I was crafting another entry detailing the Orioles' ninth inning rally and how they fell short against Nats closer Matt Capps. I was expressing disappointment in Matt Wieters' at-bat with runners on second and third and one out, how a weak ground ball to the right side felt empty despite scoring a run.
Then Julio Lugo made me hit the delete button.
Lugo's two-out single off Capps tied the game, 3-3, and brought us to the bottom of the ninth.
Lugo was 0-for-3 and hadn't gotten the ball...
Kevin Millwood made it to the seventh inning, but he couldn't finish it.
That's pretty deep in the game, but not quite as far as manager Dave Trembley had hoped.
Millwood threw 113 pitches in 6 1/3, but all the scoring off him took place in the first on that bases-loaded triple. He turned in another quality start unless Will Ohman allows Ryan Zimmerman to score. He'll remain winless on the year.
Millwood surrendered eight hits, walked one - the last batter he faced on an extremely close...
Kevin Millwood has blanked the Nationals over the last four innings. Unfortunately, Roger Bernadina's three-run triple in the first has held up.
Neither team has scored since the opening inning. Millwood has struck out eight through the fifth, with no walks, but he trails, 3-1, and his pitch count's at 91. One more strikeout, and Millwood will tie his season high.
The Orioles have managed only two hits off Nationals lefty John Lannan, and they came from the first two batters of the game....
The Orioles had a chance to come up with a big inning in the first and they didn't do it.
The Nationals had a chance to come up with a big inning in the first and they did it.
Corey Patterson and Nick Markakis opened the top half with singles into center field, but Miguel Tejada grounded into a routine double play. Patterson scored, but one run didn't suffice.
Nyjer Morgan and Cristian Guzman opened the bottom half with singles, Kevin Millwood drilled Josh WIllingham in the left shoulder...
Did you hear that former major league pitcher Jose Lima died of a massive heart attack at his Los Angeles home? ESPNDeportes is reporting it. Lima was only 37.
No much to report from manager Dave Trembley's pre-game media session beyond Koji Uehara's elbow exam.
If you're scoring at home, Uehara's next trip to the disabled list will be No. 4 since the Orioles signed him. The only question now is whether the club announces it tomorrow or Tuesday.
"Koji feels absolutely terrible, and the...
Team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens is here to examine reliever Koji Uehara's right elbow.
Uehara isn't available again today, and the club could choose to put him on the disabled list tomorrow or before Tuesday's game against Oakland at Camden Yards. He'll be re-examined in Baltimore, but he apparently is dealing with a sprained ligament.
This is the same elbow that forced Uehara on the disabled list on June 24. He later was diagnosed with a partially torn flexor tendon.
We can...
Not yet.
I drove in heavy rain to get to Nationals Park, and though the precipitation has stopped, the forecast for the rest of the day isn't promising. That's an ugly sky overhead. The tarp's been pulled off the infield, but it hasn't been rolled up. The mound and plate remain covered.
Perhaps we'll find out soon whether Koji Uehara is going on the disabled list. I don't see the point in waiting, since manager Dave Trembley mentioned last night that Uehara wouldn't be available today....
Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Troy Patton was rocked tonight, giving up eight runs and 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings against Rochester. His ERA ballooned to 6.56.
Michael Aubrey collected a hit in his first at-bat and left the game with an apparent injury. I'll try to find out more tomorrow.
Update: Or later tonight. I'm told Aubrey exited with a slight injury to his hip flexor, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. Probably day-to-day.
Nolan Reimold started in left field and was...
Koji Uehara
Does it seem like it's been one thing after another?
"Everything has been my fault."
Same injury as last year?
"It's a similar area."
Do you think you're trying too hard?
"I don't think so, no."
Are you putting too much pressure on yourself?
"No."
How many days can you not be available?
"I'm going to have to make my decision soon."
Adam Jones
On his inside-the-park home run:
"Morgan missed the ball and I saw it get away from him and I saw him mad. He threw his...
The Orioles are batting .304 and have scored 21 runs on this road trip, and they're 1-3 heading into tomorrow.
I thought the offense was the problem. Now it's the starting pitching and an overworked bullpen?
The defense didn't do the Orioles any favors in the decisive sixth inning. Nick Markakis got a late break on Adam Kennedy's sinking liner and failed to make a sliding catch. Should have been an out. Cesar Izturis laid back on Ryan Zimmerman's bouncer, letting the ball play him and...
