Coffee Companion -- 7/20: O's ride Guthrie to win over Red Sox

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine. 

Running it back:

After two consecutive rough starts, Jeremy Guthrie bounced back with a strong performance in the Orioles' 6-2 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night. ... His shoulder still bothering him, Luke Scott will be shut down for a couple of days, but he still hasn't abandoned hope of playing again this season. ... The Orioles traded Triple-A infielder Nick Green and cash to the Rangers for Triple-A reliever Zach Phillips. ... Alfredo Simon will pitch the rest of the season for the Orioles, but his legal troubles back home aren't yet resolved. ... Ravens coach John Harbaugh is still angry with the Bears nearly three months after a botched draft-day trade with the team.

Hitting the links:

1. Ryan Ripken is following in his father's footsteps [AP]

2. For the Orioles, their annual summer swoon came later, which makes it hurts more [Washington Post]

3. The O's are taking a calculated risk on J.J. Hardy [FanGraphs]

4. Looking at the trades of Buck Showalter [Camden Depot]

5. Matt Hobgood's comeback trail is continuing at Aberdeen [MASN]

6. Catching up with former O's pitcher Jeff Ballard [Toy Dep't]

7. Did the Ravens draft Tyrod Taylor as part of some sort of plan to take over D.C.? [Washington City Paper]

8. A junior college faculty member remains an influence in Pernell McPhee’s life [Ravens Insider]

9. The shoppers guide to free agency in the AFC North [SI]

10. The Ravens and Steelers will be good from 2014-16 [ESPN]

11. Derrick Mason won’t say if this is his last season, but he won’t give up his starting job without a fight [Ravens Insider]

12. Skateboarder Bucky Lasek returns to Maryland [Baltimore Sun]

13. Evaluating Alex Ovechkin’s torso [D.C. Sports Bog]

You said it:

"At least those are three games he can't lose for us." -- reader fansince1959 is glad Kevin Gregg has been suspended, fair or not

Video of the morning: 

Jamison Hensley sent me this viral video of Troy Polamalu getting his hair buzzed by some prankster. It's fake, right?

Send me your funny and/or interesting links, photos, YouTube videos, blogs, Tweets, comments, emails, ideas, etc. If I deem them to be worthy for the blog, I’ll give you a plug. You can reach me at [e-mail] and twitter.com/mattvensel.