The Royals' Jorge Soler led off the sixth inning Tuesday night with a single off Dylan Bundy and the Orioles had to be flashing back to just about every game in the 2019 season. The inning has crushed them. If wine could be made out of baseball players, the Orioles would turn every ballpark into a vineyard. Bundy put a cork in it, inducing a ground ball from Hunter Dozier that the Orioles turned into a 5-4-3 double play. Alex Gordon lined to center field and the deficit stayed at one run. The...

PITTSBURGH - Sure, all this offense over the last week has been nice eye candy for the Nationals and their fans. Who doesn't like to see a ballclub score lots of runs in bunches? Let's not forget the real backbone of this Nationals roster, though. As always, it's built on the broad shoulders of a starting rotation that has been the one constant all season long, no matter the nightly state of the lineup or bullpen. And Patrick Corbin has been a major part of that equation. No, Corbin hasn't...

After a lackluster loss to begin this series Monday - one that included baserunning and defensive mistakes - the Orioles won back-to-back nights to close out a series victory. The Orioles hit four homers tonight to back a strong start from right-hander Aaron Brooks and beat Kansas City 8-1. They are 41-86 and win their first series since taking three of four in Anaheim from July 25-28. Since then, they split two series and had lost their past four. They ended an eight-game losing streak last...

The record was inevitable, the only mystery surrounding the date of its arrival and who would be responsible on the mound and at the plate. It was coming as sure as nightfall. The Orioles have tied the 2016 Reds for most home runs allowed in a season with 258. There are 35 games left on the schedule. They will claim it as their own, most likely while the Rays are in town beginning Thursday. Manager Brandon Hyde will take plenty more like this one. How his team made the record an attachment...

PITTSBURGH - Hunter Strickland can laugh about it now, but in those first few moments after the barbell fell from the rack and struck him on the face Tuesday afternoon, the Nationals reliever didn't know what to think. "I had no idea. I didn't know what happened," he said. "Obviously, it hit me pretty good, so it kind of dazed me for a second there. After that, I looked up in the mirror. My nose was crooked and bleeding everywhere. Just kind of put two and two together: Got knocked out by...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is unlikely to use Hunter Harvey on consecutive days out of the bullpen, which eliminates the rookie from consideration as the team closes out its series against the Royals. Harvey retired the side in order last night in the eighth inning, striking out two batters and earning his first major league win. He also tossed a scoreless inning in his debut Saturday at Fenway Park, again striking out two and also issuing a walk. "Probably not," Hyde said. "There's...

The Orioles are one of 10 major league organizations that field two teams in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. It is a league where some the youngest international players in pro ball get their feet wet and start to really learn the game. The Orioles' two DSL teams have had solid seasons, and club officials feel the talent level in their Dominican program is on the rise. The O's DSL-1 team has a record of 31-36 and the DSL-2 team is 26-32. Felipe Rojas Alou Jr. is the director of the...

PITTSBURGH - The Nationals scored 13 runs in Monday night's series opener. Then they scored one run last night. So what does tonight hold in store? The Nationals will try to get their offensive mojo back against Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove. Musgrove hasn't faced the Nats this year. He's had an up and down season, but in his most recent start he held the Cubs to two runs and four hits while striking out nine over 7 1/3 innings. Patrick Corbin starts for the Nationals. The lefty did face...

The Orioles conclude their three-game series against the Royals with Chris Davis out of the lineup for the third night in a row. Trey Mancini remain at first base and DJ Stewart is in right field. Richie Martin is the shortstop tonight with Jonathan Villar at second base and Hanser Alberto at third and leading off. Stevie Wilkerson is in center field. Aaron Brooks has allowed five runs or more in four of his last five starts and is dragging a 9.22 ERA and 1.756 WHIP into tonight's game since...

On Aug. 3, 2019, the Diamondbacks rolled past the Nats 18-7. The lowlight for Washington: One of their hottest pitchers, Stephen Strasburg, was lit up to the tune of nine runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. In a season with 15 wins, it was by far his worst outing to date in 2019. Arizona crushed five extra-base hits in that game, including a two-run shot by Eduardo Escobar, a solo shot from Nick Ahmed and a three-run homer by Jake Lamb. Ketel Marte delivered a triple and David Peralta a...