The Orioles went through their off-day without making any changes to their roster. There's still time to tweak the pitching staff before the series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards. I've seen a lot in my 25 years on the beat, much of it good and some stuff that made me rub my eyes and wish I could cleanse my mind. Pretty much the entire 2018 season needs to be burned like unwanted film. And that 30-3 loss to the Rangers in 2007. And every attempt to interview Erik Bedard. Losing a...

The Nationals played the 2,632nd regular season game in their history this evening, which means they've now existed as long as Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games streak lasted from 1982-98. That's nearly 17 seasons of the third incarnation of Major League Baseball in D.C. And though there have been no shortage of dizzying highs and terrifying lows along the way, the Nationals have always been able to stake claim to this irrefutable fact: In all that time, they've never been no-hit. There...

The Nationals got another veteran back on their roster for the season's final weeks, activating infielder Jordy Mercer after a lengthy stint on the 10-day injured list before tonight's series opener against the Marlins. Mercer, who hadn't played since straining his left calf muscle July 20 against Miami, returns to the active roster after a brief rehab appearance with Double-A Harrisburg last week. The 35-year-old played in three games for the Senators, going 3-for-9 with two walks and three...

When he hit the ball in the third inning Sunday, it started soaring toward right-center field. Moments later, it was over the wall, and with one big swing, young Ryan Mountcastle passed one Orioles Hall of Famer and matched another. With homer No. 28, he moved past Eddie Murray (27 homers in 1977) and joined Cal Ripken Jr. (1982) for most homers as a rookie in club history. Hanging out on a list with Orioles royalty - not bad for the young hitter selected No. 36 overall in 2015 out of Hagerty...

Would you believe we're down to the final three weeks of the season? Yep, tonight the Nationals begin a six-game homestand with the Marlins and Rockies. After that, they're on a three-city road trip to Miami, Cincinnati and Colorado. And then they come home for the final series against the Red Sox. And that's it. Time flies when you're having fun. Or something like that. The Nats will be hoping to actually win this series from the Marlins, a task that proved too difficult the last time they...

Juan Soto had little impact on the Nationals' 6-2 victory Sunday in Pittsburgh. He didn't drive in any runs. He scored only once. He took only one at-bat with a runner on base. He made no notable plays in right field. And yet the young star still had one of the best individual performances of the day, which it turns out was just like so many other performances he's delivered this season. With two walks, a triple and a double over five plate appearances, Soto reached base four times. It's...

The penultimate off-day has arrived on the 2021 schedule. One last collective reset for the Orioles, who are waiting to host the Yankees in a three-game series. Trey Mancini has played in 132 games and made 561 plate appearances. There were no real expectations. They can't exist for a cancer survivor who endured six months of chemotherapy treatments and could only hope and pray that he'd survive them and resume his career. Manager Brandon Hyde is asked about Mancini's fatigue during those...

ABERDEEN - When they drafted him from a high school in Katy, Texas, in the fifth round in 2017, the Orioles could look into the future and foresee a day where young outfielder Lamar Sparks would fill out his 6-foot-2 frame and turn into an athletic player with a lot of pop in that bat. That day could still be coming, but it's at least been delayed for Sparks, the No. 158 overall pick that year. A pitcher in high school, Sparks first felt shoulder pain on the high school showcase circuit. As an...

The Nationals got their customary production today from a lineup that has quietly turned into a legitimate strength but too often has been wasted by ineffective pitching performances, especially from those charged with taking the mound late in games. Eight times since Aug. 25, this team had scored five or more runs. And proceeded to lose all eight games, the longest such streak in major league history. So when they looked up at the scoreboard in Pittsburgh this afternoon and saw five runs on...

They scored 11 runs twice yesterday in seven-inning games. And they didn't slow down even a bit today. The Toronto Blue Jays scored five runs today before a single out was recorded and had two grand slams and a 10-run inning in the first three frames. The Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle did hit his 28th homer to tie Cal Ripken Jr.'s club rookie homer record, and that was great milestone for Mountcastle. But it came during a 22-7 loss to Toronto as the Blue Jays take the last three games of this...