The Orioles don't have an official order for trade chips. They don't put out power rankings each week. The top four won't square off to determine a winner and corporate sponsorship is nonexistent. Trey Mancini would be the undisputed No. 1 for the Orioles if they were motivated to move him. He's on a large table with everyone else - the untouchable bin is empty - but there's less motivation in the front office. Mychal Givens seems to be next in line with Andrew Cashner gone, though it...

BALTIMORE - Ask him before the game how he'd feel about six innings of one-run ball from Erick Fedde, and Davey Martinez would've scooped it up in a heartbeat and been content with it 'til the cows come home. But when that very proposition came true tonight, Martinez was faced with a decision he never could have foreseen. Fedde had only thrown 66 pitches in those six innings. His bullpen was rested and ready to go, trying to protect a one-run lead over the Orioles. Would he let his young...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has been waiting for his offense to ignite. Trying various combinations, sitting certain guys, seeking out favorable matchups if they exist. It takes some digging. Twelve runs were scored in the first five games following the All-Star break. Multiple players have been fighting slumps and losing the battle. The Nationals recalled two pitchers from Triple-A to start in the series and the Orioles had their hands full. Austin Voth held them to one run in six innings in...

BALTIMORE - Nationals infielder Howie Kendrick gets the start tonight as the designated hitter. Manager Davey Martinez likes to find a way to put Kendrick in as a starter, but also understands that he must balance that hope with making sure his 36-year-old veteran can stay healthy enough to play the entire season. And playing every day is not in the cards any longer. The Nats have played 93 games so far this season. Kendrick has played in 60 of those games. Tonight, he starts at designated...

BALTIMORE - Max Scherzer again played catch in the outfield at Camden Yards today, but his status for this weekend's series in Atlanta won't be known for at least another 24 hours. Scherzer, on the 10-day injured list with a mid-back strain, threw from up to 90 feet on flat ground this afternoon. The Nationals ace had a long conversation with director of athletic training Paul Lessard at the end of the workout, but manager Davey Martinez described the throwing session as "encouraging"...

The Orioles are going with a short bench tonight against the Nationals while Hanser Alberto is with his wife Olga for the birth of their daughter. Manager Brandon Hyde said he wants to give Alberto a few days, including Thursday with an open date on the schedule. Alberto is expected back Friday and the Orioles won't put him on the paternity leave list. "Big day for Hanser and his family and his wife," Hyde said. "I haven't heard the news yet, but she's expecting today and we're excited...

"Leadership in Turbulent Times" by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an examination of four presidents who took office in times of crisis - Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. Kearns can bring the real essence of the times and the men to life in a novelistic read. She has done this in her many books and that is a prime reason she is a vital historian for today and forever. Lincoln had the Civil War, FDR had the depression and WWII, Teddy Roosevelt took office...

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde from Double-A Harrisburg and optioned infielder Adrián Sanchez to Double-A Harrisburg on Wednesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Fedde, 26, was recalled to make his seventh Major League start of the season on Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. He is 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA in six starts for Washington in 2019. Fedde's last start came on June 20 vs....

BALTIMORE - The Nationals got a strong start from an inexperienced right-hander last night, helping set the stage for a win over the Orioles. They'll hope for another tonight, and a two-game sweep at scorching hot and humid Camden Yards, where the heat index as I type this is a mere 110. Erick Fedde takes the mound for his first big league start since June 20, when he lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Phillies, having thrown a whopping 84 pitches. Like Austin Voth last night, he's trying...

With a record number of Baseball Hall of Famers scheduled to be in attendance, MLB Network will exclusively televise the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony featuring new members Harold Baines, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith this Sunday, July 21 in Cooperstown, New York. MLB Network analyst and former New York Yankees catcher and manager Joe Girardi will be part of MLB Network's induction coverage for the first time as his former...