The Orioles are in D.C. again tonight, trying to avoid being swept by the Nationals before flying to Detroit.

The losing streak has reached three games and the record has fallen to 9-14. The Orioles haven’t been six games below .500 since July 5, 2022.

Left-hander Cade Povich is making his fifth start. He’s posted a 6.38 ERA and 2.073 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings.

The last outing was his worst, with the Reds totaling seven runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked five batters and surrendered three home runs.

Povich hasn’t faced the Nationals. Nathaniel Lowe has two at-bats against him and is 1-for-2 with a double.

The news was good in the way that Orioles manager Brandon Hyde presented it yesterday.

How high you choose to raise your hopes is up to you.

Grayson Rodriguez sought additional opinions after undergoing imaging on his sore right shoulder, which always leads to the worst assumptions. I said it, too. Athletes don’t normally contact other physicians or surgeons if the first appointment brought positive results.

Hyde told the assembled media yesterday in D.C. that Rodriguez has a “mild lat strain,” and that he improved “quite a bit this last week.” He also described Rodriguez as “symptom-free.” Sadly, I’ve become optimism-free based on the number of times that mild has led to months-long absences from the active roster.

Rodriguez won’t begin throwing again for a couple of weeks, so the Orioles aren’t getting him back anytime soon. He’s starting over again with flat ground tossing, bullpen sessions, live batting practice and a rehab assignment in the minors. Meanwhile, the rotation must hold up with Zach Eflin also sidelined by a lat strain.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers made his first injury rehab start today at Double-A Chesapeake and gave up a two-run homer to Altoona’s Kervin Pichardo two batters into the game. Rogers worked three innings and allowed two runs and four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 44 pitches, 29 for strikes.

Rogers is on the injured list after dislocating his right knee in January.

Braxton Bragg made his Double-A debut and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings with three hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

Silas Ardoin hit his second home run.

Heston Kjerstad stays in left field tonight for the Orioles, who continue their series against the Nationals in D.C., and Jackson Holliday remains at second base.

The Orioles are four games below .500 again and the rotation issues won’t go away. They were one-hit, so it isn't just the pitching. The anger generated from Sunday's 24-2 loss was supposed to shatter slumps and funks.

What can you trust? Well, there’s mailbag leftovers.

You asked, I answered, and some stuff had to be held. Let’s get to it before the Orioles send Tomoyuki Sugano to the mound tonight and hope that he can be their stopper.

How far away is Chayce McDermott’s rehab start?
Manager Brandon Hyde told the media in D.C. that McDermott was “a little bit behind Trevor Rogers,” who starts this afternoon at Double-A Chesapeake. “I don’t think that date has been set in stone, but in the next week or so,” Hyde said. The Orioles want Rogers to get three or four starts before he’s reinstated. Not that you asked.

What’s happening with Zach Fruit? He really impressed me in spring training.
The Baysox put Fruit on the seven-day injured list yesterday. No explanation accompanied the news. Fruit allowed nine runs and 10 hits and walked six batters in eight innings over three starts. Patrick Reilly also went on the IL yesterday after exiting his last start with right elbow discomfort. Not that you asked.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers is ready for the next important step of his throwing progression and possible return to the majors.

Rogers is starting for the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox Wednesday morning at 11:05 a.m. at Prince George’s Stadium. He’s on the injured list after suffering a right knee subluxation during the offseason.

The Orioles acquired Rogers from the Marlins at last year’s trade deadline for outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby. He was optioned after four starts and with his ERA at 7.11 in 19 innings.

The injury occurred in January while Rogers was throwing on a turf field.

“Landed wrong and unfortunately it dislocated, but thankfully it wasn’t a complete dislocation, just dislocated for a brief second and went back into place, so it could have been a lot worse,” he said on Feb. 13.

Brandon Young is back in the majors.

The Orioles recalled Young today from Triple-A Norfolk, a move that required a corresponding injury in order to dodge the 15-day minimum rule. Reliever Cody Poteet was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

Young made his major league debut Saturday afternoon against the Reds and allowed three runs and seven hits over four innings. The Orioles optioned him the following day and recalled Poteet as a fresh bullpen arm.

Today’s move leaves the Orioles with five starters, which could present another chance for Young this weekend in Detroit. Kyle Gibson made his third start with an affiliate Sunday, joining High-A Aberdeen and throwing 78 pitches in five innings.

Young and Gibson would be available for Friday’s series opener at Comerica Park.

The Orioles are down the road for the next three nights playing the Nationals in a series that no longer is hyped as an uncivil war.

These teams don’t hate each other and it isn’t a rivalry. It’s two organizations in relatively close proximity trying to get on a roll at the expense of the other. That’s fine. You can’t fabricate hard feelings.

The Nats are 9-13 and in fourth place in the National League East. The Orioles are 9-12 and in fourth place in the American League East, a half-game ahead of the Rays. They woke up yesterday two behind the Red Sox and 4 ½ out of first place. Far from insurmountable, but it’s time to get hot.

