ANAHEIM – It hasn’t been the start to the season that the Orioles’ offense was expected to have. 

The Birds have scored five runs or more just a dozen times in the 38 games they've played so far in 2025. They’re 10-2 in those games, an almost maddening statistic considering the fact that five runs isn’t an incredibly high bar to reach. Baltimore has just struggled to get there. 

“Unfortunately, the start of the season had been more down than up,” hitting coach Cody Asche said today. “There’s no hiding behind that.” 

Entering this afternoon’s Mother’s Day rubber match against the Angels, the Orioles rank 27th in baseball in hits, 28th in walks, 26th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage and 20th in OPS. 

None of those numbers are incredibly encouraging, especially considering the talent in this lineup that has produced much better numbers in the past.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated RHP Zach Eflin (right lat strain) from the 15-day Injured List. He will start today’s game.
• Optioned RHP Colin Selby to Triple-A Norfolk.
• Returned LHP Trevor Rogers (right knee subluxation) from his rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 15-day Injured List, and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Nationals believe Jarlin Susana avoided a major elbow injury, but they admittedly won’t know for sure until the top pitching prospect proves he can return to the mound after a brief planned shutdown.

Susana has a Grade 1 sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament, a concerning revelation but one that won’t immediately require Tommy John surgery.

Manager Davey Martinez said Susana will be shut down from throwing for two weeks, at which point the organization will reassess the situation and determine next steps. Club officials were initially worried the injury was more severe but were relieved when the MRI revealed only a Grade 1 strain of the ligament.

“That was best-case scenario for us,” Martinez said.

Susana, currently the Nationals’ second-rated prospect behind fellow right-hander Travis Sykora, made his most recent start for Double-A Harrisburg one week ago and threw 80 pitches over only three innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. He was placed on the seven-day injured list Saturday, with Martinez at the time knowing only that the issue was with Susana's arm.

ANAHEIM – The Orioles started their series in Anaheim hot, with three runs in their first two offensive frames. 

Tonight, though, it was the Angels’ turn, as Baltimore fell 5-2. 

Los Angeles recorded three straight singles to start the game, and in the blink of an eye, it was 2-0 Halos. After a few more baserunners and nearly 30 pitches, Kyle Gibson worked out of the remaining trouble, but the early damage had been done. 

The O’s did the same to veteran Kyle Hendricks last night. But after three early runs, Hendricks settled in, because “that’s what a veteran pitcher does,” as Brandon Hyde noted last night. Gibson did the same for tonight's second and third innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. We’ll get back to that. 

"I think the teams have been pretty aggressive," Gibson said of his recent first-inning struggles. "So, best way to combat that is maybe use a little off-speed a little bit earlier or just execute a few pitches here and there a little bit better."

ANAHEIM – Kyle Gibson hasn’t been off to a perfect start on the mound. 

The 37-year-old, signed too late to have a Spring Training, has made just two starts to begin the year after his ramp-up. His ERA, after allowing four first-inning home runs to the Yankees in his first start, is all the way up at 14.09. 

His second start was much improved, and he’s looking for another step in the right direction against the Angels tonight. 

The ERA will settle down, and Gibson hopes to provide some stability in the back of the O’s rotation.

But the value that the veteran brings can’t be quantified by his ERA. 

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday and requested unconditional release waivers on right-handed pitcher Lucas Sims on Friday night. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Brzykcy, 25, pitched to a 2.35 ERA (2 ER/7.2 IP) with 14 strikeouts, three walks and a .207 opponents’ batting average in eight Minor League appearances this season. This will be his second stint with the Nationals. He served as the 27^th man for the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians on May 6. He allowed one earned run on two hits with one strikeout in one inning of relief.

Brzykcy made his Major League debut in 2024 after going undrafted in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. He recorded a 2.04 ERA with 43 strikeouts and a .130 opponents’ average in 30 games across four Minor League levels before his debut on Sept. 1 vs. Chicago (NL).

Sims, 31, went 1-0 with a 13.86 ERA in 18 appearances out of Washington’s bullpen in 2025.

Three-and-a-half weeks later, Paul DeJong’s face still doesn’t look completely normal. His nose is pushed toward the right. The area around his left eye is still slightly swollen. The scars from the surgery he underwent to repair the broken nose, the broken orbital bone and broken orbital floor are still visible. Baseball is still months away, in all likelihood.

