Nice crowd, nice starting pitching, a few timely homers and a nice top of the ninth with no drama. That was all quite ... nice. The Orioles have won the first two games of their series with the Washington Nationals and go for a sweep behind John Means this afternoon. They are 5-3 with two series wins in three tries since the All-Star break. Maybe the few days away during the break was good for both right-hander Matt Harvey and several of his teammates. Pitching on 10 days' rest last Sunday at...

Needing a win to prevent a three-game sweep by the Orioles at Camden Yards, the Nationals today turn to a most unlikely pitcher to halt a three-game skid, secure a win in the season series against the Birds and provide some momentum heading into a four-game series in Philadelphia that could make or break Washington's campaign. Righty Paolo Espino (2-2, 3.00 ERA) is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in six starts this season, morphing from a journeyman to a trusted resource out of necessity. The 34-year-old...

The land of opportunity opened its doors to another newcomer yesterday. Conner Greene went from taxi squad pitcher to Triple-A Norfolk's bullpen to Camden Yards, where he's trying to become the 12th Oriole to make his major league debut this season. The club record, which I botched earlier this year due to an erroneous article found in a Google search, is 15 in 2018. The previous mark was 14 in 1955, followed by 12 in 2012 and 2001, per STATS research. I'd challenge anyone to name the 15...

Though Davey Martinez may rely on a "Go 1-0 every day" mantra, the unspoken subtext of the Nationals manager's repetitive refrain is that his team must take care of business by asserting itself against weaker competition. Seeking to prove to general manager Mike Rizzo that they are contenders instead of pretenders, the Nats came to Camden Yards hoping to have their way with an inferior Orioles club in a weekend interleague series. Suffice it to say that it hasn't quite worked out as the...

The latest reshaping of the Orioles rotation, like a big ball of clay that can be manipulated to take on many forms, put Matt Harvey into tonight's game rather than assigning him the task of closing out the series a day later. Manager Brandon Hyde didn't want Harvey waiting a full week between starts after the veteran right-hander tossed six scoreless innings in his last outing. Harvey didn't want to wait any longer. Meanwhile, the Nationals scratched Max Scherzer due to right triceps...

Right-hander Joe Ross came through his Friday bullpen session without any issues, and could be an option to start Monday's opener of a four-game series in Philadelphia, Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. Ross, who is 5-8 with a 4.02 ERA in 16 starts this season, has been on the injured list since July 8 with right elbow inflammation. "He threw the ball well (and) he feels well," Martinez said before Saturday's game in Baltimore during his Zoom session with reporters. "I saw him working...

The Orioles will not face three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer tonight, but rather lefty Jon Lester as they host the Washington Nationals in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles won 6-1 last night as five pitchers combined to hold the Nats to five hits with 11 strikeouts and the visitors went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Washington (45-51) began this series eighth in the majors in team OPS and batting, fourth in OBP and 10th in slugging. But the Nationals, who...

Neither Nationals manager Davey Martinez nor Max Scherzer believe the mild right triceps discomfort that caused the right-hander to be scratched from Saturday's starting assignment against the Orioles is anything serious. But out of an abundance of caution - which might as well be baseball's unofficial motto for 2021 - the Nats opted to let Scherzer rest and chose lefty Jon Lester to start the middle game of the three-game interleague series at Camden Yards. Martinez said Scherzer first felt...

Domingo Leyba is starting at second base tonight as the Orioles try to defeat the Nationals and claim the series following last night's 6-1 win at Camden Yards. Ryan McKenna is in left field and DJ Stewart is in right. Trey Mancini is the first baseman, with Ryan Mountcastle serving as designated hitter. Ramón Urías remains in the fifth spot in the order. However, the Nationals scratched starter Max Scherzer due to mild triceps soreness and moved up left-hander Jon Lester. Do the Orioles...

The Washington Nationals recalled infielder Carter Kieboom from Triple-A Rochester and placed infielder Jordy Mercer on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to July 21) with a left calf strain on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Kieboom, 23, hit .236 with seven doubles, five homers, 23 RBI, 26 walks, one stolen base and 26 runs scored in 44 games for Triple-A Rochester. He hit safely in seven of his last 11 games, going...