Nick Markakis collected his first extra-base hit since May 15. And yes, he did it in grand fashion. Markakis homered onto the flag court in right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, his first extra-base hit in 89 at-bats. The last one also came against the Rays, and it also was a home run - in the fifth inning at Tropicana Field. Markakis has three career grand slams, the most recent one coming on April 17, 2009 in Boston. That's the skinny on Markakis. (See what...

Is there any reason to drop J.J. Hardy from the leadoff spot? Maybe when Brian Roberts is activated from the disabled list. Otherwise... Hardy has made two career starts as a leadoff hitter. He's homered in the first inning in both games. If that isn't a pattern, I don't know what qualifies. Hardy jumped on a 1-0 pitch from Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson tonight and drove it an estimated 388 feet into the left field seats. Three nights ago, he homered on an 0-1 pitch from Oakland starter...

Update: Tonight's Orioles-Rays game has been delayed due to rain. No word on official start time. Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan said today he has not begun contract negotiations yet with top pick, pitcher Dylan Bundy. But he will have dinner with the Bundy family next week and the process should begin soon. Jordan has heard and seen the reports about Bundy seeking $30 million. He knows that won't happen and that in the end the player won't get anywhere close to that. "He is a very...

Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan said he could not yet give us the names, but that the club has come to terms with some of its draft picks already. "We have actually come to terms, I'm not going to give the names yet, but we've come to terms with at least two of our top 10 round picks. We are really, really close on a couple of other guys. There are three players in our top 10 still playing, so no work has been done on them. I expect that to happen in the next few days," Jordan said...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the reason he returned shortstop J.J. Hardy to the leadoff spot is "two-fold." Hardy's put together good at-bats, which will be needed against red-hot Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, and Felix Pie seems more comfortable batting lower in the order. First baseman Derrek Lee is eligible to return to the Orioles on Sunday, but he's still expected to join them in Toronto for the series that begins Tuesday. Lee was extremely close to his grandfather, and he's...

Over the past month, we've been taking a look at the all-time Orioles lineup. Each day on the MASN Orioles page on Facebook, we went through each position and had readers and followers vote and debate on the greatest Oriole to ever step foot on the diamond. It was a process that was well-received, with more than 1,000 comments from fans and players' names stretching from 1960 to 2011. Some spots were easier to fill than others, but now that the polls have closed, let's take a look at who...

J.J. Hardy is batting leadoff tonight for the second time. We'll see if he hits another home run in his first at-bat. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Luke Scott 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Felix Pie LF Robert Andino 2B Jake Arrieta RHP

Utility infielder Jake Fox cleared waivers and will be outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk later today. The Orioles couldn't work out a trade for Fox, who hit .188 with two homers in 19 games. Fox was the talk of spring training after belting 10 home runs - 11 if you count the intrasquad game - and he beat out Craig Tatum for the backup catching job. The Orioles weren't satisfied with his work behind the plate and recalled Tatum, and Derrek Lee's return from the disabled list further cut into...

This stat snuck up on me, but the Orioles are 9-2 over their last 11 home games. They are 4-2 on the current nine-game homestand which continues this weekend against Tampa Bay. The Orioles are 19-16 at home on the season. The O's are coming off a three-game sweep of Oakland where the pitching led the way. The Orioles' staff allowed just three earned runs, five walks and 17 hits in that series. The O's bullpen has now pitched to an ERA of 0.55 over the last 10 games and the 'pen pitched 10...

Only once in a career that spanned nine seasons and nine different organizations did Jeff Manto have four or more home runs in a single year. But as Orioles fans should well remember, the 1995 season was a special one for Manto, who completed a run of homers in four consecutive at-bats on this day 16 years ago. His power surge tied a record he shared at the time with 23 other players. "When you look at me you don't think I've got a chance to set any kind of record, but when you're having...