When we last left Jake Arrieta, he was prepared to undergo surgery tomorrow to have a bone spur removed from his right elbow. Now he's getting a second opinion from orthopedic specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum. Arrieta told reporters in Boston yesterday that he's leaning toward not having the procedure, though it's relatively simple in nature and gives him plenty of time to recover. I don't get it. Yocum will take a look at the MRI results and offer his opinion, which usually carries a lot of...

For the Orioles: 2B Brian Roberts RF Nick Markakis 1B Ty Wigginton DH Luke Scott CA Matt Wieters CF Adam Jones LF Felix Pie 3B Robert Andino SS Cesar Izturis P Brad Bergesen For the Red Sox: 2B Marco Scutaro RF JD Drew CA Victor Martinez DH David Ortiz 3B Adrian Beltre SS Jed Lowrie CF Ryan Kalish LF Daniel Nava 1B Lars Anderson P Clay Buchholz

The Orioles today announced the winners of their player development and scouting awards for 2010, including INF Joe Mahoney as the club's top minor league player and LHP Zach Britton as the club's top minor league pitcher. The winners will be honored before the Orioles' game against the New York Yankees tonight at Camden Yards. Mahoney, the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, hit .307 with 30 doubles, 18 home runs and 78 RBI in 124 combined games with Single-A Frederick (72...

Okay, I know you can't call two wins in a row a winning streak. Taking a liberty here, but the O's now do have a two-game winning "streak" at Fenway Park. They beat the Sox 6-1 on the Fourth of July in the final game of a series and followed it up with last night's 4-2 victory. Both games were started by Brian Matusz, by the way. Why is this important? Because it is the first time the O's have put together back-to-back wins at Fenway since May 30, 2005. Yes, that is over five years...

Nationals left-hander John Lannan (8-7, 4.61) is looking for his ninth win of the season as he takes to the mound tonight against the Houston Astros. If he can secure the victory tonight at Nats Park, it will mark the third consecutive campaign in which he has won nine games in a season for Washington. Lannan has experienced an incredible surge the last half of the season after struggling out of the blocks. Since August 6, Lannan has won six of eight starts and has struck out 19 batters...

I've had this discussion in the press box with a friend and fellow scribe on multiple occasions. OCJ touched on it in his most recent comment. The last month of the season usually brings pain and suffering. It's like jamming toothpicks underneath your fingernails, watching Sidney Ponson dress at his locker or taking the Saints -5 1/2 last night. (Who dat? The team that didn't cover for me. Nice defense, fellas. And don't be shy about punching it in from the 1.) So here we are, down to...

Since he gave up that three-run homer to A-Rod on Friday night, Koji Uehara has pitched scoreless innings vs. the Yankees and Red Sox, fanning five of six hitters. His split-finger pitch has returned. He threw several nasty ones Sunday vs. New York and it looked like he mixed in one or two in Monday's quick save vs. Boston. That's two innings, 21 pitches, 17 strikes and strikeouts vs. Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, J.D. Drew and Jason Varitek. For a while it looked to me...

Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott, who teamed up to get the Orioles a win over the Yankees in the 11th inning on Sunday, combined for three RBI tonight as the O's beat Boston 4-2 in game one of a three-game series. Wigginton drove in the run that ended Sunday's game and tonight gave the O's a 3-2 lead in the seventh with his 70th RBI of the year, his most since recording 79 in 2006 with Tampa. The Orioles have won seven of 10, 11 of 15 and 15 of their last 22 games. They are 12-3 in...

I guess that 38-pitch first inning didn't take too much out of left-hander Brian Matusz. Matusz blanked the Red Sox over the next four innings. He's allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four. Unfortunately, his pitch count is up to 102 because of that early workload and David Hernandez has replaced him. Matusz falls an inning short of a quality start. If you want to get under manager Buck Showalter's skin, suggest that a young pitcher is getting stronger as we approach the end...

When he needed 38 pitches in the first inning tonight, it pretty much insured that Brian Matusz would not get too deep into his start this evening at Fenway Park. But Matusz pitched well, allowing just three hits and one first-inning run over five innings. He threw 101 pitches, 61 for strikes. Matusz left with a 2-1 lead so he still has not lost a game since August 14 at Tampa. In his six starts since then, he is 4-0, 1.91. He could get a win tonight. If he does, it will be his ninth...