Orioles manager Brandon Hyde posted his lineup this morning and wondered if it would remain intact. If anyone would be scratched or removed from the game before 4 p.m. If the relievers who walked together to the bullpen would board the same flight back to Baltimore. The first major league start for Keegan Akin played out in the middle of the trade deadline frenzy. At least Hyde knew the rookie wasn't on the block. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias sent reliever Miguel Castro...

Everything has changed with the San Diego Padres. The question: Have they added enough to their roster to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006, or even the World Series for the first time since 1998, the year they were swept by the Yankees? As Monday's trade deadline approached, the Padres were by far the most active team in the market. They fixed all their weaknesses: designated hitter, catching, the bullpen and the rotation. They added DH Mitch Moreland from Boston, closer Trevor...

Manager Davey Martinez is not giving up on right-hander Austin Voth. Pitching coach Paul Menhart, Voth and Martinez are working on trying to figure out how to get some more movement and cutting action on Voth's fastball. Voth wants to be able to alter the spin rate so that opposing hitters have a tougher time picking up his fastball. Martinez confirmed today that Voth will remain in the rotation and start one of the two games of the doubleheader Friday in Atlanta. "He's going to throw...

Orioles lefty pitching prospect Keegan Akin threw a very strong game today against Toronto in Buffalo. In fact, he became just the third O's starter on the year to not allow an earned run. He gave up two unearned runs in 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision. The Orioles broke a five-game losing streak and avoided a four-game sweep and winless road trip. They beat Toronto 4-3 in 11 innings on RBI doubles by José Iglesias and Bryan Holaday in the 11th. In the last of the 11th, Toronto scored one...

The Orioles have lost another reliever at today's trade deadline. Miguel Castro has been dealt to the Mets for minor league left-hander Kevin Smith and a player to be named later or cash, according to reports. The news broke a few minutes past 4 p.m., but an agreement already was in place. Smith, 23, was selected in the seventh round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Georgia. He struck out 130 batters in 117 combined innings at the Single-A and Double-A levels in...

What does a defending champion sitting seven games under .500 in the strangest season in baseball history do at the trade deadline? Nothing. The Nationals did not make any deals before today's 4 p.m. deadline, opting instead to stick with the roster as currently constructed and hope it can turn things around over the final month of this 60-game season. "If there's something out there that we could've gotten, they would've gotten it to help us," manager Davey Martinez said from...

The Nationals continue their 11-game road trip in Philadelphia tonight as they open a four-game set against the Phillies. The Nats went 1-2 in Boston and 0-2 last week against the Phillies in D.C., and are now 6-6 on the road. Tonight's pitching matchup features right-hander Erick Fedde (1-2, 3.57 ERA) opposing the Phillies right-hander Spencer Howard (0-1, 6.17). Last week against the Phillies, Fedde took the loss in an 8-3 setback, giving up four runs on seven hits over five innings with one...

Cole Sulser has been removed from the closer's role with the Orioles. Manager Brandon Hyde spoke with Sulser this morning, less than 24 hours after the rookie walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and surrendered Teoscar Hernández's walk-off single that produced another loss to the Blue Jays. And his second blown save in three games. Sulser has walked 13 batters in 15 1/3 innings for an average of 7.6 per nine. He averaged 2.7 in six minor league seasons. "Suls is just...

Through the season's first 30 games, the Orioles did not suffer a walk-off loss. But that has happened twice in the last three games and in the same series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Today the Orioles (14-19) will need a win in Buffalo to avoid a second series sweep by Toronto (18-14) this year. This would be a four-game sweep and Toronto is already 6-0 versus the Orioles. When not playing Baltimore, Toronto has a 12-14 record. When not playing Toronto, the Orioles have a 14-13 record. The...

Orioles left-hander Keegan Akin makes his first major league start today and he's trying to fill the role of stopper for a team that's reeling. Akin was used in relief twice before today's assignment. He's allowed three runs and two hits in 3 1/3 innings. With openings in the rotation created by injury (Wade LeBlanc) and trade (Tommy Milone), Akin has a chance to receive an extended look as a starter over the final month of the season. Pedro Severino will set the target for Akin, while...