BALTIMORE - Of course the walk-off homer that Matt Grace surrendered Sunday in Philly stings, but so far in four games coming off the All-Star break, the bullpen is rolling. Tuesday night it was Tanner Rainey and Javy Guerra that kept the Orioles at bay in an 8-1 win. Rainey pitched a scoreless seventh, and for the first time since June 15, Guerra pitched two scoreless innings. It wasn't that clean for Rainey. He walked two in his inning. But after recording a fielder's choice forceout at...

For an eight-game stretch from June 28 through July 6, the next-to-last game before the All-Star break, the Orioles offense produced 53 runs. But they were held to one run in the final game before the break and the offense has been slow ever since. Over the last six games, the Orioles have scored just 13 runs. In the last two games, they've scored just two runs on seven hits. After the combined near-perfect game by Tampa Bay on Sunday, the O's lost 8-1 last night to the Washington...

BALTIMORE - The top four in the Nationals' rotation have been as good as advertised, maybe even better than advertised, so far this season. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Aníbal Sánchez have combined to go 32-20 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. There are, however, five starters in a modern-day rotation. And those other starts count just as much as the rest. So it's more than a bit troubling to note that the Nationals' No. 5 starters (Jeremy Hellickson, Austin Voth,...

BALTIMORE - The Nationals' power bats were on display again in an 8-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, thanks to Matt Adams and Juan Soto. Adams' blast got the scoring going for the Nats in the second inning off Orioles starter Asher Wojciechowski. The solo shot gave the Nats the 1-0 lead and landed on Eutaw Street. It was the 102nd all-time homer to reach Eutaw Street, the 57th by an Orioles opponent. "Yeah, it was a good one," Adams said. "I knew I got it. But I didn't know the...

Anthony Santander was the chosen one on May 1 when the Orioles needed a 26th player in Chicago, and he responded by hitting a home run. He was the chosen one again on June 7 after the Orioles placed Dwight Smith Jr. on the concussion injured list, unsure how long he'd stay but pretty confident that he'd surpass one game. It was safe to unpack, but he didn't get too comfortable. The Orioles had a decision to make Sunday night after removing DJ Stewart from his rehab assignment. Stewart was...

BALTIMORE - Though they'd never admit it publicly, the Nationals know well their upcoming weekend series at SunTrust Park carries far more significance than this two-game set at Camden Yards. Four games against the division-leading Braves simply mean more to the Nats' ultimate chances in 2019 than two games against the worst-in-baseball Orioles. Which didn't mean the Nationals could completely gloss over this interleague series. They still need to take care of business here. They'd just...

The Orioles missed Nationals ace and perennial Cy Young Award candidate Max Scherzer, who's on the injured list. They missed Stephen Strasburg, who's pushed back to Thursday and keeps alive his streak of never pitching in Baltimore. Tonight's matchup between right-handers Asher Wojciechowski and Austin Voth didn't necessarily send shivers up and down the spine, but the Orioles are trying to plug holes in their rotation and the Nats are doing some temporary tinkering. Wojciechowski gave the...

BALTIMORE - Nationals manager Davey Martinez announced Erick Fedde will pitch Wednesday's second game here at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Austin Voth starts tonight. Does Martinez view these two games as an audition for the Nats' fifth starter role going forward? Not quite. "Today I'm just worried about Austin Voth going out there and competing and keeping us in the ballgame," Martinez said. "We will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Both of those guys are part of our future right now. We...

BALTIMORE - The Nationals have set up their rotation to have their top four starters on the mound for this weekend's critical series in Atlanta. Provided their ace is ready to return from the injured list, which is not yet a certainty. Manager Davey Martinez revealed this afternoon that Erick Fedde will be promoted from Double-A Harrisburg to start Wednesday's series finale against the Orioles. That pushes Stephen Strasburg back to Thursday night's opener against the Braves, with Patrick...

The cortisone injection in Dylan Bundy's right knee is having the desired effect and he remains confident that he'll be ready to come off the injured list when he's eligible. Bundy played catch and ran earlier today and said he'll throw a light bullpen session on Wednesday if the knee responds favorably. "It feels as good as it's felt since spring training," he said. The Orioles can adjust their rotation again with Thursday's off-day. They start Aaron Brooks on Wednesday and could give...