-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
BOSTON – Infielder Terrin Vavra is in Boston today on the medical taxi squad. He hasn’t appeared with the Orioles this season.
Vavra is hitting .317 with a .838 OPS in 22 games with Triple-A Norfolk.
The club didn’t specify why Vavra is here, but outfielder Ramón Laureano remains out of the lineup and did some running earlier to test his left ankle.
The tarp is on the field again and rain fell earlier, but the Orioles should be able to play their split doubleheader at Fenway Park.
Zach Eflin gets the start in Game 1, with the Game 2 starter unannounced. Left-hander Trevor Rogers is a possibility as the 27th man. Charlie Morton was expected to pitch today before last night’s rainout.
The Nationals managed to overcome injuries to Dylan Crews and Jacob Young, both by winning the games each departed and by having more outfield prospects ready to be called up to take their place.
It may be too much to ask for them to adequately overcome their latest potential injury loss: MacKenzie Gore. Though the early indication suggests it's not serious.
A brilliant start by Gore tonight ended on a decidedly sour note when the left-hander departed mid-batter in the top of the seventh after throwing an errant fastball and grimacing in some type of discomfort. He had not surrendered a run to that point, but he still wound up charged with the loss when the Nats bullpen gave up a quartet of late runs while falling 4-0 to the Giants, snapping the team’s five-game winning streak.
The Nationals do not provide in-game injury updates, so it was impossible to know what exactly caused Gore to come out following his 91st pitch until postgame. The lefty did appear to be telling Davey Martinez "I'm fine, I'm fine" as his manager approached him, and he returned to the dugout instead of heading directly to the trainer’s room, for what that’s worth.
The postgame revelation: Gore's upper left leg tightened up on him five innings after he was struck by a Willy Adames comebacker, an incident that left an impressive welt on his thigh but should not keep him from making his next start.
BOSTON – Interim manager Tony Mansolino had a decision to make today with two runners on base and two outs in the fifth inning. The Orioles led by a run and Seranthony Domínguez was ready in the bullpen. Trevor Story stepped to the plate, Mansolino ignored the right-left matchup by sticking with Cade Povich, and a ground ball killed the rally.
Povich was pushed to 98 pitches and exited with only one run allowed. Mansolino had no choice now except to trust his bullpen. That decision was out of his hands.
The lead slipped through the Orioles fingers and shattered.
Ceddanne Rafaela delivered a game-tying single off Domínguez in the sixth, Jarren Duran followed with an RBI single off Gregory Soto and Rafael Devers hit a three-run homer. Devers finished with eight RBIs after his grand slam off infielder Emmanuel Rivera in a 13-run, 12-hit eighth that sent the Orioles to an embarrassing 19-5 loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Fenway Park.
Both teams used a position player to pitch, with the Red Sox giving Abraham Toro his first career experience in the ninth. The Orioles scored twice. At times, it resembled baseball.
For the second straight day, a top outfield prospect is making his major league debut for the Nationals after one of the team’s young Opening Day regulars landed on the injured list.
Only 24 hours following Robert Hassell III’s first big league game, Daylen Lile is set to take the field for the first time, the 22-year-old promoted from Triple-A Rochester this afternoon when Jacob Young was placed on the 10-day IL with a sprained left shoulder.
Lile, a second-round pick in the 2021 Draft, has been touted by scouts and club officials alike for several years but was previously hampered by injuries and only reached Triple-A three weeks ago. After tearing up the International League to the tune of a .361/.432/.514 slash line in 18 games, though, he got the call to come to D.C.
How did Lile make it up the organizational ladder so fast?
“Just staying true to myself, staying consistent, staying on my routine,” he said, “knowing that I could possibly make my debut at some point this season. Everywhere I went, my feet were there, and I tried not to rush anything. But, I mean, it came a lot quicker than I thought.”
The Nationals, suddenly, are flying high. After suffering a seven-game losing streak just last week, they’ve now won six of their last seven, including five straight entering tonight’s weekend series opener against the Giants. And for the second night in a row, they’ve got a touted young outfielder set to make his major league debut.
One night after Robert Hassell III got the spotlight, Daylen Lile now joins him. With Jacob Young placed on the 10-day injured list with an AC sprain in his left shoulder, Lile got the call from Triple-A Rochester (where he was slashing .361/.432/.514 in only 18 games since his promotion from Double-A Harrisburg). The club’s second-round pick in the 2021 Draft, he’s young but an exciting player who hits and runs well.