Koji Uehara said the club hasn't discussed putting him on the disabled list with a sore right elbow.
That talk must be coming.
Uehara said the elbow started to bother him during Wednesday's outing in Texas.
"The bad part is gone," he said, "so hopefully I'll recover soon."
Somebody tap the needle. This record is skipping again.
(For you younger readers, a record is...never mind.)
Asked when he'll be ready to pitch again, Uehara replied, "At this moment, I can't really say."
So...
Koji Uehara didn't pick up a ball again today and is complaining of discomfort in his right elbow.
Manager Dave Trembley and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail have discussed the possibility of bringing up another reliever for their short-handed bullpen.
Trembley isn't ready to suggest that Uehara is headed back to the disabled list, but it certainly appears to be a strong possibility.
I figured elbow or hamstring. It was 50-50.
The Orioles could bring back Alberto Castillo,...
It required a pair of binoculars, but we spotted Koji Uehara sitting at the far left end of the bullpen bench. He's wearing a jacket and he's barely moved.
That tells us that he's unavailable. Otherwise, he'd probably be in this game, or he might have warmed up at some point.
We took it as a good sign that he was sitting in the bullpen. A seat in the dugout or inside the clubhouse would have confirmed that he couldn't pitch today. But manager Dave Trembley has stuck with Mark...
Brad Bergesen batted with two outs in the sixth and runners on the corners. Nobody is warming in the bullpen. The mound remains covered.
Bergesen obviously will return for the bottom of the sixth with his pitch count at 99 and the Orioles holding a 6-3 lead after Ty Wigginton's two-run shot off Craig Stammen.
Matt Wieters followed with a single to knock Stammen out of the game.
Wigginton has 13 homers and 31 RBIs, including four today.
First half MVP? Right now, I don't see how anyone...
The top of the fourth inning will go down as one of the strangest in recent memory.
Luke Scott reached first base on an apparent infield hit, but the official scorer here gave Nationals starter Craig Stammen an error. I should have written it down in pencil because it will be changed. No way you can expect the pitcher to field a sharp grounder up the middle.
With two outs and Scott on third base, Adam Jones sent a long drive to center field. Nyjer Morgan tried to make a leaping catch at the...
The press box is pretty far from the field, but I'm almost positive that the game has started.
I'm so high up, the guy next to me said he's flying the mail to Pittsburgh.
I'm so high up, I'm the only person here who isn't wearing wings.
But seriously folks...
The Orioles need Brad Bergesen to stick around for a while because the bullpen's a bit drained. He's thrown 36 pitches in two innings. He could use a quick one.
The Orioles lead, 2-0, on Ty Wigginton's two-out, two-run single...
Or maybe I should have gone with "Willing and Able."
If only I had it to do over again.
Manager Dave Trembley is being cautious with reliever Will Ohman, which might seem strange if you consider that the left-hander is leading the AL with 23 appearances.
Ohman's thrown only 14 innings, which he's quick to point out whenever someone uses the word "fatigued."
"I'm not going to die," he said.
Ohman will take the ball at any time and in any situation. He just wants to pitch.
"I'm...
Manager Dave Trembley won't know whether Koji Uehara is available tonight until he checks with pitching coach Rick Kranitz.
"If he's not," Trembley said, "I'll be concerned about that."
Uehara was gassed during Wednesday night's appearance in Texas. He lasted two-thirds of an inning and 29 pitches, and Trembley still couldn't use him last night.
Trembley would have called upon Uehara to replace starter David Hernandez, but he was forced to go with Matt Albers, who allowed two runs...
For the Orioles:
Corey Patterson LF
Nick Markakis RF
Miguel Tejada 3B
Luke Scott 1B
Ty Wigginton 2B
Matt Wieters C
Adam Jones CF
Cesar Izturis SS
Brad Bergesen RHP
For the Nationals:
Morgan CF
Guzman SS
Zimmerman 3B
Dunn 1B
Willingham LF
Rodriguez C
Kennedy 2B
Bernadina RF
Stammen RHP
Luke Scott has hit in 11 of his last 12 games, going 21-for-44 (.477) with three doubles, six homers and 12 RBIs. Keep riding him while he's hot.
And no, I don't regret that last sentence.
Scott batted .177 in his first 24 games.
In case you hadn't heard, he can be streaky.
Adam Jones has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games, going 18-for-53 (.340) with four multi-hit games to raise his average from .218 to .254. He homered last night before leaving the game with leg cramps.
In their...