PHILADELPHIA – Vimael Machín has joined the Orioles on the medical taxi squad with Tyler O’Neill’s status uncertain.

O’Neill exited last night’s game in the sixth inning with right wrist soreness. X-rays were negative.

Machín can stay with the Orioles for 24 hours without having his contract selected. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2022 with the Athletics.

Machín was removed from last night’s game at Triple-A Norfolk after one at-bat. He’s hitting .294 with an .835 OPS, 22 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs in 97 games with the Tides.

Neither team has posted its lineup for today’s series finales. The Orioles are 1-4 since the trade deadline and have lost five of six games overall.

Cade Cavalli’s major league debut was a major moment for a Nationals organization in need of something positive at the time. When they called up their 2020 first round pick on Aug. 26, 2022, they were reeling from the Juan Soto trade earlier that month and needed to showcase as many pieces of the club’s long-term plan as possible.

Who could have imagined it would take almost three years for the Nats to hand Cavalli the ball again in a big league game?

A minor shoulder ailment sidelined the right-hander the rest of the 2022 season after his shaky debut. He was poised to make the Opening Day rotation the following spring but then blew out his elbow in a mid-March start against the Mets, requiring Tommy John surgery. And he has spent every day since trying to make it back to the majors.

It finally happens tonight, with the Nationals planning to recall Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester, a move interim manager Miguel Cairo confirmed following Tuesday night’s loss. (Reliever Andry Lara was optioned to Rochester to clear a roster spot for him.)

It took Cavalli longer than hoped to fully recover from elbow ligament replacement surgery, but he’s been deemed healthy for several months now. Team officials were looking for a reason to promote him, but the right-hander couldn’t string together enough quality starts together to make it a no-brainer decision.

PHILADELPHIA – The latest count shows the Orioles with 13 players on the injured list. They can get back down to a dozen with Ryan Mountcastle’s anticipated return on Friday.

Tyler O’Neill will try to avoid it after leaving last night’s game with right wrist soreness. X-rays were negative.

O’Neill has already made two stops with neck inflammation and a left shoulder impingement, raising his career total to 16. He’s never been shelved by an injury to his right wrist, but he’s gone on the IL with a left wrist strain.

Meanwhile, Triple-A Norfolk's Vimael Machín was removed last night after one at-bat. Could be totally unrelated or he's a possibility for the 24-hour taxi squad. 

Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are making their rehab starts and should reappear with the Orioles later this month. Good for them. That’s a long road to travel after elbow reconstructive surgery.

PHILADEPHIA – A bat shatters, a ball rolls past the mound and into center field, and a pitcher’s fist slams into his glove.

Dean Kremer couldn’t predict what would happen next, but frustration was the appropriate response.

The Phillies sent nine batters to the plate in the second inning, scored three times and led the entire way in a 5-0 victory over the Orioles before an announced sellout crowd of 43,660 at Citizens Bank Park.

The road trip concludes tomorrow with the Orioles 51-63 overall and 1-4 since the trade deadline. A sweep would be the first with Tony Mansolino as interim manager for an entire series.

Phillies starter Taijuan Walker held them scoreless over six innings. Tonight marked their 12^th shutout loss.

As the hits kept on coming, one after another, MacKenzie Gore stood on the mound with a look on his face that suggested anger, frustration and bewilderment all wrapped up in one.

The Nationals ace, an All-Star just a few weeks ago, the majors’ strikeout leader just a month ago, had faced six Athletics batters to open tonight’s game. Five of them had scored, all five of them having recorded base hits, two of them home runs.

Before having a chance to come up to bat themselves, the Nats already were well on their way to a 16-7 loss, yet another in a string of unsightly, lopsided August losses that have somehow made the disasters that were June and July look tame in comparison.

The Nationals have lost six in a row, the combined score of those games a jaw-dropping 70-26. They've lost the first four games of this homestand 54-20, and that doesn't tell the full story because 11 of the runs they've scored have come in the ninth inning of games that were already well out of hand.

"This is embarrassing," Gore said. "We shouldn't just try to act like nothing happened here. What has happened this homestand is not acceptable, no matter what happened last week. We're all better than this. This is embarrassing. We've got to not let it affect everybody. We've got to be able to come together as a group and get better. What happened this homestand, it's hard to watch."

PHILADELPHIA – As the Orioles work to get their rotation healthier with rehab assignments for Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, they’ve got an indefinite wait on veteran right-hander Zach Eflin.

