At least this one was close and nobody is facing a suspension or fine. Jim Johnson gave up the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, and the Orioles lost to the Indians, 6-5, at Camden Yards. They've won six games since running their record to 30-31. Its gone from bad to worse to...whatever you want to call it. Johnson was the pitcher of record the last time that the Orioles won a game - July 3 in Atlanta - but he's allowed runs in four of his last five appearances. It took only two batters...

Nationals prospect reliever Patrick Lehman was rolling early on this season and quickly got his promotion to Double-A Harrisburg. So, as is the case all the time in minor league baseball, when a player advances, an opportunity is made available to allow another top prospect a shot to shine in the organization. With a vacancy in the closer role, the Potomac Nationals have turned to right-hander Hector Nelo, and he has delivered. In his last 10 games prior to Friday's outing, Nelo went 1-0...

It wasn't necessarily supposed to work out this way, but Matt Wieters homered in the second inning as the Orioles' replacement cleanup hitter, and Nolan Reimold did the same as the replacement designated hitter. Orioles 2, Indians 1. Then, in the blink of an eye, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run homer off Jake Arrieta in the top of the third. Indians 3, Orioles 2. Manager Buck Showalter indicated earlier today that he might have to use different players in the cleanup and designated hitter...

It's a bit of a stretch I know, but will some Jake Arrieta stats work in his favor tonight as he and the Orioles look to break an eight-game losing streak versus Cleveland? Arrieta and the Birds lead 2-1 after the second inning after Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold hit solo homers in the last of the second. Wieters' homer to right-center leading off the inning was his ninth and traveled 390 feet, and came on a 3-1 pitch. Reimold took a 1-1 pitch out to left 402 feet off Josh Tomlin. For...

There were two outs and none on when Nick Markakis stepped into the batter's box in the last of the third. He then singled to right off Cleveland's Josh Tomlin to pick up his 1,000th career hit. Markakis gets to 1,000 at age 27 and in his sixth season in the majors. They posted an impressive stat last night during the MASN O's Xtra post-game show. Markakis got to 1,000 hits in fewer career games than Orioles legends and baseball Hall of Famers Cal Ripken and Brooks Robinson. Next stop,...

Here are Buck Showalter's pregame comments today about Vladimir Guerrero, who has a small crack in a bone in his right hand and will not start for the second game in a row tonight against Cleveland. "He thought he might be able to play today, but went in the cage and that did not go well," Showalter said. "Comes a decision now on how long we can or will wait (before making a possible disabled list decision). "The second X-ray we took yesterday showed a small crack there. Depending on the...

So during his pregame session with the media today, I had the chance to ask Orioles manager Buck Showalter if there were any players the team would consider taking a closer look at during the rest of the season. Either someone currently on the roster or someone perhaps now in the minors. Showalter answered my question with a question back to me. "Who would you be talking about in the minors, maybe?" I mentioned that Troy Patton had been doing pretty well lately. "Troy statistically has...

X-rays taken on Vladimir Guerrero's right hand revealed a small crack in a bone, and he's out of the lineup again tonight. Guerrero didn't play last night, and he couldn't swing a bat earlier today without experiencing pain in the hand. Guerrero was hit by a pitch from Red Sox rookie Kyle Weiland during Sunday's game at Fenway Park. The three-day All-Star break didn't improve the condition of his hand or his availability. The Orioles could attempt to give Guerrero a few more days or...

Bragging rights for TCU and Texas Tech are on the line tonight when the Orioles' Jake Arrieta takes the mound against the Indians' Josh Tomlin. OK, there's a lot more at stake than college pride. Arrieta has made two starts since being skipped in the rotation because of an inflamed right elbow. He's allowed nine earned runs (10 total) and 12 hits in 9 1/3 innings, with six walks and six strikeouts. Arrieta's ERA has risen to 4.90. The league average for starters is 3.85. And his WHIP...

Jake Arrieta is the next Orioles starter to try and give his team a quality start. He takes the mound tonight at Camden Yards against Cleveland. The Orioles have had just two of them, one by Jeremy Guthrie and one by Mitch Atkins, in the last 17 games. At one time, it seemed Arrieta was cranking out quality starts. Over his first nine starts, he went 5-1 with a 4.03 ERA and seven quality starts. But over his past nine outings, he is 4-5 with a 5.87 ERA and four quality starts. His ERA is...