With the All-Star break bringing our first half of the season to a close, Nats Buzz tallied up the totals for both the Where at Nats Park contest and Fantasy Baseball. And now, we have two winners to congratulate. Shoshana and Terp4Life, your prize packs will be on their way out shortly. Please send your mailing address to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Shoshana crushed the competition in Where at Nats Park. She scored 10 points so far this season. NatsFan1a and Cheryl were close...

If you're thinking it feels like a long time since the O's have brought fans of Birdland together at the Yard, you're not the only one. The Birds embarked on a ten-game road trip following the completion of a nine-game homestand against the Marlins, Nats, and A's that ended on July 1. With the All-Star break upon us, it'll be a few more days before we're back at the Yard for Orioles baseball, but we make sure to visit Oriole Park here in the Orioles Buzz every Monday morning with the...

We've reached the All-Star break without the Orioles folding or going 2-86. I had serious concerns back in April about both possibilities. A four-game sweep in Texas has invigorated some fans whose loyalty was being severely tested, who were scrambling for reasons to maintain interest (tracking the prospects, the managerial search, the race against the '62 Mets and '88 Orioles). The first four-game road sweep since 1995 has left the Orioles with a 29-59 record, still the worst in...

As we continue our series on the O's minors, how about scouting and the number of scouting positions a club uses? Fans have pointed out that, according to the Baseball America directory, the Orioles rank last in the AL East in the number of scouting positions. Here is what Baseball America reported: Baltimore: Director, International Scouting - 1 Director, Professional Scouting - 1 Major League Advance Scout - 1 Major League Scouts - 2 Pro Scouts - 7 Director, Amateur Scouting - 1 Scouting...

Forget what I said about the All-Star break coming at the perfect time. It's coming at the worst-possible time. That's five quality starts in seven games for Jake Arrieta, who held the Rangers to one run over 6 1/3 innings today and exited after 90 pitches. Jake Arrieta talks to Mark Viviano about his performance in the Orioles' 4-1 win Interim manager Juan Samuel left himself open to the usual second-guessing when he removed Arrieta in favor of left-hander Will Ohman, who walked a batter...

The Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 4-1 this afternoon, to complete their first four-game sweep at Texas since June of 1976. Jake Arrieta followed up Chris Tillman's stellar outing Saturday with one of his own today. Arrieta allowed six hits and one run over 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three, throwing 90 pitches. He improved to 3-2, 4.38. Arrieta has allowed just 5 ER over his last three starts, pitching to an ERA of 2.41. He has recorded five quality starts among his...

Do I save the leftover chicken piccata for dinner or eat it for lunch? Does it have to be one or the other? OK, here's the actual decision that I'm referencing: The Rangers put a runner on second base with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Nelson Cruz represented the tying run. Jake Arrieta fell behind, 2-0, on two sliders. He got a strike on a 91 mph fastball, and missed with the same pitch to leave the count at 3-1. Cruz had to be looking fastball, but Arrieta went back to the...

John Stockstill has been with the Orioles for five years. He joined the club in December of 2005 to oversee the O's Major League and pro scouting. He has also served as the club's director of international scouting. Since early April of this year he has worked in his latest role with the club as director of player development. In that role he oversees the development of players at all levels of the organization, to include overseeing the workings in the O's minors. Here are some...

Backup catcher Craig Tatum fouled a ball off his left foot in the fourth inning and collapsed to the ground. He limped out of the batters box, a grimace on his face. He'll have to play through the pain. The Orioles are short on reserves with Matt Wieters unavailable and Felix Pie recovering from a strained quad. Pie says he's ready. Interim manager Juan Samuel says he'd rather wait until after the break. Jake Fox is the backup catcher again today, except he's also the starting first...

It appears that Robbie Widlansky of the Double-A Bowie Baysox will be out for the rest of this season. He suffered what is believed to be a fractured right ankle on Thursday during a game at Erie and is expected to miss at least six weeks, meaning the soonest he would be back is at the very end of the minor league season. Widlansky, who won the Carolina League batting title last year while at Frederick, is batting .269-5-30 in 74 games with the Baysox. He was just two for 21 in July at the...