The Orioles have made another bullpen move heading into tonight's series opener against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Dillon Tate has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the Orioles optioned reliever Evan Phillips to the alternate camp site in Bowie. Manager Brandon Hyde told the media yesterday in his Zoom conference call that Tate was facing hitters and nearing a return. "Couple days ago, threw an inning-plus down there," Hyde said, "so he's getting...

There have been moments over the last 3 1/2 weeks when the Nationals looked very much like legitimate contenders, a team with a deep lineup, a dominant (when healthy) rotation and a revamped bullpen that might actually have morphed into a strength for the first time in a long time. And then there have been moments when the defending champions have looked nothing like the club that played .667 ball for more than six months last year, the current lineup ravaged by injuries and underperforming...

Through a 12-9 start, with 35 percent of the 2020 season in the books, there has been a lot to like in Birdland. The offense has been a real surprise and one of the majors' best. The bullpen has shown improvement. The Orioles are a playoff contender through 21 games. But maybe one overlooked aspect of this good start is the steady hand of manager Brandon Hyde. When he was hired by the club on Dec. 17, 2018, he called managing the Orioles a "dream come true." And while this is just his...

The glass is half full or half empty. The viewpoint is up for debate. An Orioles bullpen providing outstanding coverage in games and a rotation unable to work beyond the middle innings. One is lauded, the other lectured. Relievers tossed four scoreless innings Saturday night against the Nationals to seal a 7-3 win, after Asher Wojciechowski threw one pitch in the sixth and watched the ball sail over the left field fence. Jorge López made his Orioles debut yesterday and walked off the mound...

It wasn't the first time. Or the second. But the third time the Orioles faced three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, they finally got to him. They sure did. His former catcher, Pedro Severino, unloaded a three-run homer to left that pulled the Orioles from 5-1 behind to within 5-4. On an afternoon that had the look for a while of a not today day, the Orioles' relentless offense kept plugging away. An inning later, Anthony Santander's second homer of the afternoon tied the game at 5-5...

John Means threw his last warm-up pitch this afternoon, waited for the ball to return to him and fired a 94 mph heater that missed his target. Baseball was back in his life. The question was how long he'd stay in his first game since leaving the bereavement and injured lists. On the mound for the first time in 12 days, Means issued an 11-pitch leadoff walk to Trea Turner and was victimized by three soft singles before retiring a batter. The first out came on his 29th pitch, a line drive to...

BALTIMORE - A game that featured a lot of quality at-bats by a reconfigured lineup, a heated (and very audible) exchange with the plate umpire that led to the ejection of the hitting coach and dismissal of a pitcher watching from the stands, a dominant start by Max Scherzer that imploded via a couple of monster home runs and then a gift error to allow the go-ahead run to score ultimately came down to the two flamethrowers the Nationals now deploy at the back of their bullpen. The Nats were...

The Orioles will try to continue their weekend success today when they wrap up a three-game series with the Washington Nationals. The Orioles are 9-2 on weekends and 3-0 in weekend series. It started when they went 2-1 at Boston and then later swept Tampa Bay three straight at home. They swept three at Washington last weekend. The completion of the suspended game happened Friday, but that game counts officially as an Aug. 9 contest. This weekend, the Orioles lost 15-3 Friday night and rebounded...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde usually knows what to expect from starter John Means. There's a certain comfort in the reliability, the innings that are consumed and the chance given to produce a win. Today is different. Means hasn't pitched since Aug. 4. He rejoined the team yesterday after his father, Alan, passed away following a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. "He's been going through a rough time and his in between starts routine obviously has been interrupted. We just don't...

Chris Davis remains on the bench today for the series finale against the Nationals. The presence of a right-handed starter didn't influence Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. Renato Núñez is playing first base instead of Davis, who's 10-for-32 (.313) with a double, a home run and 10 strikeouts against Max Scherzer. Pedro Severino is the designated hitter and Chance Sisco is behind the plate. Cedric Mullins is in center field with Austin Hays on the injured list. Pat Valaika is the shortstop...