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...

If five years ago today, you predicted my future would include blogging about baseball for MASNsports.com, I would have given you an odd look. Before 2006, I had never been to a professional baseball game, and I still thought baseball was about as interesting as watching paint dry. Goes to show you never know what will happen. I think a lot of baseball fans, especially lifelong baseball fans, have a story to tell about their love of the game. That story might begin with a young boy playing...

Good morning, Birdland! As some of you may know, if you keep a calendar, my name is James Baker and I write primarily for Oriole Post. Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com asked the new guest bloggers to give a little intro of ourselves and our blogging history for this introductory post, so without further ado, I present "A Brief History of an Orioles Blogger: James C. Baker." I grew up in the wilds of Harford County, but never was the city far from my life. Both my parents were from the city...

It was just about 10 p.m on the dot last night and I grabbed the headphones and pulled up to the microphone. I was about to begin another night of my baseball radio show, talking for two hours about the Orioles on 105.7 FM The Fan in Baltimore. With the team just minutes away from an eighth straight loss, I had to wonder - would this be the night? Would this be the night that the fans were so beaten down by the recent losing that no one would call in to talk about the Birds? The show started...

Jeremy Guthrie seemed pretty despondent after tonight's 8-4 loss. He didn't have much to say. And really, what's left to say when your team is 17 games below .500 and your own record is 3-13? "I'm just not throwing the ball well," he said. "I haven't been going deep into games for a while." Jeremy Guthrie isn't satisfied with his performance following the O's 8-4 loss Guthrie was charged with six runs in five innings, raising his ERA to 4.45. "I felt like I wasn't able to throw...

The Indians lead the season series 4-0 after tonight's 8-4 victory over the Orioles. The Orioles have lost eight in a row, tying their longest streak of the season (April 9-18). They're 6-22 since entering their June 11 game with a 30-31 record, and they're batting .199 with runners in scoring position during that stretch. Orioles starters have completed seven innings only once in the last 27 games. Nick Markakis is batting .391 in his last 30 games, with seven doubles, three homers and...