The versatile Stevie Wilkerson added "center fielder" to his defensive resume last night in the Orioles' loss to Tampa Bay. He had started in center twice this year at Triple-A Norfolk and last night made his first-ever major league start at the position. And it went well, and he's back there tonight. He made a catch near the wall in the third inning Friday, and a strong throw home that was late on a sac fly in the sixth. Wilkerson has said that he loves defensive challenges, and he's now...

PHILADELPHIA - And we're back for another evening at the ballpark. You know the drill by now. The Nationals, after dropping a series opener, will try to get back on track despite an injury-depleted lineup and a patched-together bullpen. They'll hope their starter gives them a bunch of quality innings, then hope they can cobble the rest together and emerge victorious. That depleted lineup has been depleted even further. Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list today with back spasms....

Shortstop Richie Martin and center fielder Joey Rickard remain out of the Orioles lineup for tonight's game against the Rays. Jonathan Villar continues to play short while Hanser Alberto starts at second base. Stevie Wilkerson will make his second professional start in center. Wilkerson is 8-for-24 against right-handers this season and 0-for-9 versus lefties. Austin Wynns is behind the plate tonight. Dwight Smith Jr., who's in left field again, is batting .440 (11-for-25) in nine career games...

With a walk-off loss and a blowout loss over their last two games, the Orioles (11-22) look to get back in the victory column tonight when they host the Tampa Bay Rays (21-11). It is the second game of a three-game series and a nine-game homestand. Coming off a 1-5 road trip, the Birds were shut out 7-0 last night. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow threw seven scoreless innings to improve to 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA. No Oriole reached second base, and the team was held without an extra-base hit for the...

It was another night when the Orioles got a short outing from a starting pitcher, but the way Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow was throwing it was not going to matter. Glasnow was dominant last night as Tampa Bay beat the Orioles 7-0 to take the series and homestand opener. It's not a bad combination for a pitcher when you throw 99 mph, as Glasnow did in the first inning, and combine that with a curveball that three batters took for called third strikes. It didn't get much better for Baltimore...

PHILADELPHIA - For all the agonizing over the pitching decisions made during Friday night's 4-2 loss to the Phillies, the continued lack of any sustained offense by the Nationals played just as much of a role in the club falling to 1-10 in series openers this season. "We didn't hit," manager Davey Martinez said. "We've got to score more than two runs. (Jeremy Hellickson) kept us in the ballgame. We had a couple opportunities, but we couldn't get that big hit." Given the injuries the...

Anthony Santander lasted only one game with the Orioles after serving as the 26th man in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader in Chicago. Hit a home run and hit the road. He won't be forgotten by the Orioles. Santander was wise to unpack his bags after returning to Triple-A Norfolk, but manager Brandon Hyde expects to write the outfielder's name on the lineup card again during the summer. "I think you're going to see Tony here at some point. I don't know when, but he'll be back up,"...

PHILADELPHIA - It doesn't happen every single night, but on occasion a major league manager faces a critical pitching decision in the latter innings of a tight ballgame, one that is likely to impact the outcome of the contest. Sometimes the pitchers involved get the job done and reward the manager for his decision-making process. Sometimes they fail and the manager is left to explain why he did what he did. Tonight, in the aftermath of an agonizing, 4-2 loss to the Phillies, Davey Martinez had...

In his first start since being named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April, Tampa Bay right-hander Tyler Glasnow proved to be a worthy recipient of the honor. And it didn't take long to note that. Staked to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Glasnow struck out the side in the home first. He showed a 99 mph fastball and then a big curveball that produced looking strikeouts of Jonathan Villar, Trey Mancini and Dwight Smith Jr. He was off and running toward his fifth win of the...

As if the Orioles needed any more reminders tonight that the baseball gods don't usually treat rebuilding teams with a gentle touch, a check-swing roller in the first inning reached the grass in shallow right field and put them behind only two batters into the game. A soft hit, but another hard lesson. Tommy Pham stood on second base with arms spread and a huge smile on his face, as if feeling a little guilty but also amused by his good fortune. The three-run homer from Mike Zunino in the...