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...

The Orioles and Boston Red Sox play the third and deciding game of their series tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 4-1 on Monday night but allowed three homers in last night's 8-5 loss to Boston. The O's are 13-23 overall and 5-12 at home, but have won four of six at Camden Yards and are 3-3 against Boston. The O's are 9-11 against American League East teams. Boston is 18-19 and has won seven of nine and 12 of 18 games. They are 7-8 within the division. Orioles right-hander Andrew...

Before Orioles manager Brandon Hyde could begin jotting down names on tonight's lineup card, he had to more closely study the matchups and video of the opposing pitcher. Hyde is sitting first baseman Chris Davis, who hits from the left side and is 2-for-22 with nine strikeouts lifetime against Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale. Jonathan Villar is leading off despite being 2-for-12 with nine strikeouts and Joey Rickard is in right field after collecting only two hits in 16 at-bats. It isn't just...

Orioles left-hander Richard Bleier threw 14 pitches last night at Single-A Frederick, earned the win and didn't experience any discomfort or weakness in his shoulder. He didn't keep the ball, but it was an important game as Bleier started an injury rehab assignment that leads him Friday night to Double-A Bowie. "I feel pretty good," he said. "Shoulder feels pretty good yesterday and today. Just trying to get back to competitive pitching." Bleier allowed one run and two hits in the sixth...

MILWAUKEE - No matter how agonizing the losses have been up to this point, the Nationals have been able to legitimately say they played hard and walked off the field at the end of the day confident that a lack of effort was not the issue. They had to answer that question, though, after today's 7-3 loss to the Brewers, even after a last-ditch rally in which they brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning. The outcome of the game was understandable, but the manner in which they came...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was left with some interesting lineup decisions today based on the Red Sox starting left-hander Chris Sale in the series finale. Chris Davis is 2-for-22 with nine strikeouts lifetime against Sale, Joey Rickard is 2-for-16 and Jonathan Villar is 2-for-12 with nine strikeouts. Hyde kept Villar in the lineup and is leading him off as usual. Rickard is batting second and playing right field. Davis is on the bench, with Trey Mancini replacing him at first base. Stevie...

MILWAUKEE - Desperate for healthy position players and more veterans on their bench, the Nationals are in discussions with outfielder Gerardo Parra and could finalize a deal in the coming days, according to a source familiar with the talks. No deal is done at this point, the source said, but the addition of Parra would make sense for a Nationals club that has been decimated by injuries to its lineup and has felt the domino effect on its bench. Parra, 32, is a career .277 hitter with a .324...

MILWAUKEE - The Nationals haven't been swept in any of the 11 series they've played to date. For all their woes, they've managed to go 8-3 in series finales and 5-0 when facing a potential sweep. So that's what's at stake this afternoon at Miller Park, where the Nats have dropped two in a row despite getting dominant starts from Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. Obviously, they could use a quality start out of Jeremy Hellickson today. But as we've seen, that's not enough. They have to...