Alex Cobb knows the pain of being unable to start on opening day for the first time because an injury ruined the experience. He can sympathize with left-hander John Means, whose assignment in Boston is in jeopardy due to arm fatigue. Cobb isn't a candidate to replace Means because he stood on the mound tonight with baseball in hand and his own, more modest goal, in mind. The Orioles wanted to stretch out Cobb to four innings and never considered the idea of using him on short rest against the...

The Orioles are waiting to find out the results of Stevie Wilkerson's visit today to a hand specialist and should be able to gather more information later this afternoon. Wilkerson had swelling in his left ring finger after making a diving catch last night in Philadelphia. He's become a candidate for the injured list. John Means isn't throwing while trying to work through a dead-arm period. He's just receiving treatment and the Orioles aren't sure about his status for opening day. "John...

With four days left before opening night, the Orioles will play their only home exhibition game tonight at Oriole Park. The Orioles (1-0) host the Washington Nationals (0-1). The same clubs meet at Nats Park on Tuesday night. The Orioles beat the Phillies 5-1 in game that went 9 1/2 innings last night at Citizens Bank Park. Pedro Severino, Cedric Mullins, Pat Valaika and Ryan Mountcastle hit solo homers for the Orioles and Hanser Alberto added an RBI single. Right-hander Thomas Eshelman pitched...

BALTIMORE - The Nationals announced today that Dr. Anthony Fauci will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday on opening night before the nationally televised game against the Yankees. Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been seen in public appearances wearing a Nats face mask during the coronavirus shutdown and is a noted Nats fan, attending about a dozen games in person each season and watching another 40-50 on television. A...

The Nationals passed their first test of the exhibition season, successfully hosting a game against the Phillies. Now they face their next important test: a road game. It's not really a road trip, just a short bus ride up to Camden Yards and back. No overnight stay in a hotel. No flights. But there are different protocols and considerations they must follow for tonight's game against the Orioles, and at the end of the night, they'll hopefully have a better idea what they're in for once they...

Anthony Santander is in the Orioles' exhibition lineup tonight against the Nationals, making the start in right field after reporting to camp last week. Santander was late after testing positive for COVID-19, but the Orioles are optimistic that he can get ready for Friday night's opener in Boston. DJ Stewart is leading off and Cedric Mullins, who homered last night in Philadelphia, is in center field and batting ninth. Austin Hays is out of the lineup after being hit on the left knee last...

Projected finish: Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins The Braves are taking aim at winning their third consecutive National League East title. And if they make it to October, the goal is to redirect their losing postseason history. Since 2002, the Braves have been to the postseason nine times without advancing beyond their first series or game. They've lost in one wild card game and eight NL Division Series. In a sense, they are reliving their 1990s, when the Braves won 14 consecutive...

Projected finish: Rays, Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, Red Sox. The Yankees and Rays couldn't be more distant financially or historically. The Yankees' 2020 season will be considered a bust if they don't win their franchise's 28th World Series come October. The Rays have been to the World Series once, losing to Philadelphia in 2008. Just getting there again would be a dream. The Rays play in a domed stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla., that is usually more empty than full, even with a winning...

They've played only one exhibition game, but the Nationals have no choice but to start thinking seriously about finalizing their opening night roster, which must be submitted 72 hours from now. In some ways, this is a trickier proposition than it usually is, given the lack of time and lack of performance to make such player judgments. And yet in some ways it's also a simpler task than usual, because they're allowed to keep 30 players on the active roster for the season's first two...

The Orioles could have some big decisions to make later today. They'll check on All-Star left-hander John Means and his availability to make the opening day start Friday night at Boston. Means was scratched from last night's start due to arm fatigue and a case of dead arm. But pitching in his place at Philadelphia, 26-year-old right-hander Thomas Eshelman, he of the 6.50 ERA last year, threw another solid outing. Between four games in the first spring training and three in the current summer...