The Nationals are getting the night off. And then another shortened doubleheader Saturday. If the weather permits. Tonight's series opener against the Brewers was officially postponed, with sustained rain forecast for the entire evening and into Saturday. The two clubs, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, made the call about 3 1/2 hours before scheduled first pitch, opting not to wait it out and risk another lengthy delay like the Nats and Reds experienced Wednesday night before the...

To say the least, it's been a rough stretch for the Orioles pitching staff. They've allowed 77 runs during a 10-game losing streak. In May, as the club is 5-19, the staff ERA is 6.09. The Orioles now rank 14th in the American League with an ERA of 5.00, last in rotation ERA at 5.39 and 12th in bullpen ERA at 4.52. The team ERA was 3.91 in early May. Second year O's coach Darren Holmes, in his first year as assistant pitching coach to Chris Holt, is trying to keep his pitchers together and...

Grayson Rodriguez was destined to pass through Aberdeen. Five dominant starts became his limit. The Orioles are promoting Rodriguez, their top pitching prospect, from the Single-A IronBirds to Double-A Bowie. Rodriguez, the 11th overall selection in the 2018 draft, is the organization's No. 2 prospect per MLBPipeline.com. He threw 23 1/3 innings with Aberdeen, which moved to full-season status in 2021, and allowed only four runs and 11 hits with five walks and 40 strikeouts. Rodriguez is 13-6...

The Nationals produced a grand total of two extra-base hits during their just-completed three-game series with the Reds. One was Josh Bell's ninth-inning homer on Tuesday night, one that helped them avoid a shutout but still resulted in a 2-1 loss. The other was Luis García's triple Thursday afternoon, and though it had no significant bearing on account of the Nats' 5-3 win, it did offer a glimpse into the 21-year-old's ability and growth at the plate. "A big at-bat in that moment right...

Both Orioles pitcher Paul Fry and manager Brandon Hyde, in separate pregame Zoom interviews on Thursday, discussed dealing with losing for an organization that is in rebuilding mode. You knew some of it would happen, but going into last night's game, the club had just two wins in the last three weeks. Times that many figured would be rough were rough times 10. Last night, the Orioles lost to the first-place Chicago White Sox 5-1 as the losing streak reached 10 overall and nine in road...

Austin Hays is on the injured list again with a strained hamstring. Ryan Mountcastle is day-to-day with a bruised hand. And now there's Trey Mancini, drilled on the right elbow tonight and unable to stay in the game after making a couple of throws across the infield in the bottom of the first inning. Aren't the losses bringing enough pain? How much more are the Orioles supposed to endure? They didn't need to watch Mancini collapse to the ground, grimacing with forehead planted in the dirt,...

There's no mystery surrounding the Nationals right now. Nobody has to dig deep into the analytics trying to figure out why they're not winning enough games. The answer is right there for everyone to see, young and old, expert and novice, old school and new school. They aren't hitting. At all. Tonight's 3-0, seven-inning loss to the Reds in the nightcap of a pseudo-doubleheader necessitated by the suspension of Wednesday night's game due to rain would have been alarming if not for the fact...

The Orioles tend to create a reflex action of eyes darting to the farm system in search of anything positive. A No. 5 ranking is a vision of loveliness during an unsightly rebuild. However, there are individual stories on the major league club that shouldn't be treated as if invisible. And it's good for the soul to embrace them. Three examples immediately came to mind yesterday. With arms wide open. Of course, the first baseman getting drilled on the right elbow last night by a 95 mph...

The search for a win to end a long losing streak has moved from Washington to Minnesota and now on to Chicago. Tonight the Orioles take on the first-place White Sox in the first of a four-game series and the seventh game of their current road trip. The trip began after the Orioles allowed 32 runs in losing three straight at home versus Tampa Bay. Then they lost three in Washington by a combined 22-16 score and three at Minnesota by 18-9. The Orioles (17-32) begin tonight 13 1/2 games behind the...

The Orioles are back to having 26 players on their active roster after reinstating reliever Dillon Tate from the injured list this afternoon. Tate was on the IL with a strained left hamstring. He threw a spotless inning Tuesday night with Triple-A Norfolk in his only rehab game, striking out one batter and throwing only nine pitches. The roster had an opening after the Orioles optioned starter Dean Kremer to Norfolk yesterday morning. "I'm happy to have Dillon back because Dillon's a guy...