For nearly two weeks, Ryan Zimmerman mostly sat on the Nationals bench, readying himself for pinch-hitting opportunities that often didn't come. Yes, he started back-to-back games last week against the Blue Jays, but that was possible only because the Nats were facing an American League opponent and needed a designated hitter. So when Zimmerman found himself in Sunday's lineup against the Marlins, it represented his first start in a National League game since April 18. And given his lack of...

It was at least a small step forward over the weekend at Oakland for the Orioles on offense. They scored 16 runs on 28 hits, batting .264 for the three games with four doubles and four home runs. There was no offensive explosion, but there seemed to be less chasing of pitches and more clutch hits. Again, no outpouring of clutch hitting, but seeing Trey Mancini, Freddy Galvis and Austin Hays get run-producing hits with two outs was a step forward in Sunday's 7-5 loss. The Orioles have lost just...

The month of April gave left-hander Zac Lowther his first introduction to the majors with a surprise call-up and his scoreless ninth inning on April 25. Optioned back to the alternate training site, he rejoined the Orioles as a member of their taxi squad for the West Coast trip that resumes tonight in Seattle. Good times for the pitcher MLBPipeline.com deems the No. 11 prospect in the organization. The only downside to placing him on the taxi squad was his inability to start Triple-A Norfolk's...

A 25-pitch first inning for Bruce Zimmermann and the two errors on one play and resulting runs didn't fit a team that sought to sweep a series and extend its winning streak to four games. More appropriate were the two rallies in the first five innings that erased deficits and kept alive the quest to reach .500. And a third RBI for Trey Mancini in the seventh that gave the Orioles their first lead. It didn't last long. And .500 was put on hold in jarring fashion. Ramón Laureano made a...

There is, believe it or not, a scenario more imposing for a lineup than facing Max Scherzer. Daunting as that is, it's nothing compared to the challenge of facing Scherzer five days after he was roughed up by another club. Or, apparently, facing the longtime Nationals ace hours before his wife is due to give birth. Every pitcher insists he wants to bounce back from a rough outing, but nobody actually does it better than Scherzer, who was battered around by the Blue Jays on Tuesday night and...

The Orioles are enjoying the West Coast so far. They've started a six-game road trip by going 2-0 at Oakland and can record a three-game sweep of the Athletics today at Oakland Coliseum. If the Orioles win: * They will have their second three-game sweep, with both coming on the road.* They will have a season-best four-game winning streak.* They'll be back at .500 for the first time since April 10 when they were 4-4.* They will be 4-2 against the first-place Athletics.* They will be 10-4 in...

Shortstop Freddy Galvis played five innings yesterday in his return from a sore left adductor, and he's in the lineup again today as the Orioles attempt to complete the sweep in Oakland. Ryan Mountcastle is the designated hitter again and Trey Mancini is the first baseman. The outfield corners are the same, too. Austin Hays in left and DJ Stewart in right. Pedro Severino is catching despite being hit on the right wrist yesterday by a foul ball and a pitch in the same inning. Rookie left-hander...

Juan Soto isn't in the Nationals lineup for today's series finale against the Marlins, but there's a chance he could be back for Tuesday's series opener against the Braves. Soto, on the 10-day injured list since April 20 with a strained left shoulder, continued to ramp up his throwing program before today's game at Nationals Park, throwing from 120 feet. "We'll see how he gets through today, and then we'll go from there. Hopefully it won't be that much longer," manager Davey Martinez...

The Nationals have already secured their first three-game winning streak of the season. Now they've got a chance to secure their first three-game sweep of the season. Having taken the first two games of the weekend against the Marlins, the Nats will look to finish the job this afternoon, with Max Scherzer on the mound looking to rebound from a ragged start against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. How often has he struggled in back-to-back starts? Hardly ever. Eight times since he signed with the...

April has come and gone for the Nationals, and nobody can say they saw the season's first month playing out the way it did. A COVID-19 outbreak sidelining nine players? Injuries to Juan Soto and Stephen Strasburg? An implosion by Patrick Corbin? A complete lack of production from Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber? There were, of course, surprisingly positive developments as well. Who expected Joe Ross and Erick Fedde to become consistently dominant pitchers? Josh Harrison and Yadiel Hernandez to...