A call to arms (more on Jones contract update)

A call to arms (more on Jones contract update)
So much for having a day off. It's back to the baseball grind tonight with the Royals arriving at Camden Yards for a three-game series. Jason Hammel turned in five quality starts out of six outings before his swollen right knee altered the early course of his season. He's allowed nine runs (eight earned) and 13 hits in his last two starts covering 10 1/3 innings, with five walks and eight strikeouts. He hasn't cleared the sixth in either start. The Orioles require more innings from Hammel....

Notes on Britton, Hammel and the lineup

Notes on Britton, Hammel and the lineup
Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed this morning that left-hander Zach Britton will make his first injury-rehab start Saturday at Double-A Bowie. Britton will stay with the Baysox and pitch again May 31 at Akron. The Orioles could choose to keep Britton on his rehab assignment or activate him from the disabled list. That decision is pending. Let's see how he gets through those starts. Jason Hammel remains confident that he'll make Friday night's start against the Royals at Camden...

Hearing from Hammel and Jones

Hearing from Hammel and Jones
WASHINGTON - Jason Hammel couldn't extend the rotation's streak of quality starts to five, but he improved his record to 5-1. Hammel was charged with four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He worked five innings in his last start. "It's same as last time, my leg," he said. "I get to a certain point now where it's almost like I'm pitching on one leg and transfer everything to the arm. I got one out further than last time, I guess, so that's good. We just have got to get the leg...

Showalter speaks after 6-5 victory

Showalter speaks after 6-5 victory
WASHINGTON - Manager Buck Showalter talked about starter Jason Hammel, his bullpen, the Nationals' comeback attempt, his red-hot center fielder and his ice-cold catcher following tonight's 6-5 win. Hammel was making his second start since being pushed back because of swelling in his right knee. He was good for a while, but it's clear that he's not all the way back. "No more than what he's been dealing with his last start," Showalter said. "Something we're aware of and we're going to...

O's score early, hold off Nats late for 6-5 win

O's score early, hold off Nats late for 6-5 win
It seems like the Orioles have had to come up with a big play or big hit in late innings to win a lot of recent games. Tonight, they came up with some big hits early, and then had to hold off the Nationals late in the game. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis homered again - this time each hit two-run shots - as the Orioles beat the Nats 6-5 tonight in front of 42,331 at Nats Park to take the first two games of this series. Ryan Zimmerman homered off Jim Johnson with two outs in the last of the...

Orioles hang on for 6-5 win

Orioles hang on for 6-5 win
WASHINGTON - This one wasn't easy, but the Orioles made sure that they'll leave Nationals Park with a series victory. The Orioles won again tonight, 6-4, with Jim Johnson picking up his 15th save in 15 tries this season, and his 23rd in 23 chances since last August, though it got a little tense near the end. The Orioles have won 19 of their last 26 games. They're still two games ahead of Tampa Bay in the American League East. The bullpen came up big again, giving the Orioles 3 1/3...

Game update and injury note on Steve Johnson (O's lead 6-4)

Game update and injury note on Steve Johnson (O's lead 6-4)
WASHINGTON - Jason Hammel gave up his first run tonight when the Nationals strung together three consecutive two-out singles in the bottom of the fifth, the last one by Steve Lombardozzi. Orioles 6, Nationals 1. Four of the last five Nationals have hits against Hammel, including Ryan Zimmerman, who led off the sixth with a double. Five of the last six have reached base after Adam LaRoche followed with a walk. Hammel is trying to produce the rotation's fifth consecutive quality start, but...

And then along came Jones (and Markakis)

And then along came Jones (and Markakis)
WASHINGTON - It's become a tradition of sorts. The Orioles play a game, and Adam Jones hits a home run. And he hits them a long, long way. Jones crushed a Ross Detwiler pitch in the third inning for his 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot that extended the Orioles' lead to 4-0. Detwiler tried to blow a 93-mph fastball past him. Cha-ching! The Orioles are 12-1 when Jones homers. Coincidence? Jones has homered in four of his last five games. He didn't hit No. 14 last year until...

Pregame notes on Lindstrom, Reynolds, Tejada and more (O's lead 2-0)

Pregame notes on Lindstrom, Reynolds, Tejada and more (O's lead 2-0)
WASHINGTON - Reliever Matt Lindstrom said he'll probably throw during the next homestand that begins Monday against the Boston Red Sox. Lindstrom, on the disabled list with a partial tear of a ligament in his right middle finger, will have a better idea of when he'll report to extended spring training once he picks up a ball. Lindstrom is eligible to come off the DL on May 26. "It won't take long," he said. Manager Buck Showalter told reporters that Mark Reynolds (oblique) is "just...

Tonight's O's-Nationals live blog

Tonight's O's-Nationals live blog
Tonight's live game blog: We'll be trying something new here tonight and filing notes, opinions and stats about tonight's game as it goes on. Everything I add will appear at the top of the text right after this blog introduction. So check back here often during tonight's game and hit that refresh button to get the latest from here. Please feel free to post your own opinions and ask questions as the game goes on as well. Hope I hear from a lot of you tonight starting now. That was close:...

