With a torrid, 6 1/2 week stretch to close out the first half of the season, the Nationals got themselves into a pennant race that felt entirely out of reach when they were 19-31 and owned the National League's second-worst record. Now comes the tricky part: sustaining the turnaround and making sure the last 6 1/2 weeks were not in vain. And doing that while facing much stiffer competition than this previous stretch offered. The schedule the Nationals face to open the second half is no joke....

Here is a stat that may surprise you: The last 11 times that either Andrew Cashner or John Means was the Orioles starting pitcher, the Orioles are 9-2. That is not a misprint. They are 6-1 in Cashner's last seven starts and 3-1 in Means' last four. Taking it a step further, over the season to date, the Orioles are 11-6 when Cashner starts and 6-8 with Means. That's a winning record of 17-14. They are 5-12 when Dylan Bundy on the mound. So that is 22-26 when one of those three is the starting...

Due to an underground water main break in Baltimore City, multiple roads have been temporarily closed around Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Fans are encouraged to allow more time getting to and from Oriole Park for this weekend's games. Pratt Street is closed between Paca Street and Hopkins Place. Southbound Howard Street is closed between Lombard Street and Conway Street. Northbound I-395 is closed north of Conway Street, and all traffic must turn right onto Conway Street. Fans coming to the...

The Orioles' center fielder on opening day has moved down to Double-A Bowie. Cedric Mullins has been transferred to the Baysox after batting .205/.272/.306 in 66 games with Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles optioned him after he started the season with only six hits in 64 at-bats. Mullins, 24, broke camp with the Orioles despite going 8-for-53 in exhibition games and he's never been able to heat up at the plate. He's leading off tonight and playing center field in Akron. The Tides made a series...

The 2019 season starts up again tonight with the Orioles inserting Aaron Brooks into their bullpen as the latest adjustment to a unit that's trying to gain more consistency in the second half. The Orioles are carrying a four-man bench and seven relievers - Brooks, Mychal Givens, Richard Bleier, Paul Fry, Miguel Castro, Jimmy Yacabonis and Shawn Armstrong. But two open dates on the schedule next week, countering Saturday's doubleheader, could allow for some creativity from manager Brandon...

Fans are invited to attend the first-ever Crab Feast, presented by Miller Lite, at Oriole Park on Saturday, August 17, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. While the Orioles are in Boston to take on the Red Sox, fans ages 21 and over can watch the game on the center field video board and enjoy all-you-can-eat crabs and drinks from tables set up on the Oriole Park infield dirt. The Crab Feast includes all-you-can-eat crabs and a variety of sides, as well as beer, soda, and water. All fans will receive an...

A lot has been made of Juan Soto's big bat and his impact on the offense. But within the last two months heading into the All-Star break, Soto has improved on his tracking in the outfield, and his overall defense has excelled. He is making stellar catches and reading balls hit to his area well. Soto is throwing to the correct cutoff area after retrieving base hits. Nationals third base coach Bobby Henley said Soto has an understanding about his position and is learning to take control of a...

When you are keeping company with Manny Machado and Boog Powell, that's not bad. Even if you weren't aware of it. During an interview before Sunday's game in Toronto, Renato Núñez told me he wasn't aware he was keeping such company. When he hit his 20th homer on Saturday at Rogers Centre, Núñez joined Powell (in 1964) and Machado (in 2018) as the only Orioles 25 or younger to hit 20 homers by the All-Star break. "I wasn't (aware of that)," said Núñez, who turned 25 in...

The Nationals are going to be playing meaningful baseball through the rest of the summer, and perhaps into the fall. Given the state of things only seven weeks ago, that's a pretty remarkable development in its own right. Of course, the Nationals' goal was never simply to be playing meaningful baseball the rest of the way. They want to make sure it all ends with even more meaningful baseball. And to do that, they're going to need to overcome some more obstacles and make some critical...

The Orioles open the second half of their season Friday night against the Rays and host two more teams, the Nationals for two games and the Red Sox for three, before going back out to the West Coast. (Quick, when is the last time they've played consecutive series of four, two and three games? Someone contact STATS or the other Elias.) There are some lingering questions and curiosities hanging over the team, including whether it finishes again with the worst record in baseball and gets the...