How do the Nationals avoid a repeat of Tuesday night's lifeless, 6-1 loss to the Rays? They need to get a much better pitching performance and they need to hit. Obviously. On the mound, it's up to Austin Voth to somehow make the leap into a guy who can actually get hitters out twice in a game. We know he can do it the first time through the order. It's time for him to show he can do it the second time as well. At the plate, it's up to this lineup to not get freaked out by the Rays'...

When the Orioles sign a young international prospect at 16 from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela, they surely dream of a day when that player will be on their major league team. Maybe even become a star player on a team that can win the World Series. But these Latin American players must travel a long road before any of that can happen, and that entails more than developing their baseball skills. Most speak little or no English. And while there are plenty of Spanish-speaking coaches when...

The Nationals recalled Aaron Barrett Tuesday, and later that day the right-hander was in the game against the Rays at Tropicana Field, summoned in the sixth inning. Tampa Bay's Brandon Lowe was on first and there was one out. Mike Brosseau singled on Barrett's two-seam fastball and suddenly the Rays had two men on. But the very next pitch, Barrett got Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a grounder to shortstop Trea Turner for an inning-ending double play. In the seventh, Barrett returned to the hill and gave...

Not only are the Orioles becoming much deeper in outfielders, they also can brag about the draft-and-develop process in the organization. Last night's game again offered a homegrown alignment of Austin Hays in left field, Cedric Mullins in center and DJ Stewart in right. Ryan Mountcastle played first base, but has been the starting left fielder since his promotion. Trey Mancini will return next season. Ryan McKenna is on the 40-man roster and getting closer. And one could argue that Anthony...

The latest snapshot of a weird and unprecedented 2020 season came this afternoon before batting practice, when the Orioles gathered in right field in their home white uniforms for the annual team photo. Everyone wearing masks and lined up in rows with the proper spacing between bodies. Just another day at the ballpark for the Orioles, who are down to their last 12 games of the regular season and always reminded of the unpredictability of it after tonight's 5-1 loss to the Braves at Camden...

Much as he probably wishes he could give a couple of his struggling starters the season's final two weeks off, the cold, hard truth is that Davey Martinez has no choice but to keep giving them the ball every five days. The Nationals' schedule to close out this agonizing season - 15 games in 13 days, including an upcoming stretch of eight games in five days - simply won't allow for anyone to shut it down early, not unless there's an injury involved. And even if there was, the Nats would be...

After being swept in New York, the Orioles began their last homestand of the 2020 season in impressive fashion last night. They produced a season-high 14 runs and their biggest win margin of this year, beating Atlanta, 14-1. In the first five innings the top four in the O's order - Cedric Mullins, José Iglesias, DJ Stewart and Ryan Mountcastle - went a combined 11-for-15 with three homers and 13 RBIs as the O's built a 13-0 lead. The win snapped a run of five straight losses. According to...

The Nationals have placed right-hander Tanner Rainey on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain and recalled Aaron Barrett from the alternate training site. Manager Davey Martinez spoke with Rainey today at Tropicana Field before they made the decision. "He came in today and said he felt a little bit better," Martinez said. "We just want to be safe and make sure that he is 100 percent when he comes back. That was the decision right there. At this point we just want to make sure...

Tanner Rainey, one of the Nationals' brightest lights during a mostly dismal season, may not pitch again this season. Rainey, who already had been sidelined over the weekend with forearm soreness, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right flexor strain. Though manager Davey Martinez didn't completely rule out the possibility of the reliever returning, with only 13 days remaining in this short season there's hardly enough time (or motivation) to make it back. "Right now,...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is hitting the campaign trail. He wants center fielder Cedric Mullins to receive votes for a Gold Glove in the American League. Mullins made another diving catch last night to record the final out in a 14-1 win over the Braves. He raced back to the warning track earlier to haul in a drive and prevent a run from scoring. His 0.2 dWAR per Baseball-Reference.com is an improvement over the -0.5 he posted in 2018. "I'm going to go on record and say, for me, we need to...