After being swept in a three-game series for the second time this year, the Orioles host the Chicago White Sox tonight to begin a three-game series. The Orioles (8-15) are 1-9 at home and have lost six straight at Camden Yards. Chicago (8-12) is 5-4 over its past nine games. The White Sox are 4-0 at night and 4-12 in day games. That's a lot of games in the sunshine so far for the Sox. The Orioles are 4-8 at night and 4-7 in day baseball. Chicago is 2-4 against the AL East, going 0-3 versus...

Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. said he could have played tonight, the discomfort in his right quadriceps muscle vanishing since he came out of yesterday's game. Manager Brandon Hyde wants to avoid using him in the series opener against the White Sox and likely will return him to the lineup on Tuesday. "Leg's feeling fine, feeling better than it did yesterday," Smith said. "I was walking around fine this morning. I'm available tonight." Smith is on the bench with the White Sox...

DENVER - Hello from Coors Field, where the air is not only thin but really cold. At least today, it is. The high temperature might crack 50 degrees this afternoon, and it'll be dropping down through the 40s during tonight's series opener. You'd think that would be a bad thing for hitters, but I'm not sure it's possible for any game in this ballpark to be bad for hitters. The Nationals certainly hope the altitude helps get their bats going after a sluggish weekend in Miami that at least...

Things can change fast in baseball and they have for the Orioles' Stevie Wilkerson. A player that was designated for assignment by the club late in spring training on March 23 is starting in left field tonight. And he soon could get some starts in center field for the Orioles. Wilkerson's had a hot bat going at Triple-A and his contract was selected today from Norfolk and he was added back to the 40 and 25-man rosters. Cedric Mullins was optioned to Triple-A where he will try to get his bat...

Left fielder Dwight Smith Jr. is out of the Orioles lineup for tonight's series opener against the White Sox after leaving yesterday's game with cramping in his right quadriceps muscle. Stevie Wilkerson is in left field after the Orioles selected his contract today from Triple-A Norfolk. Joey Rickard is in center and Trey Mancini is in right. Hanser Alberto is starting at third base and Rio Ruiz is playing first, with Chris Davis on the bench. David Hess has allowed 13 runs in 19 hits in his...

The slump that has enveloped center fielder Cedric Mullins for the first four weeks of the season finally pulled him off the Orioles' roster and down to the minors. Mullins was optioned today to Triple-A Norfolk and the Orioles selected the contract of utility player Stevie Wilkerson. Pitcher Josh Lucas was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The range and speed that Mullins provides in center couldn't save him from a demotion. Mullins has collected only six hits in...

Nationals outfielder Victor Robles had a couple of plays that drove him into the center field wall on Saturday night at Marlins Park. In the sixth inning, on a sharp drive by Isaac Galloway, Robles collided with the wall and the ball bounced out of his glove for a double. One batter later, Robles made the catch on another screaming drive to deep center field off the bat of Curtis Granderson. But Robles crashed into the wall and went down in a daze. By the time he was able to gather himself, the...

It's a theme that fans around Birdland probably have to strongly consider this year: finding something positive and/or encouraging to take from a loss. There were two pitching performances that fit that definition during a weekend when the Orioles got swept by the Twins to fall to 8-15 overall and to 1-9 at home. They were Tanner Scott's dominant two innings on Saturday afternoon and Dylan Bundy's solid outing on Sunday. Scott has had some dominant outings among his now 60 career major...

Though he went hitless yesterday with a pair of strikeouts and a walk, Renato Núñez continues to lead the Orioles in RBIs with 16 and is one ahead of Dwight Smith Jr. Two players who weren't assured of making the club out of spring training, though Núñez being out of options improved his chances. Smith wasn't in the organization until a March 8 trade between the Orioles and Blue Jays. Former executive Dan Duquette claimed Núñez off waivers from the Rangers on May 13, 2018,...

MIAMI - Right-hander Stephen Strasburg lifted the Nationals past the Marlins 5-0 with a vintage performance, a much-needed salvage of the third game of their series at Marlins Park. Strasburg pitched a season-high eight shutout innings, striking out a season-high 11 batters. He now has 41 games in his career with 10 or more strikeouts. Plus, he added another page to the record books by reaching 1,260 1/3 innings pitched with the Nats, a new club record, passing left-hander Gio Gonzalez's...