The Nationals won't be answering incessant questions about closer Sean Doolittle's recent ineffectiveness - well, for at least another 10 days or so. Doolittle was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday morning with right knee tendinitis, hours after coughing up four runs in one-third of an inning and failing to protect an 11-8 lead in the ninth inning. The Nationals went on to lose 15-14 in 14 innings Saturday night. Manager Davey Martinez and Nationals medical personnel met with Doolittle...

BOSTON - Left-hander DL Hall, the Orioles' first-round pick in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft and one of their top prospects, will miss the remainder of the season at Single-A Frederick due to mild strain of his left lat muscle. Hall complained of soreness after his last start on Aug. 8 and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain. There aren't enough games left in the minor league season to get him back on the mound, but he could pitch in the Arizona Fall League. The season already was a...

BOSTON - Chris Davis returns to the Orioles lineup today and they'll try to avoid being swept in their three-game series at Fenway Park. Renato Núñez is playing third base. Trey Mancini is the designated hitter and Anthony Santander is in right field. Jace Peterson is in left. Left-hander Ty Blach makes his second start for the Orioles. Nathan Eovaldi is making his fifth start for the Red Sox this season and his 16th appearance. He's allowed 22 earned runs (23 total) and 38 hits in 34...

Sean Doolittle insisted before Saturday night's game, he was good to pitch. As soon as he actually tried to pitch in the top of the ninth, he realized he didn't have what he needed to be effective. "Tonight, man, I just didn't have anything," the Nationals closer said. "So, yeah, we're going to have to figure something out. I'm going to have to figure something out. Because this team, they deserve better right now." What had been looming as a potential problem for a while now has...

Who knows how this wild 2019 season will end for the Nationals, whether they'll catch the Braves and win the National League East, whether they'll hold onto one of the league's two wild card berths or whether they'll collapse and miss the playoffs altogether. Here's what we can say unequivocally about the 2019 Nationals: They do not quit. No game is ever out of reach. No matter how demoralized they may be at one moment, they refuse to stay down until they've used up every last...

BOSTON - A fulltime pitching role for Hunter Harvey, whether he's back in the rotation or staying in the bullpen, is one of the many important decisions that the Orioles need to make after playing their final game. The kid, and he still qualifies at age 24, would seemingly benefit from a concrete plan. The kicker here, of course, is that Harvey's string of injuries hasn't gotten tangled in the 2019 season. The discussion centers on how to use him properly and his results. Not the latest...

The way it has been going for the Orioles' pitching lately, you would certainly take a night when they gave up just four runs. That happened last night, but they still lost. They were held to five hits in a 4-0 loss at Boston to fall to 39-84 with six losses in a row and 11 in the past 12 games. They've scored one run in two games this weekend at Fenway Park. Today the Orioles end a brutal stretch of 13 straight games against the Yankees, Astros, Yankees and Red Sox. At best they will go...

BOSTON - The Orioles' bullpen has drawn lots of unwanted attention this season with the constant shuttling of relievers and the overall lack of dependability that's been a constant source of frustration to manager Brandon Hyde. The insertion of former first-round pick Hunter Harvey tonight created a different kind of buzz. The kid made it back to the majors and his debut could come at any moment. Hyde pretty much indicated as much prior to the game while sitting in the dugout for his media...

The Orioles have lost by scores of 9-1 and 4-0 in Boston and they'll need a win today to avoid a three-game sweep. In this series the Baltimore offense has produced just one run on 10 hits, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Orioles (39-84) have lost six in a row and 11 of the past 12 games. They have gone 1-11 in this stretch against the Yankees, Astros, Yankees and Red Sox. They have scored four runs or less 72 times on the year, going 8-64. The Orioles have scored two runs...

Rotation depth, such a problem area for the Nationals last season and early this season, hasn't been an issue over the last month. That's thanks to the lights-out performances of Erick Fedde and Joe Ross, who have allowed the Nats to continue to thrive even while Max Scherzer has been on the injured list. Now, though, the organization faces a surprisingly tricky decision with Scherzer close to returning from his back injury. And the potential return of two other right-handers from long-term...