Because he doesn't possess the kind of eye-popping "stuff" his counterpart Sixto Sánchez has, Wil Crowe wasn't going to win tonight's battle of rookie pitching debuts unless his eight Nationals teammates around him on the field did their part to make every play they had a chance to make. And because those guys didn't come close to making every play they had a chance to make, Crowe was left to suffer a hard-luck loss to Sánchez in the nightcap of today's doubleheader at Nationals...

There was a tremendous amount of fan excitement for Keegan Akin's arrival in the majors, followed by their impatience at the gap between his first day with the club and first trip to the mound. Ryan Mountcastle's stay at the alternate camp site in Bowie was accompanied by daily inquiries about the organization's timetable for him. How long until the Orioles gained an extra year of control. How long until his defense in left field was deemed acceptable and he could increase his walk total...

Major league debuts are always special. But how about two starting pitchers making their major league debuts against each other? That's a rare special occasion. Tonight we'll witness it when Wil Crowe and Sixto Sánchez square off in the nightcap of this 14-innings doubleheader between the Nationals and Marlins. Crowe isn't as highly touted as Sánchez, who was the key piece Miami got from Philadelphia in the J.T. Realmuto trade, but he's no slouch. The Nationals' second-round pick in...

The evolution of the Orioles roster has moved Dwight Smith Jr. outside the organization. After Smith was designated for assignment earlier today, the Orioles were able to select Mason Williams' contract from the alternate camp site in Bowie and upgrade defensively in the outfield. "It's a guy that can play three outfield spots, be able to defend, run, obviously the left-handed bat," manager Brandon Hyde said during his Zoom conference call. "I think he offers us some versatility in the...

On a day the Nationals announced that one of their aces, Stephen Strasburg, is out for the season because he needs surgery on his right hand, Max Scherzer battled for 4 2/3 innings against a feisty Marlins lineup in the first game of a doubleheader at Nats Park. Thanks to their bullpen, highlighted by a timely strikeout from reliever Kyle Finnegan, the Nats found a way to hold on for a nail-biting, 5-4 win. The Nats managed to score five runs on six hits in the game, highlighted by two runs and...

The Orioles' last win was a week ago tonight. They beat the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards 7-3. It is one of just four home wins in 17 games this year (the team is 8-1 on the road). Hanser Alberto and Pedro Severino each drove in two runs and right-hander Asher Wojciechowski went five innings to pick up the win. But since that victory the Orioles lost the series finale last Sunday to the Nats, were swept three in a row by Toronto and have lost the first two games to Boston by 7-1 and 8-5...

Ryan Mountcastle stays in the Orioles lineup and in left field for tonight's game against the Red Sox at Camden Yards. He's batting sixth again. Hanser Alberto is playing third base and Ramón Urías is the second baseman. Bryan Holaday is behind the plate, with Pedro Severino serving as the designated hitter. Alex Cobb has made five starts and registered a 3.76 ERA and 1.139 WHIP in 26 1/3 innings. He's risen to staff ace in 2020. The Red Sox faced Cobb on July 25 in Boston and were...

The Orioles made more changes to their outfield prior to tonight's game. Dwight Smith Jr. has been designated for assignment and the club has selected Mason Williams' contract from the alternate camp site in Bowie. Smith was batting .222/.306/.365 with three doubles and two home runs in 21 games and he experienced a few more lapses in left field. He got a late start in summer training camp based on a positive test for COVID-19 and rushed to make the opening day roster. Smith was 2-for-18 in...

The Nationals' road to a repeat just got much more difficult with the announcement that World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg will undergo surgery to repair carpal tunnel neuritis in his right hand sometime early next week, manager Davey Martinez confirmed. The Nats have placed Strasburg on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his 2020 season. Strasburg, 32, hopes to return 100 percent for the 2021 spring training. Right-hander Wil Crowe is promoted to take Strasburg's place on the roster...

Who's ready for 14 innings of thrilling baseball action? For the first time, the Nationals are playing a doubleheader today, 2020 style. That means seven innings per game (unless it's tied at the end of the seventh, of course, in which case they continue into the eighth using the new extra-inning rules). There's going to be some different strategy to this. All of a sudden, the fifth and sixth innings have more importance and would be prime time for top relievers. Or, a successful and...