Will Renato Núñez and Trey Mancini lead the Orioles to a win today in the series finale against the New York Yankees? They'll be facing a Yankees pitcher who has struggled recently and one they have hit very well this year. Lefty J.A. Happ (9-7, 5.48 ERA) gets the start for the Yankees. Over his past two starts he has allowed 10 runs in 10 2/3 innings. Over his past four games he is 1-2 with an 8.55 ERA and a 1.004 OPS against, and he's allowed eight homers in 20 innings. And in four...

The readers of this blog are starting to beat the drum already. The Orioles, they say, need to sign some starting pitching for 2020 to avoid a repeat of the pitching we've seen in 2019. OK, that sounds reasonable. But here is the issue: To get real quality with a track record of success, they probably need to offer a free agent a multi-year contract. Are they going to be ready to do that? Probably not. Failing that, you get back to the pitchers you can get for a one-year deal, and they won't...

NEW YORK - Chandler Shepherd is in that uncertain state where he could stay with the Orioles based on a largely effective relief outing or be optioned based on a largely effective relief outing. Shepherd worked four innings last night and threw 68 pitches, trading a start with Triple-A Norfolk for his major league debut. Other relievers in the past have been sent down, no matter the results, based on their lack of availability in the coming days. Manager Brandon Hyde wasn't ready to reveal a...

When Daniel Hudson trotted in from the bullpen with two outs in the eighth Tuesday night, many among the crowd of 30,130 at Nationals Park may have been wondering whether Davey Martinez intended to ask his recently acquired reliever to give him a four-out save, or whether Martinez simply wanted him to get out of the inning before handing the ball to someone else for the ninth. Hudson didn't need to ask the question. He already knew the plan hours earlier. "Davey told me before the game to be...

It appears Juan Soto's ankle is just fine. So is Brian Dozier's stomach. Soto and Dozier crushed solo homers in the fourth inning, providing Joe Ross and the bullpen enough breathing room to help the Nationals drop the Reds 3-1. Soto hit home run No. 25 into the second deck of right field to give the Nats a 2-0 lead. It was his fourth homer in his last 10 at-bats. The 20-year-old said he has been fine-tuning his swing with the Nats hitting coach Kevin Long. "I feel really well at the...

NEW YORK - One pitch from John Means tonight, the first ball to leave his hand, brought evidence that the feeling of déjà vu also makes a sound. Leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu pulled a 91 mph fastball into the left field seats for the latest home run surrendered to the Yankees. The eighth run allowed in the first inning in three games in the series. The only break in tradition was that it didn't involve Gleyber Torres. Torres was tamed for one night by his standards, settling for a single...

The longest scoreless innings streak from a member of the Nationals pitching staff this season doesn't belong to Max Scherzer. It doesn't belong to Stephen Strasburg. It doesn't belong to Patrick Corbin. And it doesn't belong to Sean Doolittle. It belongs to Joe Ross. And if that fact doesn't surprise you, you haven't been paying close attention to the 2019 season. Given up for dead by everyone other than the folks who call the shots in the Nationals organization, Ross has completely...

The Nationals scored first on an interesting double play to end the top of the first inning. With one out, Victor Robles doubled. Anthony Rendon singled with Robles taking third base. Juan Soto's hot shot was gloved by Joey Votto at first. Votto stepped on first to retire Soto, then threw to shortstop José Iglesias to tag Rendon out at second base. When Votto stepped on first base, that eliminated the force out. Robles crossed the plate before Rendon was tagged out at second base, so the...

The Orioles (39-80) play game No. 120 tonight as they try to snap a 14-game losing streak to the New York Yankees. New York swept Monday's day-night doubleheader by 8-5 and 11-8 scores, scoring 19 runs and hitting seven home runs. In going 15-2 this season against the Orioles, New York has scored 137 runs (8.1 per game) and hit 59 homers (3.5 per game). New York has scored eight or more runs eight times in 2019 against the Orioles. In their last five games, the Yankees have scored 51...

NEW YORK - Outfielder DJ Stewart will go on a brief rehab assignment before the Orioles activate him from the seven-day concussion injured list. Stewart will join Triple-A Norfolk in Pawtucket and play in two games before coming back to the Orioles on Friday in Boston, where a roster move will be made. The latest move for a club that's in a constant state of change. The bullpen has been impacted the most, with Chandler Shepherd the latest pitcher to settle into the group. The Orioles have used...