At the end of the worst game they've played in weeks Friday night, the Nationals did get some good news: Josh Bell appears to be fine and should even be in today's lineup against the Marlins. Bell, who had to be scratched from Thursday's lineup after complaining of tightness in his right side, underwent an MRI on Friday afternoon to see if he had strained his oblique muscle. But that test showed no strain, according to manager Davey Martinez, and the slugger was back taking swings later in...

The Orioles players and manager Brandon Hyde had been telling reporters that the team had remained upbeat and the attitude in the clubhouse was good during all the recent losing. Some nights, to be honest, it didn't look like it, such as in recent shutout losses of 13-0 to Houston and 9-0 to Toronto. But, to be fair, when a team is getting blown out, it is hard to look good or to look like their energy level is strong. But it's easier to see that when, for instance, the team rallies from 5-1...

If the Nationals are going to get back to .500 and start another winning streak, they'll need to figure out an unknown quantity in right-hander Zach Thompson, who faces them for the first time this afternoon in Miami. Thompson's early returns since being summoned from Triple-A Jacksonville have been impressive. The 27-year-old, signed as a minor league free agent in November after six minor league seasons in the White Sox organization, is 1-2 with a 1.50 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in three starts....

The Orioles won't be able to measure the exact amount of damage done by the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19. There isn't a device invented for it, despite the wealth of technology at their fingertips. They made the best of a very bad situation with their alternate training site in Bowie and fall instructional camp, as well as programs and innovative ideas transferred via Zoom calls to players kept home. There are scattered examples of prospects who are flourishing...

The pitch count didn't present an issue tonight for Matt Harvey. No inning so taxing that he became fatigued by the midpoint, which happened again in his last start. Harvey made it through the fifth inning for the first time in his last 10 starts, though two solo homers put him behind twice, letdowns that have been deadly with the Orioles unable to siphon runs out of a game. The offense wasn't on mute tonight, rare noise coming from a four-run eighth that created a tie. Harvey wouldn't...

When he stepped off the mound at the end of the sixth inning Saturday night at Nationals Park, Jon Lester felt as good as he has about himself in a long time. Ten starts into his first season in D.C., the veteran left-hander owned a 3.60 ERA. Anyone who reasonably expected anything more than that from the 37-year-old was being unreasonable. By the time he walked off the mound in the third inning tonight at loanDepot Park in Miami, Lester could not have felt anything like he did six days prior....

For a pitcher with a record of 0-7 and ERA of 13.17 over his last eight starts, right-hander Matt Harvey threw quite well tonight. For an offense that had not scored in 24 straight innings, the Orioles no longer have to worry about that streak. And thanks to a late four-run rally and a bases-loaded walk issued by the Blue Jays in the top of the 10th, the Orioles beat Toronto 6-5 tonight. The O's ended a six-game losing streak and a 20-game road losing streak, improving to 24-52. In a 5-5 game...

The removal again of rookie Dean Kremer from the rotation and active roster this afternoon leaves Orioles manager Brandon Hyde contemplating a replacement with no days off on the schedule until Thursday. "The decision is pending," Hyde said on his media Zoom call. Alexander Wells is available out of the bullpen for tonight's game against the Blue Jays, and the Australian-born left-hander could start Tuesday in Houston. The Orioles needed fresh arms in relief and Wells and Konner Wade, who...

As Davey Martinez sat down for his pregame Zoom session with reporters about 2 1/2 hours before first pitch in Miami, Josh Bell was in the process of getting an MRI on his right side. The results of that test will be on the Nationals manager's mind until he knows if his cleanup hitter can avoid a trip to the injured list. "He said he feels about the same (as Thursday)," Martinez said. "It's not bad, it's not horrible, but it's there. We'll see what happens when we get this MRI result...

Are the Orioles and Blue Jays ready to rumble? Alek Manoah is on the mound tonight while appealing his five-game suspension for hitting Maikel Franco in Saturday's game in Baltimore after surrendering back-to-back home runs to Ryan Mountcastle and DJ Stewart. The benches and bullpens emptied. The managers jawed at each other. The rematch is tonight in Buffalo, with the Orioles, more importantly, trying to break a 20-game road losing streak. They have gone 24 consecutive innings without a...