The Nationals bullpen walked the tightrope all night long as it attempted to hold the lead and managed to find a way to get within one out of pulling it off. Until all that walking on a tightrope turned into a walk-off. Dansby Swanson delivered a dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Nats closer Daniel Hudson, part of a four-run Braves rally that resulted in a stunning 7-6 loss. "They're really tough, man," Hudson said during a postgame Zoom video call. "They don't hurt...

The dog days of August can clamp down on a team under normal circumstances or in a season that's been shortened and manipulated and undergone changes on the fly. The Orioles began a stretch last night of 14 straight games against division opponents. They knew it was coming. The restrictions on travel set them up for it. They won two of three games in Boston to start the season, lost twice to the Yankees and swept the Rays. Now they get the Blue Jays for three, followed by four against the Red...

Yes, they already played 19 games over the last 3 1/2 weeks, an erratic stretch of games their manager referred to as "seesaw baseball." In practical terms, 2020 really began for the Nationals tonight in Atlanta with their first game against their top division rival in a season that will be defined by intradivisional play. The first of 10 games between the Nats and Braves was exactly what you'd expect it to be: a tense, tight, perhaps contentious battle between a couple of heavyweights that...

The Orioles can no longer hide, even on the nights they'd like to do it. They've been ignored by the national media over the past few years because rebuilds don't have much curb appeal, but recognition is increasing beyond the local coverage. They've become the talk of Twitter, MLB Network and other outlets. This is the good kind of attention. No accusations of "tanking" or being "historically bad." But none of it really matters to them. They've done a pretty good job of tuning out the...

As much as the Nationals have gone out of their way to keep Carter Kieboom focused on learning how to play third base, the rookie infielder is actually spending a lot of time on the other side of the diamond so far this season. When they utilize the shift against a left-handed batter, the Nats are leaving Trea Turner at shortstop and having Kieboom move all the way over to what would typically be the second baseman's spot on the infield (with the second baseman moving into shallow right...

During this truncated season, where the Orioles will play 40 of 60 games against American League East opponents, tonight they get back to divisional play. After going 7-5 in 12 straight games versus National League teams, the Orioles begin a three-game series at Oriole Park against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles (12-9) are three games behind New York for the AL East lead and one game back of Tampa Bay for second. They have gone 5-3 (.625) against their own division, going 2-1 versus Boston,...

He owns two of the most meaningful home runs in Nationals history. So when Howie Kendrick is not available, it certainly changes the makeup of the lineup and the quick strike ability for this club. A grand slam to beat the Dodgers and a go-ahead foul pole-clanging two-run homer against in World Series Game 7 against the Astros will forever go down in Nats lore. Those big hits might have made some forget that Kendrick fought through a left hamstring strain that kept him out of the lineup for 11...

The inability to keep shortstop José Iglesias in the lineup due to a sore left quadriceps muscle has the Orioles at least pondering the benefits of a stint on the 10-day injured list. Iglesias is on the bench again tonight and has been the designated hitter on three occasions to lessen the strain on his leg. He's appeared in 16 games, making 10 starts at shortstop, and slashed .400/.414/.564 with nine doubles and 10 RBIs. "That's a possibility," manager Brandon Hyde said during today's...

Chris Davis stays on the bench tonight while the Orioles open a three-game series at home against the Blue Jays. Davis pinch-hit in the ninth inning yesterday and struck out with the count full. He's 6-for-45 (.133) with a .388 OPS, three doubles, an RBI, three walks and 13 strikeouts. His last home run was hit Sept. 23 in Toronto, where the Blue Jays are prohibited from playing this summer. They've relocated to Buffalo. Davis' last start came in Friday's 15-3 loss to the Nationals. He has...

Juan Soto was named National League Player of the Week after a torrid road trip at the plate. During a seven-game stretch at the Mets and Orioles, Soto hit .462 (12-for-26) with five home runs, 12 RBIs, 12 runs scored at a 1.610 OPS. He hit safely in six of the seven games and drove in a run in five of the seven contests. Though he doesn't qualify yet for the league leaderboard because he opened the season on the injured list while quarantining from what he believes was a false positive test...