Trey Mancini said it has not been too challenging to play well while his team continued to lose a lot. The losing was pretty much expected for the Orioles, but Mancini needed to prove in 2019 that he could play more like he did in 2017, when he finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. So after he was named the 2019 Most Valuable Oriole on Friday, Mancini said it was not much of an issue for him to put together a strong individual season for the team with the second-worst...

Last night's game was only a few minutes old and manager Brandon Hyde already had been pressed about the chances that he'd try Richard Bleier again as an opener, with Aaron Brooks being the bulk guy. Hyde has made it clear that he's unable to plan too far in advance with a pitching staff that can't offer consistent performances. And the season is running out of games. It sure worked last night, though. "This was just something we tried. I don't know," Hyde said following a 5-3 win over...

MIAMI - It's crunch time in the National League wild card race, and if the Nationals have any intention of extending their season beyond 162 games, they're going to have to win some close games over the next 10 days and do whatever's necessary to try to win those games. Tonight, that meant a six-out save attempt for Daniel Hudson, the second time the veteran reliever has been asked to do that this week. And for the second time this week, Hudson pulled it off, in the process moving his team...

Tonight the Orioles used an opener, but it was the pitcher that came next that made the biggest difference. Seattle scored two runs in the first off lefty Richard Bleier, but right-hander Aaron Brooks followed him and threw seven innings as the Orioles beat Seattle 5-3 to open a three-game series. The Orioles (50-104) ended a four-game losing streak and won for the first time on this homestand. They beat a Seattle (65-89) team that had won five in a row and seven of nine as this night...

Richard Bleier emerged from the Orioles dugout at 6:45 p.m. and began making the walk to the bullpen. Coaches Doug Brocail and John Wasdin were waiting for him. So, too, was Chance Sisco, who grabbed a ball and played catch to loosen his arm. Bleier wasn't on the usual starter's warmup schedule. He wasn't in the traditional mindset. This was a reliever used as an opener and he was going to do it his way. Filling a spot in the rotation that he hadn't occupied since the minors and winter...

MIAMI - Kurt Suzuki played catch from 60 feet today, the first time the Nationals catcher has been able to throw a ball since he departed a Sept. 7 game in Atlanta with right elbow inflammation. It was merely a first step for Suzuki, who has several more to take before he can return to the lineup. But it was a positive step for the veteran catcher, whose team hopes to have him back in some capacity for the season's final week-and-a-half. Even if Suzuki isn't ready to get behind the plate yet,...

The Seattle Mariners (65-88) have won five in a row and seven of nine games as they arrive in Baltimore tonight for their final road series of the year and the Orioles' final home series. Seattle comes to Baltimore from Pittsburgh where they swept a three-game series by scores of 6-0, 4-1 and 6-5, the latter in 11 innings. Seattle began this year going 13-2, but is 52-86 since then. They are 18-20 over their last 38 games. The M's are 32-46 on the road and 53-21 when scoring at least five...

MIAMI - Davey Martinez strolled through the clubhouse this afternoon, a wide grin on his face, his arm open to receiving hugs from anyone and everyone who welcomed the Nationals manager back to work five days after he had to go to the hospital mid-game due to chest pains. Nothing about the 53-year-old skipper looked or sounded different. He was full of energy. He was eager to talk about tonight's series opener against the Marlins, provide injury updates on Kurt Suzuki and Matt Adams and the...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn't possess inside information on the voting process for the Most Valuable Oriole award. However, he seemed to know what was coming. Hyde expected Trey Mancini to receive the honor, which the club announced earlier today. "Well, it's not a surprise to me," Hyde said. "Well-deserved. Had an amazing year. He's finishing the year extremely strong and he's done everything for us this year. An All-Star type year and he's a great player and one of the better...

Orioles outfielder/first baseman Trey Mancini today was named the 2019 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole. The award is voted on by local media that cover the team on a regular basis. Mancini leads the Orioles in doubles (36), home runs (34), RBIs (93), on-base percentage (.356), slugging (.536), OPS (.892) and total bases (305). He's set career-highs in hits (163), doubles, home runs, runs scored (100), RBIs and walks (56) this season, and became the 10th different player (15th time) in...