As most young players in the major leagues can tell you, it is great to get to the majors and greater yet to have an everyday role when you make it. The last three years, infielder Rio Ruiz got 288 plate appearances with the Atlanta Braves, and they gave him a bit of a look in the summer of 2017. But in the first month of this season he already has 93 plate appearances, and he's been the everyday third baseman for the Orioles. He's been a solid defender and his bat is trending up. A great...

Carter Kieboom, the Nationals' top prospect off to a red-hot start at the plate with Triple-A Fresno, is getting called up to make his major league debut this weekend, a source familiar with the move confirmed. It's not yet clear what corresponding transaction (or transactions) will be made before Kieboom's contract is purchased. The Nationals not only need to remove someone from the active, 25-man roster but also to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Kieboom, the organization's first...

The Orioles are back on the road, flying into Minnesota yesterday afternoon with a stop pending in Chicago. They're 7-6 away from home. The Twins swept the Orioles last year in a four-game series at Target Field. Alex Cobb, making tonight's start, walked off the mound in the finale with a blister on his finger. Six games on the road trip led to six defeats, leaving the Orioles 24-65 overall and losers of 13 of their last 14 games. They fell to 41 below .500 for the first time since Aug. 1,...

Showing a new and improved changeup to compliment his fastball that can touch the mid-90s, Orioles 2018 first round draft pick Grayson Rodriguez is off to a stunning start to his 2019 season. The 19-year-old right-hander is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.54 in three starts for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds. Over 16 2/3 innings, he has allowed seven hits and one run with six walks and 28 strikeouts. He has a WHIP of 0.78 versus South Atlantic League hitters. Because Rodriguez is a young pitcher in his...

DENVER - They've been putting this off for several weeks now, hoping beyond hope things would get better and they could proceed as they intended all along. But the time has probably come for the Nationals to do something with Trevor Rosenthal. They can't afford to keep waiting and keep hoping. They've put Rosenthal on the mound seven times in the last month. They've yet to see him come anywhere close to throwing a clean inning of relief. Even though there were some legitimately encouraging...

You ask me lots of questions. I have legitimate answers on a few occasions. It's really hit or miss. I'm the Dave Kingman of live chats and mailbags. But somehow we make it work. (Yes, I'm an Orioles beat reporter who referenced Dave Kingman. That's the direction I chose.) I embrace the inquiries that don't fly over my head or elicit a blank stare. No matter how many times I'm asked, because people have a tendency to skip over the comments on this blog or on my Twitter timeline. And...

He was probably just trying to pitch his team to a series win tonight. But in doing so, left-hander John Means stated his case to stay in the Orioles' rotation. Means once again looked good and featured a swing and miss changeup. He threw five strong innings as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 at Oriole Park. After losing big on Monday night, the Birds take the last two games to win the series. They are now 2-0 in rubber match games, 10-16 for the year and 3-10 at home. They've won...

The idea of Renato Núñez as the Orioles' cleanup hitter and regular DH probably didn't gain much traction early in the winter, with the new regime trying to formulate a camp roster and learn about its inherited players. Rio Ruiz getting most of the starts at third base evolved as Núñez came down with a sore biceps in camp, other possibilities were eliminated and the defensive performance instilled more confidence. Dwight Smith Jr. as the regular left fielder and an offensive...

The Orioles followed Monday's 12-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox with Tuesday's 9-1 win. They have two wins by eight runs this year and each followed a blowout loss. They beat Oakland 12-4 on April 8, one day after losing 15-3 and allowing seven home runs to the New York Yankees. They were shutout once, 4-0 by Boston on April 14. They won 8-1 the next night. So they bounce back well. Tonight, the Orioles (9-16) host the White Sox (9-13) in the rubber match of a three-game series. They are 1-0...

DENVER - They lose one, they win one, they lose one, they hope to win the next one. It was the Nationals' recurring pattern in 2018, and it has become the recurring theme in 2019 as well. One day this team looks like a mess, dropping a series opener and digging itself into a hole. The next day, all looks right again and there seems reason for optimism. And then the next day, it falls apart amid poor pitching, poor defense and poor clutch hitting. "I don't know why; it's really hard to...