ANAHEIM, Calif. - When this game began many, many hours ago, Jonathan Villar was 0-for-15 on this road trip and had two hits his last 22 at-bats. But he delivered a two-run homer in the 16th tonight, and the Orioles, finally, finally had a win. They outlasted the Los Angeles Angels 10-8 in a game that ended after 4 a.m. EDT. Villar's hit was the latest (in terms of innings) go-ahead homer in O's history. To make matters crazier, Stevie Wilkerson went from center field to the mound and retired...

Max Scherzer would've liked the outcome to be better. He would've liked to last more than five innings. He would've liked to give up fewer than three runs. He would've liked to not be pulled after only 86 pitches. But all of that from Thursday's start was secondary in Scherzer's mind to the more pressing takeaway: He felt healthy for the first time in three weeks. And as long as he still feels healthy when he gets up today and heads to Nationals Park to play catch, he'll be satisfied...

The unpredictability of a team in a rebuild and its willingness to try just about anything should leave few surprises. Anything is possible in 2019. Always be ready for the unexpected. Unless you're me. I wasn't ready to see Anthony Santander become a regular in center field. Or in any spot after a lost 2018 season. I wasn't ready to see Renato Núñez back at third base, especially with so much emphasis placed on improving the defense. I wasn't ready to see Hanser Alberto leading the...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - In explaining the Orioles latest roster moves - Rio Ruiz was optioned to Triple-A last night and today the club added Jace Peterson from Norfolk - manager Brandon Hyde said this was much more about the player coming then going. "It was more about getting Jace here," said Hyde. "Jace had a really nice year in Triple-A and is going to add some versatility to our club. Can play middle infield, third base as well as corner outfield. He's earned it. He has really swung the bat...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jace Peterson played in 93 games for the Orioles last season. Tonight, for the start of a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, he rejoins the club. This comes nine days after Peterson opted out of his Orioles minor league contract and briefly was a free agent. Three days later he re-signed with the club. Less than a week after that, he's back in the majors. "I got to go see the family for a little bit," Peterson says of his brief free agency. "Got to look...

After getting an abbreviated start from Max Scherzer, yet another clutch hit from Gerardo Parra, a tack-on homer from Matt Adams and six outs from Tanner Rainey, Tony Sipp and Wander Suero, Davey Martinez reached the top of the ninth this evening with the Nationals holding a one-run lead over the Rockies. But now the second-year manager had to answer the most pressing question of the day: Who was going to pitch the ninth? This isn't a difficult question the vast majority of the time. Sean...

The Orioles decided to shift gears tonight and go with an opener, or a bullpen game, depending on how it plays out. Jimmy Yacabonis has been named the starter after the club listed Tom Eshelman to begin the series against the Angels. Eshelman could follow Yacabonis. Manager Brandon Hyde will explain the move later to reporters in Anaheim. Yacabonis has made two starts among 23 appearances. His high in innings and pitches this season is 3 1/3 and 61 out of the bullpen in Game 1 of a July 13...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Orioles begin the second stop of their three-city road trip tonight. They play the Los Angeles Angels to begin a four-game series at Angel Stadium. The Orioles scored just 12 runs in losing two of three at Arizona to begin this trip. They are 11-18 at Anaheim since 2011. That includes being swept by the Angels early last May three in a row by a 25-12 score. That left the Orioles at 8-23 to start the 2018 season. The clubs met May 10-12 of this season at Oriole Park with...

Growing up a baseball fan in Northern Virginia in the '90s, Ali Krieger was an Orioles fan. Given the fact there was no major league team in Washington at the time - not to mention the quirky fact her aunt grew up with and actually dated Cal Ripken Jr. way back when - this was understandable. Once baseball returned to town in 2005, Krieger was all-in on the Nationals. And that still holds true today, even as the soccer star travels the world winning World Cups and returns home now to Orlando,...

The Nationals' fifth-starter carousel is going to be without one of its members for a while. Austin Voth, who was beginning to establish himself as a viable back-of-the-rotation option for manager Davey Martinez before landing on the injured list earlier this week, has been diagnosed with shoulder tendinitis and has been shut down from throwing. Voth was tentatively scheduled to start last Sunday in Atlanta, taking over with Max Scherzer not yet ready to return from his own injury. But the...