They knew the schedule was about to ease up. They just needed to get through a daunting 14-game stretch against the National League West's three contenders, sandwiched around the All-Star break, and then hope the tide would begin to turn once they had a chance to start facing lesser competition. And if tonight's 18-1 thrashing of the last-place Marlins is a sign of things to come, the Nationals might just have another run in them. And Jon Lester might not have to worry about his immediate job...

There are still several more steps he'll need to take - critical steps - before he's ready to pitch for the Nationals, but Stephen Strasburg took an important one today when he threw 32 pitches off the bullpen mound and had no complaints afterward about his neck. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow, but he threw the ball well," manager Davey Martinez said in his Zoom session with reporters prior to tonight's series opener against the Marlins. "The ball came out fairly well and we'll see...

John Means remains the Orioles' listed starter for Tuesday night, saying in today's Zoom call that his left shoulder has felt "great." The ace returns to make his first appearance since June 5. "It hasn't flared up at all," Means said on his Zoom call, "so, yeah, I'm ready to go tomorrow." More than six weeks have passed since Means pitched, outside of three injury rehab games in the minors. "I was more frustrated that it had to happen," he said. "I didn't really want to take time...

Cedric Mullins is on the bench tonight as the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Ryan McKenna is in center field. Austin Hays is in left and batting first. Anthony Santander is in right field and hitting cleanup, followed by shortstop Ramón Urías. Ryan Mountcastle is starting at first base and Kelvin Gutierrez is at third. Spenser Watkins earned another start, his third in the majors. He's allowed two runs and seven hits in 10 1/3 innings, walking six...

At last, the Nationals have completed the toughest portion of their schedule, a 17-game gauntlet against the Mets, Rays, Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Padres (again) that proved every bit as difficult as you'd have thought, even moreso given their depleted roster. They finished that stretch 6-11, though against the National League West contenders, they were 3-11. Not very good. Fortunately, the schedule finally eases up beginning tonight with the opener of a three-game series against the...

The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Andrew Stevenson from Triple-A Rochester and optioned right-handed pitcher Andres Machado on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Stevenson, 27, was returned from rehab assignment and reinstated from the 10-day Injured List before being optioned to Triple-A Rochester on July 10. He has a .500/.522/.818 slash line in six games since rejoining the Red Wings with a double, two homers,...

The Orioles today announced the return of the O's Unlimited pass, which features a general admission ticket to every home game in August and September for only $40 per month. General admission locations include Standing Room Only access throughout Oriole Park, including the Flag Court, the Budweiser Roof Deck in center field, and the area behind the bullpens next to Orioles Legends Park. Fans may purchase an O's Unlimited pass by visiting Orioles.com/Unlimited. The O's Unlimited pass is a...

After winning a series in Kansas City, taking the last two games against the Royals by 8-4 and 5-0 scores, the Orioles road trip moves onto St. Petersburg, Fla., tonight. They face a Tampa Bay Rays team pushing for first place in the American League East, a club that has not lost against the Orioles this year. The Orioles (30-62) recorded their third shutout of the year on Sunday. Right-hander Matt Harvey allowed three singles over six innings with one walk and two strikeouts. He improved to...

Even though the Orioles had several scouts see Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser play in person several times, when they brought him to their home park at Camden Yards for a pre-draft workout, the kid made one strong final impression on club officials that may have cemented he would be their pick at No. 5 in round one. It was on a steamy afternoon on Thursday, July 8 - just three days before the beginning of the First-Year Player Draft - that the O's had Cowser work out and hit on...

It was supposed to be a joke, the notion that the Home Run Derby might actually fix Juan Soto's swing after a first half that saw the Nationals slugger pound baseballs into the ground and fail to elevate them into the air. But Soto himself suggested he thought the idea had some merit. And when he promptly eliminated fan favorite Shohei Ohtani in the first round of the exhibition last week at Coors Field, it started to gain some momentum. And now, following a blistering weekend at the plate for...