They've had more days off than days on recently, but that changes tonight for the Nationals, who begin a stretch of 13 consecutive days with games on the schedule with the opener of a weekend series against the Orioles. There's still uncertainty about the status of the top two members of the Nats rotation, so that puts some added pressure on the guys beneath them to do their job in the interim. Tonight that responsibility falls upon Aníbal Sánchez, who makes his second start of the...

The 60-man player pool is down to one open spot. The Orioles announced today that they added infielder Gunnar Henderson and left-hander Brian Gonzalez to the group that's working out and playing intrasquad games at the alternate camp site in Bowie. Henderson, 19, was an anticipated arrival based on his prospect status. The Orioles selected him in the second round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of John T. Morgan Academy in Alabama and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League, where he...

Third baseman Carter Kieboom has played in four games for the Nationals this season, showing great patience at the plate and an eye for the strike zone. Kieboom is batting .417 (5-for-12) with four walks and one RBI. His on-base percentage is .563 and his OPS is .979. If he played a minimum amount of games, that OPS would rank 13th in the National League. On July 30 against the Blue Jays in a 6-4 victory, Kieboom went 2-for-2 with two walks and enjoyed a span of reaching base six consecutive...

If you are trying to get a handle on how the Orioles will do this year and you watched them play the last week, you might be very confused. They swept three straight from a Tampa Bay team that won 96 games last year. Then they played the depleted Miami Marlins, who restarted their season after about a week's stay in the hotel and with little prep for this series, and they lost four straight. The Birds have now played in three straight series ending in sweeps. They lost two in a row to the...

They've had a bunch of days off in the last week, but the Nationals are going to make up for it with a bunch of doubleheaders later in the season. Major League Baseball announced a slew of schedule changes Thursday to account for all the games lost due to coronavirus outbreaks among the Marlins and Cardinals. And in order for the Nats to make up their postponed weekend against Miami, they're going to have to play three doubleheaders in two cities before season's end. The Nationals and...

Is the path clearer for Ryan Mountcastle to make his major league debut? Can an hour pass without someone asking why he's still at the Bowie camp site? There's absolutely no doubt that Mountcastle is going to play for the Orioles this summer, and it could happen at any minute with his service time unaffected by a promotion. There are no excuses beyond the organization's mandate that he must be able to handle left field rather than serve exclusively as the designated hitter and must exhibit...

The bats came out of the rack. They made some loud noises. The threat of another shutout was obliterated like the pitch Renato Núñez launched into the left field seats to open the top of the second inning. If the Orioles were going to lose again tonight, at least they'd go down swinging. A problem is fixed and the ship springs two other leaks. And the solution wasn't to keep plugging away. Wade LeBlanc lasted only 3 1/3 innings, the defense collapsed behind him and an offensive rush...

After scoring one run on 10 hits in the first three games of this series, the Orioles host Miami tonight in the final game of the set. They're batting just .130 (10-for-77) and have gone 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position in losing the series' first three games. They averaged 5.5 runs per game in the four games preceding this series, but it hasn't happened against the Marlins. They got three hits each in the first and second games of the series and four hits in the late game last...

The roster is set at 28 players after the Orioles optioned DJ Stewart to the alternate camp site at Bowie following last night's doubleheader. No moves have been made this afternoon, and the team is doing stretching exercises and taking batting practice after an earlier gathering on the field with manager Brandon Hyde that included a round of applause but no explanation. Stewart missed it. He left the club last night after going 0-for-14 with six walks and eight strikeouts this season. "Like...

José Iglesias is getting the start at shortstop tonight rather than kept as the designated hitter or a pinch-hitter. Rio Ruiz, however, isn't ready to return to third base while dealing with a sore right shoulder. Ruiz is 7-for-22 (.318) with three home runs and a 1.112 OPS. Iglesias is 11-for-24 (.458) with six doubles and a 1.188 OPS. The Orioles need both of them with their offense in a major funk. An offense that's totaled one run and 10 hits in three losses in the series. Ruiz could...