Eflin returned to the 15-day injured list Thursday with lower back discomfort. He received an epidural shot and the Orioles don’t know how much more time he’s going to miss.

“There is no plan in place for him right now,” said interim manager Tony Masolino. “Still letting the shot do its work, see how he comes out of that. And then, as he feels better or when he does, then we’ll be able to map out what the next month or two months will look like for him.”

Eflin was expected to be a trade chip at the deadline, but the injury likely quieted the market for him.

This is Eflin's third trip to the IL and his second with back pain. He was sidelined in April with a mild lat strain.

The revolving door that has been the 2025 Nationals bullpen picked up two new passengers today when the club added Clayton Beeter and PJ Poulin to the major league roster, two recent acquisitions who are going to get a chance to contribute to a relief corps that needs all the help it can get.

After trading veterans Kyle Finnegan, Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia prior to last week’s deadline, the Nats were left with a highly inexperienced bullpen with only one member who had pitched in more than 45 big league games in his career (Jose A. Ferrer). That group was promptly battered around by the Brewers, surrendering 22 runs (19 earned) on 30 hits and nine walks across 14 1/3 innings during their weekend sweep, leading to the demotions of Ryan Loutos and Zach Brzykcy to Triple-A Rochester.

Enter Beeter (one of two prospects acquired from the Yankees for Amed Rosario) and Poulin (claimed off waivers from the Tigers on Sunday).

“I believe we need a lefty, and we just claimed (Poulin) off waivers,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “Beeter, he throws hard, good slider. And I’m looking forward to seeing how he matches up with big league hitters.”

Beeter, 26, has a little bit of major league experience, appearing in five games for the Yankees across the last two seasons. A second-round pick in 2020 from Texas Tech, he spent most of his minor league career as a starter before moving to the bullpen this season. In 18 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after time on the injured list with a shoulder impingement, he produced a 3.10 ERA, striking out 33 batters in only 20 1/3 innings (albeit with 16 walks issued in that same time frame).

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

INF/OF Terrin Vavra has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Nationals’ weekend series against the Brewers could not have gone any worse. Perhaps the arrival of the homeless Athletics this week will help turn things around. The A’s – who are playing in Sacramento for three seasons but are officially not allowed to be called by any city name for reasons unclear – come to town playing decent baseball, having gone 14-13 since July 1. And they’ve got one of the hottest hitters in baseball in rookie Nick Kurtz (1.420 OPS over his last 25 games).

So this is no cakewalk for MacKenzie Gore, who needs a bounceback performance after three straight shaky starts that included either six runs allowed or six batters walked. The left-hander has seen his ERA jump to 3.80, and his strikeout rate is down as well. Now that the tension of the trade deadline is behind him, the lefty needs to get himself locked in and finish out the season strong before it falls apart on him.

The Nationals have a couple of new arms in the bullpen tonight: They officially called up right-hander Clayton Beeter and left-hander PJ Poulin, optioning both Ryan Loutos and Zach Brzykcy to Triple-A Rochester. Don’t be surprised if one or both of the new guys is used in a high-leverage spot tonight if the situation arises.

ATHLETICS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

ATHLETICS
C Shea Langeliers
1B Nick Kurtz
DH Brent Rooker
CF JJ Bleday
RF Colby Thomas
SS Darell Hernaiz
LF Tyler Soderstrom
3B Gio Urshela
2B Max Schuemann

PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles are making another change to their bullpen, claiming right-hander Rico Garcia on waivers from the Mets this afternoon. He hasn’t reported.

Garcia appeared in six games with the Orioles in 2022 and allowed four runs in eight innings. He appeared in one game with the Yankees this season and allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings, and in eight with the Mets and surrendered three with 16 strikeouts in 12 2/3.

The 40-man roster has 38 players.

While waiting for the Orioles to post their lineup ...

Dean Kremer registered a 7.04 ERA through April and had a 2.72 ERA in May, a 3.30 ERA in June and a 4.30 ERA in July. He’s registered a 2.89 ERA, 1.018 WHIP and .207 opponents’ average in nine home games and a 5.37 ERA, 1.464 WHIP and .294 opponents’ average in 13 road games.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Claimed RHP Rico Garcia off waivers from the New York Mets. He has not yet reported.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 38 players.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter from Triple-A Rochester, activated left-handed pitcher PJ Poulin and optioned right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. Following the game on Sunday, Washington optioned right-handed pitcher Ryan Loutos to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcements.

