The Nationals flew home from St. Louis on Wednesday night, owners of a 3-6 record. It's not a record anyone is going to brag about, nor should it be, but neither is it a record anyone should be afraid to acknowledge. Given all they've been through already during a roller coaster couple of weeks to begin the season, 3-6 hardly feels like a disaster. The Nats were missing nine major league players during their opening three-game series against the Braves. And perhaps the three most important...

Matt Blood is beginning his second season as the Orioles' director of player development. He joined the organization in September 2019. The 2007 University of North Carolina grad has worked in Major League Baseball for nine years with St. Louis and Texas before joining the Orioles. He and the O's minor league and player development staff, at least most of it, have convened in Sarasota, Fla. for minor league spring training. Opening day on the farm is May 4. Some players and coaches are at the...

A sample size born 11 games into a baseball season trends much closer to small than substantial. Shouldn't overreact or make firm judgements. Can't exert too much energy celebrating the good and burying the bad. This isn't the National Football League. They're trying to play 162. Of course, it's only natural to react to the early successes and failures. We're only human - born to make mistakes. Would we be wrong to assume that Cedric Mullins is going to keep hitting throughout the summer?...

Tonight's scheduled game between the Orioles and Seattle Mariners has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a traditional (single-admission) doubleheader on Thursday, April 15. Both games of tomorrow's doubleheader will be seven innings. The first game will begin at 12:35 p.m. ET, followed by game two approximately 45 minutes after the first game concludes. Fans holding tickets for the originally scheduled 1:05 p.m. game tomorrow should use those tickets...

After picking up their first win on this homestand in the second game of the doubleheader Tuesday night, the Orioles (5-6) host Seattle (6-5) today in another doubleheader. After last night's rainout the clubs will play their second doubleheader in three days. Seattle won the twinbill opener 4-3 in eight innings Tuesday before the Orioles took the nightcap 7-6. The Birds rallied from a 4-0 deficit to take the second game, but not before they lost a 6-4 lead in the last inning. No. 9 hitter Sam...

For the first time in a young 2021 season, Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini will begin a game sitting on the bench. Mancini is getting a break tonight as the Orioles attempt to resume their series against the Mariners with rain returning to the forecast. Maikel Franco is playing first base rather than starting across the infield. Manager Brandon Hyde used Mancini as the designated hitter in one game. Otherwise, the 2019 Most Valuable Oriole has been on the field and struggling to find his...

After batting .333/.386/.492/.878 during a 2020 season that ended with his eighth-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, Ryan Mountcastle started slowly at the plate this season. He was 2-for-16 after the first four games and batting .167 after six. But he went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles in Tuesday's doubleheader. He's now 6-for-20 (.300) during a five-game hitting streak with three doubles, a homer and three RBIs. "Just trying to keep my head clear at the plate...

Nine games into a season that already has featured a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows, the Nationals have plenty of questions that still need answering, particularly within a rotation that was built to carry this team. Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin did not look good during this just-completed road trip. Jon Lester is still trying to build his arm back up after landing on the COVID-19-related injured list. Here, though, is one starter nobody in a Nats uniform needs to be worried...

Trey Mancini is out of the Orioles lineup tonight, with Maikel Franco, the team leader with 12 RBIs, playing first base. Rio Ruiz is starting at third base. Ryan Mountcastle stays in the sixth slot as the designated hitter. DJ Stewart is in left field. Chance Sisco is catching and Ramón Urías, the hero in the second game of yesterday's doubleheader with his walk-off single, is playing second base. Cedric Mullins has hit safely in a career-long 15 straight games dating back to last...

Davey Martinez has mentioned more than once his interest in batting Juan Soto second at times, and his interest in batting Victor Robles ninth at times. For today's series finale in St. Louis, the Nationals manager decided to try out both in those spots. With an early-afternoon matchup against Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright, Martinez wanted to get his two best hitters as many at-bats as possible and give them a chance to get on the board early. So it's Trea Turner leading off with Soto...