MacKenzie Gore gets the ball for the Nationals, seeking a far more efficient outing than his last one. Despite allowing only two runs to the Orioles, Gore gave up 10 hits and two walks while striking out nine and threw a whopping 102 pitches in only 3 2/3 innings. After the bullpen needed to go 6 1/3 innings Thursday night in the 8-7 win over the Braves, the Nats need length out of Gore tonight.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 65 degrees, wind 14 mph left to right field
GIANTS
LF Heliot Ramos
CF Jung Hoo Lee
3B Matt Chapman
DH Wilmer Flores
SS Willy Adames
1B Casey Schmitt
RF Mike Yastrzemski
C Patrick Bailey
2B Tyler Fitzgerald
BOSTON – The rain has stopped in Boston and the tarp is off the field. The Orioles and Red Sox will attempt to play two games in a day-night doubleheader.
Gunnar Henderson is the designated hitter today, with Jorge Mateo playing shortstop. Jackson Holliday continues to bat leadoff.
Ryan O’Hearn is in left field to handle the Green Monster, and Heston Kjerstad is in right.
Ramón Urías is playing third base.
Trevor Rogers is the 27th man. He'll probably start Game 2. Starters for Saturday and Sunday are now TBA.
The Washington Nationals selected the contract of outfielder Daylen Lile from Triple-A Rochester and placed outfielder Jacob Young on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to May 20) with a left shoulder AC sprain on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Lile, 22, joins the Nationals after leading the organization in batting average (.337), OPS (.892), hits (55) and runs scored (30) in 39 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season. His 55 hits and five triples are tied for fifth in all of Minor League Baseball. Additionally, he ranks second in Washington’s system in on-base percentage (.383) and extra-base hits (17), tied for second in doubles (9) and third in slugging percentage (.509). Lile also recorded three home runs, 12 walks and nine stolen bases prior to having his contract selected.
Lile joins the Nationals for his first career Major League assignment after hitting safely in 15 of his last 16 games with the Red Wings. He hit .397 (25-for-63) with four doubles, one triple, one home run, nine RBI, eight walks, three stolen bases and 13 runs scored during this stretch which included a 12-game hitting streak.
Washington’s second-round pick in the 2021 First-Year Player Draft, Lile was Washington’s “Nationals Way” Award winner in 2024 after he led the system in triples (10), tied for the lead in doubles (23) and ranked in hits (2nd, 127), total bases (T3rd , 188), walks (T3rd, 54), OBP (4th, .347), OPS (4th, .735), runs scored (4th, 69), batting average (5th, .262) and stolen bases (T6th, 25).
Lile hit .273 with a .356 on-base percentage and a .421 slugging percentage in 294 career games across four professional seasons. He’s recorded 61 doubles, 25 triples, 18 home runs, 144 RBI, 133 walks, 59 stolen bases and 180 runs scored.
The Orioles are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of longtime Baltimore sportswriter and official scorer JIM HENNEMAN. Henny’s friendly demeanor, words of wisdom, and historical anecdotes will be dearly missed. We are all better for knowing him and are eternally grateful for his dedication to the Orioles for more than eight decades. The Camden Yards’ press box will forever bear his name and be a welcoming place to remember and recognize his life and legacy.
BOSTON – Jim Henneman, the longtime Baltimore sportswriter and Orioles official scorer affectionately known as “Henny,” passed away last night. He was 89.
Henneman has been battling health issues but he made it down to Sarasota again for spring training and attended home Opening Day. He was moved into hospice care this week.
The Orioles renamed the press box in Henneman’s honor in January 2024, a gesture that brought him to tears.
“I can’t imagine a better honor,” he said.
The team issued a statement this morning, saying it was “heartbroken” to share the news.
The moment was uplifting on its own merits, Keibert Ruiz ripping an RBI double down the right field line in the bottom of the first Thursday night to drive in the Nationals’ first run of the game. But upon reaching second base, the 26-year-old catcher immediately looked toward the stands behind home plate, flashed a wide smile and waved at the group that was simultaneously cheering and crying at what just happened.
Jose and Leidis Ruiz have followed their son’s career every step of the way, providing him every opportunity they could in their native Venezuela to learn and play baseball, get signed by the Dodgers as a teenager, then make his major league debut in Los Angeles in 2020, get traded to the Nationals in 2021 and sign a $50 million contract extension in 2023.
But Thursday, remarkably, represented the first time they had been able to watch him play any ballgame, at any level, in person since 2015 when Ruiz first began as a professional with the Dodgers’ Dominican Summer League club.
