Jon Lester never got to have his farewell moment at Fenway Park, that final walk off the mound accompanied by a roar from a crowd that knew this was his last appearance there in a Red Sox uniform, because he was traded to the Athletics on July 31, 2014, an off-day for the team. Nor did he get to have that kind of moment at Wrigley Field last fall, even though he knew his contract was ending and the Cubs might not re-sign him, because there were no fans in the stands anywhere in 2020. So excuse...

A bullpen that experienced more hiccups over the weekend wasn't going to choke away a lead yesterday and subject the Orioles to a sweep. The use of rookie Bruce Zimmermann in a bulk role was rewarded in a big way with 5 2/3 sparkling innings. He was the first in a succession of southpaws, the baton passed to left hands. Manager Brandon Hyde knows who's available for every game, though he won't necessarily share it with the public. He tries to piece together nine innings when starters fail...

It is one of the biggest challenges facing all 30 big league teams during the 2021 season: how to manage the innings for their pitchers. In the full 162-game season in 2019, Orioles pitchers threw a combined 1,443 innings. During the 60-game season last year, that number was just 518 2/3 innings. Getting back to that large number, while also keeping pitchers healthy, is going to be something that will be difficult to navigate. There is no handbook for how to go from 162 games to 60 and then...

Davey Martinez had one simple piece of advice this morning for Erick Fedde, who took the mound in Arizona knowing Stephen Strasburg had just made a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester and might be deemed ready to take back his spot in the Nationals rotation. "Make my decision tough," the Nats manager said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "That's what I want him to go out there and do." It would be tough for Fedde to have made the decision any tougher on Martinez, general...

The sound of the first part of the plan backfiring was almost as loud as the contact made by the Yankees again this afternoon. Adam Plutko lasted one turbulent inning as the opener after the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs for the second time in less than 24 hours. Gary Sánchez and Clint Frazier hit back-to-back home runs. Bruce Zimmermann warmed in the bullpen. Assistant pitching coach Darren Holmes visited the mound. There wouldn't be a clean handoff of the baton. It wouldn't...

As the Orioles played the Yankees today in the third game of this series while trying to avoid a sweep, there were a few good signs that could prove to be a positive for the club no matter today's result. But the Orioles did get a winning result today. They beat New York 10-6 and improved to 17-23 at the 40-game mark. They snapped a four-game losing streak. For one, the Orioles made an adjustment in their hitting approach, it sure appeared, versus Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery. This was his...

Stephen Strasburg appears to have done what he needed to do in today's rehab start for Triple-A Rochester. Now, the Nationals have to decide if it's enough to activate the right-hander off the injured list. Strasburg threw 75 pitches over 4 1/3 scoreless innings this afternoon in Trenton, N.J., temporary home of the Buffalo Bisons while their ballpark is being prepped for the Blue Jays. Making his first official minor league rehab start after pitching in two simulated games at Nationals Park...

The Nationals' series finale in Arizona this afternoon is important, because they're trying to win the series and head to Chicago on a positive note. But there's another important event taking place this afternoon, across the country in Trenton, N.J., where Stephen Strasburg is making a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester. It's important, of course, for Strasburg to emerge from his start (planned for five innings and 75-80 innings) healthy, because if that happens, he may be deemed ready to...

The Orioles need to beat the New York Yankees at Camden Yards today to avoid a three-game sweep. New York rallied to win 5-4 on Friday and then scored five early runs last night to post an 8-2 win. The Orioles (16-23) will reach the 40-game mark today. They have lost four in a row and seven of eight games. The O's are 3-6 against the Yankees, but have scored just 21 runs in those nine games. The Orioles are starting right-hander Adam Plutko (1-0, 1.27 ERA) in today's series finale. Plutko has...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said today that the composition of the Yankees lineup in the series finale prompted the decision to start right-hander Adam Plutko. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann was recalled today and could cover innings. "Just because they're so right-handed," Hyde said in his Zoom call. "We're going to try to piece this one together today. Plutko's obviously got a lot of starting experience and the first right guys in their batting order are right-handed. So we'll see how...