The first week of the minor league season is complete, and for the first time in two years, we actually have some box scores and stats to pore through and get a sense of the state of the Nationals farm system. The Nats' four full-season affiliates are off to a rough start record-wise, but there have been some notable individual performances so far. Let's run through each of the clubs, with some notable developments from the last week. Keep in mind that with COVID-19 protocols, the schedule...

Jorge López still doesn't have a smudge on his first-inning work this season, stranding a runner tonight and pumping his sinker at 96-98 mph. Opponents have four hits in 25 at-bats. How far would he venture into his latest start? That's always the curiosity with López. Ryan Mountcastle attacked the first pitch thrown to him leading off the second inning and drove it deep into the left field seats. How far it traveled wasn't as important as the way he's climbed back into the cleanup...

He's been pitching better lately and tonight Orioles right-hander Jorge López got past a big obstacle - the fifth inning. Entering this outing tonight - his seventh of the 2021 season - López had an ERA of 3.00 when pitching in the first four innings of his starts. But his ERA in the fifth inning was 42.43. That is not good. He had allowed 11 earned runs over 2 1/3 innings. And opponents had eight hits in 14 at-bats, including three homers, against him in that inning. But there he went...

One of the stranger portions of the 2021 schedule requires the Orioles to leave Camden Yards, play two games against the Mets at Citi Field and head back to Baltimore. Ten of 12 games on their home turf with a couple off-days before embarking on a three-city road trip that begins in D.C. and extends to Minnesota and Chicago. The hotel stay in New York requires only one night. There are going to be two interesting story angles in the series. John Means pitches tonight for the first time since...

After losses by 6-2, 11-6 and 4-3 on Sunday afternoon, the Orioles host Boston tonight at Camden Yards. It's the final game of a four-game series that Boston has won and now will try to sweep. When the 2021 season began, the Orioles swept three straight from Boston at Fenway Park. The scores were 3-0, 4-2 and 11-3. In that series, O's pitchers held Boston to five runs on 15 hits and pitched to an ERA of 1.67. The Orioles scored more runs (11) and had more hits (17) in the final game of that...

Left-hander Keegan Akin joined the Orioles today after throwing 49 pitches for Triple-A Norfolk in Friday night's start in Jacksonville and staying available for long relief duty this week. Akin is working out of the bullpen, with no immediate plans to insert him into the rotation. Left-hander Zac Lowther was optioned to Norfolk this afternoon. The Orioles needed a fresh arm and chose Akin, who didn't break camp with the team after allowing 10 runs and issuing seven walks in nine exhibition...

For his next act, Orioles left-hander John Means will face the New York Mets tomorrow night at Citi Field. It will be his first game since his no-hitter Wednesday at Seattle. His first time out since today being named American League Player of the Week. An award last won by an Oriole when Trey Mancini was so honored on Sept. 23, 2019. An award last earned by a Baltimore pitcher when Arthur Rhodes was AL Player of the Week in August 1994. Yep, that long. Now Means has to somehow put all the...

The Nationals have been granted approval by the District of Columbia to increase capacity at Nationals Park for their homestand later this month and to operate at full capacity in mid-June. Earlier today, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a slew of reopenings for restaurants, bars, and sports and entertainment venues in the city, easing up on restrictions that had been in place since the beginning of the pandemic 15 months ago. Included in the mayor's announcement was approval to allow for...

The Orioles swapped out left-handers this afternoon, recalling Keegan Akin from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning Zac Lowther to the Tides. Akin threw two innings Friday night in his first start with the Tides and he's available in relief tonight. He was on the mound this afternoon for pitchers' fielding practice. Lowther made his first major league start Saturday night against the Red Sox and allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings. Trying to avoid a four-game sweep at home, the Orioles are...

After a two-week layoff while his left shoulder healed, it was only natural to believe Juan Soto would need some time to rediscover his swing. Even though the Nationals slugger had been able to take batting practice while on the 10-day injured list, it's not the same as facing live pitchers. So it was going to take some time to get right again once he was activated last week. How long? "It just took me three at-bats as a pinch-hitter," Soto said Sunday evening in a Zoom session with...