DeJong was back at Nationals Park this week, though, for the first time since getting struck in the face by a fastball April 15 in Pittsburgh. And that seemingly simple act, something the infielder used to take for granted, meant everything to him.

“That’s what I was missing the most, just the camaraderie of the daily process that we go through every day,” he said. “So I’m happy to be able to be cleared to do some of my own process now, and kind of gain some momentum that way.”

In the immediate aftermath of his harrowing injury, DeJong wasn’t allowed to do much at all. Doctors had to wait more than a week before they could operate, giving time for some of the swelling to go down. Before and after that procedure, he was stuck at home, aided by his grandfather, who drove up from Florida to live with him while he recovered.

DeJong and his grandfather, Steve Whipple, watched movies together every night. Whipple got DeJong into classic Clint Eastwood movies like “Dirty Harry” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” DeJong got Whipple into more recent comedies like “The Hangover” and “Beerfest.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Entering tonight’s game against the Angels, the Orioles had gone 16 consecutive games without scoring a first-inning run. 

That changed on a 1-0 count to Gunnar Henderson. 

Kyle Hendricks, better known for his days with the Cubs, threw a changeup that caught too much of the plate, and Henderson drove it 400 feet to right field. An early lead became a 4-1 victory, and behind a stellar start from Tomoyuki Sugano, the Orioles got back in the win column.

“He’s got the art of pitching down,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “The way he changes speeds and moves the ball around, super unpredictable, keeps hitters off balance. And we played really good defense behind him tonight. When we needed it, Tomo stepped up for us.”

Thanks to Henderson, Sugano entered the bottom of the first frame with a lead, a luxury they haven’t had often in 2025. The MLB newcomer went 1-2-3, and the O’s were off and running. 

On the heels of back-to-back starts that seemingly were lost in the opening frame, Mitchell Parker took the mound tonight desperate to reverse the trend.

“That first inning is going to be key,” manager Davey Martinez said roughly three hours before first pitch. “We talked a lot this week about not overthinking things, just sticking to his mechanics and staying on top of the baseball and throwing downhill.”

Parker proceeded to walk the game’s first two batters, each of them eventually coming around to score during another laborious first inning that left the Nationals trailing yet again. And because the left-hander couldn’t right his wayward ship, and because Erick Fedde pitched like he hardly ever did in six seasons in D.C., tonight’s 10-0 loss to the Cardinals turned into the team’s most depressing of 2025. One that led to the release of another struggling reliever.

With Parker pitching like Fedde circa 2022, and with Fedde pitching like Doug Fister circa 2014, this game was never in doubt. The Nationals trailed throughout and never threatened to rally against Fedde, who went on to toss the first shutout of his career, the final nail in the coffin.

"This one wasn't good," Martinez said. "I'm sitting here trying to figure out what went on. Mitchell, early on, struggled. Walks. Fell behind. Our offense just couldn't get it going. We came in after a day off. We were playing well. I'm just going to try to really forget about this one."

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Zach Eflin’s return to the big league mound has been grabbing most headlines. For a rotation in search of stability, the veteran right-hander provides just that. 

The rotation, however, hasn’t been the main culprit of the Orioles’ recent woes. That has been Baltimore’s lineup, which has plated more than three runs in just one of their past six games. 

A healthy Tyler O’Neill, and his career OPS just shy of .800, could be the shot in the arm that Baltimore needs. 

The outfielder, activated to the active roster today after missing time with a neck injury, wasn't hitting like himself to begin the 2025 season. O’Neill hit just .215 with a .385 slugging percentage and .668 OPS, all some of the worst numbers of his career. 

That neck injury, as it turns out, had been an issue for O’Neill throughout much of the season and had a big impact on what he was able to do at the plate. 

The Orioles have made the following roster moves: 

• Reinstated OF Tyler O’Neill (neck inflammation) from the 10-day Injured List.
• Optioned INF Coby Mayo to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
• LHP Walter Pennington cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Cade Cavalli returns to the mound tonight, an encouraging development for the rehabbing right-hander and the Nationals, who were holding their breath after he departed his last start with fatigue.

Ten days after throwing only 37 pitches in two innings for Triple-A Rochester, Cavalli is back starting for the Red Wings tonight against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Nats believe the brief layoff won’t disrupt his overall rehab program.

