've now lost nine games in a row. Buck Showalter talks to the media about riding this win streak "I didn't bring it up and I've got to tell you, until somebody told me before we started the series, I hadn't really...