When two of their four major league middle infielders were unavailable due to injury and four more potential call-ups from their farm system likewise weren't available for promotion due to injury, the Nationals were left with no choice but to start 34-year-old backup catcher Alex Avila at second base for Thursday night's series opener against the Dodgers. To hear Davey Martinez discuss the state of things after the Nats' 6-2 loss in a rain-shortened five-inning game, they won't be caught in...

In the middle of a remarkable year we can think back to the first few games of the season and recall that center fielder Cedric Mullins was raking pretty much from the start. He went 9-for-13 in that opening series at Boston, which included a 5-for-5 game in the series finale. By the end of April he was batting .337. But there were times in May that it seemed like Mullins' bat was crashing back to earth. He was batting .291 in late May. Then came June and so much for his bat cooling off. He...

Anyone with a smartphone and a weather app knew what was coming. It was approaching from the west and it was going to reach Nationals Park at some point this evening. It was just a question of when. And what the status of the Nationals' series opener against the Dodgers was going to be when it did arrive. The answer: It arrived moments after the Nats went down in order in the bottom of the fifth, which came moments after Patrick Corbin gave up five runs in the top of the inning. That meant...

The two phases of fan voting for the July 13 All-Star Game are done and the starters revealed. Where does this leave Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins? On the outside for now, waiting to find out whether he's a reserve for the American League. Mullins didn't finish in the top three voting among outfielders. The Angels' Mike Trout is first, followed by the Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Blue Jays' Teoscar Hernández. The Twins' Byron Buxton was fourth and the Astros' Michael Brantley was...

The Nationals didn't submit tonight's starting lineup until 45 minutes before first pitch, the sense being they were waiting to see if any or all of Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Jordy Mercer were available to play after departing Wednesday's win over the Rays with injuries. Then the lineup came out, and Turner and Mercer were missing. Which leaves the Nats in a most precarious position: Backup catcher Alex Avila is starting at second base for the first time in his career. Yes, you read that...

Good afternoon from Nationals Park, which just experienced a minor hurricane a few minutes ago. Seriously, it was intense. The skies have let up since then, and at this moment the forecast suggests it will be dry until about 8 p.m. That, of course, doesn't guarantee anything. So don't assume anything. As always, when we know something about the status of the game, we'll let you know. If they play, the Nationals will be looking to stay red hot against a particularly difficult opponent: the...

The Orioles, along with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), today announced an extension of their partnership to host on-site vaccination opportunities during home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards throughout the 2021 regular season. Vaccinations will be offered next to the ballpark's COVID-19 testing site, located along the Lower Level Concourse outside Section 26, beginning on July 6, when the Orioles host the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:05 p.m. ET. All adults aged 18 and over in...

The Orioles never tried to promote the idea that their roster would be set for the majority of the 2021 season. That the lineup, rotation and bullpen would largely be untouched. They knew that a return to a full schedule and the realities of life in a rebuild would cause a substantial amount of personnel commotion. Reliever Spenser Watkins is waiting to become the 45th player used as the Orioles venture into the mathematical second half. That is, if he stays long enough to do it. The shuttle is...

Only once in his career had Jon Lester made a major league start on a hotter day, and that was 11 years prior when his Red Sox were in Texas on a 102-degree afternoon. So there was a built-in excuse for the veteran left-hander to use Wednesday after he slogged his way through five innings on a muggy 95-degree late afternoon at Nationals Park, if he chose to use it. Which he did not. Though the conditions were miserable, Lester would not give them any credence in affecting his performance during...

ABERDEEN - Orioles infield prospect Jordan Westburg said he has made a "seamless" transition to professional baseball, but it happened under anything but normal circumstances. After the club selected him No. 30 overall out of Mississippi State in the draft last June, there were no minor league games to play and no place to report to and begin his career. Westburg did eventually get to meet some of his new coaches and teammates during fall instructional league in Sarasota, Fla. This came after...