Josh Hamilton

Here are a couple thoughts on Josh Hamilton's four-home run night against the Orioles - only the 16 th in major league baseball history, the first at Camden Yards and only the second in Baltimore. The other was at Memorial Stadium on June 10, 1959, when Rocky Colavito of the Cleveland Indians did it. After Hamilton reached the milestone - a blast to center on a 0-2 pitch from Darren O'Day - the Orioles fans reacted appropriately. I know he is on the opposing team, but it was fantastic to see the fans - there were only 11,263 of you, so I don't want to see 20,000 stories next year about how all of you were there - jump to their feet and applaud this guy. And when Hamilton went out to the outfield after the eighth, he received another ovation - that apparently was especially cool for the Raleigh, N.C., native, who says he gets “worn out” by heckling Orioles fans, presumably about his well-publicized battle against addictions.

Twice in two nights, Orioles closer Jim Johnson faced off against one of the most intimidating lineups in the major leagues, and twice in two nights, Johnson notched the save. In shutting the door in the Orioles' 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday , Johnson converted his 23rd save of the year - which tied him for first in the majors with Pittsburgh's Jason Grilli and the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera at the moment. He also extended his season-high streak of eight successful save opportunities.

Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton had 10 homers coming into Tuesday's game, including one Monday night. By the eighth inning Tuesday, he had 14 on the season. Yes, Hamilton had four homers - all of the two-run variety - on Tuesday. It's the 16 th time that has happened in major league baseball history and only the second involving the Orioles. The first was  June 10, 1959, when Cleveland's Rocky Colavito hit four at Memorial Stadium. Hamilton also had a double in his five at-bats for 18 total bases, which sets an American League record, one behind the 19 total bases recorded by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shawn Green in 2002.

The torrential downpour that transformed the Camden Yards infield into a muddy slop Monday night made any routine baseball play difficult. But the timing was perfect for the Orioles, who scored two runs through monsoon-like rain in the bottom of the sixth, then held on following a two-hour, 14-minute rain delay for a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. With the victory, which ended just 10 minutes before midnight, the Orioles (36-28) snapped a three-game home losing streak to the Angels (27-37)

Every offseason this happens. Sometimes it happens three, four, five times in the winter. A reporter attaches the Orioles to a star free agent's name. And then those of us who cover the team locally will get inundated with questions about whether the Orioles will land that player. Right now, it is Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton. After Fox Sports wrote Wednesday that the Orioles plan to pursue Hamilton, MLB Network did several minutes on whether Hamilton would be a fit in Baltimore.

The Orioles made the Nate McLouth signing official on Thursday and, technically, that counts as a fairly important move for the club this offseason. Yes, the Orioles picked McLouth off the scrap heap last year and there is no guarantee that he has a 2013 similar to the final two months of last year. That said, a $2 million (with $500,000 more available in plate appearance bonuses), one-year commitment certainly seems reasonable with minimal risk. But shortly before the Orioles announced that move Thursday, news broke that the Los Angeles Angels had agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal with outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Earlier this year, I did two top-10 lists in connection with the 20 th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The first was rank the top 10 games in stadium history. The second was to rank the top 10 moments in stadium history. Yes, there was some overlap -- Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,131 st consecutive game was the top in that category, and his victory lap was the top moment -- but I tried to separate them a little. For the moments list, I tried to winnow the game into one moment we'll never forget.

The news broke this afternoon that the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal, pending a physical, with talented but troubled slugger Josh Hamilton. As a baseball writer, my first reaction was this: Maybe commissioner Bud Selig should enact a new realignment that creates a division just for the Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. They play each other 162 times a year (it would cut down on travel expenses, which would help pay the enormous salaries) and the winner gets a playoff spot.

There are few times when a visiting player comes to Camden Yards and puts on such a spectacular show that he turns the fans in his favor. But Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, the 1999 No. 1 overall pick who overcame the depths of drug and alcohol abuse to become one of the game's top sluggers, orchestrated one of the most magnificent power displays in baseball history in the Rangers' 10-3 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night. He gained a share of fans along the way. When Hamilton rounded the bases in the eighth inning -- becoming the 16th player in major league history to hit four home runs in one game -- those who remained of the announced 11,263 on hand at Oriole Park offered their appreciation by giving Hamilton a standing ovation.