Beeter, 26, appeared in three games for Triple-A Rochester after joining the organization on July 26. He tossed scoreless relief in two of his three outings with the Red Wings and posted a .154 opponents’ average (2-for-13) with seven strikeouts and four walks in 4.0 innings of work. In his most recent outing on Aug. 1, Beeter struck out four batters in 2.0 innings of scoreless, no-hit relief.

Beeter, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in exchange for Amed Rosario on July 26, has struck out 46 batters in 27.2 innings across 24 Minor League outings this season, his first as a full-time reliever. He went 1-1 with two saves, a 3.80 ERA and a .212 opponents' batting average between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Double-A Somerset and High-A Tampa. From May 23 through June 27, Beeter enjoyed his best stretch of the season, pitching to a 0.73 ERA (1 ER/12.1 IP) with 22 strikeouts and a .143 opponents’ average (6-for-42, 2B) in 11 outings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Washington’s No. 24 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, Beeter made two appearances out of the Yankees' bullpen across two Major League stints this season, going 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA. He made New York's Opening Day roster in 2024 and made his Major League debut on March 29 of that year at Houston. He posted scoreless relief in three appearances, pitching to a 4.91 ERA with five strikeouts and one walk.

Poulin, 29, was claimed off waivers from Detroit on Aug. 3. He went 7-1 with a 3.38 ERA (16 ER/42.2 IP), a pair of saves and 62 strikeouts in 35 games (three starts) for Triple-A Toledo this season. His 13.08 strikeouts per 9.0 innings rank fourth in all of Triple-A (min. 40.0 IP). In his final seven outings for the Mud Hens, he struck out 11, held opponents to a .120 average (3-for-25), and allowed just one run (1.17 ERA).

On the (admittedly short) list of things to look forward to over the remainder of the Nationals’ season, the return of Dylan Crews from the injured list and the return of Cade Cavalli to the major leagues have to rank right near the top.

It’s been a frustrating summer for both former first round picks, both of them sidelined longer than initially hoped. And in both cases, the delay in rejoining the Nats’ big league roster has been cause for consternation.

Crews, who suffered a left oblique strain way back on May 20, does appear to be close to coming off the 60-day IL at long last. But he’s not quite there yet.

The 23-year-old outfielder began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester one week ago, and by all accounts things have gone well for him since. He has played in five games (four as the Red Wings’ right fielder, one as their DH) and he’s gone 3-for-13 with a double, a homer, four RBIs, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, three strikeouts and a stolen base. The homer and the double both came in his most recent game Sunday in Charlotte.

The issue: Crews hasn’t played more than six innings in a game yet, so he hasn’t fully built himself back up to full game-shape yet. We should learn more today about his next steps, but it would make sense for him to continue playing for Rochester (which opens a series tonight at Norfolk) for at least a few more days. Then the Nationals would have to decide if he’s ready to join them on their next trip to San Francisco and Kansas City, or if he still needs more time.

PHILADELPHIA – The visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park isn’t a good location for trying to identify new players.

Lockers don’t come with names, just uniform numbers that aren’t much use without a program or freakish memory skills. And the Orioles’ roster has undergone a startling makeover.

A player sat on a couch yesterday wearing a thick white headband and looking at his phone. The face was unrecognizable to anyone who missed the introductions in Chicago.

The stranger turned out to be first baseman Ryan Noda, who had a pinch-hit single Sunday. The Orioles claimed him on waivers from the White Sox over the weekend.

A pitcher sat at his locker who also hadn’t been in the organization the last time that the Orioles were home. A reporter on the beat discreetly held up his phone to reveal the player page belonging to left-hander Dietrich Enns, who was acquired from the Tigers at the trade deadline for cash considerations. Enns allowed a run and five hits Sunday in 1 2/3 innings.

PHILADELPHIA – Games over the next two months that can’t get the Orioles back into a playoff chase have the power to elevate a young pitcher in the eyes of his bosses. For as long as he’s allowed to stay on the mound.

Left-hander Cade Povich returned from the injured list today to make his first appearance in almost two months, and he came within an infield hit of his third quality start of the season and first since April 24.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino removed Povich after 5 2/3 innings, choosing to let Corbin Martin face Nick Castellanos with the score tied. The matchup mattered more than determining whether Povich could work out of his own jam.

