The type of transaction that sent Zac Lowther back to the alternate camp site yesterday would become a signature move for the Orioles except that a lot of other teams are going to claim ownership. Roster churn is providing as much background noise as batting practice music. The Orioles aren't a full month into their season and they've been cranking out transactions like disc jockey tunes. There's the necessity created by injuries, but also some deep-tissue massaging of the roster. They could...

With one strong outing tonight, Orioles right-hander Matt Harvey both pitched past his previous five-inning ceiling and pitched the O's to a win over the Yankees in the opener of a four-game series. After beginning Sunday with just one home win, now the Orioles have three after beating New York 4-2 in front of 6,367 at Oriole Park. The top of the eighth got dicey for the Orioles and ended with a controversial play that went against New York. Harvey picked up his second O's win and produced...

Freddy Galvis hit an opposite-field, run-scoring double tonight in the bottom of the second inning, stayed for the last out and was gone. Plated a run and retreated to the clubhouse. A lineup that lost outfielder Anthony Santander to a sprained ankle could have a vacancy at shortstop. Galvis was removed with left adductor soreness, basically an injury to the hip/thigh, but there wasn't much hurting Matt Harvey. He wasn't coming out of the game until shattering the five-inning barrier. Until...

The Orioles' homestand continues tonight as they begin a four-game series against the New York Yankees. Both clubs are 9-12 and tied for fourth in the division, four games behind first-place Boston. The Orioles picked up just their second home win on Sunday, beating Oakland 8-1 and snapping the Athletics' 13-game winning streak. Right-hander Matt Harvey (1-1, 5.12 ERA) will make his fifth start. He has thrown 19 1/3 innings, never pitching more than five in a game, allowing 24 hits with three...

A fifth Orioles player is poised to make his major league debut this month. The Orioles selected the contract of right-handed reliever Jay Flaa from the alternate training site this afternoon and optioned left-hander Zac Lowther to the Bowie complex. The Orioles wanted a fresh bullpen arm to begin their four-game series against the Yankees. Lowther pitched the ninth inning yesterday. Flaa's stay could be short. Dean Kremer is eligible to return on Wednesday and a spot must be cleared for...

The mantra for the Orioles bullpen this year might be "Keep it loose, keep it light and get a lot of outs." Are they loose out there because they are pitching so well, or is being a loose group leading to them pitching well? The second part might be the answer, according to O's right-hander Dillon Tate. He's part of a bullpen that, with an ERA of 3.09, ranks fifth in both the American League and the majors. Over the last 12 games, the 'pen ERA is 1.81. It's a group that is pitching and...

Ryan Mountcastle has been lowered to seventh in tonight's lineup with the Orioles beginning a four-game series against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Mountcastle is in a 1-for-27 slump. He hadn't hit below sixth this season. DJ Stewart is batting third and playing right field. Austin Hays is in left field and hitting fifth. Rio Ruiz is on the bench against a right-hander. Ramón Urías gets the start at second base. Cedric Mullins' 28 hits are the most in by an Orioles center fielder in...

You can talk about the reasons the Nationals are currently 8-11 and point out that Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg are currently on the injured list, that nobody in their rotation outside of Max Scherzer owns an ERA under 4.64 or that nine members of the opening day roster were in quarantine on opening day. And all of those are indeed among the reasons the Nats are 8-11 as they spend this off-day on the Florida Gulf Coast in advance of a two-game interleague series versus the Blue Jays at their...

The Orioles' 8-1 win Sunday over the Oakland A's - one that snapped Oakland's 13-game win streak - had a homegrown flavor. The Orioles improved to 9-12 and welcome the Yankees to town tonight to begin a four-game series. The Birds had five homegrown players in the lineup, including Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna. Those players combined for eight hits and six RBIs. Hays produced his second career two-homer game. And O's homegrown lefties started...

Putting aside the Adley Rutschman obsession for a moment, which I understand is like sliding your hands underneath a cruise ship and telling a friend to "grab the other end," the Orioles are showing a willingness in the right circumstances to push a prospect further than expected. The key is figuring out those circumstances. To read the situation. Ryan McKenna is on the active roster again despite his complete lack of Triple-A experience. He started in right field yesterday and singled, and...