The Nationals didn't have an answer for Huascar Ynoa on Tuesday night. They better have one for Max Fried tonight or else they're going to drop their second straight to the Braves. Fried returns to Atlanta's rotation after spending the last three weeks on the injured list with a strained hamstring. The Nats already got to the lefty back in early April, to the tune of five runs and eight hits in two innings. And that was before they had a healthy lineup. Manager Davey Martinez is again...

The Orioles are going to need a spot starter for Saturday night at Camden Yards, the pitcher's identity withheld as they finish their series today in Seattle and board a flight home. Optioning left-hander Bruce Zimmermann has created an opening and the Orioles decided again to move it up, as they did after removing Dean Kremer from the roster. "Right now it's our friend TBA," manager Brandon Hyde said in today's Zoom call. This could indicate a bullpen game, the course chosen after Kremer...

Freddy Galvis is out of the Orioles lineup this afternoon for their series finale in Seattle that also concludes their road trip. Ramón Urías is the shortstop and Pat Valaika is starting at second base. Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays continue to bat 1-2 in the order. Ryan Mountcastle is the first baseman and Trey Mancini is the designated hitter. Left-hander John Means will try to maintain his roll. He's posted a 1.70 ERA, 0.838 WHIP and .163 average against in six starts and has allowed...

The Orioles can produce both a winning series and a winning road trip with a victory this afternoon at Seattle. The trip began when they took two of three from first-place Oakland over the weekend. It continued Monday with a 5-3 win at Seattle before last night's 5-2 loss. The Orioles (14-16) are playing .467 ball at the 30-game mark. That would produce a final record of 76-86. Even with Tuesday's loss, they have won four of their last six, six out of 10 and are 9-8 over the last 17 games....

For the Orioles, it has been a recurring problem with their offense: a lack of clutch hits. This issue showed up again big time in the second game of the Seattle series Tuesday night. The Orioles had the bases loaded and one out in the second inning. They had bases loaded and two outs in the sixth and the same situation in the eighth. The last two times, catcher Chance Sisco grounded out in each instance to end the threat. He went hitless and is now batting .162 with a .414 OPS. He had company...

Juan Soto didn't quite know what to expect when he stepped up to bat in the bottom of the eighth Tuesday night at Nationals Park. In his first game appearance in 15 days, the young slugger was about to find out just how difficult it is to pinch-hit in the major leagues. But first, he was about to find out just how much Nationals fans missed him while he was on the injured list with a strained left shoulder. "I didn't know the crowd was going to get me so pumped, that they were going to get...

On a night when the Orioles continued to not capitalize on bases-loaded situations, the Seattle Mariners did in a big way with one of their own. And that led Seattle to a 5-2 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night in the second game of the series. Right-hander Travis Lakins Sr. started the last of the eighth in a 1-1 tie and gave up a flared single to right by Sam Haggerty. Then he walked the next two hitters before manager Brandon Hyde called for Tanner Scott to try and pull off a miracle with...

Baseball folks don't like to talk about momentum, because they've been doing this long enough to understand that what happened in recent days doesn't necessarily portend what will happen tonight. The Nationals had every reason to enter their series opener with the Braves feeling like they held the upper hand, based on their four-game winning streak, Atlanta's four-game losing streak and everything that transpired to make both events possible. Of course, it doesn't actually work like that....

The minor league rotations are taking shape, which leaves the Orioles to figure out what to do with their own. Rookie Bruce Zimmermann has been removed from it, with the club optioning him Monday night. A very similar move to the one executed with another rookie, Dean Kremer, following his start on April 17 in Texas. Kremer was coming off his finest outing. The first start after the Orioles recalled him was his worst, with six runs and 10 hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings, but he was outstanding...

Enjoying a good road trip with three wins in four games, the Orioles look for another victory when they play at Seattle tonight in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles were being shut out through seven innings and down 1-0 last night when they erupted for a five-run eighth and a 5-3 win. Cedric Mullins and Freddy Galvis hit two-run homers. It was No. 5 for Mullins and No. 3 for Galvis. The Orioles can get back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 10 with a victory tonight....