The Orioles' homestand continues tonight as they begin a four-game series against the New York Yankees. Both clubs are 9-12 and tied for fourth in the division, four games behind first-place Boston. The Orioles picked up just their second home win on Sunday, beating Oakland 8-1 and snapping the Athletics' 13-game winning streak. Right-hander Matt Harvey (1-1, 5.12 ERA) will make his fifth start. He has thrown 19 1/3 innings, never pitching more than five in a game, allowing 24 hits with three...

A fifth Orioles player is poised to make his major league debut this month. The Orioles selected the contract of right-handed reliever Jay Flaa from the alternate training site this afternoon and optioned left-hander Zac Lowther to the Bowie complex. The Orioles wanted a fresh bullpen arm to begin their four-game series against the Yankees. Lowther pitched the ninth inning yesterday. Flaa's stay could be short. Dean Kremer is eligible to return on Wednesday and a spot must be cleared for...

The mantra for the Orioles bullpen this year might be "Keep it loose, keep it light and get a lot of outs." Are they loose out there because they are pitching so well, or is being a loose group leading to them pitching well? The second part might be the answer, according to O's right-hander Dillon Tate. He's part of a bullpen that, with an ERA of 3.09, ranks fifth in both the American League and the majors. Over the last 12 games, the 'pen ERA is 1.81. It's a group that is pitching and...

Ryan Mountcastle has been lowered to seventh in tonight's lineup with the Orioles beginning a four-game series against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Mountcastle is in a 1-for-27 slump. He hadn't hit below sixth this season. DJ Stewart is batting third and playing right field. Austin Hays is in left field and hitting fifth. Rio Ruiz is on the bench against a right-hander. Ramón Urías gets the start at second base. Cedric Mullins' 28 hits are the most in by an Orioles center fielder in...

You can talk about the reasons the Nationals are currently 8-11 and point out that Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg are currently on the injured list, that nobody in their rotation outside of Max Scherzer owns an ERA under 4.64 or that nine members of the opening day roster were in quarantine on opening day. And all of those are indeed among the reasons the Nats are 8-11 as they spend this off-day on the Florida Gulf Coast in advance of a two-game interleague series versus the Blue Jays at their...

The Orioles' 8-1 win Sunday over the Oakland A's - one that snapped Oakland's 13-game win streak - had a homegrown flavor. The Orioles improved to 9-12 and welcome the Yankees to town tonight to begin a four-game series. The Birds had five homegrown players in the lineup, including Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays and Ryan McKenna. Those players combined for eight hits and six RBIs. Hays produced his second career two-homer game. And O's homegrown lefties started...

Putting aside the Adley Rutschman obsession for a moment, which I understand is like sliding your hands underneath a cruise ship and telling a friend to "grab the other end," the Orioles are showing a willingness in the right circumstances to push a prospect further than expected. The key is figuring out those circumstances. To read the situation. Ryan McKenna is on the active roster again despite his complete lack of Triple-A experience. He started in right field yesterday and singled, and...

Zac Lowther sat in the Orioles bullpen this afternoon and waited for the phone to ring. A second call in less than 24 hours that would thrill him. That would allow a fourth player on the club to make his major league debut in less than a month. The fly in the ointment was a former All-Star pitcher who's the undisputed ace of the staff. A starter who didn't need a reliever to provide length. John Means was dealing again. Austin Hays was destroying fastballs. Lowther wasn't debuting until the...

The final tally - Mets 4, Nationals 0 - suggested a one-sided game. It suggested yet another rough start for Patrick Corbin and yet another lifeless afternoon at the plate for a Nats lineup that has been shut out five times in 19 games to begin the season. In reality, this had a chance to be a far more competitive ballgame, perhaps even a victory for the visitors. It proved not to be because the Nationals did just about everything in their power to spoil the countless opportunities they had to...

The way he was pitching, maybe Orioles left-hander John Means would not need big run support. As it turned out, he would not get it. But he was a stopper today for the O's. He stopped a three-game losing for the team as they avoided getting swept by Oakland. Means also stopped Oakland's 13-game winning. The run ends one short of the second-best streak in team history when they won 14 in a row from April 23-May 9, 1988. The 20-game run in 2002 is the club record. Means was real good again for...