The first game of the Nationals homestand tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates is also Juan Soto Bobblehead giveaway night. The Washington Post wrote a story that Soto got a prototype of the figurine for his approval before they made the bobbleheads and Soto said he wanted them to remake the bobblehead with him smiling instead of a serious non-expression. It would not be much of a surprise for a young player like Soto to just accept whatever bobblehead prototype he was given with his likeness...

Max Scherzer insists he could start as planned Saturday, but the Nationals decided not to take any chances with their ace after he was struck by a comebacker in his last outing, so they've pushed him back to Sunday's series finale against the Pirates. Aníbal Sánchez will now start Saturday afternoon, though the veteran right-hander will be on normal rest thanks to the club's off-day in between their just completed road trip and upcoming homestand. "It didn't affect anything,"...

BOSTON - Alex Cobb said his sore back is improving daily, but he doesn't know whether he'll be ready to come off the injured list Tuesday when he's eligible. He wasn't aware of the exact date of his eligibility until told this afternoon by a member of the media. Nothing is circled on his calendar. "Every day is better," said Cobb, who was placed on the IL Tuesday with a lumbar strain, the move backdated to Saturday. "The progress from my everyday life, just getting around and stuff like...

For the first time this season, the Nationals are facing someone other than the Mets or Phillies. If they play, that is. Yes, if it's a home game, that means there's rain in the forecast. It appears that we may be OK early on, but there is a line of storms approaching that could impact us later tonight. As always, when we know something, you'll know it, too. The Nationals face a Pirates club that is off to a solid 6-5 start thanks to dominant pitching. They lead the league with a 2.61 ERA...

BOSTON - Trey Mancini is playing first base tonight for the Orioles at a ballpark that tends to bring out the best in him. Mancini is a career .364/.397/.621 hitter with four doubles, two triples, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 17 games at Fenway Park. His average ranks third and his 1.018 OPS fifth among active players with a minimum of 70 plate appearances. Joey Rickard is in right field and Chris Davis is on the bench against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Hanser Alberto is...

A rare moment to remember for Double-A Harrisburg as the Senators shut out Bowie 2-0 with a no-hitter. Erick Fedde, Jordan Mills and Aaron Barrett combined for the gem, the fifth such no-hitter since 1987 for Harrisburg. Fedde went six innings, striking out six and walking one. He threw 79 pitches, 50 for strikes, and the lone walk came on a full-count pitch. Fedde and Barrett have pitched for the Nats, and Mills was a star for the club's Arizona Fall League team in November. Mills went two...

The Orioles lost on opening day at Yankee Stadium. But they followed that up with a four-game win streak, matching their longest streak from all of last year. But since that run, the Orioles have now lost seven of eight games. During this 1-7 stretch, the Orioles have lost by scores of 15-3, 13-2 and 10-3. They have been outscored 69-36 in those eight games. They just completed a 1-6 homestand in which they gave up 28 homers and 64 runs. O's pitchers lead the majors in homers allowed with 37...

That minor league deal the Nationals were working on with Bud Norris? It isn't happening anymore. And that Nationals bullpen that had been a train wreck through the season's first eight games? It might be starting to come together. Norris had been invited to West Palm Beach earlier this week to work out at extended spring training as Nationals baseball and medical personnel determined whether they believed the veteran right-hander was worth signing right now as a potential Band-Aid for their...

The baseball world's obsession with Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is fueled by the latest pitching matchups on the first leg of the road trip. No one seems to be pumping the brakes on it. The trick is knowing how much to read into the presence of three left-handers starting for the Red Sox, beginning tonight with former Orioles farmhand Eduardo Rodriguez. Manager Brandon Hyde has excluded Davis from the lineup against three left-handers, but included him on other days. Davis sat Wednesday...

In an attempt to get his 2019 season trending up, Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy went through the Oakland A's lineup easily through three innings today. He fanned five without allowing a hit on 44 pitches. He was rolling. But it suddenly went south from there. Bundy allowed four homers over the next three innings as Oakland beat the Orioles 8-5 at Camden Yards to take three of four in this series. The Orioles have lost three straight and are 1-7 since a 4-1 start. They take a 5-8 record on...