With one swing, the Orioles ended a losing streak and maybe relieved some pressure on their clubhouse. They have scored five or more runs just twice in the last 13 games. The second time was Thursday afternoon when Anthony Santander hit a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth to beat the Giants 5-3. Did that swing relieve some pressure on the clubhou

Craig Kimbrel sat in front of his locker after the best and especially the worst of his outings. The clubhouse doors opened to the media and he’d be waiting for it. That’s a professional. He didn’t duck reporters and avoid uncomfortable questions about his demise as closer in the second half, how he tried to fix it and why he failed. The stats will

CHICAGO – They got a rare, clutch homer from Joey Gallo off a left-hander. They got plenty of offense from CJ Abrams and James Wood. Shoot, they even got three hits from Darren Baker. So how did the Nationals still end up losing tonight’s series opener at Wrigley Field? Because Patrick Corbin endured through another subpar start, and the bullpen co

CHICAGO – Luis García Jr. is still dealing with a sore right wrist, so that means Darren Baker gets to start his first major league game tonight, in a ballpark very familiar to the rookie infielder. Baker will start at second base for the Nationals in their series opener against the Cubs, the first time he’s had a chance to be in the lineup since m

CHICAGO – Hello from The Friendly Confines, where it’s unseasonably warm for this time of year. The temperature reached the high 80s this afternoon, which is not the way it’s supposed to be in late September in Chicago. The wind will be blowing out to left field, though, so perhaps the Nationals can take advantage and actually hit the ball in the a

Manager Brandon Hyde isn’t ready or willing to contribute to the publication of his team’s obit. Not with more games to play, possession of the first wild card and champagne to chill. He’ll keep trying to clear the air of any negativity. Hyde isn’t blind to the season’s downward turn, but he retains full confidence in the Orioles' ability to get ho

With three straight losses and their last win coming Saturday at Detroit, the Orioles host the San Francisco Giants this afternoon in the finale of this series. With wins Tuesday by 10-0 and last night by 5-3, the Giants can sweep this series this afternoon. The Orioles (84-68) are 16 games over the .500 mark, the fewest over they have been since M

The Orioles’ penultimate home series concludes this afternoon with Heston Kjerstad in right field and Jackson Holliday getting back-to-back starts at second base. Coby Mayo is on the bench. Zach Eflin is making his eighth start with the Orioles. He’s posted a 2.22 ERA and 1.030 WHIP in 44 2/3 innings. Eflin has faced the Giants eight times (six sta

35,000 FEET OVER AMERICA – I always get a kick out of using this dateline. As you read this, I am (I hope) en route from New York to Chicago for the final road series of the season. The Nationals just got swept in ugly fashion by the Mets. Now they've got a four-game weekend series at Wrigley Field against a Cubs team that's technically still in th

It wasn't the most productive inning as the Orioles, after scoring once in the last of the third inning to tie San Francisco 1-1, had runners on second and third and no outs. They scored another run there, but just one more, letting yet another chance for a bigger inning pass by. The Orioles took a brief lead last night, 2-1 after the third, but by