I knew this game was moving too fast. The tarp is coming on the field after umpires halted play at 8:35 p.m. Too bad the grounds crew didn't take action a few minutes earlier. Colby Rasmus hit a 400-foot home run to extend the Cardinals' lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth. Zach Britton retired Yadier Molina on a ground ball for the second out before the Orioles bolted for the dugout. Britton had retired eight of nine batters before Rasmus launched his seventh home run. I'll take this...

Zach Britton got into a jam in the second inning when David Freese reached on an infield hit and Colby Rasmus walked with one out. He fell behind, 1-0, to Yadier Molina, and catcher Matt Wieters called time and headed to the mound for a brief conference. I don't know what Wieters said, but Britton retired Molina on a fly ball to right and got ahead of Mark Hamilton, 1-2. It looked like the game would remain scoreless. Wrong. Hamilton, Nick Punto and Ryan Theriot strung together three...

With the selection of reserves for the All-Star teams coming up on Sunday, we'll know soon which Oriole or Orioles will make the American League squad. Most seem to be predicting that just one player from this team will make it, but there are several deserving candidates. They include Adam Jones, batting .294 with 14 doubles, 13 homers and 45 RBIs. "Personally, it's out of my hands," Jones said. "You know, we've got guys in here having helluva years. I'm just trying to do my part. We...

It probably should not come as a shock to anyone, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter did express concern today over the lack of production from Vladimir Guerrero, his cleanup hitter. Guerrero has just four extra-base hits, two homers and two doubles, over his last 32 games. His current slugging percentage is .388 down from last year's .496 and his OPS is down from .841 to .702. "Yeah, there is (reason to be concerned)," Showalter said. "But, Vladdy we all know, he's not conventional. You...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter talked today about the recent lack of playing time for outfielder Nolan Reimold. He did not play in the series with Cincinnati and had just eight at-bats during the recent nine-game road trip. "It's been a challenge. We keep hoping that Luke (Scott) can get it going and we went through a period where there were a lot of left-handed pitchers, so it was pretty easy (to play him). We are going through the opposite now," Showalter said. "On my list of things that...

Alfredo Simon reported to Single-A Frederick today, but manager Buck Showalter told reporters that it's "more likely than less likely" that the reliever is activated from the disabled list before tomorrow night's game against the Cardinals. Showalter said the club will make a decision early tomorrow afternoon whether Simon pitches for the Keys or comes off the disabled list. Look for Simon to join the 25-man roster. The Orioles haven't ruled out making Simon a starter down the road, but...

For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Derrek Lee 1B Luke Scott LF Mark Reynolds 3B Robert Andino 2B Zach Britton LHP Lee is two hits shy of 1,900 for his career. He'll become the 315th player in major league history to reach the milestone. The Orioles are the only team in baseball to have 10 or more home runs from their shortstop and third baseman. Reynolds leads all third basemen with 14 homers. Hardy ranks fourth among...

The Nationals are continuing to assemble and coordinate their rosters between Florida and Auburn (and I don't mean the Gators and the Tigers for you southeastern conference fans, although the Florida Gators obviously have some guys to watch in the College World Series). There are several players that have jumped out with their talent in the first few weeks of workouts from the Nationals training facility in Florida and Gulf Coast League competition. Also, a few of the guys are on the roster...

The Orioles have decided not to activate reliever Alfredo Simon from the disabled list, delaying their next roster move for at least 24 hours. It's possible that Simon will return to the 25-man roster before tomorrow night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Camden Yards. Simon is on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He threw two scoreless innings Sunday at Double-A Bowie, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out three. Simon is 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five appearances...

Jeff Tackett lives in Los Angeles now, not Hollywood - an important distinction for a guy who managed to squeeze two cameo appearances in feature films into the four years he served as a backup catcher with the Orioles between 1991-94. A trip back to Baltimore last weekend, a family vacation to help one of his sons scout out potential college choices, reminded Tackett how special his time as an Oriole was. Tackett took time out from visiting college campuses to visit with suiteholders at...