PHILADELPHIA - Davey Martinez gave Trevor Rosenthal an opportunity to get himself right pitching in a low-leverage spot Sunday afternoon, and it didn't work. If the situation arises again tonight, Martinez will give his woefully ineffective reliever another opportunity to get himself right. Rosenthal, who hasn't retired any of the nine batters he's faced so far this season, remains an active member of the Nationals bullpen and will continue to pitch. Just not in high-leverage spots. "Right...

For the Orioles, a four-game win streak was followed by four-consecutive losses. They lost Wednesday afternoon in Toronto to end a 4-2 opening road trip and then were swept three straight by New York. The Orioles allowed 14 homers and 29 runs in that series. Tonight, their homestand continues as the Orioles (4-5), in third in the American League East, host Oakland (6-7), which is in fourth place in the AL West. The A's just went 0-3 at Houston in starting their longest road trip of the year....

PHILADELPHIA - When he saw Michael A. Taylor hit the ground hard making a diving catch March 14 in Fort Myers, Fla., Davey Martinez assumed it would be a long time before the Nationals outfielder was back in action again. Little could Martinez have imagined he'd be at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon, welcoming Taylor back to the active roster only 3 1/2 weeks after spraining his left knee and hip. "I wouldn't have thought that," Martinez said. "When I saw him fall and try to get up and...

Though Chris Davis' inclusion in tonight's lineup provided another pregame distraction, it's also worth noting that Dwight Smith Jr. is sitting for the first time and Hanser Alberto is starting for the third consecutive game. Right-hander Marco Estrada is a reverse-splits guy, which could explain why Smith and Rio Ruiz are on the bench. But Alberto is earning his way into the lineup by going 7-for-14 and providing a reliable glove at three infield positions. He also can pitch a little,...

The good feeling and positive vibes in the Orioles clubhouse that carried from spring training into the regular season continued through the club's 4-1 start. The chemistry, the team being together, the team playing hard and aggressive baseball that was dictated by their manager from the first day under the Florida sun. But a 4-1 start has been followed by a four-game losing streak where the Orioles allowed 34 runs, got swept by the New York Yankees and saw their bullpen give up nine homers...

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sought out Chris Davis after yesterday's loss to the Yankees and gauged whether the first baseman wanted to be included in tonight's lineup. Davis could have sat out the series opener against the Athletics, delaying a run at records no one wants to hold. He could have reached for his own reset button. Davis is starting at first base tonight and batting sixth. "He really wanted to play today," Hyde said. Davis is 6-for-36 with three home runs, seven walks and 12...

The Washington Nationals recalled from rehab assignment and reinstated outfielder Michael A. Taylor (left knee/hip sprain) from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Andrew Stevenson to Triple-A Fresno on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Taylor, 28, returns to the active roster after having missed the first eight games of the 2019 season with a right knee/hip sprain. He appeared in four rehab games with Double-A...

PHILADELPHIA - We knew all along this opening stretch of the season was going to be a bear for the Nationals, who had to face the Mets and Phillies at home and then the same two teams on the road. And it indeed has been a bear, but the Nats have survived so far, going 3-3 against New York and entering tonight's series opener against Philadelphia with a 1-1 head-to-head record. That makes this three-game set a big one, of course, because the end result will pretty much end up defining how these...

The bullpen bond that John Means has formed with Paul Fry will be interrupted at least temporarily when he moves into the rotation Tuesday night against the Athletics at Camden Yards. Means doesn't know how long he'll be starting. He replaced TBD on Tuesday, a major league career consisting of four relief appearances about to take another turn. Maybe it's one and done, with Dan Straily replacing him, or manager Brandon Hyde could give him another shot. A team in need of dependable relief is...

Here are some highlights from Sunday's games played by Nationals affiliates: Low Single-A Hagerstown fell to Greensboro 2-1 in 10 innings Sunday. Starter Francys Peguero allowed two hits and no runs in five innings. Angel Guillen kept the Grasshoppers off the board for two more frames. Israel Pineda singled and Jacob Rhinesmith doubled to begin a rally in the fourth for the Suns. Gilbert Lara provided an RBI groundout to stake Hagerstown to a 1-0 lead. He leads the team with seven RBIs to...