Twice in two nights, Orioles closer Jim Johnson faced off against one of the most intimidating lineups in the major leagues, and twice in two nights, Johnson notched the save. In shutting the door in the Orioles' 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday , Johnson converted his 23rd save of the year - which tied him for first in the majors with Pittsburgh's Jason Grilli and the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera at the moment. He also extended his season-high streak of eight successful save opportunities.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman made history on Wednesday night, becoming the first National League player to hit three or more homers at Camden Yards. Zimmerman is just the fourth opposing player to hit three or more homers at Camden Yards. Last season, Josh Hamilton had a four-homer game for the Rangers against the Orioles on May 8. Severna Park native Mark Teixeira hit three homers for the Rangers on July 13, 2006, and Oakland's Erubiel Durazo hit three homers against the Orioles on August 18, 2004.

The Orioles made the Nate McLouth signing official on Thursday and, technically, that counts as a fairly important move for the club this offseason. Yes, the Orioles picked McLouth off the scrap heap last year and there is no guarantee that he has a 2013 similar to the final two months of last year. That said, a $2 million (with $500,000 more available in plate appearance bonuses), one-year commitment certainly seems reasonable with minimal risk. But shortly before the Orioles announced that move Thursday, news broke that the Los Angeles Angels had agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal with outfielder Josh Hamilton.

The news broke this afternoon that the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal, pending a physical, with talented but troubled slugger Josh Hamilton. As a baseball writer, my first reaction was this: Maybe commissioner Bud Selig should enact a new realignment that creates a division just for the Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. They play each other 162 times a year (it would cut down on travel expenses, which would help pay the enormous salaries) and the winner gets a playoff spot.

Every offseason this happens. Sometimes it happens three, four, five times in the winter. A reporter attaches the Orioles to a star free agent's name. And then those of us who cover the team locally will get inundated with questions about whether the Orioles will land that player. Right now, it is Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton. After Fox Sports wrote Wednesday that the Orioles plan to pursue Hamilton, MLB Network did several minutes on whether Hamilton would be a fit in Baltimore.

Here's a look at what some other media outlets are saying about the Orioles following last night's 5-1 win over the Rangers in the AL wild-card game : - ESPN.com's David Schoenfield focuses his attention on the O's pitchers , especially starter Joe Saunders: Joe Saunders doing this ? Delivering 77 pitches of one-run baseball in his own personal house of horrors against a lineup that should devour a pitcher like him? No way did I see that coming. Welcome to postseason baseball.

The stars are aligned Lance Pugmire Los Angeles Times Yes. While it appeared uncertain, the stars appear to be aligning for the Tigers slugger. Cabrera has seven games to hold on to his batting-average lead over the Angels' Mike Trout and his RBI advantage over the Rangers' Josh Hamilton. It'll come down to home runs, and Hamilton's case improved when he returned this week from a five-game absence after being diagnosed with a cornea-drying condition brought on by the slugger's heavy use of caffeine.

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman made history on Wednesday night, becoming the first National League player to hit three or more homers at Camden Yards. Zimmerman is just the fourth opposing player to hit three or more homers at Camden Yards. Last season, Josh Hamilton had a four-homer game for the Rangers against the Orioles on May 8. Severna Park native Mark Teixeira hit three homers for the Rangers on July 13, 2006, and Oakland's Erubiel Durazo hit three homers against the Orioles on August 18, 2004.

The torrential downpour that transformed the Camden Yards infield into a muddy slop Monday night made any routine baseball play difficult. But the timing was perfect for the Orioles, who scored two runs through monsoon-like rain in the bottom of the sixth, then held on following a two-hour, 14-minute rain delay for a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels. With the victory, which ended just 10 minutes before midnight, the Orioles (36-28) snapped a three-game home losing streak to the Angels (27-37)

The Orioles  won, 5-3, Tuesday night. Chris Tillman pitched great. Nate McLouth homered. Manny Machado had a key triple. Jim Johnson picked up his 38th save. Those are the box-score highlights. But the biggest moment of the game came in the seventh inning. Tillman was pulled with two outs and the usually reliable Darren O'Day allowed a single and a walk to the only two batters he faced. Josh Hamilton who is second in the American League in home runs (32) and RBIs (102) was up, so right-hander Pedro Strop was summoned to face the imposing, left-handed-hitting Hamilton.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - The first and only time Chris Tillman had pitched at Rangers Ballpark back in July 2010, the Orioles right-hander turned in what might have been his signature performance as a major leaguer, taking a no-hit bid into the seventh against a club that eventually made it to the World Series that year. Tillman wasn't that unhittable Tuesday night, but he was plenty good enough as the Orioles picked up a 5-3 victory to set up a series rubber match with the Rangers tonight.