WASHINGTON - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde added his congratulations today to Triple-A Norfolk's Ryan Mountcastle for winning the International League's MVP honor. What we don't yet know is whether Mountcastle's hot bat will be moving later this year from the International League to the American League. "We want to see our minor league guys do well and we've had a lot of bright spots in the minors this year in our system," said Hyde. "Ryan is one of those. To do that in Triple-A at his...

WASHINGTON - Triple-A Norfolk's Ryan Mountcastle was named the International League MVP today and the first baseman on the postseason All-Star team. That is welcome news in the Orioles clubhouse, where several players were his teammates this year in Norfolk. Mountcastle hit .308/.340/.528 with 32 doubles, a triple, 25 homers, 79 runs, 80 RBIs and an .869 OPS. He leads the International League in hits (153) and total bases (262), and ranks tied for second in extra-base hits (58), fourth in...

This year's Battle of the Beltways doesn't have the same juice as some previous versions did. Some of that is due to the two participants' very different records. Some of that is due to the odd scheduling, with two weeknight games in each city, one month apart from each other. Whatever the case, the Nationals and Orioles renew acquaintances tonight. And from the Nats' perspective, these are must-win games. They split the two games at Camden Yards in July. That won't cut it this time, not...

Hanser Alberto has been cleared to play tonight and is starting at third base in D.C. Alberto left Sunday's game with a head contusion and cervical neck strain. Renato Núñez was removed from the same game with discomfort behind his left knee. In the hamstring "area." But he's starting at first base tonight. The off-day worked wonders. Anthony Santander is left field and Stevie Wilkerson is in center. Jonathan Villar, who just joined the 20/20 club, is playing second base. Aaron Brooks...

WASHINGTON - The Orioles split two lopsided games with the Washington Nationals last month in Baltimore, and tonight the clubs begin a two-game series at Nationals Park. On July 16, the Nationals scored six runs their last four at-bats and got homers from Juan Soto and Matt Adams in an 8-1 win over the Orioles. The next night, Trey Mancini homered twice, driving in three runs as the Orioles won 9-2 behind a 15-hit attack. The Orioles and Nationals have been meeting since 2006 and the Orioles...

The Nationals' weekend series in Chicago was big. Big because of the opponent. Big because of the result. Big because of the impact on the standings (at least, the National League wild card race). And there are plenty more big series still to come before this season is complete. But not this week. Seven of the Nationals' 10 remaining regular season series come against fellow contenders: two with the Braves, one with the Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, Twins and Indians. The other three series come...

There is no doubt about the importance of pitching. The Orioles are 42-88 and a lack of quality pitching has been a big reason for that. But there are a few stats that show us that even a team with a record like the Orioles' won-loss mark can do well when it gets some solid pitching. First, the overall numbers. With a team ERA of 5.84 through Sunday's games, the Orioles ranked 15th and last in the American League and 30th in Major League Baseball. Their rotation ERA of 5.72 ranks 15th in the...

Following a week in which he hit .483 (14-for-29) with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI, five walks, one stolen base and six runs scored, Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was named National League Player of the Week on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. Rendon led the National League in batting average (.483), on-base percentage (.543), slugging percentage (.793) and OPS (1.336) during the week. He hit safely in all seven games, including...

Anthony Rendon has been named National League Player of the Week, honored for his impressive performance during the Nationals' 6-1 road trip. Rendon hit .483 (14-for-29) with three doubles, two homers, seven RBIs, five walks, one stolen base and six runs. He capped off the week with a dominant showing in Sunday's 11-inning win over the Cubs, going 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and a walk. Rendon, who led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS for the...

Now that the Orioles have completed their first winning homestand of the season, going 4-3 against the Royals and Rays, they're rewarded with a trip to D.C. to play a red-hot team with two aces showing. The Nationals have won five in a row, coming off a sweep of the Cubs, but that doesn't put a dent in their story. They've gone 54-26 since hitting bottom with a 19-31 record, the best 80-game stretch in club history. They're sending Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer to the mound against the...