The lines of O's fans waiting in the spitting rain to meet Matt Wieters stretched around the building. One ESPN Zone employee even told me that anticipating the enormous crowd, she arrived at 6:45 a.m. - only to find that one Orioles fan beat her there. It was by far the most crowded ESPN Zone Orioles Q&A in the last few years, and extra tables accommodated the packed house to within arm's reach of young Oriole. You wouldn't have guessed it to look at Wieters, however. The same ease we...

The Nationals are going for it. With Drew Storen called up Sunday and Stephen Strasburg starting (most likely) June 4, Mike Rizzo is announcing to the senior circuit that you can't spell National League without the National(s). This was not the case last season (or the year before that, or the....stop!). The Nats would make mistakes or get crushed in the bullpen and nothing would happen. Now, the team is making moves to get the guys on the 25-man who can play and play now. Rizzo told me...

This one should take place in an outdoor ring in Vegas. You could order it on pay per view. $49.95 seems a little steep, though. Brad Bergesen will face the Royals tonight for the first time since Billy Butler slammed a line drive off his left shin and sent him hobbling to the dugout. It was the most painful sprint in recorded history, and it concluded with Bergesen collapsing in the tunnel and writhing in pain. If you attended the game at Camden Yards, you can still hear the ball striking...

Happy Monday! I hope that you all had a relaxing weekend. Are you ready for another homestand? This week's challenge: Where is this photo on display at Nationals Park? Bonus points if you tell us something interesting about the subject of the photo. The answer will be posted on Wednesday. Answer: Actually, it's Thursday! So you had an extra day. The answer is on the new pennants outside of the PNC Diamond Club on the concourse level.

As the O's wrap up an eight-game homestand with a short series against Kansas City, you'll have two more opportunities to find this week's image in person at Camden Yards. First, let me know what the image is and where it's located in or around Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Then, don't miss a great chance to grab some bonus points this week, as the item pictured in this round is ripe with extra point opportunities! Update: Congrats to Charles B from SP for being the first to guess...

If I can get this blog entry filed, it'll be a miracle. My Verizon wireless card doesn't seem to operate as efficiently once a cloud rolls past, so you can imagine what I'm dealing with on an overcast and rainy morning. It took me 20 minutes to approve comments this morning because the system is moving so slowly. I'm ready to punch myself in the face out of frustration, though I don't think it will improve the situation or my luck with women. Yesterday's game ended with Garrett Atkins...

The Orioles (12-26) will host the Kansas City Royals (14-24) the next two nights to wrap up a three-team, eight-game homestand. The Orioles took two of three from Seattle, then lost two of three to Cleveland to go 3-3 on the homestand. The O's are 10-10 since the 2-16 start. The pitching recently: *O's starters have an ERA of 2.62 over the last five games. *The O's bullpen has an ERA of 15.00 the last two games. The Orioles, who went 7-0 vs. the Royals in 2007, went 4-4 vs. KC last year....

The Nationals have called up pitcher Drew Storen from Triple-A Syracuse and designated reliever Brian Bruney for assignment. Riggleman says Storen has earned the promotion. "We are going to bring Drew Storen up and work him into the mix in the bullpen," Riggleman said. "Anywhere from that sixth inning through the eighth inning. We probably would not use him in real long stints. It will kind of find itself where his innings may be." Riggleman hopes that Bruney clears waivers and...

Some clubhouse quotes after the Orioles 5-1 loss to Cleveland dropped them to 3-3 on this homestand and 12-26 on the season. The O's scored just three runs in the final two games of the series. Ty Wigginton, was the catch in the first inning by Sizemore that robbed you of extra bases a key play in the game?: "I don't look at any one play in the game that's going to make a difference. It was a nice catch and good for him." Wigginton on Jake Westbrook: "Westbrook had tremendous...

Today's attendance: 29,323. Garrett Atkins went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and double play, dropping his average 10 points to .243 with a .582 OPS. He's still looking for his first home run. The Orioles are still looking for production at first base. Dave Trembley talks with the media after the O's lose 5-1 against the Indians Is the market still playing out? Asked about the position and the difficulty in finding a solution, manager Dave Trembley said, "I'll sleep on it and see where...