Dan Straily will begin his Orioles career in the bullpen before he's deemed ready to enter the starting rotation. It shouldn't take long, and his inclusion will give the club five starters and slam the brakes on the opener experiment. "He's a guy who eats innings, has a really good slider, knows how to pitch, just a competitor and so we're really excited to have him," said manager Brandon Hyde. "We're going to work him into (starting). He hasn't pitched in a competitive situation in a...

Right-hander Dan Straily's addition to the Orioles will no doubt be welcomed throughout the clubhouse, and maybe most by a bullpen that has been extremely busy through the first seven games. Manager Brandon Hyde said Straily may initially make some bullpen appearances, but he's headed for the rotation as soon as he's stretched out enough for that. Straily, 30, went 5-6 with a 4.12 ERA for Miami last year. Over his past three seasons he has worked to a 4.03 ERA over 495 1/3 innings with an...

NEW YORK - There isn't much you can definitively say about a baseball season after only seven games, but here's one point that appears safe to say even at this super-early juncture: Every single National League East game - perhaps except for those involving the Marlins - is going to be an absolute grind in 2019. It's April 6 and already the Nationals have played seven games against the Mets and Phillies, and every single one has felt like a late-September showdown with postseason berths on...

New Orioles pitcher Dan Straily met with manager Brandon Hyde this afternoon and fielded questions form the media for about four minutes in front of his locker, his eagerness to pitch evident after signing a one-year deal yesterday. "The Orioles called me right away," he said. "They said, 'Here's our offer for you. If this is something you're interested in let us know,' so it materialized pretty quickly once we kind of had that going. "For me, I was more interested in starting games...

Chris Davis and Rio Ruiz are out of the Orioles lineup for tonight's game against the Yankees, who are starting left-hander J.A. Happ. Hanser Alberto is playing third base. Trey Mancini is at first base and Joey Rickard is in right and batting second. Dwight Smith Jr. moves down to fifth. Cedric Mullins is in the lineup versus a lefty, batting ninth as the center fielder. Richie Martin moves up to eighth. Pedro Severino is catching. Dylan Bundy is facing the Yankees again after allowing three...

NEW YORK - If the season was two or three weeks old, perhaps Davey Martinez would construct his lineup based on trends instead of track records. But the season is only one week old, and so for now, the Nationals manager is going to put his faith in track records over trends. The trends suggest Victor Robles shouldn't be hitting ninth and Brian Dozier shouldn't be batting second. But with only six games of evidence to make decisions on, Martinez believes the right path right now is to stick...

NEW YORK - And we're back. It's been a very odd schedule to begin this season, with three days off already. But now the Nationals finally get into a consistent routine, with five consecutive game days beginning this afternoon at Citi Field. The Nats will look to make it three in a row and get over the .500 mark for the first time this season. They'll have Patrick Corbin on the mound to make his second start, each of them against the Mets. The new lefty was solid his debut Sunday afternoon, a...

Last night, Reno defeated Fresno 7-5 ,but shortstop Carter Kieboom and third baseman Jake Noll each contributed on their first Triple-A base hits. Kieboom connected on a double and Noll an RBI single. Juan Soto said he has known Noll for quite some time because they came up to the big leagues together. Noll was optioned to Fresno when the Nationals reinstated Howie Kendrick from the injured list Thursday morning. "I feel very happy for him because we played together in the minor leagues,"...

Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy, looking to bounce back from a season in which he led the majors in homers allowed and tied for the major league lead with 16 losses, takes the mound for the second time in 2019 tonight. Once again, he faces the New York Yankees. A Yankees team that scored five runs in its recent three-game series versus Detroit, but has scored 23 runs in four games this year against the Orioles. A team that bashed four homers in Thursday's 8-4 win over the Orioles in...

NEW YORK - Some Saturday morning thoughts before the Nationals and Mets resume their weekend series at Citi Field ... * Davey Martinez opened the season with Victor Robles batting ninth because he liked the idea of using the rookie center fielder as a "second leadoff hitter," someone who could occasionally set the table for Adam Eaton and Trea Turner. Well, that plan may actually be working out too well so far. Robles has led off an inning eight times, and he's gone 5-for-8 with two doubles...