Pittsburgh scored first against Nationals southpaw Patrick Corbin. In the second, Josh Bell led off with a solo homer over the left-center field wall on 0-1 count. Corbin then struck out two and forced a groundout to end the inning. The Nats quickly answered in the bottom of the second. Pirates starter Trevor Williams walked Ryan Zimmerman and Wilmer Difo. Corbin helped his own cause with an RBI single to left field to tie the game 1-1. Corbin allowed a single to Erick González in the third...

Will going on the road be good for Orioles pitchers? So far in 2019, they've been much better and allowed fewer homers on the road than at home. During the season-opening 4-2 trip to Yankee Stadium and Rogers Centre, O's pitchers allowed six homers and posted an ERA of 4.33. During the just-completed 1-6 homestand they yielded 28 homers with an ERA of 8.29. Right-hander David Hess (1-1, 2.70 ERA) gets the start tonight to open a four-game series at Boston. For the year, Hess has thrown 13 1/3...

BOSTON - Orioles catcher Pedro Severino has avoided the injured list after being hit by a J.B. Wendelken curveball yesterday on top of his batting helmet and sprawling to the dirt. Severino passed the concussion tests, accompanied the team to Boston and is available to play in the series. "He's a lot better today," said manager Brandon Hyde. "He caught a break there. It's always scary when somebody gets hit in the head. Had a little bit of a headache, but they cleared him of all concussion...

The first game of the Nationals homestand tonight against the Pittsburgh Pirates is also Juan Soto Bobblehead giveaway night. The Washington Post wrote a story that Soto got a prototype of the figurine for his approval before they made the bobbleheads and Soto said he wanted them to remake the bobblehead with him smiling instead of a serious non-expression. It would not be much of a surprise for a young player like Soto to just accept whatever bobblehead prototype he was given with his likeness...

Max Scherzer insists he could start as planned Saturday, but the Nationals decided not to take any chances with their ace after he was struck by a comebacker in his last outing, so they've pushed him back to Sunday's series finale against the Pirates. Aníbal Sánchez will now start Saturday afternoon, though the veteran right-hander will be on normal rest thanks to the club's off-day in between their just completed road trip and upcoming homestand. "It didn't affect anything,"...

BOSTON - Alex Cobb said his sore back is improving daily, but he doesn't know whether he'll be ready to come off the injured list Tuesday when he's eligible. He wasn't aware of the exact date of his eligibility until told this afternoon by a member of the media. Nothing is circled on his calendar. "Every day is better," said Cobb, who was placed on the IL Tuesday with a lumbar strain, the move backdated to Saturday. "The progress from my everyday life, just getting around and stuff like...

For the first time this season, the Nationals are facing someone other than the Mets or Phillies. If they play, that is. Yes, if it's a home game, that means there's rain in the forecast. It appears that we may be OK early on, but there is a line of storms approaching that could impact us later tonight. As always, when we know something, you'll know it, too. The Nationals face a Pirates club that is off to a solid 6-5 start thanks to dominant pitching. They lead the league with a 2.61 ERA...

BOSTON - Trey Mancini is playing first base tonight for the Orioles at a ballpark that tends to bring out the best in him. Mancini is a career .364/.397/.621 hitter with four doubles, two triples, three home runs, 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 17 games at Fenway Park. His average ranks third and his 1.018 OPS fifth among active players with a minimum of 70 plate appearances. Joey Rickard is in right field and Chris Davis is on the bench against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Hanser Alberto is...

A rare moment to remember for Double-A Harrisburg as the Senators shut out Bowie 2-0 with a no-hitter. Erick Fedde, Jordan Mills and Aaron Barrett combined for the gem, the fifth such no-hitter since 1987 for Harrisburg. Fedde went six innings, striking out six and walking one. He threw 79 pitches, 50 for strikes, and the lone walk came on a full-count pitch. Fedde and Barrett have pitched for the Nats, and Mills was a star for the club's Arizona Fall League team in November. Mills went two...

The Orioles lost on opening day at Yankee Stadium. But they followed that up with a four-game win streak, matching their longest streak from all of last year. But since that run, the Orioles have now lost seven of eight games. During this 1-7 stretch, the Orioles have lost by scores of 15-3, 13-2 and 10-3. They have been outscored 69-36 in those eight games. They just completed a 1-6 homestand in which they gave up 28 homers and 64 runs. O's pitchers lead the majors in homers allowed with 37...