The Orioles made a series of roster moves this afternoon that leaves them with two bench players. José Rondón was designated for assignment and the club recalled reliever Branden Kline from Triple-A Norfolk. It has to be a temporary arrangement. Rondón popped up as a pinch-hitter and has disappeared in less than a week. Also, the Orioles claimed left-hander Ty Blach off waivers from the Giants - these teams love doing business with each other - and optioned him to Norfolk. More on this...

Following a month in which he went 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA (4 ER/31.2 IP) and 44 strikeouts with just seven walks and zero home runs allowed in five starts, Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named National League Pitcher of the Month for July on Saturday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network. In the month of July, Strasburg ranked among National League pitchers in home runs allowed per 9.0 IP (T1st, 0.00), opponents' slugging percentage (2nd,...

PHOENIX - Max Scherzer was the National League's best pitcher in June. Stephen Strasburg was the NL's best pitcher in July. Strasburg today became the second consecutive Nationals right-hander to earn the league's Pitcher of the Month Award, honored for his dominant July that was every bit as impressive as his rotation mate's dominant June. Strasburg went 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA in five starts, striking out 44 batters while walking only seven in 31 2/3 innings, posting a microscopic 0.92 WHIP....

PHOENIX - They all had different initial reactions upon learning they had been traded - Daniel Hudson figured for weeks he'd be headed somewhere, Roenis Elías was excited to join a team in a pennant race, Hunter Strickland was completely blindsided by the news - but there was a common sentiment among all three of the Nationals' July 31 acquisitions: They just want to help their new team reach the postseason. "I mean, that's what it's all about," Strickland said. "That's why every...

Lefty reliever Paul Fry began the 2018 season with Double-A Bowie, later moved to Triple-A Norfolk and got the call to Baltimore in late June. He pitched well and stayed in the Baltimore bullpen the rest of the season. That's where he began this year. He was becoming a bullpen fixture for the Orioles. Until he was not. In a bit of a surprise, Fry was optioned to the minors after the game on June 20. But the Orioles called him back June 26 after Josh Rogers went on the injured list. He wasn't...

PHOENIX - Davey Martinez was handed a brand-new bullpen tonight, and with that came a whole new strategy for managing the second half of ballgames. After getting 5 1/3 scoreless innings from Joe Ross, Martinez was able to go straight to his relief corps, confident that group was deep enough to cover the rest of the game. And it absolutely was deep enough. Two newcomers - Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland - handled the sixth and seventh innings with ease. Holdovers Fernando Rodney and Sean...

The name carries a certain amount of weight. But it won't break Dalton Hoiles. He knows that it's a magnet for attention. The oldest son of former Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles playing in the same organization. Wearing the same No. 23. It isn't quite on par with being Ryan Ripken or Preston Palmeiro, who are teammates at Double-A Bowie, but there's still a level of expectation that could make him uncomfortable if he allowed it. Maybe it helps that Dalton Hoiles plays the outfield at...

The Orioles scored 27 runs in the first three games of their series in Anaheim. They scored eight in Tuesday's win at San Diego. They had scored 83 in the previous 13 games as the West Coast road trip came to an end. But in two games to start this homestand against Toronto, the bats have been mostly quiet. A total of four runs on 15 hits. After losing 11-2 last night they fall 5-2 tonight to the Blue Jays to drop to 36-73 and begin this series and 10-game homestand 0-2. And they were shut down...

Aaron Brooks began to hop off the mound at least twice tonight in the bottom of the first inning, thinking he caught the outside corner for a third strike and shifting his momentum toward the dugout. Plate umpire Jeremie Rehak wouldn't let him leave. The Blue Jays wouldn't let him get away unscathed. Brooks hopped and the Jays jumped him, scoring twice and never trailing in a 5-2 victory over the Orioles before an announced "Stranger Things" crowd of 16,331 at Camden Yards. Also strange was...

PHOENIX - Needing to clear one more roster spot for the trio of relievers they acquired before Wednesday's trade deadline, the Nationals designated Tony Sipp for assignment today, cutting ties with the veteran reliever who never was able to consistently perform after signing with the club late in spring training. Sipp had a 4.71 ERA in 36 appearances, and though he had done a better job in recent weeks retiring left-handed batters, he may have sealed his fate when he put back-to-back lefties...