BOSTON - Orioles shortstop Richie Martin darted to his left in a game this week in the Bronx, slid to gather a groundball hit by Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, and popped back up to his feet and fired to first base to record the out by a half-step. He earned a full style point for the maneuver. Six innings earlier, as the Yankees were batting for the first time, Martin took a few steps to his right to handle a bouncer from Aaron Judge and threw to second base, but the Orioles couldn't turn...

The Nationals totaled only three hits tonight. Turns out that was enough, because two of them were Anthony Rendon RBI doubles. The man who has made a name for himself with clutch two-baggers delivered the pair of clutch doubles his team needed tonight. The Nationals rode those RBI doubles, including the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the eighth, to a 2-1 victory over the Brewers on a night when they had to scrap and claw for everything. "I tell the guys: 'Hey, it only takes one more than the...

BOSTON - The Orioles saw some improvements tonight in Aaron Brooks, who still carried the welts from a beating administered by the Astros in his last start. The healing process after a 23-2 thrashing, with four home runs hit against him in three innings, won't happen overnight or in a couple of days. Brooks made it into the sixth inning tonight, an opportunity for a more positive outing compromised in the fourth. The Red Sox broke a tie and pulled away while handing the Orioles their 10th loss...

Left-hander Patrick Corbin did a nice job of fighting out of a major jam in the top of the third. The Brewers got on the board first with a solo homer well over the center field wall from shortstop Orlando Arcia. Pitcher Adrian Houser came up next and singled for his first major league base hit. Lorenzo Cain also singled. With two men on, Corbin struck out Keston Hiura and Christian Yelich. On the Yelich strikeout, Cain stole second base. After Ryan Braun was walked to load the bases, Corbin...

BOSTON - The Orioles are rolling the dice that a seven-man bullpen will be ample, with Chandler Shepherd optioned today to make room for outfielder DJ Stewart. Yesterday's break in the schedule allowed the relievers to rest, and more of them became available tonight. The payoff is a four-man bench and more roster flexibility. "It's nice we have that extra position player right now," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We lost a reliever, but hopefully we can stick with this number. We just...

The Orioles are one of 10 major league organizations that fields two teams in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. It is a short-season league that begins in June where some the youngest international players in pro ball get their feet wet, start their careers and begin to really learn the game. Some young players may stay in this league for a couple of seasons as they learn about nutrition and learn to speak English in a club's Dominican academy. The Orioles' two DSL teams have had...

Ryan Zimmerman is beginning a rehab assignment tonight for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators down the road in Richmond, Va., against the Flying Squirrels. Zimmerman is playing first base and batting third in the lineup behind left fielder Andrew Stevenson and shortstop Luis Garcia. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor is batting cleanup. "He's in Richmond with Harrisburg," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez. "He will probably play five or six innings today and then we will see how he...

After being swept four straight at Yankee Stadium, the Orioles move on to Fenway Park in Boston tonight. The Orioles (39-82) have lost nine of the last 10 games, all against Houston and New York. Right-hander Aaron Brooks (2-6, 6.35 ERA) starts tonight's series opener, and he can really use a good outing. In six starts with the Orioles, Brooks is 0-3 with a 9.41 ERA. Over 22 innings he has allowed 32 hits and seven home runs. Despite his poor numbers, the Orioles are 3-3 when he gets the...

Max Scherzer will take the mound at Nationals Park on Saturday. But he'll again be facing teammates, not the Brewers. Despite the ace's insistence he's ready to come off the injured list, the Nationals have decided he needs at least one more simulated game to build up his endurance. Scherzer threw only 32 pitches over two simulated innings, plus warm-up tosses in the bullpen and between innings, on Tuesday afternoon. The following day he pronounced himself healthy and insisted he was ready...

BOSTON - DJ Stewart knows that there's nothing funny about a concussion. He can smile now at the circumstances. He's watched the video. But as someone who's suffered multiple head injuries, he takes them very seriously. The Orioles reinstated Stewart from the injured list this afternoon and he's starting in right field tonight against the Red Sox, his first game since attempting a sliding catch on Aug. 6 at Camden Yards and taking a fly ball off the left temple. Stewart was in left field...