The Nationals' young catcher Wilson Ramos made a coming-of-age play Tuesday with his dramatic three-run walk-off home run to stun the Seattle Mariners, 6-5. It is one of those hits that can make players and fans believe the Nationals can win any game at any time. The fact that it was the 23-year old Ramos who hit the homer shows that the Nationals' younger players are learning how to win games when given the opportunity. Last Thursday, 24-year old second baseman Danny Espinosa came to the...

Blake Davis is in the starting lineup today at second base. For the Orioles: J.J. Hardy SS Nick Markakis RF Adam Jones CF Derrek Lee 1B Matt Wieters C Luke Scott LF Mark Reynolds 3B Blake Davis 2B Zach Britton LHP Orioles pitchers are a combined 5-for-12 (.417) at the plate this year with two doubles and two RBIs. All other AL teams are a combined 9-for-120 (.075). Britton recorded his first major league hit Friday in Washington. The Orioles have collected 62 hits in the last five...

The cities of Baltimore and Pittsburgh have been through quite a bit with their baseball teams in the last decade. They are roughly four hours apart in terms of driving distance, and of course, have passionate fan bases when it comes to their sports. As we all know, both cities have quite a few parallels; however, none of them mirror more closely than the futility of their baseball franchises. The Orioles have not had a winning season since 1998, and the Pirates have not had one since Barry...

SALISBURY, Md. - The only thing that went wrong with last night's South Atlantic League All-Star game was the home team lost. The South beat the North 6-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 7,410 at Perdue Stadium. The North squad had won four straight from 2006-2009 and last year's game ended in a tie, so this was the first win by the South since 2005. But despite the fact that the team with five Delmarva Shorebirds on it came up short, everything else was pretty much a huge hit last night in...

The Orioles and Pirates have a 12:35 p.m. game today at PNC Park, which means an early lineup posting and a free night. I'm talking about myself. I don't care what they do. Zach Britton is taking the mound for the 15th time today. Nine of his outings have resulted in quality starts. I'd settle for him getting through the game without an injury. Brad Bergesen probably woke up with a bruise on the right side of his back after being nailed by Jose Tabata's liner last night. I've woke...

SALISBURY, Md. - The news that was very expected became official after tonight's South Atlantic League All-Star Game. The Orioles are sending top prospect Manny Machado from low Single-A Delmarva to high Single-A Frederick. Machado played his last game representing the Shorebirds tonight and went 2-for-4 with a run scored as his North team lost 6-3 to the South in front of a sellout crowd. Before tonight's game Machado said he had not been told anything about his next move, but shortly...

A 9-3 loss to the Pirates tonight assures the Orioles of finishing below .500 on this nine-game, three-city road trip. During his interview that aired on MASN, Jeremy Guthrie told reporters that he felt very comfortable. The back wasn't an issue, and neither was an adjusted throwing schedule leading up to tonight's start. What hurts is the 2-9 record.

SALISBURY, Md. - After four and a half innings of the South Atlantic League All-Star game, the South team leads the North 6-2 at Perdue Stadium. The South plated five runs in the third, getting two-run homers from Adam Duvall and Cory Vaughn. Single-A Delmarva's Manny Machado is 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored in the first and he struck out in the top of the third. His Shorebirds teammate, Ty Kelly, starting at second base, is 0-for-1 after a third-inning ground out. Delmarva lefty...

The Orioles really need Thursday's off day to slow their world from spinning out of control. Jeremy Guthrie has allowed five runs and seven hits in four innings to the Pirates, who couldn't get out of their own way last night. His last start was cut short by a strained muscle in his back, and his command isn't up to the normal standards. The only encouraging sign is his fastball has hit the mid-90s, so velocity doesn't appear to be an issue. Take the small victories wherever you can find...

Single-A Potomac Nationals left-handed pitcher Danny Rosenbaum concluded the first half of the season as the team leader in innings pitched (85) and continues to keep the opponents off the board with a 2.65 ERA and 62 strikeouts. But the team is working on fine-tuning his fastball as they embark on the second half of the season. Potomac Nationals pitching coach Paul Menhart said the former Xavier Musketeer needs to hit his spots with his best pitch. The coaching staff would love to get the...