Even before he met with local reporters and went through his first press conference at Camden Yards, catcher Adley Rutschman met some Orioles fans. That happened when he was walking around Camden Yards after officially signing with the team on Monday. "They're just excited," he said of his interaction. "You can see how supportive they are and how close-knit it is here. It kind of reminds me of Oregon State, and that's exciting." Rutschman had his introductory press conference Tuesday....

MIAMI - What's the best seven-start stretch of Max Scherzer's career with the Nationals? The mind immediately turns to the summer of 2015, his first in Washington, when he - in succession - tossed a one-hitter in Milwaukee, then no-hit the Pirates in D.C., then carried a perfect game into the sixth inning in Philadelphia. But that was only three starts, great as they were. You might remember a run of dominance in June 2017, when Scherzer posted an 0.86 ERA and 0.554 WHIP across seven starts,...

Adley Rutschman provided a nice distraction yesterday for the Orioles. He also supplied the humor. Asked if he had any nice purchases in mind after receiving a record $8.1 million signing bonus, Rutschman smiled and said, "I don't really know. I'm pretty comfortable with my Honda Civic." A question about his physical condition was handled in three words and with another grin: "I feel great." If you want him to expand on it, find a comfortable seat and keep waiting. Rutschman made a...

The switching back to the east coast tonight did not do a thing to help Orioles pitching. After the hurlers struggled, giving up 59 runs during a 1-6 west coast trip, the O's fell behind big early tonight. They were down 5-2 at the end of three and 7-2 at the end of the fourth in the opener of the two-game series with San Diego. They lost 8-3 in the first of a five-game homestand. The Orioles (22-57) have lost 12 of 13, 16 of 19 and 28 of their last 35 games. They are 9-29 at Oriole Park, 7-19...

Jimmy Yacabonis walked the first batter he faced tonight and waited for the third. Yacabonis stayed off the rubber as the ovation built for Manny Machado, the former Orioles All-Star and Platinum Glove winner making his return to Camden Yards. He understands and appreciates a moment, but he also won't surrender to it, getting a called third strike with a sweeping slider. Machado had the final word, however, launching a 455-foot home run into the visiting bullpen on the first pitch thrown to...

MIAMI - If the Nationals' primary objective over these final two weeks before the All-Star break is to take care of business against the sub-.400 competition they're facing, they put on a clinic tonight that should be bottled up and saved for future teams to watch and admire. It helps, of course, to have peak Max Scherzer on the mound. Scherzer continued his month of dominance with yet another gem, carving up the Marlins for eight innings and leading the Nationals to a simple, efficient,...

The Baltimore Orioles today announced that they have signed their second round selection of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, shortstop Gunnar Henderson, from John T. Morgan (AL) Academy. Henderson was selected with the first pick in the second round (No. 42 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. Henderson was named the Alabama Sports Writers Association Mr. Baseball for 2019, as well as Alabama Gatorade State Player of the Year, after hitting .559/.641/1.225 (57-for-102) with 17...

MIAMI - Austin Voth will get a chance to make another start this weekend in Detroit. And Ryan Zimmerman is on track to be there, on the Nationals' active roster for the first time in two months. Manager Davey Martinez confirmed what became clear Monday after the Nationals optioned Erick Fedde to Triple-A Fresno: Voth will remain in the big league rotation after his impressive season debut Sunday against the Braves. The rookie right-hander is lined up to start Saturday at Comerica Park in the...

With a 1-6 west coast trip in their rear-view mirror, the Orioles begin a two-team, five-game homestand tonight. They'll host former Oriole Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Cleveland comes to Baltimore this weekend. The Orioles are 22-56 overall and 9-28 at home. They have lost 11 of 12, 15 of 18 and 19 of their last 24 games. The Orioles are 0-16-1 over their past 17 series. Third baseman Hanser Alberto is batting .338 (26-for-77) in 19 June games and his...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde joked twice today about speeding up and concluding his pregame media session so everyone in the room could get the next guy. Manny Machado drew a crowd in his return to Camden Yards and his session lasted about 11 minutes longer. Hyde was more of an opener, but only for today. "I didn't get to see him play much to be honest with you. I saw him play a couple times interleague when we came here in '17," Hyde said. "I obviously watched him on TV a lot. Everybody...