“We’re going to let him go, see how far he can go,” manager Davey Martinez said. “There’s no limitations. He just had 10 days off. I know he threw two bullpens in between then, but we’ll see how he does today. We’re going to let him go, and see how far he can go.”

Cavalli, ostensibly in the final stages of rehab from his March 2023 Tommy John surgery, made three rehab starts in April, dominating at Single-A Fredericksburg and Double-A Harrisburg to the tune of nine scoreless innings. He then moved up to Triple-A for an April 29 start and gave up three runs over two innings, leaving the game early complaining of fatigue.

The Nationals decided to have Cavalli skip his next start and instead throw a couple of bullpen sessions in the interim. They found no cause for concern injury-wise and are confident the 2020 first-round pick will pick up right where he left off and wrap up his rehab stint as planned in the coming weeks.

After a much-needed day off, the Nationals are back in action with a weekend series against the Cardinals, looking to take two of three and ensure at least a .500 homestand. And they’ll be facing an old friend in tonight’s opener.

Erick Fedde gets the start for St. Louis, his first appearance at Nationals Park since Sept. 30, 2022, when he took a 5-1 loss to the Phillies. The former Nats first-round pick went off to South Korea the following year and resurrected his career, earning a two-year contract with the White Sox, who promptly traded him to the Cardinals last summer. Fedde has made seven starts so far this season, two of them blowups involving six or more runs allowed, but four of them quality starts.

Mitchell Parker is coming off back-to-back rough starts himself and needs to get back on track tonight. The left-hander has issued nine walks over his last nine innings, and that’s been the obvious source of his struggles. He got a couple extra days of rest since last Friday’s outing in Cincinnati. Hopefully he used it well and has more command of the strike zone tonight.

An important reminder: Tonight’s game is only on Apple TV+. It’ll be Rich Waltz, Ryan Spilborghs and Tricia Whitaker with the call.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Apple TV+
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 62 degrees, wind 12 mph in from left field

Kyle Finnegan remembers career save No. 1. How could he forget?

On July 29, 2021, the Nationals played a seven-inning doubleheader against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, necessitated by a COVID outbreak among the team’s coaching staff the previous day. The trade deadline was 24 hours away, and Mike Rizzo was working nonstop making six deals involving eight players.

Finnegan was directly impacted by this. Before that day’s game, Rizzo traded Brad Hand to the Blue Jays for Riley Adams. Later that day, he dealt Daniel Hudson to the Padres for Mason Thompson and Jordy Barley. Which is why Finnegan found himself pitching the final inning of a 3-1 victory, capped by strikeouts of Alec Bohm and Odúbel Herrera to secure the first save of his career.

“I always joke that I went to bed the sixth-inning guy and woke up the closer that day,” he said this week. “It was a big change.”

Finnegan didn’t become the Nationals’ full-time closer right away. He and Tanner Rainey alternated through the rest of 2021 and throughout 2022 before he finally took over in 2023.

MINNEAPOLIS – Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano was playing catch in left field yesterday during early batting practice when a Twins player hit a line drive at him. Sugano reacted late, stumbled and fell as interpreter Yuto Sakurai – standing in front of him - leaped and deflected the ball.

Sugano stayed on the ground laughing before finally getting back on his feet to resume his long tossing.

This is proof that the Orioles can avoid some injuries, and their sense of humor remains intact. The losses haven’t broken them. They’re in a good headspace. They just need to get on the right side of the score.

A heavy mailbag can lead to pulls and strains, so let’s lighten the load. You ask and I answer, creating the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

My editing consisted of changing “last night” to “Tuesday night” in a question. I tossed and turned over it, which is OK in bed, but it impacted my driving.

Would you believe we are already 38 games into the 2025 season? This weekend, the Nationals will pass the one-quarter mark, which is usually enough time to start drawing some conclusions about the quality (or lack thereof) of a ballclub.

What have we learned about the Nats to this point? Well, the rotation has been solid, at times excellent. The lineup has been inconsistent, but at times quite productive. And the bullpen has been ... well, the bullpen is the No. 1 reason the team has a 17-21 record as opposed to flip-flopping that mark.

It's been a grueling schedule of late, with 16 consecutive game days on the original calendar. (One of those, of course, was rained out, necessitating Tuesday's doubleheader.) The Nationals will happily enjoy their true day off now, though, before returning this weekend to host the Cardinals.

