How the Orioles responded to last night's thrashing at the hands and bats of the Astros provided the most intriguing element of the day. Get back on their feet and hold their ground or be knocked down again. Heads held high or chins pressed into their chests. Could they return to playing competitive baseball, a trait that's been harder to sustain this month? Could they close out the homestand on a positive note before wading deeper into a treacherous portion of their schedule? Rio Ruiz...

NEW YORK - The Nationals pulled off a dramatic rally late to finally beat the New York Mets 7-4, and got good news after the game on the status of Juan Soto. In the top of the seventh with the game tied at 3-3, former Mets infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera delivered a clutch, two-out, bases loaded two-run double down the right field line to score Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon. "I tried to hit the ball to the other side of the field and it was a fastball in," Cabrera said of the base hit agianst...

NEW YORK - The Nationals have had difficulty against Mets starter Jacob deGrom in the past. The right-hander is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 17 starts against the Nats. Recently, he has gone 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last eight starts against Washington. Nationals manager Davey Martinez believes their best chance against a pitcher the caliber of deGrom is to be just as aggressive as the hurler hopes to be. "We got to be aggressive," Martinez said. "He's going to attack the strike zone. So we got...

Gabriel Ynoa is starting Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Yankees in the Bronx. Plans for the nightcap remain uncertain, perhaps depending on what transpires today against the Astros. "The second game is still up in the air," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We'll see what happens in the game today. Not ready to announce the starter for the second game yet." I'm hearing that left-hander Ty Blach will join the club in New York and would present an option as the starter. Both teams...

NEW YORK - Another positive update on the recovery of Max Scherzer from a mild rhomboid strain. Scherzer walked by reporters in the clubhouse after his pregame workout Sunday morning and gave a thumbs up saying "bueno" when asked how he was feeling. Nationals manager Davey Martinez said a preliminary plan is in place to get Scherzer a sim game on Tuesday at Nats Park. "He threw. He said he felt really good," Martinez said. "So, we will see where he's at tomorrow. I think tomorrow he...

The Orioles will try to make a quick recovery from last night's 23-2 shellacking with the same 25-man roster. Changes will be made before Monday's doubleheader in New York, including the use of a 26th man. Anthony Santander is in center field today and Jace Peterson is in left. Rio Ruiz, who homered last night, gets the start at third base. He returns to the lineup for the first time since the Orioles optioned him. Chris Davis is at first base and Chance Sisco is the designated hitter. The...

NEW YORK - The Nationals are in salvage mode Sunday after a pair of rough late-inning losses against the Mets at Citi Field. Despite enjoying leads in the eighth and ninth innings Friday and Saturday nights, the Nats fell 7-6 and 4-3 and find themselves only 1/2 game ahead of New York in the National League wild card standings. "We just come back all the way from the West Coast," said Nationals catcher Yan Gomes after Saturday's loss. "We swept the Giants over there who they were a team...

So after they gave up 23 runs and lost last night, the Orioles face Justin Verlander today as they try to avoid getting swept three straight by Houston. The Orioles lost 3-2 Friday night and 23-2 last night. Before this series they lost by scores of 9-6, 9-4 and 14-2 to the New York Yankees. So the O's are 0-5 in a 10-game stretch against the Yankees and Astros. Before the Orioles began this stretch against New York and Houston, they had gone 7-5 the previous 12 games, 10-7 in 17 and 16-15 in...

Now that Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal have come from the Houston Astros to the Orioles, O's fans are wondering and of course hoping the two can take some of what worked there and make it work here. Maybe even more so after last night's 23-2 loss to Houston. The Orioles suffered their most lopsided loss of the year, allowing season highs in runs and hits. It was just the fourth time in team history they've allowed 23 or more runs in a game. Houston lost 106 or more games every year from 2011 to...

NEW YORK - Saturday night turned into a no-decision for left-hander Patrick Corbin in the Nationals' 4-3 loss to the surging New York Mets. Corbin allowed back-to-back solo homers to J.D. Davis and Wilson Ramos in the fourth inning. He surrendered a single to Michael Conforto for the Mets' first hit in the second inning. But that was it. Corbin said he was able to refocus pretty quickly after the homers. He felt pretty good about how he was pitching during the game. "I felt good. Solo homers...