NEW YORK - For all the trouble they've been through already this young season, the Nationals still have an opportunity to win a weekend series against the Mets today and get back to the .500 mark heading into a three-game series at Philadelphia. And they have Max Scherzer on the mound in an attempt to do it. Scherzer is already making his third start of the season in only the team's eighth game, a byproduct of all the off-days the Nats have had. He's on normal rest, but he'll get an extra...

David Hess returns to the mound this afternoon to close out the series against the Yankees after tossing 6 1/3 hitless innings in Toronto. Hess pitched on opening day at Yankee Stadium and turned in two scoreless innings in relief. Miguel Andújar is 3-for-3 against Hess lifetime, but he's on the injured list. Domingo Germán held the Tigers to an unearned run and one hit Monday and struck out seven batters in five innings, but he also walked five. He's faced the Orioles twice in relief...

With the news that Joe Ross will arrive today from Fresno to help the Nationals pitching staff, here's a look back at my talk post game with him after a spring start against the N.Y. Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He had two spring starts against the Mets. He was scheduled to start Monday for the Triple-A Grizzlies but will now help the big club. Ross went 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in seven games in spring training. Fresno beat Reno 8-4 Saturday, thanks to a grand slam by center fielder Matt Reynolds,...

Trey Mancini homered again and for the second time in two games in the series against New York, the Orioles got the lead. But they gave up more homers last night and lost to the Yankees 6-4 at Camden Yards. The Orioles led 4-1 in the sixth on Thursday but allowed the game's last seven runs to lose 8-4. They scratched out two big runs in the seventh last night to lead 4-3 but lost 6-4. Clint Frazier's three-run homer in the eighth off Miguel Castro's hanging slider put New York over the...

The Orioles tried to keep two Rule 5 pitchers in their bullpen last season and also carry outfielder Anthony Santander, who couldn't shed his status for 44 days. They tried to keep two Rule 5 infielders this year and also carry reliever Pedro Araujo, who needed 17 days in the majors before he could be optioned. One of baseball's conditioning drills should include lifting such a heavy burden. Nestor Cortes Jr. didn't make it past April last year. Araujo was designated for assignment this...

For the Orioles and their fans it was a frustrating night as three poorly executed pitches wound up in the seats. The New York Yankees hit three more homers tonight and beat the Orioles 6-4 at Camden Yards. After a 4-1 start, the Orioles have allowed 19 runs during a three-game losing streak. After the Birds had taken a 4-3 lead in the home seventh, Miguel Castro hung a slider and Clint Frazier hit it into the left field stands for three runs and an 6-4 lead in the eighth. Castro was one good...

The Orioles legends keep coming back to Camden Yards. Brooks, Eddie, Cakes, Cal and Boog for the home opener and again last night for the celebration of Frank Robinson's life. No last names needed. The 2019 Orioles aren't as easy to identify, scorecards a necessary expense following the roster turnover that began in earnest last July. But there was no mistaking a winning record that traveled back to Baltimore after a two-city road trip to start the season. Also recognizable is the first...

NEW YORK - Patrick Corbin pitched well enough in his season debut to earn the win. He did not get the win. Patrick Corbin again pitched well enough in his second start of the season to earn the win. Again he did not get the win. One of these days, Corbin will be rewarded for his efforts. Until then, all the Nationals left-hander can do is keep putting his team in position to win and hope the rest of the squad fulfills its duty. "We have confidence in our team," Corbin said Saturday after...

NEW YORK - The sight of Wilmer Difo rounding the bases, slapping his hands together in excitement, the crowd of 35,156 at Citi Field booing after the Nationals' backup shortstop gave his team a two-run lead with an upper-deck home run in the top of the eighth, should have brought joy to anyone rooting for the visitors in this afternoon's contest with the Mets. And yet nobody would fault anybody for reacting to Difo's surprise blast with feelings of nausea. Why? Because it merely meant the...

After starting the season 4-1 followed by back-to-back losses to Toronto and the New York Yankees, the Orioles host New York again tonight. It's game two of a three-game series and seven-game homestand to begin the home schedule. In Thursday's home opener, New York bashed four homers in an 8-4 win. The Orioles led 4-1 in the fifth inning, but the Yankees scored the game's final seven runs. They hit a pair of three-run homers off the Baltimore bullpen as Gleyber Torres connected off Mike...