“I can’t believe it,” Ruiz said following the Nats’ 8-7, 10-inning win over the Braves. “They had to wait for, what, maybe 10-11 years to see me play for the first time, even here in the big leagues. That’s amazing. I can’t describe it.”
It’s not like the Ruiz family hadn’t been trying all this time to watch him in person. They applied for travel visas on five separate occasions over the last decade and were denied each of the first four attempts. Finally, last week they got the news they worried they might never receive and made preparations to fly to Washington for the first time.
BOSTON - The Red Sox flip-flopped starters for today’s doubleheader, using the rainout to move Brayan Bello ahead of Lucas Giolito. The Orioles are sticking with left-hander Cade Povich for Game 1 but haven’t committed to a starter for the nightcap.
Charlie Morton was listed for tonight before the weather forced a fourth postponement. He could get the ball anyway, or the Orioles could use an opener ahead of him, move Zach Eflin to Game 2 on normal rest rather than wait until Saturday, or choose a pitcher who’s called up as the 27th man.
It won’t be Chayce McDermott because he was optioned Wednesday.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers, also on the 40-man roster, hasn’t started for Triple-A Norfolk since May 16 and he’s listed as tonight’s starter against the St. Paul Saints. He’s allowed 12 earned runs (13 total) and 16 hits with six walks and 15 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings.
The 40-man isn’t really a consideration because the Orioles have two openings.
It would’ve been a bit too easy had the Nationals simply closed out tonight’s game without any bullpen drama. So they decided to make their fifth consecutive win a bit more exciting.
Despite Kyle Finnegan’s blown save in the top of the ninth – one made possible by a José Tena fielding error – the Nats came back to walk off the Braves on Amed Rosario’s sharp single to left in the bottom of the 10th.
With Robert Hassell III (making his major league debut) serving as the automatic runner to begin the inning, Alex Call put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put the rookie 90 feet away. Rosario (making his first appearance since suffering a nasty cut near his left knee six days ago that required stitches) turned on a 1-1 changeup from left-hander Dylan Lee and ripped a single to left, allowing Hassell to race home with the winning run to cap a memorable debut.
"It felt great," said Hassell, who became the first player in club history with two hits and a stolen base in his big league debut. "Truly the most important thing is we got the W. It feels amazing to win."
Finnegan took the mound with a one-run lead in hand, hoping to finish off what was shaping up to be an impressive bullpen effort that already included 4 1/3 innings of one-run (unearned) ball. The Nats' closer did get himself into trouble with a leadoff single, but after inducing a popout, he got Austin Riley to hit a sharp grounder to third for what could’ve been a game-ending, 5-4-3 double play. Alas, Tena couldn’t get a handle on the ball, leaving everybody safe and prolonging the game.
A doctor’s review of the MRI taken on Dylan Crews confirmed the club’s initial diagnosis of a left oblique strain, but manager Davey Martinez could not offer anything resembling a timetable for the Nationals rookie to return.
Crews, who already had been dealing with a sore lower back and left side for about a week, experienced additional pain on a check-swing attempt in the fifth inning Tuesday night against the Braves. He was placed on the 10-day injured list the following afternoon, with top outfield prospect Robert Hassell III called up from Triple-A Rochester to take his roster spot.
The timetable for oblique strains varies from player to player and based on the severity of each injury. Nationals first baseman/designated hitter Andrés Chaparro suffered a left oblique strain during batting practice March 14 prior to a spring training game and tonight is finally beginning a rehab assignment with Rochester after going 4-for-15 with a double and a homer in five rehab games for the Nats’ rookie-level Florida Complex League team.
Asked how Crews’ injury compares to Chaparro’s ailment, Martinez redirected his answer to compliment Crews’ physical and mental makeup.
“I’ll be honest with you: When I played, I didn’t even know what an oblique was,” the manager said. “Every guy is different. He’s a very strong kid, I know that. He’s going to work diligently to get back as soon as possible. But we want to make sure that when he does come back, this doesn’t become a problem for him. Hopefully sooner than later, but we’re going to give him as much time as he needs to get him ready.”
Let’s give this another try, shall we? After Wednesday night’s game was rained out, the Nationals and Braves will attempt to play their series finale as scheduled this evening, though there is again some rain in the forecast (more so early than late, so that should hopefully help matters).
