The Nationals lineup had its best night of the season Friday in Arizona. Why not stick with it again tonight, right? That's Davey Martinez's thinking, and it's hard to fault the manager for that philosophy, especially after he spent the better part of the last month tinkering every single day with a new-look batting order. So tonight the Nats will again go with Trea Turner and Josh Harrison at the top, Josh Bell in the No. 6 spot and Victor Robles at the bottom, behind the pitcher. It's a...

The Orioles have both catchers in tonight's lineup as the series continues against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Pedro Severino is the designated hitter and Chance Sisco is behind the plate. Rio Ruiz is the third baseman instead of Maikel Franco, who's in a 4-for-52 slump. DJ Stewart is in right field and batting cleanup. Pat Valaika is the second baseman. Freddy Galvis moves down to fifth in the order after batting fourth last night for the first time in his career. Fifteen of Trey Mancini's...

After his latest scoreless outing for the Orioles last night, one that reduced his ERA to 1.27 over 21 1/3 innings, right-hander Adam Plutko said he is ready to take the ball again. He has carried a pretty heavy innings load so far, leading the team among relievers in innings. He has five more than Tanner Scott, the reliever with the next most innings after him. Right now, he said, rest can wait. "I love it," Plutko said. "I told Darren (Holmes, assistant pitching coach), 'Don't come and...

After an unseasonably cool spring on the East Coast that more often than not left their bats ice-cold, the Nationals might well have stepped onto the tarmac at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix late Thursday night, breathed in the scorching hot, dry desert air and wondered if they could just head straight to Chase Field to begin their series against the Diamondbacks early. Nothing fixes an unproductive lineup like temperatures in the upper 90s and a relative humidity of 10 percent....

We've seen seasons when the New York Yankees batters had their way with Orioles pitching at Camden Yards. This is not one of those seasons. The Yankees were 2-2 at Camden Yards this year, scoring 17 runs in those four games heading into last night's series opener at Oriole Park. And while they hit three homers last night - they had hit six in the previous four games - they only put up five runs. But that was enough to beat the Orioles 5-4 to start the weekend series. The Orioles are going...

Daniel Hudson was sitting at home in Arizona last winter, contemplating his memorable 2019 run to a World Series title and the frustrating and surreal 2020 that followed, and made a vow to himself to enjoy the 2021 season no matter what. Why? Because he has no idea at this point if he'll even get a chance to be on a big league mound in 2022. "This is the last year on this contract, and I don't know what's going to happen next year. I really don't," the 34-year-old Nationals reliever said...

Dean Kremer knows the Yankees almost as well as his own family. He must feel as though he's been in quarantine with them. Kremer made his 11th career start tonight and his fifth versus the Yankees, but the lineup wasn't a duplicate. Gleyber Torres is on the COVID injured list. Giancarlo Stanton was a late scratch with a quadriceps injury. Aaron Judge was batting third. Gio Urshela was available off the bench. The Yankees are still dangerous at the plate, the intimidation factor lowered just a...

For Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer, it was the same team, but a different night and a much different result. For the Orioles, the final result was not at all what they wanted. A pinch-hit three-run homer in the seventh by Gio Urshela off Travis Lakins Sr., lifted the New York Yankees to a come-from-behind 5-4 win in the series opener. The O's led 4-2 until that home run, and they fall to 16-22 and have lost six of seven games. Their major league-worst home record drops to 5-14. They are...

Pat Valaika was on the field early yesterday for infield drills and later placed in the Orioles lineup for the series opener against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Kill the rumors and speculation regarding Jahmai Jones. Jones was scratched from Triple-A Norfolk's lineup on Tuesday and replaced at second base by Mason McCoy. Stevie Wilkerson started at second the following night, Rylan Bannon Thursday and McCoy last night. Were the Orioles preparing to recall Jones rather than keep rotating...

Stephen Strasburg will make a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, potentially the right-hander's final tune-up before he rejoins the Nationals rotation, this start coming on the road against Buffalo, even though the game will be played in Trenton, N.J. Confused enough yet? You're not alone. The most pertinent detail: Strasburg is going to face opposing hitters in an actual ballgame instead of teammates in a simulated game, the first time he will have done so since landing on the...