Rotation turns in right direction again

Rotation turns in right direction again
Because the hour-long drive home from Washington D.C. seemed too short for me late last night, I decided to miss my exit for the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and stay on Suitland Parkway for a good 15-20 minutes before turning around and heading back toward Nationals Park. If there's a more directionally challenged person on this planet than me, I'd like to meet you. Of course, I'd never be able to find you. I had to turn on my GPS when I woke up just to locate the bathroom. And yes, I...

Hearing from Hammel, Davis and Avery

Hearing from Hammel, Davis and Avery
If anything good came out of tonight's start for Jason Hammel, it was the condition of his right knee. "Knee is good to go," he said. "That's a positive, I guess. No setbacks." Hammel took the brunt of the blame for tonight's 8-5 Orioles loss. "Honestly, we should have won the ballgame," he said. "I let them back into the game twice. A 2-0 lead and then guys come back and get me some runs to get me ahead again, and I gave them right back. Early in the game, very much in command,...

Showalter speaks after 8-5 loss

Showalter speaks after 8-5 loss
The Orioles' starters haven't completed six innings in the last three games, which is taxing the bullpen, which is giving manager Buck Showalter additional challenges that he'd rather avoid. Jason Hammel was done after five-plus innings tonight, failing to record an out in the sixth in the Orioles' 8-5 loss to the Yankees. "I would have rather not have pitched certain guys, but the game calls for it," Showalter said. "What bodes well for us in the future is we were able to give some...

A few pregame notes

A few pregame notes
We're still waiting on the corresponding roster moves to create room for Xavier Avery on the 25- and 40-man rosters. Left-hander Dana Eveland remains a strong possibility, though I said the same thing yesterday before finding out that Mark Reynolds had a strained oblique. Avery is being thrown into the fire, starting in left field and batting leadoff against James "Big Game" Shields. "We'll play him some, today. We'll see what tomorrow brings," manager Buck Showalter said. "He's...

Jason Hammel is confident he can make a start on Monday or Tuesday

Jason Hammel is confident he can make a start on Monday or Tuesday
If the Orioles are thinking about putting pitcher Jason Hammel on the disabled list as a way to open a roster spot for tonight's starter Dana Eveland, it sounds like Hammel doesn't think that move would be necessary. Hammel did not make his scheduled start last night because of a sore right knee, but said today he is optimistic that he can start either Monday or Tuesday against New York. "Definitely. I am. Unfortunately it's not always up to me, but I feel pretty good about it. I got some...

Updates on Hammel, Chavez, Eveland, Britton and more

Updates on Hammel, Chavez, Eveland, Britton and more
Jason Hammel, who isn't making today's start because of a sore right knee, is tentatively scheduled to pitch Monday night against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Hammel could be pushed back one more day and start Tuesday. The Orioles will more strongly consider placing him on the disabled list if he remains unavailable. Manager Buck Showalter stressed that Hammel could have pitched today under different circumstances, but the club isn't taking any chances this early in the season. Endy...

Hammel and Showalter talk about Hammel

Hammel and Showalter talk about Hammel
Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel is optimistic that he can avoid the disabled list if his next start is pushed back a few days. Hammel won't make tomorrow's scheduled start because of a sore right knee. An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage, but there's fluid in the knee that's required treatment. "Two or three starts, each start it's gotten progressively worse - more just fluid in my knee where it's stiff," Hammel said. "I can't really drive off my back leg. It was getting worse...

Hearing from Hammel, Davis and Markakis

Hearing from Hammel, Davis and Markakis
NEW YORK - Tonight's 2-1 loss dropped the Orioles' record to 11-5 when they score first. The key is to keep scoring, which they failed to do after tallying one run in the second inning. The Orioles are 5-17 against the Yankees since the start of the 2011 season and 10-30 since the start of 2010. They're 6-22 at the "current" Yankee Stadium, as it's called in the postgame notes. The bullpen turned in two more scoreless innings - one each by Matt Lindstrom and Jim Johnson. Jason Hammel...

Hammel and Bundy updates (Hammel done after sixth)

Hammel and Bundy updates (Hammel done after sixth)
NEW YORK - Jason Hammel was handed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but Eric Chavez snatched it away from him. Chavez used brute force, hitting a long two-run homer off Hammel in the bottom of the second after Mark Teixeira singled and Raul Ibanez lined to right. Hammel didn't bother to turn and watch the flight of the ball. He stared straight ahead and raised his glove, waiting for a new ball. Chavez has three home runs this season, his highest total since 2007. Hammel has...

Olivia Witherite: Was it OK to say goodbye to Guthrie?

Olivia Witherite: Was it OK to say goodbye to Guthrie?
It has been almost three months since the trade heard around Baltimore occurred when starter Jeremy Guthrie was dealt to the Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. While there were strong reactions, many of which were extremely negative, Hammel and Lindstrom have now settled in nicely into their respective roles. But are they comparable to the Orioles' old ace? Hammel began the season in the No. 3 starter's role, a few short days after Guthrie settled in as the new ace in Colorado....