The Orioles pitching has taken a bit of a turn for the better and that is very welcome. Yes, it's just small slice of a long season but maybe it provides a lift for the team and maybe we can begin to see more of it. The club's team ERA is 5.52 and through games of Wednesday, that still ranks last in the American League. But the ERA was over 6.00 for most of late April and it went as high as 6.37 on April 22. But over the past 13 games, the team ERA is 3.97 and the Orioles have allowed four...

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract with outfielder Gerardo Parra and placed outfielder Andrew Stevenson on the 10-day Injured List with back spasms (retroactive to May 7) on Thursday. Additionally, the Nationals designated right-handed pitcher Jimmy Cordero for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements. Parra, 32, joins the Washington Nationals after beginning the 2019 season with the San Francisco...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is staying true to his word in his use of reliever Mychal Givens. It's fine to label Givens as the closer based on his team-leading four saves and how he's the first choice to pitch last. But he won't be saved for the saves. Hyde trusts Givens to get the biggest outs anywhere after the sixth inning. Givens worked the eighth and ninth Wednesday night with the score tied and carried the game into extras. He's exceeded one inning in eight of his 13 appearances. The...

"Well, life on the farm is kinda ______-_______." You know the words! During every seventh-inning stretch, hearing John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" is as much a part of going to an Orioles game as the hot dog race, a Boog's BBQ sandwich or a stroll down Eutaw Street. Since the players hear the song every home game, we decided to test their knowledge of the 1974 classic. Lefty Paul Fry was the first to embrace the challenge even though he's often in the zone warming up in the...

LOS ANGELES - The Nationals arrive at Chavez Ravine looking to snap their longest losing streak of the season (four) and having lost 13 of their last 18 games. They are currently eight games under .500 for the first time since September 17, 2011 (71-79). The three-game sweep at the hands of the Brewers was the first sweep versus Milwaukee since May 2011. Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (2-1) allowed six runs, but only three earned, in the game's first two frames of a 7-3 setback. Second baseman...

SALISBURY, Md. - Take a team that has gotten outstanding starting pitching and timely hitting. A team that has solid defense, great chemistry and likes to keep it loose. A team that features a young, progressive-thinking coaching staff. And you can get a team playing some good baseball. Make that great baseball. But even those connected with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds - the Orioles' affiliate in the South Atlantic League - are honest to admit they could not have expected anything like...

The moment easily could have gone unnoticed in a game featuring nine runs scored on homers through the fifth inning. J.D. Martinez strikes out swinging, Mookie Betts breaks for second base and catcher Austin Wynns pops out of his crouch and makes a perfect throw. Tag applied, runner out, another caught stealing for the Orioles. A similar moment last night drew more attention with the score tied in the ninth inning. Eduardo Núñez strikes out swinging, Rafael Devers breaks for second base...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde laughed tonight and took a sip from his cup before formulating his answer. Before he could revisit Jackie Bradley Jr.'s catch in front of the Orioles bullpen - over their bullpen - that denied Trey Mancini of a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. "Let's just start out that it was an incredible catch and you tip your hat to the guy making a play like that," Hyde said after a 2-1, 12-inning loss to the Red Sox at Camden Yards. "I don't know if...

Andrew Cashner pounded a fist into his glove tonight and stormed off the mound after striking out Mitch Moreland on a changeup to close the first inning and strand a runner at third base. He threw another changeup with two outs in the third, Mookie Betts launched it into the left field seats to break a scoreless tie and the veteran right-hander took a few shots at himself. Cashner turned back toward the plate and yelled, knowing that poor location led to a bad result. He'd find out later that...

The Nationals knew this was going to be a tough road trip. But this tough? Yikes. Already 1-5 at Philadelphia and Milwaukee, the Nats now must head to Los Angeles for a four-game series at Dodger Stadium against the National League's best team to date in 2019. And they'll do so with a lineup still decimated by injuries, a bullpen still lacking in reliable arms and a defense still unable to make routine plays (let alone non-routine plays). This team has gone 3-14 over the last 2 1/2 weeks. And...