Martin saw six batters and retired none. Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer, Kyle Schwarber greeted Yaramil Hiraldo with a grand slam and the eight-run inning propelled the Phillies to a 13-3 victory before an announced crowd of 41,099 at Citizens Bank Park.

Elvin Rodríguez worked the eighth, becoming the 56^th player used by the Orioles, and Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson hit back-to-back home runs. When a game unravels for this team, it leaves a huge mess.

PHILADELPHIA – Grayson Rodriguez won’t pitch in 2025. The last flicker of hope is doused.

The elbow discomfort that shut down Rodriguez again will lead to a debridement procedure next week to clean out some bone fragments. The surgery is expected to happen a week from today.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias stated Friday in a video call that surgery was “back on the table," so today's news was more of a confirmation. The timing of it should make Rodriguez available in spring training.

Rodriguez hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since July 31, 2024 against the Blue Jays. He went on the injured list with another lat strain that kept him off the Wild Card roster, and he didn’t pitch in spring training after a March 5 outing against the Twins in Fort Myers.

A drastic decline in velocity that day led to speculation about an injury. Rodriguez said he felt “sluggish,” and the Orioles put him on the injured list before breaking camp with elbow inflammation. Rodriguez also felt soreness in his triceps, but the first setback in his recovery was caused by another lat strain that prevented him from engaging in an April bullpen session.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated LHP Cade Povich (left hip inflammation) from the 15-day Injured List. He will start tonight’s game.
• Activated INF/OF Vidal Bruján. He will wear No. 40.
• Optioned RHP Houston Roth to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
• Optioned OF Jordyn Adams to Triple-A Norfolk.

PHILADELPHIA – The Orioles reinstated left-hander Cade Povich from the injured list today and he gets the ball to start a three-game series against the Phillies.

That wasn’t the only move.

Infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján was activated and he’s wearing No. 40. The Orioles claimed him yesterday.

The counter moves were optioning reliever Houston Roth and outfielder Jordyn Adams. Roth didn’t make his major league debut before departing.

Povich has a 5.15 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 13 games (12 starts). His only relief appearance came on June 15, with 3 2/3 scoreless innings before going on the IL with left hip inflammation.

Attempts to get comfortable with the structure of the Orioles’ roster is time wasted. The changes and debuts are coming at a dizzying pace.

The Orioles set a club record by using 62 players in the 110-loss 2021 season. The total is 55 this year and they have infielder/outfielder Vidal Bruján and relievers Elvin Rodríguez and Houston Roth waiting for their first chance. Bruján will meet the team in Philadelphia.

Terrin Vavra received his first at-bat Saturday since 2023, and before the Orioles designated him for assignment the following day. He just made it under the wire.

A corresponding move is pending with Bruján. Vavra seemed to be the most likely player to go but he’s already out the door. Shortstop Luis Vázquez could be vulnerable.

Jeremiah Jackson has started in right field the past two games and he’s hit, moving up to fifth in the order yesterday. The ground beneath his feet might be more solid.

It’s been a constant source of frustration throughout the season. No matter how poorly they’ve pitched, the Nationals have often had little choice but to stick with the staff they’ve got because of a lack of viable alternatives knocking on the door in the minors.

There have been a few moments along the way when the organization has made roster changes, from the early-season cutting of ties with struggling veterans Jorge López, Lucas Sims and Colin Poche, to the in-season additions of Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia and Konnor Pilkington. But transactions have mostly been limited, because there simply haven’t been enough minor league pitchers worthy of promotion.

That’s what made this weekend’s lopsided sweep at the hands of the Brewers feel all the more hopeless. After interim general manager Mike DeBartolo traded Chafin, Luis Garcia and Kyle Finnegan prior to Thursday’s deadline, the bullpen that remained was beaten to a pulp by Milwaukee, combining to surrender 22 runs in only 14 1/3 innings over the last three days.

What recourse does DeBartolo even have at this point?

The Nationals did make one move following Sunday’s 14-3 loss, optioning right-hander Ryan Loutos (owner of a 12.00 ERA in 10 big league games with the club) to Triple-A Rochester. That still leaves six relievers on the active staff with an ERA over 5.00: Jose A. Ferrer, Orlando Ribalta, Andry Lara, Jackson Rutledge, Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Zach Brzykcy. The only two exceptions: Pilkington (1.42 ERA in seven games) and Cole Henry (3.86 ERA in 42 games).