There are no days off around here, however. So let's spend this one answering your questions about the season to date. As always, submit your questions in the comments section below, then check back for my replies throughout the morning. (And if you're unable to view the comments, try clicking on the little cookie logo on the bottom left of your screen and enabling cookies. That usually does the trick!) ...

The formula has become so routine at this point, it almost feels like a cruel joke when it keeps happening.

The Nationals get five good-to-great innings out of their starter, then watch him fade in the sixth inning before handing it over to the bullpen, which proceeds to make an absolute mess of a once-low-scoring ballgame.

But wait, there’s more. Despite facing a suddenly daunting deficit created by their relief corps, the Nats battle back to turn this into a high-scoring nailbiter late. At which point everyone holds his or her breath to see how it will end.

Sometimes that formula has produced dramatic victories, as it did Tuesday afternoon. And sometimes it has produced mind-numbing losses, as it did this afternoon in an 8-6 loss to the Guardians to wrap up a wacky interleague series.

Completing three full, nine-inning games in less than 24 hours, the Nationals wound up losing two of three to Cleveland. They certainly had a chance to duplicate their rousing success from a 10-9 win in the opener of Tuesday’s doubleheader in the finale, but instead they were done in by yet another bullpen disaster and an inability to complete a potentially rousing rally.

The Washington Nationals returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka from the 15-day Injured List and optioned right-handed pitcher Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Soroka, 27, went 0-1, with a 3.75 ERA (5 ER/12.0 IP), walked five and struck out 18 in three rehab games. In his last start with Triple-A Rochester, he struck out 11 of the 22 batters he faced.

Prior to landing in the 15-day Injured List, Soroka made one start with the Nationals on March 31 at Toronto. He allowed four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings pitched.

Salazar, 27, appeared in 17 games of relief going 0-1 with a 9.77 ERA (17 ER/15.2 IP), seven walks, 12 strikeouts and two holds this season.

The Nationals optioned Eduardo Salazar to Triple-A Rochester this morning, demoting the struggling reliever in order to clear a spot on the active roster for Michael Soroka in advance of his return from the injured list this afternoon.

With Soroka starting the series finale against the Guardians after missing the last five weeks with a right biceps strain, the Nats had to settle on a corresponding roster move among several possibilities. They could have optioned Brad Lord, who held Soroka’s spot in the rotation and performed well, but they chose instead to move the rookie right-hander back to the bullpen. They could have cut ties with another struggling reliever, Lucas Sims, but he’s got a $3 million guaranteed contract and is out of options.

In the end, the club made the simplest move available at this point and demoted Salazar to the minors. The right-hander made the Opening Day roster on the strength of a solid 2024 season and a strong spring training, but the 27-year-old struggled mightily from the get-go.

In 17 appearances, Salazar produced a 9.77 ERA and 2.234 WHIP. He gave up runs in 10 of those outings, including his last five. He also allowed eight of 10 inherited runners to score.

The final straw came during the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Entrusted with the top of the eighth and the Nationals trailing 6-1, Salazar issued a leadoff walk to Carlos Santana and eventually allowed him to score on two wild pitches. He then served a home run to Daniel Schneemann, blowing the game open.

It was a long Tuesday at the ballpark, and after a quick cat nap, we’re all right back here this morning for an early matinee. If this game starts on time and is completed in fewer than 3 1/2 hours, the Nationals and Guardians will have completed an entire three-game series in less than 24 hours. That doesn’t happen often.

After splitting the doubleheader, the Nats would love to emerge victorious today and win their second consecutive series against a contending team from Ohio. That would get them back to within two games of the .500 mark, with some positive momentum heading in the right direction before the Cardinals come to town this weekend.

The big story coming in today: The return of Michael Soroka from the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander made only one start back on March 31 before straining his biceps muscle. It took a little longer than hoped, but he’s back now and hoping to build off his 11-strikeout rehab start for Triple-A Rochester. This Cleveland lineup doesn’t strike out a lot, so that may make for a stiff challenge for Soroka.

The Nationals lineup had a wild Tuesday, scoring 10 runs in the opener, then one run in the nightcap. Consistency is needed, and a strong early showing against Guardians left-hander Logan Allen would sure be helpful. Allen was roughed up by the Red Sox to the tune of seven runs two starts ago, but he bounced back with two earned runs allowed last time out against the Blue Jays.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 72 degrees, wind 9 mph left field to right field