The Orioles are prepared to activate Austin Hays from the injured list early this week, increasing their options in the outfield and perhaps giving a slumping offense a needed jolt. Hays hasn't played since Aug. 14 due to a non-displaced fracture in his left ribcage. He's been active lately in simulated games at the alternate camp site in Bowie and took batting practice yesterday at Camden Yards. "He has been taking at-bats and I can see him being activated here in the next couple days,"...

After losses by 6-0, 10-1 and 2-1 in 10 innings, the Orioles need a win today against the Yankees in New York or they will be swept four straight. They have been swept in a series four times this season and once before in a four-game series. That was at home against Miami in early August. In the first three games of that series, the Orioles scored just one run. In the first three games of this series, they have scored just two. They are batting .119 (10-for-84) this weekend with games of two,...

The Orioles will try to avoid a four-game sweep today at Yankee Stadium with Ryan Mountcastle again batting third and left-hander John Means on the mound for his eighth start of the season. José Iglesias is the designated hitter again and Pat Valaika is getting the start at shortstop. DJ Stewart is batting sixth against Yankees left-hander J.A. Happ. For the Orioles Hanser Alberto 2B José Iglesias DH Ryan Mountcastle LF Pedro Severino C Renato Núñez 1B DJ Stewart RF Pat Valaika SS...

When the 2020 regular season ends two weeks from today - How crazy is that? - and we try to find answers for what went wrong for the Nationals, it might be easy to point out the heartbreakers they lost to the Braves as especially low points. To be sure, there have been some really tough losses in there, a couple of blown saves by Daniel Hudson and a couple more one-run losses this week. And yet, if they can win this afternoon behind Max Scherzer, the Nationals will have split the season series...

The Nationals fell 2-1 to the Braves Saturday night, but Patrick Corbin pitched a solid seven innings, allowing only two runs, and Kyle McGowin arrived and put up two shutout frames. Atlanta's offense generated nine hits on the night. But only one of those was an extra-base hit, a double by Adam Duvall in the fourth. He came around to score on a bloop single by Ozzie Albies that lifted the Braves to a 2-0 lead. The Braves have hit a ton of homers the last few weeks. Limiting that club to eight...

The Nationals offense could not get going until late, and a furious rally attempt fell just short as the Braves eked out a 2-1 nail-biter Saturday night at Nats Park. Left-hander Patrick Corbin was very good and gave the Nationals a chance to win. Unfortunately, his counterpart was better. Right-hander Ian Anderson fired seven shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out nine as the Braves held off the Nats. In the end, RBI singles by Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies were all the...

The Orioles are going to need a starter for Tuesday night's game against the Braves. Manager Brandon Hyde already has eliminated the idea of rookie Keegan Akin working on short rest. One potential candidate eliminated. Akin threw 39 pitches in two-thirds of an inning in the second game of Friday night's doubleheader. Hyde won't disrupt his rest and routine. If the roster is unchanged from its current state, Hyde most likely is going to choose between Thomas Eshelman and Asher Wojciechowski...

It has been a disappointing weekend in New York for the Orioles. But it was a real positive to see right-hander Dean Kremer have another strong outing on Saturday afternoon. He faced the Yankees again, and again threw well against them. In two starts versus New York he has allowed five hits and two runs over 11 innings. The Yankees have hit just .135 (5-for-37) against him and he has walked six and fanned 14 in the two games. Over the next year or two, this Orioles' rebuilding effort will...

Nationals top pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge has worked on commanding his fastball and curveball during his bullpen sessions and simulated games at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg. As Nats minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman told me this week, it's all about moving the ball around the strike zone instead of narrowly avoiding it. "It's definitely been the emphasis during camp," Rutledge said during a Zoom video session with reporters. "I think I've actually...

The Yankee Stadium whistle still works. The one that plays after an opponent's strikeout. No longer done for the benefit of fans. Every bit as irritating to teams that don't want to be serenaded after another empty at-bat. The Orioles heard it five times today in the first two innings. Nine times through the fifth. The other sound is a club stumbling backward. Down to their last 15 games in a truncated season, the Orioles have fallen 4 1/2 behind the Yankees following today's 2-1 10-inning...