Dean Kremer is rejoining the Orioles on Wednesday and starting that night against the Yankees at Camden Yards. Precisely the way it was expected to play out. A corresponding roster move is coming, with reliever Jay Flaa a logical candidate to be optioned to the alternate training site after having his contract selected yesterday. Kremer has allowed eight runs and 14 hits in 10 2/3 innings, with six walks and 14 strikeouts in his three starts. The Orioles optioned him after he held the Rangers...

Earlier this month, former Nationals catcher Jonathan Lucroy compared his time in D.C. to the storyline of the movie "The Replacements," in which Keanu Reeves leads a group of replacement players on the fictional Washington Sentinels to the playoffs in their fictional football league. (Of course, that movie was loosely based on the 1987 Washington Football Team replacements who won three games and helped the team go on to win the Super Bowl.) Well, I'm no Shane Falco, but I'll do my best as...

With shortstop Freddy Galvis day-to-day with left adductor soreness, the Orioles recalled infielder Pat Valaika from the alternate training site in Bowie and have him in uniform for tonight's game against the Yankees at Camden Yards. He's also in the lineup, batting ninth and playing shortstop. Valaika broke camp with the Orioles and was optioned April 9 to create roster space for DJ Stewart. He was 1-for-9 with a walk and run scored in four games. The Orioles optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna...

The Orioles have lefty John Means at the top of their rotation and he's throwing great baseball. What if Matt Harvey could build on last night's strong outing and join him for a nice one-two punch at the top? That could be big for the pitching staff, which already has its bullpen humming along pretty well. It would be a lift for the rotation if Harvey, who lowered his ERA to 4.26 last night, could string together a few strong outings. Last night was just the sixth time in 21 games that an...

Kyle Schwarber has not lived up to the standard expected of him through his first two weeks on the Nationals' active roster, and he'd be the first to admit that. The 28-year-old outfielder is batting an ice-cold .192 (10-for-52) with one homer, three RBIs, 18 strikeouts and only two walks in 13 games since coming off the COVID-19 injured list. There have been some hard-hit balls recently, including a 409-foot shot to the base of the wall in center field Sunday in New York that was snagged by...

The type of transaction that sent Zac Lowther back to the alternate camp site yesterday would become a signature move for the Orioles except that a lot of other teams are going to claim ownership. Roster churn is providing as much background noise as batting practice music. The Orioles aren't a full month into their season and they've been cranking out transactions like disc jockey tunes. There's the necessity created by injuries, but also some deep-tissue massaging of the roster. They could...

With one strong outing tonight, Orioles right-hander Matt Harvey both pitched past his previous five-inning ceiling and pitched the O's to a win over the Yankees in the opener of a four-game series. After beginning Sunday with just one home win, now the Orioles have three after beating New York 4-2 in front of 6,367 at Oriole Park. The top of the eighth got dicey for the Orioles and ended with a controversial play that went against New York. Harvey picked up his second O's win and produced...

Freddy Galvis hit an opposite-field, run-scoring double tonight in the bottom of the second inning, stayed for the last out and was gone. Plated a run and retreated to the clubhouse. A lineup that lost outfielder Anthony Santander to a sprained ankle could have a vacancy at shortstop. Galvis was removed with left adductor soreness, basically an injury to the hip/thigh, but there wasn't much hurting Matt Harvey. He wasn't coming out of the game until shattering the five-inning barrier. Until...

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...