Alfredo Simon has replaced starter Chris Jakubauskas in the third inning, which eliminates him from consideration for tomorrow night's assignment. Mitch Atkins is in Arlington and could have his contract purchased after tonight's game. Jakubauskas is charged with six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings. Adrian Beltre delivered the knockout punch with a two-run homer. Jakubaukas threw 45 pitches, 31 for strikes. His ERA ballooned to 6.75. The rotation remains a mess. Jakubauskas has...

Mark Reynolds is staying hot, no matter where he hits in the lineup. Reynolds just belted his 19th home run, a two-run shot in the second inning that gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead. Rangers starter Colby Lewis hit Vladimir Guerrero on the left shoulder, and Reynolds followed with his third homer in three games and his fifth in five games. And like the others, it was a no-doubt shot to left field. Estimated distance: 407 feet. Reynolds, batting fifth tonight, has matched his error total with...

The Short-Season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds today added three Orioles top-10 draft picks from the 2011 class. The IronBirds added third-round pick RHP Mike Wright, fifth-round pick LHP Matt Taylor, and ninth-round pick RHP Devin Jones. They join seventh-round LHP Trent Howard, and the IronBirds now have four of the Orioles' top-10 draft picks on their roster. Wright made 16 starts this past spring for Eastern Carolina University. A three-year starter for the Pirates, Wright went 6-4 with a...

Laynce Nix could get the start at first base Tuesday with Matt Stairs and Michael Morse ailing, manager Davey Johnson announced after Monday's 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Stairs replaced Morse, who sat out today's game with an arm contusion. Johnson said Stairs then banged up his bad knee running down the line on a foul ball into the stands, and was replaced by Nix. So Nix was inserted into the lineup for the first time this season at first base. It was the first time in his career...

Nolan Reimold is starting in left field and batting eighth tonight. Mark Reynolds drops to fifth in the lineup behind Vladimir Guerrero. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Mark Reynolds 3B Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Nolan Reimold LF Blake Davis 2B Chris Jakubauskas RHP NOTE: Mitch Atkins left Triple-A Norfolk to join the Orioles in Arlington, but that doesn't mean he's definitely starting tomorrow night. It could depend whether Alfredo...

The Orioles begin a series in Texas tonight against the Rangers. The Orioles really enjoyed their last visit to Arlington. They swept four straight, July 8-11 last year right before the All-Star break, from a Rangers team that would go on to win the American League. They won by scores of 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 and 4-1. This was the Orioles' first four-game sweep at Texas in 34 years, since June of 1976 and their first four-game road sweep of any kind since 1995. The players that drove in the runs in...

No. 1 prospect Bryce Harper will be in good hands again in Double-A Harrisburg as he was in Hagerstown, said Nationals' Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo on 106.7 The Fan. Harper will play mostly in left field in Harrisburg, according to Rizzo. He said that the coaching staff was one of the reasons the organization felt comfortable in selecting Double-A Harrisburg as the next destination for Harper. But, regardless of the coaching staff, the plan...

Give the fans a pat on the back: They did a great job selecting the National and American League All-Star rosters for the July 12 game in Phoenix. The only player that was selected to start that shouldn't was shortstop Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, but that's not the end of the world. Jeter is his way to becoming the first Yankees player to reach 3,000 career hits. Jeter was six hits short as he returned to the Yankees' lineup Monday in Cleveland. And, the fans should be...

When the 2011 All-Star Game rosters were announced yesterday, Adam Jones didn't hear his name called. But that doesn't necessarily mean the Orioles outfielder won't get to take the field July 12 in Arizona for the 82nd annual Midsummer Classic. Jones, who made his All-Star debut in 2009, is among five American League nominees who are up for the All-Star Game Final Vote. The winner will earn the last spot on the AL roster for next Tuesday's game. The 25-year-old Jones has put together an...

We're still dissecting this year's All-Star voting results, wondering how certain players were chosen, how other players weren't and which league will prevail July 12. Last season, the National League ended a 13-year winless drought, upending the junior circuit, 3-1. It was a victory that, most San Francisco Giants fans will contend, was extremely important, so fans are sure to be in for a treat in a two weeks when the two leagues battle it out in the desert with home field advantage in the...