A last-of-the-ninth rally nearly made up for eight innings of Nationals offensive struggles, but an out-of-contention club playing only for pride (and to stay in fourth place in the National League East) opened a five-game holiday weekend series with another loss. The Mets tallied four times in the 10th inning off Austin Voth for a 6-2 victory that extended Washington's losing streak to six games. "The guys are competing," manager Davey Martinez said in his postgame Zoom session with the...

ABERDEEN - On the surface, one could see the high Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds' record at 54-51 and feel like they've had a decent year, posting a winning record on the farm. But it you look deeper at all the players the club has moved up to Double-A Bowie this year - players that have the Baysox in a playoff hunt where Aberdeen is not - it tells you the IronBirds players and staff have done a real nice job during the 2021 season. Their season-opening rotation of Grayson Rodriguez, Garrett...

As the Nationals use the waning weeks of a lost season to gauge what they have moving forward, it won't be unusual to see some new faces in the lineup or some known quantities in different spots in the batting order. That's part of a retooling, and manager Davey Martinez wants to use real-time opportunities to see what he's got to work with for next season and beyond. But while some skippers in a rebuild will throw caution to the wind and seem to worry less about wins and losses, Martinez is...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde waited until later than usual to post his lineup for tonight's series opener against the Yankees in the Bronx. He had to check on a few players with questionable health statuses. "We're just waiting on a couple guys and it's that time of year," he said. Austin Wynns is starting again behind the plate, as he did Wednesday in Toronto. The team was off yesterday. Ryan Mountcastle is playing first base and Trey Mancini is batting fourth as the designated hitter....

After losing two of three at Toronto followed by Thursday's off-day, the Orioles' road trip continues tonight when they play the first of three games in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. The Orioles beat Toronto 4-2 on Tuesday night, but lost 5-4 in Wednesday's series finale. The Orioles (41-91) have 30 games remaining beginning tonight. They have lost five of six and 24 of their past 27 games. They are 14-43 versus American League East teams, including a record of 5-8 against the...

The Washington Nationals reinstated right-handed pitcher Kyle Finnegan from the Paternity List and placed right-handed pitcher Kyle McGowin on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to Sept. 1) with a right elbow UCL sprain on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Finnegan, 29, is 4-5 with six saves and a 2.77 ERA with 26 walks and 51 strikeouts in 55 relief appearances for the Nationals. His 55 appearances and 51 strikeouts are...

The Nationals bullpen got a boost and took a hit today, with news that right-hander Kyle Finnegan had returned from paternity leave. To make room for Finnegan on the 28-man roster, the Nats placed righty Kyle McGowin on the 10-day injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, a tough break for a guy who has performed well while riding the shuttle this season between Triple-A Rochester and the majors. Manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with...

Juan Soto has known for some time now opponents aren't going to pitch to him. At least not with any regularity. He's drawn 48 walks in 42 games since the All-Star break, far and away most in the majors. And that has produced a whopping .516 on-base percentage during that time, also far and away the highest in the majors. If you've been paying even scant attention, you already know this. We're not treading into new territory with this subject. But here's what has changed in more recent...

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Sean Nolin (0-2, 6.57 ERA) will take the hill tonight to face the Mets.Since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 11, the lefty has made three starts, two of them against the Mets, against whom he's gone 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA and a 1.680 WHIP, allowing six runs on 14 hits with no walks, three strikeouts and three homers yielded in 8 1/3 innings. The way things are going, the Nationals would be thrilled to get some length out of Nolin, whose...

What can we expect from the Orioles in September and those three October games in Toronto that attach to the schedule like skin tags? Probably more losses than wins, considering their record and the teams awaiting them, though four games at home against the Royals and four against the Rangers will be spun as soft spots. That's not what I'm talking about. Let's move beyond the schedule and look closer at how the Orioles could use these final weeks. Some players who could really benefit from...