Manager Brandon Hyde is learning about his players and his club pretty much on a daily basis going back to the beginning of spring training. Or perhaps the January minicamp. Last night showed exactly how they're capable of handling adversity. Coming off an embarrassing 15-3 loss to the Yankees, which featured seven home runs allowed and the pitching debut of infielder Hanser Alberto, the Orioles stormed past the Athletics 12-4 at Camden Yards and acted as though the shelling never...

Before tonight's game the Orioles' Trey Mancini said a four-game losing streak would provide a test for him and his young teammates. Tonight, they passed it. They got some stellar infield defense, three triples, two homers, some clutch outs late and just enough starting pitching to beat the Oakland A's 12-4 in the opener of a four-game series. The Orioles are 5-5 at the 10-game mark, 1-3 at home and 2-2 in series openers. O's first baseman Chris Davis lined out his first three times to bat...

Each trip to the plate tonight was met with applause, many fans standing, not a single audible objector in the crowd. It wasn't at a level that would make a player step out of the box and raise his helmet, but the support represented a new shift in Chris Davis' baseball life. Nothing else had been working. Perhaps it was possible to cheer away a slump. Davis lined to right field in the second inning and left field in the third, tying him with Eugenio Vélez for the major league record for...

PHILADELPHIA - There was no bullpen meltdown tonight, no wild back-and-forth ballgame featuring all kinds of twists and turns. No, the Nationals' first game of the season at Citizens Bank Park featured quality pitching done in solely by five fly balls that reached the bleachers in this hitter-friendly facility. The Phillies' 4-3 victory was rather ho-hum, at least in comparison to just about every other game the Nationals have played so far in 2019, all of them against two division rivals. It...

PHILADELPHIA - Davey Martinez gave Trevor Rosenthal an opportunity to get himself right pitching in a low-leverage spot Sunday afternoon, and it didn't work. If the situation arises again tonight, Martinez will give his woefully ineffective reliever another opportunity to get himself right. Rosenthal, who hasn't retired any of the nine batters he's faced so far this season, remains an active member of the Nationals bullpen and will continue to pitch. Just not in high-leverage spots. "Right...

For the Orioles, a four-game win streak was followed by four-consecutive losses. They lost Wednesday afternoon in Toronto to end a 4-2 opening road trip and then were swept three straight by New York. The Orioles allowed 14 homers and 29 runs in that series. Tonight, their homestand continues as the Orioles (4-5), in third in the American League East, host Oakland (6-7), which is in fourth place in the AL West. The A's just went 0-3 at Houston in starting their longest road trip of the year....

PHILADELPHIA - When he saw Michael A. Taylor hit the ground hard making a diving catch March 14 in Fort Myers, Fla., Davey Martinez assumed it would be a long time before the Nationals outfielder was back in action again. Little could Martinez have imagined he'd be at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon, welcoming Taylor back to the active roster only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining his left knee and hip. "I wouldn't have thought that," Martinez said. "When I saw him fall and try to get up and...

Though Chris Davis' inclusion in tonight's lineup provided another pregame distraction, it's also worth noting that Dwight Smith Jr. is sitting for the first time and Hanser Alberto is starting for the third consecutive game. Right-hander Marco Estrada is a reverse-splits guy, which could explain why Smith and Rio Ruiz are on the bench. But Alberto is earning his way into the lineup by going 7-for-14 and providing a reliable glove at three infield positions. He also can pitch a little,...

The good feeling and positive vibes in the Orioles clubhouse that carried from spring training into the regular season continued through the club's 4-1 start. The chemistry, the team being together, the team playing hard and aggressive baseball that was dictated by their manager from the first day under the Florida sun. But a 4-1 start has been followed by a four-game losing streak where the Orioles allowed 34 runs, got swept by the New York Yankees and saw their bullpen give up nine homers...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sought out Chris Davis after yesterday's loss to the Yankees and gauged whether the first baseman wanted to be included in tonight's lineup. Davis could have sat out the series opener against the Athletics, delaying a run at records no one wants to hold. He could have reached for his own reset button. Davis is starting at first base tonight and batting sixth. "He really wanted to play today," Hyde said. Davis is 6-for-36 with three home runs, seven walks and 12...