Pedro Viola will join the Orioles in New York as an extra bullpen arm, further expanding their September roster. Viola is on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary. Double-A Bowie's season ended today with a loss to Richmond. Viola was notified after the game that the Orioles had recalled him. Viola went 0-2 with a 17.65 ERA, 10 walks and eight strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk before moving down to Bowie. He was 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA, 19 walks and 64...

Sweeping Los Angeles was nice. Winning games from the White Sox and Texas was a good accomplishment. Winning versus AL East teams is most impressive of all. The Orioles have now won three in a row from Tampa and New York, maybe the two best teams in the game, and are now 4-3 in a nine-game run versus Boston, Tampa and New York. The Yankees have lost just four of 23 home series this year. That will become five if the O's win one of the next two games. It wasn't just winning at New...

0-2. 0-2. 0-2. Koji Uehara got ahead of all three batters he faced in the ninth inning today. Throw strikes, work quickly, go out to dinner. Uehara recorded his seventh save in pretty routine fashion, getting a fly ball and two strikeouts to complete a 4-3 victory over the Yankees. Pinch-hitter Colin Curtis saw three pitches and froze on the last one to end the game. We're still not calling Uehara the closer. No labels here. Just saves. He's converted all seven opportunities since...

On a day when he appeared in discomfort several times throughout the game, Brian Roberts still went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI as the Orioles, behind Brian Matusz, beat the Yankees 4-3 in New York. The O's got several clutch performances on a day where they knocked off the AL East leaders and the team with baseball's best record. After a Roberts single gave the O's a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh, the Baltimore pen kept New York off the board in the final three frames. Matt Albers pitched a...

I won't detail all 50, but the Orioles covered a few of them in the sixth inning. They didn't slip out the back, but they definitely should have made a new plan. A leadoff walk. A wild pitch. The catcher's failure to block a ball in the dirt. The failure to catch a fly ball in shallow left field. That'll do it. Brian Matusz walked Nick Swisher to begin the sixth, putting his 3-1 lead in immediate jeopardy. Mark Teixeira singled and a wild pitch move up both runners. Matt Wieters...

Brian Roberts just gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead with a two-out single in the fifth that scored Cesar Izturis from second base. I thought we'd have a close play at the plate, but Alex Rodriguez cut off Marcus Thames' throw from left field and gunned down Roberts at second for the final out. Roberts is clearly in pain, wincing and staying bent over as a teammate brought his glove. He made a cautious slide into second, as if trying to lessen the impact of slamming into the bag. The back might...

A funny thing happened to the Bowie Baysox on the way to the playoffs. They may not make it. Trailing Harrisburg by one game for a playoff berth, they are trailing Richmond 4-3 in the last of the 8th in their final game of the regular season. With three more outs left, if they lose, they are eliminated from the race. Mr. clutch, Joel Guzman is 3 for 4 today with 2 RBI and Brandon Waring has a solo homer, his 22nd. Caleb Joseph has two doubles. Richmond scored four in the 4th. Now I'm ...

The Orioles have put runners on the corners with one out in the second inning and no outs in the third and settled for a 1-0 lead. Good, but not nearly good enough. Corey Patterson popped up and Cesar Izturis struck out to end the rally in the second. Josh Bell scored on Felix Pie's double play grounder in the third, moving the Orioles ahead but eliminating the potential for a much bigger inning against A.J. Burnett. Matt Wieters walked with one out in the fourth and was erased on Ty...

For the Orioles: 2B Brian Roberts LF Felix Pie RF Nick Markakis DH Luke Scott C Matt Wieters 1B Ty Wigginton CF Corey Patterson SS Cesar Izturis 3B Josh Bell LHP Brian Matusz For the Yankees: SS Derek Jeter RF Nick Swisher 1B Mark Teixeira 3B Alex Rodriguez 2B Robinson Cano LF Marcus Thames DH Jorge Posada C Francisco Cervelli CF Brett Gardner RHP A.J. Burnett

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of 2,131, I think we should all run a lap around our houses at exactly the same time. If you're stuck at work, I'm sure your boss will understand if you circle the building. As I've written in the past, I attended the two games that allowed Cal Ripken to tie and break Lou Gehrig's unbreakable record. I was still working for The Sun, though I wasn't on the Orioles beat. My editors asked me to help out, and I did so with great enthusiasm. I had to write a...