For the Orioles, it has been a recurring problem with their offense: a lack of clutch hits. This issue showed up again big time in the second game of the Seattle series Tuesday night. The Orioles had the bases loaded and one out in the second inning. They had bases loaded and two outs in the sixth and the same situation in the eighth. The last two times, catcher Chance Sisco grounded out in each instance to end the threat. He went hitless and is now batting .162 with a .414 OPS. He had company...

Juan Soto didn't quite know what to expect when he stepped up to bat in the bottom of the eighth Tuesday night at Nationals Park. In his first game appearance in 15 days, the young slugger was about to find out just how difficult it is to pinch-hit in the major leagues. But first, he was about to find out just how much Nationals fans missed him while he was on the injured list with a strained left shoulder. "I didn't know the crowd was going to get me so pumped, that they were going to get...

On a night when the Orioles continued to not capitalize on bases-loaded situations, the Seattle Mariners did in a big way with one of their own. And that led Seattle to a 5-2 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night in the second game of the series. Right-hander Travis Lakins Sr. started the last of the eighth in a 1-1 tie and gave up a flared single to right by Sam Haggerty. Then he walked the next two hitters before manager Brandon Hyde called for Tanner Scott to try and pull off a miracle with...

Baseball folks don't like to talk about momentum, because they've been doing this long enough to understand that what happened in recent days doesn't necessarily portend what will happen tonight. The Nationals had every reason to enter their series opener with the Braves feeling like they held the upper hand, based on their four-game winning streak, Atlanta's four-game losing streak and everything that transpired to make both events possible. Of course, it doesn't actually work like that....

The minor league rotations are taking shape, which leaves the Orioles to figure out what to do with their own. Rookie Bruce Zimmermann has been removed from it, with the club optioning him Monday night. A very similar move to the one executed with another rookie, Dean Kremer, following his start on April 17 in Texas. Kremer was coming off his finest outing. The first start after the Orioles recalled him was his worst, with six runs and 10 hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings, but he was outstanding...

Enjoying a good road trip with three wins in four games, the Orioles look for another victory when they play at Seattle tonight in the second of a three-game series. The Orioles were being shut out through seven innings and down 1-0 last night when they erupted for a five-run eighth and a 5-3 win. Cedric Mullins and Freddy Galvis hit two-run homers. It was No. 5 for Mullins and No. 3 for Galvis. The Orioles can get back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 10 with a victory tonight....

No longer in the Orioles rotation or on their active roster, rookie left-hander Bruce Zimmermann is reporting to Triple-A Norfolk and tasked with getting back to the majors after he's eligible to return. The Orioles optioned Zimmermann to the alternate training site last night and recalled reliever Isaac Mattson. The camp is shut down with the minor leagues starting tonight and Zimmermann is listed on the Tides roster. Zimmermann isn't immediately available after throwing 87 pitches Sunday...

DJ Stewart is back in the Orioles lineup tonight as they resume their series in Seattle. Stewart was scratched last night with lower back stiffness and multiple changes in positions brought Pat Valaika off the bench. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter. Chance Sisco is catching. Rio Ruiz gets the start at second base. The Orioles are 14-15 overall and trying to reach .500 for the first time since April 10. They're 10-5 on the road. Jorge López is 1-3 with a 7.48 ERA and 1.431 WHIP in...

With Minor League Baseball opening a new season tonight, here is a look at where Orioles prospects on the MLBPipeline.com top 30 are beginning the new season. Triple-A Norfolk leads the way with a roster currently holding eight top 30 prospects, while Double-A Bowie, high Single-A Aberdeen and low Single-A Delmarva have five each. Norfolk: (9) Yusniel Diaz, (10) Keegan Akin, (11) Zac Lowther, (15) Ryan McKenna, (19) Jahmai Jones, (20) Alexander Wells, (23) Rylan Bannon, (24) Tyler Nevin. Bowie:...

Juan Soto is back on the Nationals roster, just not in their lineup. Will Harris is back in their bullpen, and hoping he will remain available as much as he's needed. With a pair of mid-afternoon transactions today, the Nats moved closer to full strength. They're still missing Stephen Strasburg and Wander Suero, but for now, this is a significant step in the right direction. Soto, of course, is the biggest addition. The star slugger was activated off the 10-day injured list in time for...