The Orioles optioned first baseman Brandon Snyder to Triple-A Norfolk after tonight's game. Snyder, 24, batted .222 (2-for-9) in five games. Catcher Craig Tatum is here and will officially be recalled tomorrow. Look for him to be behind the plate for Jeremy Guthrie's start against the Royals. With Nolan Reimold on the roster, Luke Scott is freed up to play more first base. Jake Fox can be used in more of a utility role, which means backing up at first base and serving as a third catcher.

The Orioles tied their season high with their fourth straight victory. Jake Arrieta improved to 6-2 with a 4.57 ERA. It wasn't necessarily pretty, but he got the job done. Buck Showalter meets with the media to recap the Orioles' 9-2 win "Stuff-wise, he was good," manager Buck Showalter said. "He just gets out of sorts some and loses command for a while. He's fortunate to get through six innings. He worked himself into some trouble. Would you take six innings and two runs every...

The Orioles didn't score in six of their eight innings at the plate tonight, but they got more than enough runs in one inning to beat Kansas City 9-2 this evening. They have taken the first two games of the series and will go for a sweep Thursday at 12:35 p.m. After being shut out on just 28 pitches by Luke Hochevar through three innings tonight, the Orioles scored eight runs in the fourth inning, by far their biggest inning of the year. They had six hits in the inning and sent 13 men to the...

After the Nationals got absolutely brutalized in Milwaukee, it was hard to sit down and write something about them. I mean, they savaged themselves. One game they got blown out, the other two were like they were trying to end it all by leaping up on a moose head attached to the wall to try and impale themselves on its horns. Comedic and pathetic. The feelings of anger and disgust were over whelming so I took some time and meditated in the Zen Room (all Nats blogs are equipped with one). If I...

Tonight's attendance: 15,740 Remember when Jake Arrieta gave up those six runs and six hits against the Nationals in only 3 2/3 innings? Ancient history. Arrieta turned in his eighth quality start tonight, holding the Royals to a two-run homer from Melky Cabrera over six innings. Jim Johnson has replaced him in the seventh. Arrieta allowed five hits, walked three and struck out seven. He threw 106 pitches, 66 for strikes. That's not real sharp, but it's the eighth time in 11 starts...

The positive spin on Jake Arrieta after two innings is he hasn't allowed a run. Keep in mind that the Nationals abused him for six runs in 3 2/3 innings in his last start, so tonight's early returns are encouraging. However, each positive spin must also include a negative spin. Says so right here in the "spin" handbook. Arrieta has thrown 46 pitches, 23 for strikes. That's a lot of pitches for two innings. Arrieta hasn't given up a hit, but he's walked two batters. That's negative....

Here's a sampler platter from manager Buck Showalter's pregame session with the media. Napkins are optional. A cold beverage is recommended. On the AL East standings: "I see us three games out in the loss column. I think it's the only division with four teams .500 or better. I think it's that time of year where most teams start kind of seeking their level and separation starts happening one way or the other. I look at it from our perspective more than anything. I'd much rather be...

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters began this season going 7-for-7 when batting with runners in scoring position. While he wasn't going to keep hitting 1.000 in those clutch spots, he is still batting over .500 with RISP and the team is now 46 games into the season. Wieters is hitting .576 on the year at 19-for-33 with RISP. He has five doubles, three homers and 25 of his 26 RBIs in those spots. He is easily the American League's top hitter with RISP. So what is the key to hitting well in clutch...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter sent Robert Andino to the plate in the fifth inning last night with instructions to bunt a strike. The Orioles trailed by two runs and had two runners on base with no outs after back-to-back walks from Royals starter Danny Duffy. Andino offered at the first pitch, a high fastball, and popped it up for a double play. The bunt made perfect sense with the tying runs on base and no outs, but Andino wasn't supposed to go after a pitch out of the strike zone. And he...

For the Orioles: Felix Pie LF Adam Jones CF Nick Markakis RF Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Luke Scott 1B Mark Reynolds 3B J.J. Hardy SS Ryan Adams 2B Jake Arrieta RHP Catcher Craig Tatum is expected to be recalled before the Orioles fly out to Oakland following tomorrow afternoon's game. You can speculate on the corresponding roster move. Brandon Snyder is a strong candidate because Scott and Jake Fox can play first base in Derrek Lee's absence. Tatum could be recalled in time to...