DENVER - The situations line up properly. The matchups unfold as Orioles manager Brandon Hyde envisions them. And then chaos ensues and he's left to wonder again about the composition of his pitching staff and praise a team for resiliency that's tested to the limit. The Orioles came within two outs of a rare series win, but the feel-good comeback was followed again by a violent gut punch. A bases-loaded walk from struggling closer Mychal Givens ties the game in the bottom of the ninth inning...

It took two months of agonizing starts and stops, encouraging moments followed by devastating meltdowns, series with contenders and series with also-rans. But this weekend it finally happened: The Nationals won three games in a row. It's a modest achievement, to be sure. But the Nationals were the only team in the majors that had yet to win back-to-back-to-back games in 2019. And though it happened against the worst-in-baseball Marlins, that matters not a bit to a ballclub that simply needs to...

Trevor Rosenthal enjoyed a clean inning of relief in his latest rehab appearance. Now the Nationals need to see him do it again. Rosenthal retired the side on 18 pitches, throwing 10 strikes, in a scoreless inning Saturday night for Double-A Harrisburg. It was his sixth outing while rehabbing, officially from a viral infection but practically from his inability to throw strikes while pitching for the Nationals throughout April. Rosenthal's command woes have popped up more than once while...

The Orioles beat Colorado last night 9-6 and produced a season-high 17 hits. That sets them up with a chance to win the series today at Coors Field in the series finale. The club's last series win was at home versus the Chicago White Sox April 22-24. Since then they have lost seven series and tied one. The Orioles' Renato Núñez has homered in four straight games, the longest streak by an Oriole since Jonathan Schoop homered in five straight from July 22-27, 2018. It is tied for the...

DENVER - The Orioles are prepared to make a roster move today involving first baseman Chris Davis. Manager Brandon Hyde said Davis has been bothered by hip soreness. Davis was examined last night and unavailable for a 9-6 win over the Rockies, which included Rio Ruiz playing first base in the ninth inning. Davis wasn't in the dugout or inside the clubhouse after the game. Hyde finished his session with the media this morning and headed inside to check on Davis before making a...

The bunt is a big part of Victor Robles' game. He has seven bunt singles already this season, three more than any other player in the major leagues. The hit-by-pitch, unfortunately, also is a big part of Robles' game. He has been plunked eight times already this season, third-most in the majors. And sometimes these two truths are connected, with potentially frightening results. As was the case during the bottom of the fourth Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park. With runners on first and...

DENVER - Keon Broxton moves down to seventh in the order today as the Orioles close out their series against the Rockies and return home. Austin Wynns is catching. Renato Núñez remains at first base with Chris Davis on the bench. David Hess comes into Coors Field today leading the majors in home runs allowed with 17. Daniel Murphy and Mark Reynolds are 0-for-2 against them. They're the only Colorado batters to face him. The Orioles matched last year's season high with 17 hits last...

DENVER - The Orioles have brought reliever Evan Phillips to Coors Field this morning, setting up a bullpen move that manager Brandon Hyde hinted at yesterday. The club stuck with its current group in last night's 9-6 win over the Rockies, but Hyde said earlier that a change could come in the next day or two. Hyde used only two relievers last night, covering the last four innings with Miguel Castro and Josh Lucas. Lucas tossed three scoreless innings for his first major league save. Phillips...

We've wondered countless times this season if the Nationals might be able to build and then sustain some positive momentum. And inevitably the answer has been an emphatic no. So even though they've won two straight over the Marlins, it would be wholly irresponsible to start talking about any kind of positive momentum at this point. However, if the Nats can do today what they haven't been able to do all year - win three consecutive games - perhaps we can finally proclaim momentum to have been...

DENVER - The excessive bullpen usage by the Orioles in two months can be blamed on starters who don't get through the middle innings. On relievers who run up pitch counts and need to be bailed out. On game situations that prompt manager Brandon Hyde to pick up the phone. Hyde has indicated that he's going to be more inclined to lay off certain guys and not allow the score to dictate his moves. It's a long season. He's slipping into more of a protective mode, though he's always preached the...