Sorry to be late with this information, but I sent along an entry earlier today that didn't post. Now that I'm back at my laptop, I can take care of it. Adam Jones was a late scratch with a right hip strain. He also dealt with a sore shoulder last night, but that's not the issue today. Jones was removed as a precaution, with Lou Montanez replacing him in center field and Julio Lugo batting leadoff. He's expected to start tomorrow night in Minnesota.

Nats starter Luis Atilano learned his best pitch the sinker from the Nats organization. He will prominently display that pitch again tonight as he takes on the Atlanta Braves in his 3rd overall start and 2nd at home. I asked Luis what he felt about his 2-0 start: "I feel happy about it. I am keeping my focus from day to day. I am trying to get quick outs during my starts." "I am working pitch by pitch. I am not trying to do too much. A lot of times I am behind in the count. But that...

Tonight, I'll be checking in on the Frederick Keys, the club with the best record in the O's minor leagues right now. The Keys are 15-10 with four wins in a row and tonight look for a 3-0 start to their four-game series with a Winston-Salem team which has the second best record in the Carolina League at 17-8. I'll head to Harry Grove Stadium to get some pre game interviews and file a couple of in-game blogs tonight as well, so check back here later today and this evening and look for some...

Orioles: CF Adam Jones 2B Ty Wigginton RF Nick Markakis 3B Miguel Tejada 1B Garrett Atkins DH Matt Wieters LF Nolan Reimold C Craig Tatum SS Julio Lugo RHP David Hernandez Yankees: SS Derek Jeter DH Nick Johnson 1B Mark Teixeira 3B Alex Rodriguez 2B Robinson Cano RF Nick Swisher CF Brett Gardner C Francisco Cervelli LF Randy Winn LHP Andy Pettitte

Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez aren't hitting in this series. Mariano Rivera isn't available, and Jorge Posada can be used only in an emergency. The bottom of the Yankees' lineup last night included Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena. I'm glad the Orioles caught the Yankees at the right time. It's the bottom portion that keeps hurting the Orioles - along with starters CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. And they get Andy Pettitte today, another pitcher they can't touch without getting...

It was a sad Tuesday evening at Nationals Park as broadcasters, players, writers and coaches reflected on the passing of legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell. For nearly 50 years, Harwell was the voice of the Tigers cementing his place in baseball history and earning the esteemed Ford C. Frick Award in 1981. Harwell, a soft spoken story-teller, was truly one of a kind. Though the Georgia native possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, he impressed fans, players, coaches...

Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond went 2-4 with a home run, a single, 2 RBI and a run scored in the Nats 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves Tuesday night at Nats Park. Desmond is batting .338 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI in last 6 games. His homer was number two on the season and came off Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami in the fifth inning. "He just threw me a slider. I was able to stay through it and get enough of it to get it out of the park. I was looking for it. He gave it to me. That's...

Maybe the only thing more frustrating than watching the Orioles lose to the Yankees is how they do it. Get runners on second and second third for the top of the order. Three straight strikeouts on pitches out of the zone vs. Burnett. Yankee liner to center and Adam Jones makes a foolish dive and it costs them a run. Matusz almost gets out of a major jam, but issues a bases-loaded walk. Gary Thorne and Ben McDonald talk with Dave Trembley about the O's 4-1 loss The Orioles have scored...

There is no way to explain it, but it is a fact of every team's starting rotation every season. There will be a pitcher who gets tremendous support from his team's hitters, and there will be a pitcher who gets very little. And that support or lack of support obviously goes a long way in a starting pitcher's win-loss record. Through the first 26 games of the Orioles season, a pattern has developed. The Orioles have only three wins from their starters, the fewest in the majors. Why?...

Second and third, none out and a run already across in the third inning. The Orioles could have busted the game wide open, but their only run scored on pitcher A.J. Burnett's throwing error. Three straight batters went down swinging. Leadoff double for Miguel Tejada in the fourth. Tejada moves to third with one out. The Orioles could have snapped a 1-1 tie, but they failed to score. Luke Scott struck out and Garrett Atkins fouled out. Why was the game tied in the top of the fourth?...