BOSTON - Chris Davis went through the victory line on the field today, handled a walk-off television interview, returned to the clubhouse and was swarmed by his teammates. Streaks were broken. Friendships were strengthened. Players pounded their fists on lockers as Davis raised his hands in the air. A few of them spoke. He wasn't drenched in beer and water, but the showering of affection meant more to him. Davis ended his hitless streaks with a two-run single off Rick Porcello in the top of...

Austen Williams figured something was up when he was summoned out of Fresno's bullpen in the third inning of Friday night's game at Las Vegas. He knew he wasn't being called in to pitch that early in a game. Sure enough, Williams' hunch was correct. He was being called up to Washington, and now he had to race the clock (and the sun) to get to D.C. in time for today's 4:05 p.m. game against the Pirates. Williams' itinerary: A red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Chicago, then a connecting...

BOSTON - Chris Davis rounded first base today and slapped his hands together. Solid contact made twice in one at-bat. Davis lined a two-run single into right field with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the first inning. The Orioles, slow starters at the plate this season, grabbed an early lead off Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello. Davis, off to the slowest start in major league history, finally had his first hit. Porcello missed with a changeup on his first pitch and Davis lined a...

After losing their road trip opener 6-4 at Boston last night, the Orioles face the Red Sox again today at Fenway Park. Both clubs are 5-9 after Friday's result. Boston has won two in a row, while the Orioles have lost four straight and eight of nine games. Right-hander Andrew Cashner (2-1, 5.28 ERA) will make his fourth start. He's thrown 15 1/3 innings allowing 19 hits and 10 runs (nine earned) with a WHIP of 1.761. In 31 starts over two seasons with the Orioles, Cashner is 6-16 with an ERA...

The sun is out, and it's going to be a warm afternoon here on South Capitol Street as the Nationals and Pirates return to action after last night's rainy (and frustrating, for the Nats) affair. They'll try to get back on track with Aníbal Sánchez on the mound, though, as we all know, the performance of the starter matters less than the performance of whichever relievers are summoned from the bullpen to replace said starter. On that front, the Nationals have a new face in the bullpen...

BOSTON - Renato Núñez is in the Orioles lineup again today as the designated hitter, the 13th time in 15 games that he's served in the role. However, his right biceps has improved to the point where he could get some starts at third base. Soreness in the arm kept Núñez off the field late in spring training and Rio Ruiz has received most of the starts at third. "I think you're going to see Noonie over there a little bit," said manager Brandon Hyde. "I think the arm recovery,...

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Austen Williams from Triple-A Fresno and placed right-handed pitcher Justin Miller on the 10-day Injured List with a lower back strain on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Williams, 26, joins the Nationals for his first Major League assignment of 2019. He enjoyed a strong 2019 Spring Training, retiring all but two batters he faced while striking out seven batters in...

BOSTON - Hanser Alberto continues to move around the infield, starting today at second base while the Orioles resume their series against the Red Sox and try to snap a four-game losing streak. Pedro Severino passed his concussion tests and he's back in the lineup today to catch Andrew Cashner. Trey Mancini is in right field and Chris Davis is playing first base and batting sixth. Mancini is hitting second. Jonathan Villar is playing shortstop and leading off. Mancini is 3-for-7 with a double...

When he makes his second major league start Sunday afternoon at Boston, we might be reminded that lefty John Means beat some odds to get to that mound at Fenway Park. He was not a high draft pick, selected in round 11 in 2014 out of West Virginia University. He was never a highly ranked prospect and has never been listed among the Orioles' top 30 prospects by Baseball America. Numerous times, he saw others rated more highly get more attention, but he slowly and surely kept moving his way up...

Despite Friday's series opening loss to the Pirates, Anthony Rendon continues to scorch the ball. He went 2-for-5 with two homers, and even his outs were loud. Rendon is batting .426 and already has six homers and 16 RBIs in 12 games. His OPS is now at a whopping 1.439. His first homer Friday gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead. His second homer was just as dramatic, bringing the Nats back from a 3-2 deficit to tie the game at 3-3. "I'm just trying to control the things that I can control,...