Well, this game tonight has garnered a little more interest than it would have before Kevin Gregg and David Ortiz went at it last night. Nothing against Alfredo Simon, but Buck Showalter probably wishes say, Jeremy Guthrie was on the mound tonight. Simon probably doesn't need any extra pressure but now he has some as he takes the mound tonight. His command isn't the greatest to start with and if he buzzes a Red Sox hitter tonight we may have to wonder if it were on purpose or he just missed...

The Orioles today announced that they have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Mark Hendrickson from Triple-A Norfolk. To make room for Hendrickson on the 25-man roster, the Orioles optioned left-handed pitcher Zach Britton to Double-A Bowie. Hendrickson, 37, went 2-4 with a 2.87 ERA (47.0IP, 15 ER) in 19 games for the Tides. He did not allow an earned run in seven of his last eight outings for Norfolk. Hendrickson is 7-11 with a 4.74 ERA (180.1IP, 95 ER) in 105 games for Baltimore...

The Orioles found a way to reduce Zach Britton's innings, at least on the major league level. Britton will be optioned to Double-A Bowie to make room for Mark Hendrickson on the 25-man roster. Didn't see that one coming. Britton is 6-7 with a 4.05 ERA in his rookie season. He's won only once in his last 12 starts, and lasted only two-thirds of an inning last night, allowing seven earned runs (eight total) and six hits. He's given up 17 earned runs (20 total) and 26 hits in his last four...

Looking for some baseball to fill the void during the All-Star break? Nationals fans, you're in for a treat. On Thursday, July 14, Democrats and Republicans will meet on the diamond, as Nationals Park serves as host for the 50th anniversary of the Congressional Baseball Game for charity. It's a chance for fans to watch our nation's two primary political parties become even more divided, this time substituting the podium and microphone for a glove and a bat. The game itself is an intense,...

Ben Badler is a reporter and writer for Baseball America. He covers the minor leagues but also focuses heavily on the international signings front and is among the best at covering that market. Last week I talked with him at length about the Orioles and their international efforts. Here is that interview. Ben, what is your take on the Orioles international efforts? "They seem to be very conservative in the international market, which is understandable given all of the issues involved in...

Nolan Reimold has cracked the lineup tonight against Red Sox right-hander John Lackey, but Blake Davis remains on the bench. For the Orioles: J.J.Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Mark Reynolds 3B Nolan Reimold LF Robert Andino 2B Alfredo Simon RHP X-rays on Brad Bergesen's right arm came back clean. He feels good and should be able to avoid the disabled list. No word on any suspensions being handed out from last night's brawl....

Earlier today, Part One of an interview with Orioles president Andy MacPhail was published in this space. It is a two-part interview with MacPhail about the O's signing and scouting of international players since he took over in his current position. Tomorrow, I will feature here an interview with Baseball America's Ben Badler with his analysis of the O's efforts on this front. Now, Part Two of the MacPhail interview. Were the O's one of the finalists for Miguel Sano? "Yeah. What we...

One topic that Orioles fans often ask me about is the club's poor record in signing international players. We all know the team has a poor history, for instance, of producing home-grown Dominican talent and that the Orioles have not been among the teams offering big signing bonuses for international talent in recent years. It is believed that the Orioles spent somewhere around $1.2 million on international bonuses in 2010. The most they gave one player was the $300,000 to infielder Hector...

The Orioles didn't allow 10 or more runs in their first 37 road games this year before allowing 10 or more in four of the last five. They've surrendered 10 or more hits in 19 of their 42 road games and are 1-18. The Orioles have allowed 81 hits in the last six games, including at least 10 hits in six straight. They've been outscored 50-18 during the current five-game losing streak. According to Elias, Zach Britton is only the third Orioles starting pitcher to allow at least eight runs...

Did you really think a season would pass without Mark Hendrickson wearing an Orioles uniform? Hendrickson is heading to Boston and will have his contract purchased from Triple-A Norfolk. A corresponding move will be announced. The Orioles need a fresh reliever after Zach Britton lasted only two-thirds of an inning and Brad Bergesen took a David Ortiz line drive off his right forearm. Chris Jakubauskas has pitched the last two nights. Left-hander Pedro Viola warmed up and entered last...