It's impossible to look at the Nationals' record following tonight's 7-3 loss in Miami and not feel something. Yes, they're now 19-31. That might make you laugh. It might make you cry. It might make you roll your eyes and wonder if the baseball gods have some kind of perverse sense of humor. "Just so you know," Davey Martinez interjected tonight in his postgame Zoom session with reporters, "I really don't like that number. It worked out last year, but I'd rather be 31-19." Fair...

Sam Freeman, one of the early bright spots in the Nationals bullpen during this unusual season, had Tommy John surgery one month ago, manager Davey Martinez confirmed today. Freeman last pitched Aug. 12 in New York, when he motioned for a trainer after feeling a "pop" in his left elbow. He was immediately removed from the game, and though the club's initial diagnosis was a flexor strain in his forearm, Martinez admitted at the time he was worried the injury was more serious. It was. An MRI...

The Orioles' last homestand of the 2020 season got off to a promising start. They took two of three games from Atlanta and held the very strong Braves offense to seven runs. But the Orioles have lost the last three games by 3-1, 10-6 and 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays. Tonight the clubs play the fourth game of a five-game series that ends Sunday. The Orioles were held to one run or none for the seventh time in the last 10 games in Friday's loss. They are 22-30 with eight games remaining. Baltimore...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde confirmed this afternoon that first baseman Chris Davis will remain on the injured list through the last eight games of the season. Davis returned to the IL five days ago with left knee patella tendinitis after already receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection, resting and working out at the alternate camp site in Bowie. He was activated on Sept. 8 after accompanying the team on its trip to New York, but appeared in only one game. In his final appearance in a 2020...

Well, if you're a fan of symmetry and symbolism, tonight's game is really important for the Nationals. To lose, not to win. Because if they lose, their season record will be 19-31. Yep, same as it was after 50 games last season. The difference, of course, is that one year ago they had 112 games to turn everything around and this year they have 10 games. So the chance of this 19-31 start producing the same result as the last 19-31 start are nearly impossible. Let the record show, these...

The Orioles brought back reliever Evan Phillips today after his role Thursday as the 29th man in the doubleheader. Phillips was optioned after Game 2, but has been recalled from the alternate camp site in Bowie. The Orioles optioned infielder Andrew Velazquez. Phillips struck out all four batters he faced Thursday and has a 3.65 ERA and 1.541 WHIP in 12 1/3 innings. He's walked eight and struck out 16. Velazquez is batting .159/.274/.206 in 40 games and 77 plate appearances. He's made 19...

In the bottom of the sixth inning Friday night in Miami, Nationals right-hander Aaron Barrett was called into pitch in a game the Marlins already led 10-3. Barrett hit Garrett Cooper with a pitch. As TV cameras went back for his reaction, it appeared the right-hander was shaking out his arm after that pitch that got away. Barrett then walked Jesús Aguilar on five pitches. Quickly, manager Davey Martinez and a Nats trainer went to the mound to check on Barrett. Martinez said after the game...

Simply put, they are making the best of a rough situation. In a year without minor league baseball games, two Orioles top 30 prospect pitchers are still getting some innings in and trying to advance their careers. They have to work on their own but the Orioles are keeping tabs on them closely. This week I spoke with 20-year-old lefty Drew Rom and 22-year-old right-hander Brenan Hanifee. The Orioles took both out of high school in the fourth round of their respective drafts. Hanifee was drafted...

The nightcap of today's twi-night doubleheader was no fun for Wil Crowe and the bullpen as the Marlins jumped on the Nationals for six runs in the first three frames and cruised to a 14-3 victory at Marlins Park. Brian Anderson went 3-for-4 with a career-high three homers and seven RBIs. Corey Dickerson went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. The Marlins put together three four-run innings in the rout. The win allowed Miami to snap a two-game skid and split the twinbill. The Nats won the...

The Orioles managed again last night to reach back to their past while focusing on the present, their latest game against the Rays that ended with a 2-1 loss, and the promising future with the influx of prospects on the roster. None of them should be ignored or neglected. Fifty years have melted away since the Orioles won the second World Series title in franchise history. They couldn't remove the pain from the upset loss to the Mets in '69, but they plowed through the regular season and...