Rhyne Hughes tied a Triple-A Norfolk record last night by striking out five times. Then he hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Tides a 4-3 win over Pawtucket. Left-hander Troy Patton improved to 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA by allowing one hit over four scoreless innings. He retired nine straight batters and 10 of the last 11 that he faced. Then he flew to Baltimore, sat at one of the lockers for a few hours and flew back to Norfolk. Pedro Viola threw two scoreless...

I want to begin by congratulating the Orioles on their fine selection of Matt Taylor in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft with the 155th pick. I don't know a thing about Taylor other than the fact that we share the same name, so I fully support the move and look forward to his first T-Shirt Tuesday at Camden Yards. And while I'm handing out plaudits, here's to Luke Scott for taking over sole possession as the career leader in Eutaw Street home runs....

It isn't often hype matches and then surpasses expectation, but last year on this very date, that's what Washington watched live at Nationals Park. Pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg became a part of Nationals folklore when he made his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The start was by no means shaky, but there were a few moments where the victory almost slipped away. Thanks to a few offensive heroics from Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, combined with a nasty fastball and a...

If you look at the Orioles' draft picks this year through 30 rounds, the O's have certainly grabbed much more college than high school talent with the picks so far. Of the Orioles' picks through the first 20 rounds, they selected 16 college players. Through 30 rounds, they took 21 college and nine high school players. Over the last three years of drafts combined, from 2008 to 2010, the Orioles selected 100 college players to 49 from high schools. After the Orioles took high school pitcher...

The Orioles will make their last 20 picks today in the First-Year Player Draft. Maybe there's the son of a coach or team employee who will get the call in the late rounds. The sons of Mike Hargrove, Jeff Newman and Sam Perlozzo have been drafted by the Orioles in past years. The Orioles face another left-hander tonight, Oakland's Josh Outman, who held them to two runs in six innings in a 4-2 victory on May 28. Outman gave up six hits and walked five. It's not like the Orioles didn't...

Chris Jakubauskas held the Athletics to three hits over five scoreless innings, walking one and striking out five to earn his first win since Aug. 12, 2009. He also came away with a bruise on his left shin, courtesy of Cliff Pennington's smash up the middle, but he stayed in the game long enough to record the final out in the fifth. "It hurt pretty good right off the bat," he said. "I threw it, he hit it, I was like, 'Let it miss me,' but it didn't. As Buck (Showalter) said on the...

Nolan Reimold wasn't available tonight because of neck spasms. He could only pinch-run, but the Orioles are hoping that he returns to the lineup tomorrow night against Oakland left-hander Josh Outman. The Orioles won the series over Oakland after losing the last eight. Their last series win over the Athletics came in July 2007. Looking for nights to attend games at Camden Yards? The Orioles are 5-0 at home on Tuesdays. By the way, the Orioles will face Jeremy Hellickson, David Price and...

Say it quietly, but the Orioles' bullpen continues to throw well, at least it has for the last nine games. The Orioles 'pen put up four scoreless innings tonight in relief of starter Chris Jakubauskas who got the win in the Birds' 4-0 victory over Oakland. This was the O's fourth shutout of the season. But about that 'pen ... Over the last nine games now, the O's 'pen has worked to an ERA of 0.30 allowing just two earned runs over the last 30 innings in that time. That is some roll...

Double-A Bowie's

The Washington Nationals today selected 28 players on the second day of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Player Personnel Roy Clark and Nationals Director of Scouting Kris Kline made the joint announcement. The Nationals selected Texas Christian University left-handed pitcher Matt Purke, widely considered one of the most-complete...