Right fielder Michael Morse says he will spend the offseason working out with soon-to-be Hall of Famer and Nationals teammate catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Morse is hoping his .290, 15-home run season will translate into an every day starter job for the Nationals in 2011 and feels learning from one of the best will help him make that final step. "That will be kind of interesting. We are planning to workout with his trainer in Florida during the offseason," says Morse. "It will definitely help...

I'm not posing a question with the title of this entry, though I'm also interested in your lives. Just wanted to check in during a commercial break on Wall To Wall Baseball with Tom Davis and Dave Johnson. We just finished 90 minutes on MASN, leaving the last 90 minutes exclusively on ESPN Radio 1300 AM. I'll head to Camden Yards after 2 p.m. and prepare for O's Xtra and the game that follows. I'll post the lineup, hopefully, around 3:35 p.m. I need the Orioles to post it first, and...

With starting pitching like the Orioles are getting, who needs much offense? Okay, we all know the O's need more offense for next year, but consider the fact they scored just six runs in three games in the Tampa series, but won two of three. They scored just two runs in game two last night and won. In their last four wins, O's starters have allowed just one earned run with an ERA of 0.31: *Monday at Tampa: Matusz - 7IP, 3H, 0R, 2B, 8K. *Wednesday at Tampa: Millwood - 7IP, 2H, 0R, 3B,...

After watching Chris Tillman hold the Tigers to one run on three hits over seven innings in game one, the O's had to be hoping Jeremy Guthrie could duplicate that outing in game two vs. Detroit. He did even better. Guthrie gave up just two singles over eight shutout innings in the Orioles 2-1 win as they swept a doubleheader. Guthrie and Tillman combined to give up just five hits and one run over 15 innings tonight. "It feels real good to go out there and give this kind of effort as a...

With the doubleheader sweep, the Orioles are 33-22 under manager Buck Showalter after beginning the season 32-73. According to Elias, this marks the first time since 1900 that a manager took over a team in August or later and won more games than the team had won when he arrived. Also, the Orioles have surpassed last year's victory total of 64. Oh happy days...and nights. "You're always looking for improvement," Showalter said. "When you step back at the end of the year, you want to feel...

After allowing 10 ER over his previous two starts, Jeremy Guthrie finished his 2010 season with a flourish tonight, pitching eight shutout innings as the Orioles beat Detroit, 2-1, to sweep a doubleheader at Camden Yards. With the win the O's are 65-95 and now have one more win than the 2009 Orioles. Guthrie was in command throughout, giving up just two singles, one to Ryan Raburn in the 2nd and to Will Rhymes in the 5th. He had never pitched a complete-game shutout in the Majors, but after...

Three starters taking their final turns in the rotation this season have posted a 0.41 ERA. Never can say goodbye. Kevin Millwood tossed seven scoreless innings on Wednesday. Chris Tillman allowed one run over seven innings tonight in Game 1. Jeremy Guthrie has shut out the Tigers over eight innings in Game 2. They're proving to be a tough act to follow for left-hander Brian Matusz and Brad Bergesen, but these guys love the competition. Koji Uehara has replaced Guthrie, with a shot at his...

Nick Markakis just hit his 11th home run to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the third inning. He drove an 0-2 pitch an estimated 382 feet to right field. That's five hits for the Orioles, and we don't have any outs in the third. Me: "When's the last time Robert Andino has played both ends of a doubleheader?" Guy next to me: "When he was 12." Josh Bell is appearing at an Elkridge Wendy's tomorrow at noon. That frosty machine is going to get a workout. He might be scratched from the...

A quick update on how some of the Nats' prospects are hitting in Viera after the first two weeks of instructional league competition. Rick Schu, Nationals hitting coordinator, broke down a few of the guys on the roster. For our update on Bryce Harper, check this capsule from earlier this week. OF Destin Hood, Hagerstown "He is swinging the bat really well. We want him to execute situationally. We are looking for Destin to be more aggressive in hitters counts and use his lower half. He...

In his last start of last season, Chris Tillman gave up six runs over two innings vs. Cleveland. Today, he ended his 2010 season on a real high note, allowing just three hits and one run over seven innings in the Orioles 10-6 win over the Tigers in game one of today's doubleheader. Chris Tillman talks about his outing in the O's 10-6 win in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader "I think it's huge, that last start of the year is always a big boost into the off-season. Last year I had a tough...