It’s the same pitching matchup that was supposed to take the mound Wednesday, with Trevor Williams starting for the Nats and AJ Smith-Shawver starting for the Braves. The bullpens, of course, will be well refreshed and available for as much work as needed. Perhaps that plays into Davey Martinez’s hands, allowing him to pull Williams after five innings regardless of results, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Robert Hassell III has had a chance to process his first major league promotion for more than 24 hours now, so he should be good and ready to go come 6:45 p.m. He made a point to shag a bunch of fly balls in both center and right fields Wednesday afternoon to start getting a feel for the perspective here at Nationals Park. Of course, there’s nothing like the real thing, and you can’t simulate that.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 60 degrees, wind 8 mph out to right field
BRAVES
LF Alex Verdugo
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
DH Marcell Ozuna
C Drake Baldwin
2B Ozzie Albies
RF Eli White
CF Michael Harris II
SS Nick Allen
BOSTON – With rain in the forecast throughout the day and night, the Orioles must endure their fourth postponement of the 2025 season.
Makes it harder to carry the momentum from yesterday’s 11-inning win in Milwaukee.
The Orioles and Red Sox will play a split doubleheader on Friday, with Game 1 at 1:35 p.m. and Game 2 at 7:10 p.m.
Both teams get a 27th man.
The Orioles already made up two of their first three postponed games, being swept in a doubleheader in Detroit and at home against the Twins. They have a day-night doubleheader against the Blue Jays on July 29 at Camden Yards.
Due to planned activity in Washington, D.C., the start time for the Saturday, June 14, game between the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins has been moved up to 1:05 p.m. from 4:05 p.m.
The Nationals are promoting their top prospect up a level in their minor league system.
Travis Sykora, the No. 1 prospect in the Nats system and No. 61 overall per MLB Pipeline, is being promoted to High-A Wilmington, a source confirms.
Sykora dominated Single-A once again following his return from offseason hip surgery. He held opponents to one hit, one run and one walk while striking out 14 in just five innings over two starts with the Fredericksburg Nationals.
It was an easy return to form for the 21-year-old, who the Nats selected out of high school in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-6 righty was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Year in 2024 after going 5-3 with a 2.33 ERA, 0.906 WHIP, 129 strikeouts and 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings across 20 starts.
He also dominated in the playoffs to help the FredNats win their first championship since moving to Fredericksburg in 2020.
When the Nationals face the Braves tonight following Wednesday’s rainout, Robert Hassell III will take the field for the first time as a big leaguer. When he looks to his right from his outfield position, he’ll see James Wood. When he looks in toward the middle infield, he’ll see CJ Abrams. And watching from the dugout will be MacKenzie Gore, who on Friday night will take the mound to start the series opener against the Giants.
Those four players have long been connected, four of the five prospects the Nats acquired from the Padres in the August 2022 Juan Soto/Josh Bell trade. Nearly three years later, they’re all in the big leagues together. (Right-hander Jarlin Susana, the fifth prospect, is currently on the injured list after making five starts for Double-A Harrisburg to begin the season.)
“It’s awesome,” Hassell said. “I think that’s the best-case scenario in a lot of people’s eyes. It was a big trade, and everybody had high expectations for us. I’m glad to be in the same place, in ‘The Show.’”
Abrams was first to arrive, shortly after the trade. Gore was injured but made his Nationals debut in April 2023. Wood made it in July 2024. All three are now playing at an All-Star level, with Abrams ranking eighth in the majors with a .940 OPS, Wood tied for fifth in the National League with 12 homers and Gore leading the entire sport with 84 strikeouts.
Hassell, believe it or not, was just as highly regarded as any of them at the time of the deal, maybe more so. He boasted an .846 OPS in high Single-A upon getting traded and ranked anywhere from the 26th to the 37th best prospect in baseball.
The Orioles avoided a third consecutive series sweep yesterday. They didn’t fold after losing leads in the ninth and 10th innings. Félix Bautista allowed a run in his fourth consecutive appearance, but hey, at least he was cleared to pitch on back-to-back days.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino could enjoy the flight to Boston. The losing streak ended at eight. The Orioles improved to 1-27 when trailing after the seventh.
Can’t make up all the ground in one game. Yesterday was a start.
Let’s tackle a few questions this morning. This time, I’ll do the asking.
* Did the Orioles make the right choice with the rotation?
MILWAUKEE – Baltimore was right there. The losing streak was over.
The Tony Mansolino era had its first victory in the palm of its hand.
For the first time this season, Baltimore could come back to win a game after trailing entering the seventh inning. They found clutch situational hits when they needed to. Their former All-Star closer was on the mound with a chance to seal things in the ninth.
Baltimore was one strike away.
In a 2-2 count, American Family Field erupted at the sight of a Caleb Durbin RBI single to tie the game at three runs apiece.
