adam jones

When the Orioles acquired Jim Thome on July 1, they did so hoping the 41-year-old had enough hits left in his bat to help them reach the postseason for the first time in 15 years.

If you're trying to make sense of the Orioles' otherworldly string of 16 straight extra-inning victories, don't even bother.

Miguel Gonzalez outpitched Orioles killer Jon Lester, allowing just two runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings, as the O¿s won their fifth straight, 4-2, in front of an announced sellout crowd of 37,731 at Fenway Park.

When Adam Jones launched his 30th home run to deliver the crowning blow in the Orioles' three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, it was hard not to think of former O's pitcher Erik Bedard.

It was just a matter of time before Adam Jones picked up his 30th homer of the season. Jones hit a full-count slider over the left field wall in the 11th inning on Wednesday to give the Orioles a 3-1 victory and their first sweep in Seattle since May, 1997.

Orioles set-up man Pedro Strop, who was supremely effective for most of this season, has struggled with his command for a few weeks, leading to speculation that he's getting worn down by the grind and spotlight of a major league season.

Dylan just talked with the Orioles media in Seattle. Here's what he sai.

Orioles fans were rubbing the sleep from their eyes Wednesday after the club took them on another wild ride into the wee hours of the morning. Such improbable events have become the norm for this team as it pushes toward the playoffs.

The Baltimore Orioles sent eight batters to the plate in the first and nine more in the second, staking starter Chris Tillman to a 7-0 lead by the time he stepped onto the mound in the bottom of the second.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter optimistic Jason Hammel can return this season

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he didn't go old school by design. It was purely by necessity and circumstance that four of his young, inexperienced starters have ended up in the bullpen in September.

The Orioles obviously are suffering from some kind of delayed jet lag, because they had a team brain cramp during the early innings of Saturday night¿s game against the Oakland A¿s at whatever that stadium is called now.

If there's one thing that separates the Oakland A's and the Orioles, the American League¿s two upstarts, it¿s that the A¿s young pitching has been a tick better this season. On Saturday, in Oakland's 5-2 victory, A's 23-year-old right-hander Jarrod Parker was a whole lot better than 24-year-old lefty Zach Britton.

By playing an excellent third base, Manny Machado has eliminated a weakness in the Orioles' defense, which has performed significantly better in the second half of the season after having the most errors in the league in the first half.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter likes to say his 2012 Orioles are a "sum of the parts" team, one that doesn't have anyone that really stands out, but plenty of players that help the club win. But in any successful campaign, the inevitable question is: Who is the club's most valuable player?

The Orioles' 3-2 extra-inning win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon was a long time coming -- in more ways than one.

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel received positive news about his injured right knee Thursday, when an MRI showed no new injury. Though Hammel said there's no official timetable for his return, he said he hopes to pitch again this season.

All of Birdland can rejoice that the Orioles¿ discouraging string of 14 losing seasons officially came to an end on Thursday afternoon at Oriole Park ¿ and marvel at the irony that it took a 14-inning game to make that so ¿ but manager Buck Showalter didn¿t view it as a huge accomplishment.

In the top of the ninth inning last night, with the Tampa Bay Rays threatening to break a 2-2 tie, rookie Manny Machado made a sparkling play at third base to help closer Jim Johnson get the Orioles out of a jam. And after the game, ESPN gave Machado a little love.

The Orioles have a quick turnaround this afternoon for a 12:35 game against the Rays. The Orioles can sweep the Rays. Their next win will also be their 81st of the season, which will guarantee at least a .500 record this season and end the Orioles' streak of 14 straight losing seasons.

Down the stretch is a daily Orioles Insider blog that will set up the coming night for the O's and their American League competition as the push for the postseason continues.

Down the stretch is a daily Orioles Insider blog that will set up the coming night for the O's and their American League competition as the push for the postseason continues.

The Orioles know they¿ve got another big mountain to climb now that it appears they will spend the rest of the regular season without sizzling lead-off hitter Nick Markakis and rotation cornerstone Jason Hammel.

Although they wouldn't admit it, in the past the Orioles probably would have been quietly satisfied by splitting an 18-game season series with the New York Yankees.

Baltimore Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, who was hit by a pitch on his left hand in the fifth inning by Sabathia, will miss the rest of the regular season with a broken thumb. Markakis is expected to be out a minimum of six weeks.

The broken left thumb suffered by lead off hitter and Gold Glove outfielder Nick Markakis, which will sideline him at least six weeks and end his regular season, was obviously the talk of the night.

Former Oriole back at Camden Yards with New York after bouncing from team to team this season

The Orioles will face Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia today, and manager Buck Showalter's starting lineup offers a few tweaks from the one we're used to seeing against left-handed pitching.

Though rules define it clearly, baseball's strike zone is delightfully inexact, an enigma at the heart of the game.

Down the stretch is a daily Orioles Insider blog that will set up the coming night for the O's and their American League competition as the push for the postseason continues.

The New York Yankees (78-60) pushed the Orioles (77-61) back to second place in the AL East, one game behind the Yankees.

Center fielder says he wants to play in 100 percent of Orioles' games, pass the Iron Man's streak

The Orioles returned to Camden Yards from their road trip unsure of the reception they¿d receive for this weekend¿s critical four-game series against the division-leading New York Yankees.

Mark Reynolds has hit eight home runs in his last seven games. That includes three multi-homer performances in that span. He had two big ones on Thursday night in the 10-6 win over the Yankees.

If you weren't at Camden Yards on Thursday night, it's hard to truly explain what the atmosphere was like. Simply put, it felt like a playoff game against the New York Yankees, one in which the Orioles' fans outnumbered the Yankees' fans roughly 90 percent to 10.

If you weren't at Camden Yards on Thursday night and you're wondering just how many Yankees fans were in attendance, the answer is -- not enough to make a dent in the orange blanket that settled over the ballpark. Most of the 46,298 fans who packed the ballpark were wearing various promotional Orioles t-shirts, leaving no doubt who would dominate the conversation.

Cal Ripken turned both the center field unveiling and the pre-game ceremony into a total endorsement of this budding new era of Baltimore Orioles baseball.

Several of the most prominent players on the current Orioles team have made it a point to attend each of the statue unveilings in the plaza behind center field, even though those ceremonies conflict with their pregame routines.

After his team thumped the Toronto Blue Jays in the first two games of this series, Orioles manager Buck Showalter worried about facing a "beehive" in Wednesday's finale at Rogers Centre.

TORONTO -- The Orioles return home Thursday for what could be regarded as the most important homestand in 15 years. They open a pivotal four-game series against the New York Yankees Thursday, and then host the Tampa Bay Rays, who are just behind them in the AL East standings Tuesday through Thursday.

Down the stretch is a new daily Orioles Insider blog that will set up the coming night for the O's and their American League competition as the push for the postseason intensifies.

The Orioles will enter September not only with a strong chance at the franchise's first winning season in 15 years but in serious contention for a playoff spot. A national baseball audience is finally taking notice.