Izturis

How it happened: The Orioles scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on consecutive two-out RBI singles by Rhyne Hughes, Nolan Reimold and Cesar Izturis. They added an insurance run in the eighth on an additional run-scoring single by Izturis in the eighth, his third RBI of the night. Then things got tense. Alfredo Simon, called up from Triple-A Norfolk earlier in the day, entered in the ninth inning with a 5-2 lead. He struck out Curtis Granderson looking, allowed a single to Nick Swisher and walked pinch hitter Nick Johnson before striking out Derek Jeter with a nasty slider to record the second out of the inning.

We will see a totally different lineup in 2011 after the Orioles upgraded at four positions this offseason. Gone are the instant outs of Julio Lugo and Cesar Izturis (well, at least Izturis will only be an instant out once or twice a week), replaced with intriguing hitters such as Vladimir Guerrero, Mark Reynolds and Derrek Lee. We know second baseman Brian Roberts will be leading off, but after that, your educated guess is as good as mine. Well, unless you are all buddy-buddy with Buck Showalter and have some inside information on how the Orioles manager plans on playing with his new toys (if so, email me)

Baseball Blue Jays: Recalled IF Cesar Izturis from Triple-A Syracuse. Added OF Tony Peters to 40-man roster and optioned him to Double-A Tennessee. Designated P Lance Painter for assignment. Braves: Transferred P Kevin Millwood from 15- to 60-day DL. Dodgers: Designated former O's P Gregg Olson for assignment. Purchased contract of former O's P Al Reyes from Triple-A Las Vegas. College Elizabethtown College: Announced that Chase Franklin (Loyola) will play soccer in the fall. Hockey Blackhawks: Acquired C Igor Korolev from Maple Leafs for 2001 third-round draft pick.

1 Another bracket: The NCAA announces its women's basketball tournament field (7 p.m., ESPN), setting up the Maryland-Connecticut showdown. 2 Don't get hurt: Watch the left side of the Orioles' infield (Cesar Izturis and Melvin Mora) play for Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic (8 p.m., ESPN). 3 Dress for success: In the Tavistock Cup (noon, Golf Channel), the big-name pros from Florida's Isleworth and Lake Nona square off. And if you don't wear red or blue (club colors)

The Orioles will all but complete their September roster expansion before Tuesday night's game at Yankee Stadium, bringing back Chris Davis from the 15-day disabled list and calling up four more players from the minor leagues. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed that Davis will rejoin the team after rehabbing his sore shoulder. The Orioles will call up Clay Rapada , Josh Bell , Jeremy Accardo and Pedro Florimon, Jr. Florimon apparently was a late addition when veteran infielder Cesar Izturis suffered another setback in his recovery from a severe groin injury.

The Orioles improved to 5-1 under new manager Buck Showalter with a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox today at Camden Yards. The White Sox had tied the score at 1 in the fifth inning, but the Orioles scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh to support Jeremy Guthrie's solid eight innings of work. Guthrie (6-11) gave up just the one run on six hits while striking out four. Chicago scored two in the ninth off closer Alfredo Simon on Ramon Castro's two-run homer. Mark Buehrle (10-9)

Major Indoor Soccer League Blast to hold four open tryouts in September The Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League will hold open tryouts in September at the team's training facility, Du Burns Arena. The tryouts will be Sept. 8 and 9 and Sept. 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to noon and are open to male soccer players ages 18 years and older. College players with remaining eligibility are not permitted in the tryout as per NCAA rules and regulations. Current professional players must have a letter of release from their current club in order to participate.

A clutch two-out RBI single by Cesar Izturis off former teammate Chris Ray in the eighth inning set off a celebration in the Orioles' dugout -- and set the stage for another disappointing loss. Nelson Cruz's sacrifice fly in the ninth off Jason Berken scored Michael Young and gave the Texas Rangers a 4-3 victory before an announced 22,321 on Wednesday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It was the Orioles' fourth loss in the past five games and dropped them to 13-28 on the season.

If it were any other player, the news that an Oriole left Ed Smith Stadium to get his stiff neck examined would probably have been greeted with little more than a collective yawn. However, this was Brian Roberts, and questions about his health figure to loom over spring training after he played just 59 games last year because of a herniated disk in his back. "We've probably all had a stiff neck at some point in our life, right?" Roberts said. "I'm not overly concerned. " Roberts had X-rays taken on his neck, and manager Buck Showalter said the second baseman and leadoff man had only muscle spasms, "nothing other than that.

SEATTLE -- -After getting picked off at first base with men on first and third and one out in the Orioles' five-run ninth inning on Wednesday, first baseman Aubrey Huff would have liked nothing better than to jog of the field and disappear into the dugout, not drawing any more attention to himself than he already had. Instead, Huff, who slipped and fell while in the rundown, was forced to limp off the field, flanked by Orioles head athletic trainer Richie...