The adage that it starts with starting pitching is glaringly accurate in Baltimore. The rotation has a 6.11 ERA that’s the worst in baseball, with the Yankees next among American League teams yesterday at 4.50. The Orioles’ overall ERA of 5.43 also sat on the bottom yesterday, just behind the Nats’ 5.12. However, Jorge Mateo and Gary Sánchez combined to allow nine runs Sunday over the last two innings, so the numbers should come with an asterisk.

Stay with me here … they aren’t pitchers.

The Orioles have another off-day following their longest homestand of the season. They’ll hit the road for a three-game series in D.C. and Detroit.

Contrary to some of the stuff I’ve read, the season isn’t over. The Orioles have played 21 games and the season isn’t truncated to 22. Lucky for them, right? But yeah, yesterday was ugly – it only counts as one loss - and a rotation with the highest ERA in baseball is cause for concern. Injuries are a big part of the problem, but it goes beyond health.

The offense also can drive a fan batty. The Reds went with a bullpen game yesterday, but the Orioles managed only one run off Brent Suter in three innings and two on the day, and they lost by three touchdowns. Key guys are slumping. Cedric Mullins can’t carry this much of the load.

I don’t want to carry a heavy mailbag, so it’s time to do some dumping. You asked and I did my best to answer. The editing was restricted to my cut-and-paste technique of moving questions from blog comments to my Word document. It’s a skill like anything else.

Also, my mailbag received a visit from the Easter Bunny and your mailbag was visited by a rabid raccoon.

A change to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network is happening today that will make it more accessible to the public.

The network announced that it’s offering a direct-to-consumer streaming option called MASN+. Fans can subscribe for $19.99 per month or $89.99 for the remainder of the 2025 regular season to receive MASN and MASN2 content.

Every available Orioles and Nationals game, “Classics” episodes, "O’s Xtra" and "Nats Xtra," and other programming will be available.

MASN+ enables in-market fans to watch games with no blackouts and no cable or satellite subscription or contract required. Anyone wanting to subscribe can go to MASNsports.com here or use the MASN app available on iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.

A press release issued today also stated that MASN and MASN2 will continue to be available via cable and satellite providers.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sent out the verbal equivalent of a bat signal, except it wasn’t for the offense.

Hyde expressed his concerns Saturday about his bullpen’s heavy workload and how the short starts take their toll. And that’s when he called for his 41-year-old pitcher to help.

“Come on, Charlie Morton,” Hyde said. “Need you.”

Morton didn’t make it through the third inning today, leaving after 2 1/3 and charged with seven runs in a 24-2 loss to the Reds before an announced crowd of 19,053 that booed the performance but enjoyed an infielder and catcher making their pitching debuts.

Their excitement began with Jorge Mateo taking the mound in the eighth, chanting his name as the Reds batted around. He loaded the bases while throwing sliders, changeups and curveballs according to the tracker, hit Blake Dunn with two outs and served up a grand slam to Noelvi Marte. Former Orioles catcher Austin Wynns singled for his fifth hit.

The Orioles thought they knew what was coming today from Reds starter Hunter Greene - the 99-100 mph fastball, the plus-sliders, the scoreless streak, the stacked odds. Brandon Young was the riddle, an undrafted rookie making his major league debut.

Young’s hair is long, but the Orioles hoped that his outing would provide some length.

You can’t count on much these days, and that includes Greene’s dominance. He lasted only three innings and surrendered three homers among his five runs. Greene went four-plus and left with a lead. And Ramón Laureano provided an unexpected twist by homering twice off the bench.

Jordan Westburg snapped an 0-for-30 stretch with a homer, and seven relievers combined for two-run ball over five innings in the Orioles’ wild 9-5 victory over the Reds before an announced orange-clad crowd of 28,534 at Camden Yards.

Félix Bautista warmed and sat down after the Orioles (9-11) scored twice in the eighth. He got up again after Austin Hays led off the ninth by clearing the left field wall against Matt Bowman and Gavin Lux doubled. A walk brought Bautista into the game with two on and no outs, they were stranded to give him the save, and the Orioles will try to claim another series Sunday.

Heston Kjerstad walked into the clubhouse this morning with his right elbow wrapped in white tape and a smile on his face.

He seemed fine last night after leaving the game with a bruised elbow from the 99.5 mph fastball from the Reds’ Hunter Greene that slammed into his arm in the first inning. He swung both arms while walking to his locker and fist-bumped a teammate. And he went out to the field today to do a health check.

Fortunately for Kjerstad, the ball hit part of the protective elbow gear and part of the arm, which caused some numbness in his hand. He wasn’t able to bat in the third inning, and Ramón Laureano hit two home runs off the bench.

X-rays came back negative.

The timing for Kjerstad is unfortunate. He began the game slashing .353/.389/.941 with a double, three homers, eight RBIs and five runs scored since April 12.

Heston Kjerstad is out of today’s lineup after taking a 99.5 mph fastball off his right elbow yesterday and leaving the game. X-rays were negative.

