Orioles pitcher John Means has been placed on the 10-day injured list this morning with a left shoulder strain and rookie left-hander Zac Lowther replaces him on the active roster. Lowther has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and provides a fresh arm in the bullpen for today's series finale versus the Indians. Means exited yesterday's game after facing five batters in the first inning. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI this morning after the injury was termed "shoulder fatigue." The...

Who's the Nationals' starting pitcher today? This wouldn't normally be a question without a definitive answer hours before first pitch, but it is the case for today's series finale in Philadelphia. That's because the Nats are choosing to go with a bullpen game this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Not necessarily because they want to, but because they believe it's their best option at this point. This would've been Stephen Strasburg's turn to pitch, but the right-hander is back on the...

The Orioles' bid for the season's first four-game win streak came up short in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The series is now tied at one win each with the rubber match today in Baltimore. But beyond the loss, the O's concern was for their ace pitcher, John Means, who gave up two solo homers in the first inning and then left after facing just five batters with left shoulder fatigue, something that apparently had been an on-and-off issue over the last few weeks. Means'...

The careful handling of Orioles left-hander John Means couldn't prevent him from leaving today's game after facing only five batters. Calling on the bullpen early wasn't going to improve the Orioles' chances of building on their winning streak and maintaining a more positive frame of mind. The momentum folded with an ace no longer showing. Means might be headed to the injured list with left shoulder fatigue, confirmation of the injury coming as the Indians were marching toward a 10-4...

The parallels and comparisons aren't lost on Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini. What Ryan Mountcastle endured earlier this season, labeled as a dreaded sophomore slump whose existence isn't mythical in baseball circles, felt eerily familiar. Mancini matched his home run total of 24 following his 2017 breakout season, when he ranked third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. But that's where the similarities reached a dead end. The batting average fell from .293 to .242, the OPS...

The Nationals pitching staff has been far from perfect through the season's first two-plus months, but too often that group has seemingly done enough to emerge victorious only to take a loss because its cohorts in the lineup weren't able to provide ample support. This afternoon in Philadelphia, Joe Ross and Kyle McGowin collectively gave up three hits and six total baserunners through seven innings. You'd think that would be enough to put the Nats in position to win. Or at least to have a...

What began as a routine mound visit this afternoon from pitching coach Chris Holt in the first inning turned into a situation that's much more alarming to the Orioles. Left-hander John Means might be hurt. Means walked off the field with two outs, the Orioles behind 2-0 and Indians rookie Owen Miller coming to the plate. Holt signaled for manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel. A brief exchange was followed by Means and Ebel walking to the clubhouse and former Indians...

The Orioles take the field today looking for a season-high four-game winning streak when they play Cleveland in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles have twice won three in a row this season. They opened the year with a three-game sweep at Boston. And they took three in a row April 29-May 1, winning the first game versus the Yankees and the last two against Oakland. The Orioles beat Cleveland 3-1 Friday night as Keegan Akin threw five scoreless and their pitchers allowed eight hits...

Yan Gomes is out of the Nationals lineup for the third straight day with a tight right hamstring, and until the veteran catcher can comfortably squat behind the plate for an entire game without being hindered, he'll remain out of the Nationals lineup. "This is going to be a day-to-day thing with him," manager Davey Martinez said in his Zoom session with reporters before today's game in Philadelphia. "The position he plays, with him squatting and stuff, I just want to make sure that he can...

The Orioles have followed a 14-game losing streak with three consecutive wins and manager Brandon Hyde can see and hear the changes in the clubhouse. Though he's also quick to point out that players never became so despondent that it zapped their energy and lowered their effort each night. "I think it's just natural for everybody to be a little looser, and it's a little lighter in there when you're winning, and that's just human nature," Hyde said today on his Zoom call. "But even in...