In his first two major league starts, Orioles pitcher Zach Britton allowed just one earned run and seven hits over 13 2/3 innings. In his last two major league starts, Britton has allowed 13 earned runs (17 overall) on 13 hits in one inning. You could have gotten plenty of people to laugh at you if you had said before the season that Britton would give up 17 runs in an inning. No, it wasn't in one appearance, but it was still 17 runs in an inning. It has been a stunning fall in these last...

Left-hander Zach Britton will try to complete the first inning tonight for the first time in his last three major league starts. Britton has allowed 17 runs (13 earned) and 13 hits, with three walks, in one inning over his two previous starts with the Orioles. He was optioned to Double-A Bowie in between those outings in Boston and New York. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Mark Reynolds 3B Matt Wieters C Chris Davis 1B Nolan Reimold...

I'm pretty sure you'll find Nolan Reimold in the lineup tonight against Kansas City's Jeff Francis. Reimold is 3-for-3 with two home runs against him. Count on it. Mark Reynolds is 10-for-25 with two doubles against Francis. Adam Jones is 3-for-5. J.J. Hardy is 3-for-12 with two doubles. He could use a few hits tonight. Hardy is in a 2-for-24 slump. It's also a 5-for-33 slump and a 7-for-42 slump. Depends how far back you choose to go. I asked Cal Ripken yesterday whether Hardy reminds...

The Orioles may be making some progress in talks with their second-round draft pick, Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito. "We have had some productive, healthy dialogue in the last few days," Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan said this morning. "I think he wants to go play. The club has been real clear where we are at with this one." Jordan has said a few times he thought Esposito would be signed by now and already playing somewhere on the O's farm, but that has not...

As most of you know, I cover and write plenty of blogs and stories on the Orioles minor leagues. Like the fans, I too wish the farm system was producing more talent for the big league team. A lot of fans are questioning how the Orioles are doing business in their player development system. I wish I had all the answers or even could point to a key area or facet of the system and say, this is where the Orioles need to do a better job. But it's a pretty complex issue for any organization to...

Because they're pretty much involved in everything these days, it comes as no surprise that Cal and Billy Ripken are lending their names and a hand to the 2011 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game that's being played Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. This is the fourth year that Under Armour and Baseball Factory have collaborated to present the game, which showcases the country's elite high school baseball players. Baseball Factory scouts thousands of athletes worldwide before making...

At a time when the Orioles organization is getting constant criticism from fans questioning the Orioles' player development operation, there is a young man at Double-A Bowie getting better right before our eyes. LJ Hoes, the Orioles' 21-year-old, third-round pick out of Washington's St. John's High School in 2008 who was signed by scout Dean Albany, is putting up impressive numbers for the team and suddenly has added some power to his game. After hitting .241 in 41 games at Single-A...

Jeremy Guthrie survived the non-waiver trade deadline, but not the Kansas City Royals. Guthrie had a quality start in his back pocket, but Billy Butler's three-run homer in the seventh inning completed the scoring in the Royals 6-2 victory over the Orioles. Guthrie was charged with six runs and eight hits in seven innings. Buck Showalter talks with Jim Hunter about the Orioles' 6-2 loss to the Royals Brad Bergesen loaded the bases in the eighth and left a mess for new Oriole Jo-Jo Reyes,...

With the 2011 season all but lost, I typically turn my attention to individual stats to see if there could be any interesting milestones reached before the end of the year. I don't see a lot of those, to be honest with you. Nick Markakis' next home run will be the 100th of his career and he is two runs short of scoring 500 career runs. Interesting, but not exactly riveting countdowns to watch. But the addition of first baseman Chris Davis to the roster got me thinking. With Mark Reynolds...

If you want to find the front-runners of the National League Rookie of the Year race, look no further than the NL East. Danny Espinosa of the Washington Nationals, along with Freddie Freeman and Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves, make up the trio of youngsters looking to take home the crown. If I had a vote, I would go Kimbrel, Freeman and then Espinosa. I believe the fact that the Braves are contenders and their rookies are largely the reason for their success is something that should not...