Josh Bell has been late on fastballs since the slugger made his delayed season debut nearly two weeks ago. He's been trying to catch up ever since, and Friday night's game in New York did nothing to help that process along. Facing Jacob deGrom and his 100 mph fastball all night, Bell had no chance. He saw a total of 11 pitches in three at-bats, nine of which were fastballs, seven of which he swung at. He made contact twice, fouling off one pitch and lofting a lazy fly ball to center field on...

As the Orioles continue to struggle many nights on offense, there is frustration in that. But also frustration in how, with just a few more runs, they could have several more wins. Here are the scores of the last six O's losses dating to the first doubleheader with Seattle: 4-3, 4-2, 2-1, 1-0, 3-0 and 3-1. They have allowed just 17 runs in those six losses, which have come by 10 total runs. I told you it would be frustrating. But as the offense has been exactly that, the O's bullpen has been...

If I've been negligent in sorting through my "mailbag," as I like to call it. That's because it was accidentally sent to the alternate blogging site in Bowie. Perhaps there was no need for a fifth mailbag with multiple off-days this week. I don't really know. But what's important here is that I'm ready to tackle more questions. Welcome to the latest sequel to this classic original. You ask 'em, I answer 'em and someone else asks again as if the subject is untapped. We laugh, we cry, we...

The first time through the order became treacherous territory for Orioles starter Jorge López. As if he decided to go off script for the "Moneyball" sequel. Lopez hadn't allowed a run in three starts until turning over the lineup, but five of nine Oakland batters reached tonight and created an early deficit that the Orioles never made up in a 3-1 loss before an announced crowd of 7,574. Ramón Laureano led off the fifth by homering into the visiting bullpen, the final batter for...

When a team is not hitting much and they get a golden chance to put up some runs, they probably need to pounce. The Orioles didn't tonight when presented a great chance as they lost the series opener to the Oakland A's at Camden Yards. The A's 3-1 win is their 12th in a row. Before this, the last club to win 12 in a row in the big leagues was Houston, from June 6-18, 2018. The Orioles (8-11) fall to 1-7 at home and to 1-9 when scoring three runs or less. When they get four or more they are...

The Nationals know a thing or two about brilliant pitching performances. This is the franchise, after all, that has seen Max Scherzer throw two no-hitters and strike out 20 batters in another game, Stephen Strasburg strike out 14 in his major league debut and Jordan Zimmermann hold the Marlins hitless on the final day of the regular season. It takes a lot to impress these guys, and rightfully so. Tonight, though, might have done the trick. The Nats have never been no-hit since arriving in town...

After a 3-2 road trip to Texas and Miami, the Orioles begin the second homestand of the season tonight. It's a seven-game homestand, which begins against Oakland and continues Monday when the New York Yankees come to town. Tonight, the Orioles (8-10) host the hottest team in the majors. Oakland (12-7) has won 11 in a row and is tied with Seattle for first in the American League West. The A's began the year 0-6, then split the next two games before their win streak started. Their 11...

The Nationals are proceeding for now with a four-man rotation, taking advantage of three scheduled off-days in the span of a week. But they're still keeping their current No. 5 starter, plus another starting prospect, on the pitching staff as relievers for this weekend's series against the Mets. With Erick Fedde, Joe Ross and Patrick Corbin scheduled to start the next three days at Citi Field, then an off-day Monday, there was no need to use a fifth starter. Max Scherzer will take the mound...

In his second season with the Orioles, 36-year-old right-hander César Valdez is still confounding American League hitters. And he's doing it in the ninth inning. And not with a 98 mph fastball, but rather a changeup that averages 78 mph. He is the opposite of a flamethrower and he uses his changeup 82 percent of the time. It's been so good that he is off to a 2-0 start with four saves and an ERA of 0.96 in eight games. He's allowed seven hits and one walk over 9 1/3 innings with 10...

The Orioles are pushing back John Means to Sunday afternoon against the Athletics and waiting until later tonight to choose Saturday's starter. The options are a bullpen game or recalling a pitcher from the alternate training site in Bowie. "Just going to give John an extra day," manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom call. Means will get a full week with his most recent outing Sunday against the Rangers. Normal rest would have put him on the mound tonight, but the Orioles had two...