Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer left the clubhouse around 1:30 p.m. to his catch plane to Atlanta ahead of Friday's critical start against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park. As for the club's run of three games in three cities in three nights, manager Davey Martinez said that is what the schedule dictates and the team must play them in a short period of time because the season is running out of days. He just hopes the weather doesn't get involved again. "It's been a grinding week,...

Welcome back to Nats Park for the Nationals one-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs. This game is the rescheduled game from Sunday's rainout. The Nats are enjoying their second longest win streak of the season, having won five in a row following a series sweep of the Phillies and a 5-1 win last night. They won six in a row twice this season: May 25-30 and April 29-May 4. After the game tonight, the club boards a charter and heads for an important three-game set against the red-hot and...

Manager: Joe Maddon (4th season) Record: 84-61 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 2B Javier Báez (.292 with 30 HR, 100 RBIs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (24 HR, 92 RBIs), 3B Kris Bryant (.277, 11 HR), RHP Pedro Strop (13 saves, 2.33 ERA) Season series vs. Nationals: 3-3 Pitching probables: Sept. 13: LHP Mike Montgomery (4-5) vs. RHP Joe Ross (0-0), 4:05 p.m., MASN2 Inside the Cubs: Joe Maddon's club is not happy about losing a scheduled off-day to play a makeup game in D.C. this afternoon. This means...

The Orioles 2018 season is certainly one for the ages and not in a good way. As the Orioles are charging toward a team record for losses and approaching all-time records, they are looking terrible in doing so. Last night they allowed 10 runs in the third inning and trailed 10-0. Their offense went 1-for-28 with a single. They were shutout for the 13th time. They now have their eighth losing streak of the year of at least six games. Oakland had 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position and the...

PHILADELPHIA - Some might see the radar gun, with a fastball velocity in the 92-94 mph range, and wonder what's wrong with Stephen Strasburg. Davey Martinez sees it as an opportunity for the veteran right-hander to show off his skills that don't require velocity. "He's pitching now," Martinez said after Strasburg tossed seven innings of one-run ball to beat the Phillies on Wednesday. "He's mixing all of his pitches in and attacking the strike zone. He fell behind a couple times and got...

The only certainties in the Orioles rotation moving forward are Dylan Bundy starting tonight to close out the Athletics series and rookies Luis Ortiz and Yefry Ramírez for the first two games of the weekend series against the White Sox. Alex Cobb won't stay in turn Sunday and could be held back until next weekend's series in the Bronx. The blister needs more time to heal. The Orioles must keep a ball out of his hand to avoid having the seams open it up again. The humidity apparently is an...

PHILADELPHIA - The Nationals know the math. They've reached a point in the season where it would take a miracle - or, at least, something historic - to catch the Braves and win the National League East title. But perhaps those miniscule odds are actually helping contribute to this sudden surge by one of the majors' most disappointing teams in 2018. When they were still facing real pressure to turn their season around, the Nationals caved. Now that the pressure is off, they're playing a...

For the second night in a row, the Oakland Athletics scored in the third inning and went on to win at Camden Yards. But tonight it seemed like they would never stop scoring in that inning. Oakland had 10 hits and scored 10 runs in the top of the third to blast the Orioles 10-0 at Camden Yards. The Orioles (41-104) are now three losses from tying the club record for losses in one season, set in 1988. In the third inning, Oakland scored eight runs off starter Andrew Cashner and two off reliever...

The Orioles allowed runs in only one inning tonight. However, 10 proved to be 10 more than they could handle. Four Athletics pitchers combined for the shutout in a 10-0 victory over the Orioles before an announced crowd of 10,480 at Camden Yards. Trey Mancini had the only hit for the Orioles with a two-out single off Liam Hendriks in the first inning. Chris Davis reached on an error leading off the second and Jace Peterson walked in the third. Only three baserunners the entire night, as the...

Outfielder Austin Hays, one of the top-rated prospects in the Orioles system who made his major league debut last September, will undergo surgery Thursday morning to repair a fractured ankle. Hays was limited to 75 games this season, 66 at Double-A Bowie, due to the injury. However, he finished the season with the Baysox and was ticketed to play in the Arizona Fall League. The Glendale Desert Dogs' roster included Hays, but his participation was pending the results of today's examination. Dr....