Orioles utility player Pat Valaika had an uncertain offseason, one where he was claimed by the Orioles, then Arizona, then the Orioles again. He was outrighted off the club's 40-man roster on Feb. 11. But one day before the shortened season was set to begin, his contract was selected by the club on July 23. It was bumpy ride in the winter, but has been a much smoother one during this season for Valaika. He's been on the roster all year. Over 50 games, the 28-year-old has hit .263/.300/.451...

José Iglesias has returned to the Orioles lineup tonight as the designated hitter after receiving treatment for a sore left wrist. Renato Núñez has been excluded after appearing to be in some discomfort last night while running the bases. Ryan Mountcastle is in left field and Pat Valaika is the first baseman. Ramón Urías gets another start at shortstop. Austin Hays is in right field. The Orioles are one game ahead of the last-place Red Sox and trying to avoid sharing the division...

Third baseman Carter Kieboom said his left wrist is improving, but he understands it was the smart move for the Nationals to place him on the injured list for the remainder of the season. Three days ago, Kieboom got hit by the Phillies' Zack Wheeler's sinker and suffered a left wrist contusion. "Grip strength is where my problem is right now," Kieboom said today on a pregame Zoom call. "Swelling is still a little bit there. I think we are going to get some more opinions at it, some more...

The Nationals enter the final series of the regular season knowing they have only four games against the Mets remaining on the schedule. With the Giants' 7-2 win over the Rockies late last night, the Nats were officially eliminated from postseason consideration a year after winning the World Series. Tonight, left-hander Patrick Corbin (2-6, 4.76 ERA) makes his final start of 2020 against Mets left-hander David Peterson (5-2, 3.80 ERA). The Mets are almost done themselves, but at 25-31 still...

The Nationals have never had a batting champion since arriving in D.C. in 2005. They've had one player lead the National League in OPS. With four days to go in the 2020 season, they might just wind up with their first player who did both. Thanks to a strong couple of games to wrap up their just-completed series with the Phillies, Juan Soto heads into the season's final series against the Mets leading the NL in a host of offensive categories. Soto is batting .352, tops in the NL. His.486...

This is not the way the Orioles wanted to play to end the 2020 season. There are four games to go, but they need to clean a few things up and fast. They've lost the first two games of their series at Boston. If they get swept tomorrow, these clubs will be tied for fourth place with three to play. A last-place finish is within reach. Just a week or two weeks ago there were playoff hopes and talk. After last night's 8-3 loss at Fenway Park, they got smoked 9-1 tonight. The Orioles have gone...

Staying in the pennant race until the final week of the season is small consolation for Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. A feeling of pride that doesn't overflow the cup. Hyde recounts the leads lost along the way. The games that should have been won. And it gnaws at him. A "pretty good accomplishment," Hyde says, considering the inexperience, injuries and daily challenges of living and working in a pandemic. But his competitive side reminds him of the offensive droughts and late-inning...

Erick Fedde did a lot of things right on Wednesday night, minus a couple of pitches to Bryce Harper. The right-hander ended up finishing the season strong, going seven innings in a hard-luck loss to the Phillies. Fedde allowed two homers to Harper, but overall just three runs on five hits. He walked one batter and struck out five. The Phillies salvaged the final game of the four-game set over the Nationals 12-3, scoring six runs in the ninth to pull away. Andrew McCutchen also doubled and came...

The winner of the Most Valuable Oriole award, determined now that the media votes are calculated, is going to be deserving of the honor without the glowing statistics. They weren't going to illuminate in 2020. A shortened season has left us in the dark in so many ways. I'm not going to reveal my ballot until the victor is announced on Friday. However, it seems apparent that four players are under consideration, though the order and exclusion vary, according to an informal poll taken of the...

Nobody has repeated as World Series champions in two decades. Suffice it to say, it's a huge challenge trying to go back-to-back under normal circumstances. And the 2020 season has been the most abnormal season of our lives. We've accepted for some time the Nationals would not be repeating this year. Injuries, poor performances, a lack of depth and the understandable diminished motivation that was part of this season all came together to produce a disappointing, losing record. Yet when they...