College of Southern Nevada baseball coach Tim Chambers told me that he has "absolutely not" been offered a job with the Nats. Tim said he called the Nats Assistant General Manager Roy Clark last night and they joked about how the media frenzy with him and the interest in his player, Bryce Harper, most likely fueled this type of speculation. "I was a 'bird-dog' while Roy was with the Atlanta Braves. As a matter of fact, when Clark left the Braves, the team sent me a letter that I was no...

The Orioles have optioned left-hander Alberto Castillo to Triple-A Norfolk. A corresponding move will be announced tomorrow. That would be Koji Uehara. Castillo was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in six games. He got off to a fine start and looked like he might stick around for a while, but that Norfolk shuttle always seems to be calling. Uehara is expected to come off the disabled list and join the team in Minnesota. He turned in four scoreless appearances on his injury rehab assignment at Double-A...

We know Ty Wigginton won't be going down to Triple-A Norfolk. Wigginton belted his ninth home run of the season in the top of the eighth inning, a two-run shot off Yankees reliever Sergio Mitre that landed in the second deck in left field and cut the deficit to 6-3. Too little, too late? That's my guess, but we'll find out. Instant update: It's now 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth. I'll continue to trust my instincts. Interesting comments today from president of baseball operations...

Orioles starter David Hernandez has surrendered bases-empty home runs to Nick Johnson and Nick Swisher in the first two innings. Maybe that's a good sign for Nick Markakis. The Yankees tacked on another run in the third, but Lou Montanez cut down Johnson at the plate. I hate having the feeling that this game is already over, but with Andy Pettitte on the mound, I'm not exactly brimming with confidence. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz was tossed from the game for arguing balls and strikes from...

Sorry to be late with this information, but I sent along an entry earlier today that didn't post. Now that I'm back at my laptop, I can take care of it. Adam Jones was a late scratch with a right hip strain. He also dealt with a sore shoulder last night, but that's not the issue today. Jones was removed as a precaution, with Lou Montanez replacing him in center field and Julio Lugo batting leadoff. He's expected to start tomorrow night in Minnesota.

Nats starter Luis Atilano learned his best pitch the sinker from the Nats organization. He will prominently display that pitch again tonight as he takes on the Atlanta Braves in his 3rd overall start and 2nd at home. I asked Luis what he felt about his 2-0 start: "I feel happy about it. I am keeping my focus from day to day. I am trying to get quick outs during my starts." "I am working pitch by pitch. I am not trying to do too much. A lot of times I am behind in the count. But that...

Tonight, I'll be checking in on the Frederick Keys, the club with the best record in the O's minor leagues right now. The Keys are 15-10 with four wins in a row and tonight look for a 3-0 start to their four-game series with a Winston-Salem team which has the second best record in the Carolina League at 17-8. I'll head to Harry Grove Stadium to get some pre game interviews and file a couple of in-game blogs tonight as well, so check back here later today and this evening and look for some...

Orioles: CF Adam Jones 2B Ty Wigginton RF Nick Markakis 3B Miguel Tejada 1B Garrett Atkins DH Matt Wieters LF Nolan Reimold C Craig Tatum SS Julio Lugo RHP David Hernandez Yankees: SS Derek Jeter DH Nick Johnson 1B Mark Teixeira 3B Alex Rodriguez 2B Robinson Cano RF Nick Swisher CF Brett Gardner C Francisco Cervelli LF Randy Winn LHP Andy Pettitte

Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez aren't hitting in this series. Mariano Rivera isn't available, and Jorge Posada can be used only in an emergency. The bottom of the Yankees' lineup last night included Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena. I'm glad the Orioles caught the Yankees at the right time. It's the bottom portion that keeps hurting the Orioles - along with starters CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. And they get Andy Pettitte today, another pitcher they can't touch without getting...

It was a sad Tuesday evening at Nationals Park as broadcasters, players, writers and coaches reflected on the passing of legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell. For nearly 50 years, Harwell was the voice of the Tigers cementing his place in baseball history and earning the esteemed Ford C. Frick Award in 1981. Harwell, a soft spoken story-teller, was truly one of a kind. Though the Georgia native possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, he impressed fans, players, coaches...