Hello, MASNsports.com readers. My name is Heath Bintliff and I have been writing Dempsey's Army, a Baltimore Orioles blog, since 2006. Although I grew up in Maryland, I now live in Atlanta and have been away from Maryland for 11 years. As you might imagine, there are not a lot of O's fans down here in Georgia, so I needed an outlet for my Orioles thoughts and the blog was born. Dempsey's Army offers statistical analysis, historical perspective, commentary, prospect watching and various...

There are many who will tell you that the Washington Nationals are a team in waiting. After several years of terrible misfortune on the field, they were unprecedented benefactors of great luck off of it. In back-to-back seasons, arguably the two greatest, or at least most hyped, prospects of all time would enter the Major League Baseball draft, and each year the Nationals had the first overall pick. Washington shelled out the money to sign the two, and now the Lerners, general manager Mike...

Jeremy Guthrie will take the mound today as the Orioles attempt to halt a five-game losing streak. Guthrie has got to play stopper today, and he seems the most qualified on the staff. He's allowed one run and seven hits in 14 innings, and he should have better stamina today. Here's the Orioles' lineup, which includes Jake Fox behind the plate: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Derrek Lee 1B Vladimir Guerrero DH Luke Scott LF Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Jake Fox C Robert Andino...

So much for sleeping in on a Saturday morning. My daughter has her first SAT prep class today, which begins at 9 a.m. and lasts 4 1/2 hours. And honestly, what else would a teenage girl want to do on a Saturday morning? You can imagine her excitement. Bet she could barely sleep last night. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters a few days ago that there was a 90 percent chance of rain today. The Orioles could be facing a doubleheader tomorrow because they don't come back to...

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Bryce Harper, last year's No. 1 overall draft pick by the Washington Nationals, made his home debut for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns on Friday night, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in an 8-4 loss to the Lakewood BlueClaws, the Phillies' South Atlantic League affiliate. The game, the home crowd's first chance to get a peek at the slugging catcher-turned-right fielder, drew a sellout crowd of 6,017 to 80-year-old Municipal Stadium, making it perhaps the most...

Last year, when the Orioles had a pretty mediocre offense, they averaged just 3.8 runs per game. So far this year, with an offense that is expected to be greatly improved, they are averaging 3.8 runs per game. The Orioles just are not hitting much right now and I'm sure some fans are getting restless to see some runs at this point. It's too early to get real concerned, but the team batting average is just .226. During the five-game losing streak, the O's have scored just 12 runs with a...

It wasn't all going to be all roses and gumdrops for Zach Britton in his major league career. After two dominating efforts in his first two major league starts - Britton had allowed just one run in 13 2/3 innings prior to last night, earning two wins in the process - the left-hander finally proved he is, in fact, human. It's sad to read, I know. But it's true. Britton was touched by the Indians for five runs in six innings of work. He allowed eight hits and gave up the first home run of...

After starting the year at 6-1, the Orioles have now lost five in a row to fall back to 6-6. Zach Britton took his first major league loss as Cleveland scored four in the third inning to beat the lefty and the Orioles 8-2 in the start of a three-game series. Britton gave up five runs and eight hits over six innings in falling 2-1 with an ERA of 2.75. Asdrubal Cabrera had a pair of two-run singles as the Tribe improved to 9-4. Justin Masterson improved to 3-0 with an ERA of 1.33, allowing just...

Oh sure, now Koji Uehara pitches. Uehara took care of the eighth inning tonight, long after the Indians took care of the Orioles. We're talking five straight losses and a .500 record. And it doesn't sting any less to me when it's a blowout. There isn't as much to second-guess, but it's still painful. Zach Britton is human. Pass the word. He allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. There were bound to be nights like this one. It just would have been more convenient if it...

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Hagerstown Suns right fielder Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk in his home debut, a Lakewood BlueClaws 8-4 victory before a sold-out 6,017 at Municipal Stadium. The 2010 No. 1 draft pick, Harper said he was concerned more about the loss than not getting a hit in four at-bats. "Not really frustrated about anything, actually," Harper said. "I am more frustrated that we lost. I am having good at-bats. I feel good up there. I feel strong up there. It is just going to...