Few games this season have started so well for the Orioles on offense. They had a 5-1 lead in the third inning after Hanser Alberto singled in a run. To that point in the game, they were 10-for-16 at bat and 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Well, we didn't know then that the Orioles would go 0-for-7 with RISP the rest of that game and score just one more run. It opened the door for a New York Mets comeback and they beat the Orioles 7-6 at Citi Field. Right-hander Jorge López gave...

If Austin Hays is able to come off the injured list next week, as he's projecting, manager Brandon Hyde will be tasked with figuring out how to occupy center field. Decisions must be made regarding Hays and Cedric Mullins, who collected two more hits last night and has been an outstanding replacement. Whether or not Hays is back in center field on a full-time basis, he's going to be plopped in the middle of a pennant race. He's been watching from the alternate camp site in Bowie, where he's...

They fell to 12 games under .500, their low point in what to date had been a dismal season that was slipping away before their eyes. And then something inexplicable flipped the switch and they started winning and started looking like they were actually enjoying themselves again for the first time all year. It happened in late May 2019, and we know how that turned out in the end. Now it's starting to happen in early September 2020, and the Nationals can't help but wonder how it will end this...

Cedric Mullins is starting in center field because Austin Hays has a fractured rib. He led off tonight's game with a single and scored the first run. DJ Stewart is playing right field because Anthony Santander has a strained oblique. He singled in the first inning to move Renato Núñez to third base. Ryan Mountcastle is starting in left field because the Orioles no longer had any reason to hold back one of their top prospects. His single in the first scored Núñez to build on an...

After hitting four homers in an 11-2 win over the New York Mets last night, the Orioles face the same club tonight as their playoff pursuit continues. The Orioles begin play 1/2 game back of the New York Yankees for the No. 8 American League playoff berth. The Orioles (20-21) have won four in a row and six of their last eight games. They are 9-7 against National League teams, and that is 9-3 since they got swept four in a row by the Miami Marlins at home in early August. The O's team ERA is...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is fielding playoff questions again. His club is a half-game behind the Yankees for the last spot and a game behind the Astros. Six wins in the last eight. Again an interesting national story. Is there scoreboard-watching among the players and staff? Or at least the 2020 version of it? "I think we're focused on the Orioles right now and we need to win as many games as possible," Hyde said this afternoon in his Zoom conference call. "I'd be lying to say I...

The Orioles are joining all of Major League Baseball in celebrating the 19th annual Roberto Clemente Day tonight during their game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. This commemorative day was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially acknowledge local club nominees of the Clemente Award. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards, and a special tribute video will...

The Orioles will try to extend their winning streak to five games tonight with Pat Valaika at first base and Chris Davis still on the bench. Valaika is celebrating his 28th birthday today. He's posted a .429 average (12-for-28) in his last nine games. Cedric Mullins moves up to the leadoff spot and José Iglesias is batting second again, as he did last night while notching his ninth multi-hit game in the last 12. DJ Stewart, with four home runs in the last three games, is the cleanup...

Top Nationals pitching prospects Cade Cavalli and Jackson Rutledge continue to get their work in at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va., under the direction of minor league pitching coordinator Brad Holman and the coaching staff. Rutledge is currently ranked No. 3 and Cavalli No. 4 in the latest MLBpipeline.com top 30 Nationals prospects list. "Well, obviously both those guys are extremely talented," Holman told me. "I can't say enough about either one of them. They are...

As part of the club's ongoing efforts to serve and strengthen the community during the current pandemic, the Orioles announced today that they have partnered with All Faiths Food Bank to host a series of mass food distribution events at Ed Smith Stadium. The events will take place on the second Saturday of each month from September through December, with the first event being held on September 12. Future events will be held on October 10, November 14, and December 12. Each distribution event...