Kjerstad gets an extra day to rest Monday before the Orioles begin their series in D.C.

Cedric Mullins is leading off, followed again by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Ryan O’Hearn is in right field.

Ramón Laureano, who homered twice yesterday off the bench, is in left field.

Jordan Westburg, who homered yesterday to snap an 0-for-30 stretch, is the designated hitter.

Tyler Wells doesn’t know about a timetable that puts him back into a major league game. He won’t ask. Ignorance in some cases is bliss and intentional.

Wells is recovered from reconstructive-elbow surgery last June and is going through the early stages of a throwing progression. He’s played catch on flat ground for the past week.

“Everything’s been feeling really good with those,” he said yesterday.

“Hoping to get off the mound soon. Elbow’s feeling great, shoulder’s feeling great, body’s feeling good. So right now we’re just in that phase right now where we’re getting in flat grounds and hopefully in the next week or two we’ll be off the mound.”

The internal brace procedure is supposed to shorten the recovery period. The Orioles won’t rush Wells, but they need healthy pitchers.

Brandon Young, the Orioles’ No. 19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, makes his major league debut this afternoon against the Reds. He’s wearing No. 63.

Young’s 8.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio with Norfolk ranked third in Triple-A among pitchers with a minimum 15 innings.

The Orioles designated reliever Scott Blewett for assignment. Blewett, who’s out of options, allowed an unearned run and five hits in 4 1/3 innings, with one walk and six strikeouts.

Jordan Westburg, who’s in an 0-for-27 slump, is the designated hitter today.

Cedric Mullins is leading off, followed by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Jackson Holliday is playing second base and Heston Kjerstad is in left field.

Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad stayed in the lineup last night against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. He isn’t in a platoon role, which can be explained three ways.

1. Colton Cowser is on the injured list with a fractured left thumb, which is providing more starts for Kjerstad.

2. The Orioles wanted to give Kjerstad more at-bats and opportunities this season. They were quite transparent about it in camp, and he’s homered three times in six games.

3. Kjerstad is earning the club’s trust defensively.

The last one is evident by how he’s playing in left and right, and how manager Brandon Hyde seems to field more questions about Kjerstad’s glove than his bat. And in a good way this time.

Cade Povich raised his glove to his face and yelled as he drifted toward the third base line. Catcher Gary Sánchez walked to the mound and put an arm around his shoulder.

The body language told an unpleasant story. The Orioles didn’t gain any momentum from back-to-back wins the past two nights. Such a thing doesn’t exist in baseball. The guy holding the ball sets the tone.

Povich kept the Reds scoreless for two innings and watched his start disintegrate, surrendering a career-high three home runs and tying his career high with five walks in 3 1/3. One of the weakest offensive teams in the majors statistically was giving him the business.

Manager Brandon Hyde removed Povich after seven runs scored and the Orioles lost 8-3 before an announced sellout crowd of 42,587 at Camden Yards that voiced its agitation on a few occasions.

Heston Kjerstad homered again, following Sánchez’s leadoff single off Scott Barlow in the eighth with a 407-footer to center field at 105.9 mph.

The only update today on Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez is that he’s seeking other opinions after undergoing an MRI on his sore right shoulder.

Rodriguez’s bullpen session was canceled and he had imaging done yesterday after waking up this week with the discomfort. He’s on the injured list with inflammation in his elbow/triceps.

“We got the results back,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “We’re gonna get some opinions on it, so there’s really nothing to report at this time. We’re gathering information from second opinions from other doctors and we’ll have more to give you sometime next week when all that stuff comes back.”

Brandon Young will fill a hole in the rotation on Saturday in his major league debut. He replaces Zach Eflin, who’s on the injured list with a right lat strain.

Young, the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The draft was shortened to five rounds because of the pandemic.

The Orioles begin a three-game series against the Reds tonight with a lineup that has Adley Rutschman leading off, Gunnar Henderson batting second and Cedric Mullins fifth.

Tyler O’Neill missed the last two games with neck discomfort but he’s in right field tonight and batting third.

Jordan Westburg is at third base. He’s in an 0-for-24 slump.

Gary Sánchez is catching. Heston Kjerstad is in left field and Jorge Mateo is at second. Jackson Holliday goes to the bench.

Mullins is 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. The rest of the team is 22-for-103 (.214).

Brandon Young has joined the Orioles’ taxi squad and will make his major league debut by starting Saturday afternoon against the Reds at Camden Yards.

Young has allowed five earned runs in 16 1/3 innings with Triple-A Norfolk. MLB Pipeline rates him as the No. 19 prospect in the system.

The Orioles transferred Young to High-A Aberdeen earlier this week before announcing today’s move. They need a fifth starter Saturday and he became the obvious choice.

A corresponding move is pending to create room on the 26-man roster.

Cade Povich is preparing for his fourth start tonight after allowing six earned runs and 24 hits in 15 innings. Left-handed hitters are slashing .250/.286/.500 against Povich and right-handers are batting .396/.418/.491.