We made it through an entire day and night without a roster move, though I set my alarm for 11:59 p.m. in case the Orioles were trying to sneak a press release past me. It should be fairly quiet today. No game, no players sent packing, no medical examinations, no injury rehab starts. If I'm keeping track properly, infielder Cesar Izturis will undergo his elbow surgery tomorrow in Baltimore. Second baseman Brian Roberts will be examined by a concussion specialist tomorrow in Pittsburgh....

A lot of the starters at Triple-A Syracuse - such as Ross Detwiler, Craig Stammen, Garrett Mock, J.D. Martin and Yunesky Maya - have pitched in front of Nationals' fans. We could see them again soon on 1500 South Capitol St. One question is: Who might be the next starting pitcher that we haven't seen yet get the call to D.C.? How about starting with two Brads? Right-hander Brad Peacock continues his dominance at Double-A Harrisburg. This weekend, he had another double-digit strikeout...

Chris Tillman may not be pitching deep into many of his starts, but he is pitching pretty well. But with Brian Matusz nearing a return from the disabled, is Tillman pitching well enough to remain in the rotation? After Sunday's outing against Washington, where he gave up just one run, Tillman's ERA is 1.13 over his past three starts, lowering his ERA on the year from 7.16 to 4.95. Tillman has allowed just two runs over 16 innings in those three starts and has given up just one run in four...

When the Orioles signed Vladimir Guerrero, they probably envisioned he would have some big hits like he had today. After the Orioles were shut out on one hit through six innings this afternoon by Washington's Jordan Zimmerman, Guerrero provided the win with one key swing. His homer to left, a line shot on an 0-2 pitch, gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead in the seventh and they won by that score. "I was looking for a good pitch to hit. Just to make contact, not for a home run, and I hit it out,"...

Twice today, a Nationals batter struck out and Orioles catcher Matt Wieters threw out a runner attempting to steal second base to complete a double play. When will they learn? The game ended with Roger Bernadina taking Kevin Gregg's 3-2 breaking ball for strike three and Wieters cutting down pinch-runner Brian Bixler at second. Wieters made a perfect throw. And it's not like he caught a blazing fastball and gained additional time. We're talking an 82 mph pitch. Showalter has been telling...

You don't see many games end that way. With the Orioles nursing a 2-1 lead in the ninth and pinch runner Brian Bixler on first with one out, Kevin Gregg threw a 3-2 pitch to the Nats' Roger Bernadina, who had two hits in the game already. Bernadina took a called third strike, then Matt Wieters threw a quick strike. Bixler was caught stealing at second on a double play to end the Orioles' series-clinching win. Matt Wieters talks about his game-ending play following the Birds' 2-1 win "I...

This time, the Orioles' bullpen did not give up the lead. And, after giving up 17 runs in Friday's loss, the Orioles beat the Nationals today 2-1 at Camden Yards in front of 33,626 to come back and win this series, two games to one. The game ended on a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play as Matt Wieters caught pinch runner Brian Bixler trying to steal. After Chris Tillman gave up just one run and six hits over five innings, the 'pen combined to pitch four shutout innings and...

Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann had retired 13 straight batters before Nick Markakis led off the seventh inning with a single into right field. Vladimir Guerrero followed with a two-run homer on an 0-2 pitch, his fifth of the season. Orioles 2, Nationals 1. Guerrero pumped his fist as he approached first base, and he pointed to the sky before crossing home plate. Guerrero had lined out and flied out before batting in the seventh, giving the Orioles the lead and improving his average to...

It's happening again. Chris Tillman has held the Nationals to one run over four innings, but he's thrown 86 pitches and manager Buck Showalter had Jeremy Accardo warming in the bullpen. Tillman hasn't posted a clean inning among the four. He's given up five hits, walked two and hit a batter. The Nationals loaded the bases with one out in the fourth on a double, walk and HBP. Ivan Rodriguez flied to right for the second out, with Jayson Werth holding at third base after Nick Markakis'...

Somewhat lost in the two pitching debacles of Thursday and Friday, where the Orioles allowed 30 runs over two games, is that the offense continues to make a slow, but steady resurgence. In the first two games of the series versus the Nats, the Orioles had 26 hits, batted .351, scored 13 runs and went 8-for-21 with runners in scoring position. Over the Orioles last 11 games, the team batting average is .298, raising the mark on the season from .233 to its current .251. Here is how some...