Reliever Nate Karns threw a 20-pitch simulated game this afternoon in the intense heat at Camden Yards, sweat pouring off his face later as he sat at his locker and tried to recover in the air conditioning. He mimicked one inning and headed indoors. Karns hasn't pitched for the Orioles since April 8 due to stiffness in his right forearm and multiple rehab assignments have been interrupted. He's set a goal for his return as the Orioles prepare for a three-city West Coast trip that begins...

ATLANTA - The Nationals are attempting to pick themselves up off the mat after Friday night's crushing loss. But in order to do that, they'll need to take down the Braves' ace tonight. Mike Soroka, the 21-year-old owner of a 10-1 record and 2.24 ERA, takes the mound at SunTrust Park. He hasn't take a loss since April 18 against the Diamondbacks. The Nats got a brief look at the right-hander last month in D.C., but you'll remember he had to depart after only two innings when he was hit by a...

The long-awaited debut of catcher Adley Rutschman unfolded today in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and he again lived up to the hype. Chosen first overall by the Orioles in last month's First-Year Player Draft, Rutschman served as the designated hitter against the GCL Pirates in Bradenton and homered to right field in his third professional at-bat. Rutschman lined to shortstop and flied to deep right in his previous plate appearances before leading off the sixth inning with a home run from...

ATLANTA - The bottom of the ninth at SunTrust Park last night left a sour taste in the Nationals' mouths. But it couldn't completely wash away the brief moment of exuberance they felt in the top of the ninth when Victor Robles provided his latest bit of late-game heroics. Robles' game-tying, two-run homer with two outs against Braves closer Luke Jackson was a jaw-dropping moment for the Nationals rookie, who has provided several of them already this season. "That was an unbelievable home...

So the Orioles went six games recently scoring 13 runs total in that span. Now they've scored 20 runs their last two games in beating Washington 9-2 and Boston 11-2. The Orioles have 28 hits, including four home runs, in the two games. A few thoughts on last night's win over Boston: * If you worried that John Means would turn into a pumpkin at midnight, forget it. Means slowed down a Boston team that was 14-2 in its last 16 road games, 19-10 in its last 29 overall and led the majors in runs...

The presence of left-hander David Price on the mound last night for the Red Sox drove Dwight Smith Jr. to the bench. Or maybe it was a slump that's gotten control of him. More likely a combination of the two. Right-handers Rick Porcello and Andrew Cashner start the last two games of the series and Smith could get back in the lineup if manager Brandon Hyde is in platoon mode. Hyde has other options, with the roster including switch-hitters Anthony Santander and Stevie Wilkerson. Chris Davis sat...

ATLANTA - They had just watched Victor Robles provide the latest in a summer full of jaw-dropping, inspiring moments to bring the Nationals back from the dead. Down to their last out in what had been a sleepy night at SunTrust Park for 8 2/3 innings, the Nats had just tied the game on Robles' monster home run off Braves closer Luke Jackson. And then, chaos. And confusion. And a dispiriting, 4-3 loss to Atlanta that opened up manager Davey Martinez to all sorts of questions and criticism for...

After giving up a season-high six runs and three homers in his first post All-Star Game start, Orioles left-hander John Means was looking to get back on the horse tonight. He did. He had a strong ride against a good offense, pitching the Orioles past Boston 11-2 in the series opener at Camden Yards. It didn't hurt his cause that the O's offense produced a second straight strong game. Means produced a pre-All-Star Game ERA of 2.50, the best ever by an Orioles rookie. If there was concern the...

While Andrew Cashner provided a reminder today of what the Orioles lost in their rotation as he chatted with teammates behind the batting cage, they remained confident that Dylan Bundy will rejoin it next week on the West Coast. The experimenting and auditioning will only cover two-thirds of the group, with John Means remaining in his role as unlikely ace. Means completed six innings, Anthony Santander and Keon Broxton homered, and the Orioles posted an 11-2 victory over the Red Sox before an...

ATLANTA - An inflamed bursa sac in his back will prevent Max Scherzer from pitching Sunday night against the Braves, but the Nationals ace is optimistic he'll be good to go soon, once a cortisone shot he received earlier this week takes full effect. Scherzer, who hasn't pitched since July 6 due to what initially was explained by the Nationals to be a mid-back strain, learned on Monday he's actually dealing with scapulothoracic bursitis: inflammation of the bursa sac between his scapula and...