If the Nationals thought Josh Harrison's bloop RBI single to right with the bases loaded tonight was a welcome sight, imagine what they were thinking moments later when Yan Gomes connected with a fastball from Tyler Anderson. With one mighty swing, Gomes sent that pitch soaring into the left field stands and did what so few of his teammates have been able to do this season with the bases loaded: Drive in a bunch of runs. "I feel like that's just the last little bit we need to start clicking...

Shawn Armstrong received a phone call that he knew was coming. You don't have this much professional experience and self-awareness and become oblivious to the situation. Armstrong was struggling in the Orioles bullpen. He was out of minor league options. Someone had to step aside to make room for Hunter Harvey's return from the injured list. Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias was on the other end of the line on June 4. Armstrong had been designated for...

The last time he had pitched at Nationals Park, Justin Miller was roughed up by the Cubs. It was May 17, 2019, and after serving up a two-run homer to Kris Bryant, Miller wound up on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain. The Nats, after that loss, were 18-26 and about to reach rock bottom. Things have changed just a bit since then, both for the Nationals and for Miller, who after his injury-plagued 2019 became a bit of a baseball nomad in the year-plus since. While the Nats were rallying...

BOWIE - Making his third Double-A start of the year and first at home, top Orioles pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings tonight for Bowie against the Akron RubberDucks in front of a big crowd at Prince George's Stadium. After a strong start to his outing, Akron had some nice swings starting in the third inning and there were a few hard-hit balls. He allowed four hits with one walk and six strikeouts in an 83-pitch outing. An inherited runner was stranded when...

In the end, the Nationals didn't want to take a chance putting Max Scherzer on the mound this weekend without knowing for certain if his groin would hold up. So even though the three-time Cy Young Award winner is confident he'll be ready to pitch again in a matter of "days, not weeks," the club decided to go ahead and place him on the 10-day injured list this afternoon. "After going through the process, I just want to be more cautious than not," manager Davey Martinez said during his...

The Orioles have traded Triple-A Norfolk catcher Taylor Davis to the Pirates in exchange for outfielder José Berroa, who will be assigned to a Florida Complex team in Sarasota, Fla. Berroa, 19, was signed by the Pirates as an international free agent from Santo Domingo, D.R., on July 2, 2018. He appeared in a combined 56 games for the Pirates Rookie-level Dominican Summer League affiliates in 2019 and posted a .254 average (48-for-189) with a .678 OPS, six doubles, three triples, 21 RBIs and...

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Justin Miller and designated right-handed pitcher Rogelio Armenteros for assignment on Tuesday. Additionally, the Nationals placed right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to June 12) with groin inflammation. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Miller, 34, joins the Nationals after going 1-0 with five saves, a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1...

Austin Hays and Maikel Franco return to the lineup tonight as the Orioles continue their series in Cleveland. Hays is in right field after staying on the bench last night. Franco is playing third base after delivering a pinch-hit single. Trey Mancini is the first baseman. DJ Stewart is in left field and Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Austin Wynns is behind the plate for the third time in four games. Since being stuck with four unearned runs on May 7, Matt Harvey has surrendered 31...

First, the news of the day, not totally unexpected: The Nationals have placed Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list with groin inflammation. The move is retroactive to Saturday, so that means he'll be eligible to return one week from today against the Phillies. Again, no shocker here, and Scherzer certainly seems to expect he'll be good to go by then. With a chance to add another pitcher, the Nats purchased right-hander Justin Miller's contract from Triple-A Rochester, bringing back the...

It's back on the field tonight for the Orioles for the second game of a four-game series at Cleveland. The Orioles are winless on this road trip, have lost five in a row overall and 16 straight road games since winning at Seattle on May 6 when John Means pitched a no-hitter. The Orioles (22-43) lost 4-3 on Monday night and they are now 1-10 in their past 11 games decided by one or two runs. They are 4-11 in one-run games after that series-opening loss. The Birds are 4-10 versus the American...