The Orioles have announced that they optioned 3B Josh Bell to Triple-A Norfolk following last night's game, and today recalled RHP Chris Tillman from Norfolk. Tillman will start tonight's game at Texas. Bell joined the Orioles on July 1, making his major league debut and recording his first major league hit that night against the Oakland A's. Bell went 3-for-15 in five games for Baltimore. In three starts with the Tides since being optioned to Norfolk on June 22, Tillman is 3-0 with a 1.66...

You people are impressive. I posted an entry at 1:45 a.m. that attracted more than 40 comments before I finally shut off the laptop around 2:30 a.m. and stumbled upstairs to bed. I wondered if I was the only person still awake and interested in the outcome of a game involving the team with the worst record in baseball. Silly me. The Orioles will face newly acquired Cliff Lee tonight, and they'll be packing a short bench. Catcher Matt Wieters isn't available after straining his right...

It was scheduled to start at 8:05 Eastern Time on Friday night, but after a rain delay of two hours and 29 minutes, it started around 10:30 and when it was over it was closing in on 2:30 a.m on Saturday. Corey Patterson's Grand Slam with two outs on a 2-2 pitch in the top of the ninth tied the game and the Orioles got a solo shot from Jake Fox an inning later to post a wild, comeback, 7-6, 10-inning win over Texas on Friday and Saturday. Here are some stats and notes from this crazy...

Not the fans who have sat through a steady rain. Not the sportswriters who just want to file their stories and go back to their hotels or homes. I'm talking about Corey Patterson, who hit his first career grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game, 6-6. Rangers closer Neftali Feliz kept pumping fastballs at Patterson, who launched a 2-2 pitch into the second deck. Patterson immediately pointed his right index finger in the air, the smile never leaving his face as he...

Orioles director of international operations, David Stockstill, confirmed in an interview tonight that the Orioles have reached agreement on a deal with 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Hector Veloz. "I can confirm we have agreed to terms," Stockstill said. "He's a third baseman with a lot of tools and some good power. He has a good arm and quick feet. "I'm really proud of our organization for getting this done. This is a player we have scouted for two and a half years. Felipe...

That didn't take long. Felix Pie left tonight's game in the sixth inning with an injury to his left leg that he sustained while swinging at a pitch. Pie appeared to reach for his hip before crumpling to the ground. Jake Fox replaced him in left field. Update: Pie has been diagnosed with a strained quad. Pie lasted four games before coming down with another injury. If it's serious, he could go on the disabled list to make room for Chris Tillman and Josh Bell could avoid a return trip to...

The Nationals have now won five of their first eight games in this 10-game homestand, taking down Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants 8-1 Friday night at Nationals Park. The Nats did it behind the arm of Stephen Strasburg, but it was also the offense that has ignited this recent spark in D.C. The Nationals are 25-19 at home and are one win away from a 9-3-3 series record at Nats Park this season. The team has won 6 of their last 10 and have started to play some very good baseball...

Once again, I give you the three moments from tonight's game that jumped out at me, wrestled me to the ground and stole my wallet. 1. Vladimir Guerrero will swing at anything. If you roll the ball toward the visiting dugout, he'll get a piece of it to stay alive. He kept hacking away at Brian Matusz's pitches in the third inning, finally laid off a high fastball, then reached down and golfed a slider over the left field wall for a three-run homer. I kept waiting for him to check the tee...

Left-hander Michael Gonzalez pitched a scoreless eighth inning tonight at Double-A Bowie, relieving starter Chorye Spoone and allowing one hit, walking a batter and striking out one. Gonzalez came within a foul tip of a 1-2-3 inning. Trenton mounted a two-out rally, but Gonzalez escaped the jam. He's now the pitcher of record after the Baysox took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Gonzalez has made eight appearances on his injury rehab assignment, including three with the Baysox. He's...

Rain has delayed the start of the Orioles-Rangers game on the same night that Texas acquired left-hander Cliff Lee from the Mariners. It appears that the Orioles will face Lee tomorrow night. Good for them. The Mariners received a package from the Rangers that included first baseman Justin Smoak, part of the same draft class that brought Brian Matusz to the Orioles. Smoak traded. Matusz delayed. It means nothing, but I still felt compelled to write it. They're actually good friends, by...