Pretty strange that there seemed to be more controversial hits in the Orioles-Blue Jays game than the one that took place at M&T Bank Stadium. Reliever Alfredo Simon and manager Buck Showalter were ejected in the fifth inning today after the right-hander drilled former Oriole Jose Bautista with a pitch. Bautista had been hit earlier in the game by Orioles starter Rick VandenHurk - also on the left arm - and Toronto starter Shaun Marcum grazed Luke Scott's ribs in apparent retaliation,...

In addition to giving up a lot of homers this year to Toronto batters, the Orioles have struggled at times to hit Blue Jays pitchers. That was the case again today as Shaun Marcum gave up just one run over seven innings as Toronto beat the O's 5-2 to sweep the three-game series. Jim Hunter talks with Buck Showalter following the O's 5-2 loss to Toronto The Orioles went 0-9 on the year at Toronto and they were out-scored 54-20 in those games. Blue Jays pitchers had an ERA of 2.48 in the...

On Monday night, Nationals fans will have a unique opportunity to sample Chef Rick Moonen's new seafood creation. During the Nationals game against the Phillies, Moonen will unveil his "Moon N' Doggie" gourmet shrimp dog at Nationals Park. The special will be sold in the Stars and Stripes Club and at the Red Porch during the final three games. The shrimp dog is served with Asian slaw and toga chips. Moonen will be signing autographs and meeting with fans throughout the entire series...

On Sunday, the Nationals will honor legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox in a special pre-game ceremony. From 1991 to 2005, Cox won a record 14 straight division titles, five National League Pennants and the World Series in 1995. He will retire at the end of this season with 40 years of service to Major League Baseball. Willie Harris, who played for the Atlanta Braves in 2007, had plenty of kind things to say about Cox, whom he described as a player's manager. "He makes you feel a certain...

Manager Buck Showalter just met with the media in Toronto and indicated that he'll stay with the current rotation for the rest of the season, which concludes on Oct. 3 at Camden Yards. The way it's presently constructed, Rick VandenHurk will start today, followed by Brian Matusz tomorrow, Brad Bergesen on Tuesday, Kevin Millwood on Wednesday, Chris Tillman on Thursday, Jeremy Guthrie on Friday, VandenHurk on Saturday and Matusz on Sunday. Tillman was a candidate to be shut down, but he's...

One critical component of a winning baseball team is accountability in the clubhouse by the players themselves. Veteran teams have leaders that lead by example. Small problems are solved before they become major fissures. The players in the clubhouse police themselves. When one player is not doing something on the field he should be doing, a veteran goes to him and fixes the problem. Sometimes when it comes from a teammate instead of a higher figure in the organization, like the...

For the Orioles: 2B Brian Roberts RF Nick Markakis 1B Ty Wigginton DH Luke Scott LF Felix Pie CF Adam Jones C Matt Wieters 3B Robert Andino SS Cesar Izturis RHP Rick Vandenhurk For the Blue Jays: LF Travis Snider 2B Aaron Hill RF Jose Bautista CF Vernon Wells 1B Lyle Overbay C John Buck DH Adam Lind 3B Edwin Encarnacion SS John McDonald RHP Shaun Marcum

For Brandon Snyder, the path to the Major Leagues has not been an easy or smooth ride. He dealt with a position move to catcher and injuries early in his minor league career. Then the last two years he has been unable to put up consistent numbers at Triple-A. Despite all that, the Orioles have seen other times in the minors when Snyder showed a solid bat and consistent gap-to-gap power. The drive and passion for the game, "want to" as Buck Showalter calls it, has always been there from...

The Toronto Blue Jays have hit 241 home runs. Much to my surprise, I just discovered that they haven't all come against the Orioles. Lyle Overbay hit No. 4 today for Toronto leading off the bottom of the 11th inning. He fell behind, 0-1, against left-hander Mark Hendrickson and ended the game on the next pitch. Koji Uehara cruised through the 10th inning on only 12 pitches, but manager Buck Showalter called upon Hendrickson for the lefty vs. lefty matchup. It didn't last long. Plenty of...

For the second day in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays used the home run ball to beat the Orioles. Lyle Overbay led off the last of the 11th and hit an 0-1 pitch from Mark Hendrickson over the right field wall for a 5-4, walk-off win. That was the Jays fourth homer of the game and seventh of this series. The Jays have hit a Major League-leading 241 on the season. The Orioles have now lost three in a row and are 0-8 on the year at Rogers Centre. They have lost 13 straight and 22 of their last...