Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro drilled Julio Lugo in the back with his third pitch of the fifth inning, obvious retaliation for Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz hitting Daric Barton. It's not like Mazzaro tried to hide it. Lugo took a few steps toward the mound before his path was blocked. I thought we might have a brawl. It didn't go unnoticed that interim manager Juan Samuel was the first person out of the Orioles dugout. Luke Scott stood beside him, hands on hips. Ty Wigginton and bench...

Cal Ripken confirmed tonight that talks are ongoing with owner Peter Angelos and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail about a future role in the front office, but he isn't prepared to place a timeline on his return to the organization. "I love the fact that it's an open exploration and we're talking," Ripken said in a phone interview with MASNsports.com and The Sun. "My goal truly was to be available to (son) Ryan, my kids, but you start to look at it and it's a short period...

He wasn't with the Oakland A's that long, and then Jake Fox was traded from Oakland to the Orioles just eight days ago. He was in the starting lineup vs. the A's for a time here yesterday, but then when Dallas Braden was scratched as Oakland starter, the Orioles changed thier lineup and Fox didn't start. He is not in tonight's starting lineup either. But he will be in the dugout opposite the A's team he feels gave up on him too soon. If he gets in the game, he says it will be a...

Corey Patterson LF Miguel Tejada 3B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott DH Adam Jones CF Craig Tatum C Julio Lugo 2B Cesar Izturis SS Brian Matusz LHP So much for Jake Fox facing his former team. Dallas Braden was scratched because of stiffness in his left elbow.

In roster news from the minors today, Bowie has activated lefty pitcher Chad Thall from the temporary inactive list. He is 1-0, 4.32 in 12 Baysox games this season with five walks and 14 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. The Delmarva Shorebirds have put first baseman Tyler Stampone on the disabled list with a left hand injury and received IF Mike Mooney from the Gulf Coast League. Stampone was batting .249-0-28 in 59 games and is second on the Delmarva club in RBI. With Pat Egan and Zach...

Update: Dallas Braden has been scratched from tonight's start. Vin Mazzaro (2-2, 4.71 ERA) will replace him. The Orioles' lineup could change. More to come. Tonight's game pits two teams with the longest winning streaks in baseball. The Orioles have won four in a row, and Oakland has won three straight. The Orioles have won their last four one-run games, improving their record to 13-11. They've scored 28 runs in the last four games after totaling 27 in the previous seven. Oakland leads...

If it seems like David Hernandez is getting better with each relief appearance, that may be the case. Hernandez is 2-1, 2.13 with two saves in 11 relief outings. And, over his last three games, he has pitched no-hit ball over 3 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Sunday, he entered the game with the Nats and blew away Josh Willingham and Roger Bernadina on eighth-inning strikeouts. He threw six pitches at these speeds: 94, 95, 95, 95, 97 and 94. "I go out there and I don't really feel...

Michael Gonzalez will pitch out of the bullpen tonight at short-season Single-A Aberdeen. Gonzalez has been working the first inning on his injury rehab assignment, but the Orioles want him to get more accustomed to his normal role. Gonzalez probably will take tomorrow off and pitch again on Thursday. It's not known when the Orioles will activate him. Gonzalez gave up a two-run homer in his last outing against Brooklyn, but interim manager Juan Samuel noted that the unfortunate pitch was a...

For the Orioles: Julio Lugo 2B Miguel Tejada 3B Nick Markakis RF Ty Wigginton 1B Luke Scott LF Adam Jones CF Jake Fox DH Craig Tatum C Cesar Izturis SS Brian Matusz LHP For the Athletics: Crisp CF Barton 1B Jackson LF Suzuki C Kouzmanoff 3B Rosales 2B Ellis DH Davis RF Pennington SS Braden LHP Did the Phillies pick up Garret Atkins today, or is it just a rumor? I haven't seen it confirmed.

Craig Stammen is back with the Nationals for tonight's matchup in game two at Turner Field against the first place Atlanta Braves. Stammen talked to me recently about the demotion in early June and what he has concentrated on to get back to the big leagues. "It wasn't like I was throwing the ball badly. I had really good stuff almost every time I went out. Just didn't execute and was overthrowing a little bit and not really trusting myself as much as I should. I can't really...